Itaewon and so much more

On Saturday, Katrina and I went to Itaewon. The purpose of the trip was two-fold. The first objective was to get Katrina a falafel sandwich from Istanbul. The second, to meet up with Transition and his girlfriend Dani (who will henceforth and affectionately be referred to as shuffles). Itaewon is the U.S.A. town of Korea. It could best be equated to Chinatown, only it is in South Korea and there are more Americans than Koreans walking the streets, at least that’s how it felt. From my understanding there is a military base nearby but I never took the time to research it.

So, we got off the bus stop and away we went, in search of Istanbul, a Middle Eastern restaurant in Korea. I was doubtful we would actually be able to find it since the directions were poor. The only bright spot was it was located between to stops. So, we start walking in the direction I think it is supposed to be, past a whole bunch of shops, and up a hill. As we continue up the hill, there are less and less shops and more and more apartments. I could tell we were leaving the commercial district and headed for a residential district.

(My new favorite bar)

I thought our quest was futile but we continued walking. We walked a little further and Katrina spotted the other subway station. My instincts kicked in and we headed towards Istanbul, or at least I thought where Istanbul was supposed to be. We made our way down a hill, out of the apartments, and back into a commercial area. Sure enough, after about five minutes, we found the shop. Needless to say, I was pretty excited, just because we found the shop. Katrina was excited because she got to eat a falafel sandwich. Objective one complete. I should have taken a picture but I didn’t. I’ll be sure to get one the next time we go back.

(Street vendors selling hats, socks, clothing, knick-knacks, and food)

(We went into the basement of one store to look for Mink blankets for Katrina's friend Nicky. In the basement, what do I see - BEAR DOWN CHICAGO BEARS, BEAR DOWN! This one's for my Dad!)

After down our sandwiches, we asked the owner, a New Zealander, for directions to ‘What the Book,’ an all English bookstore. The falafel, by the way, was delicious and we plan on going back very soon. Off we headed, back towards the train station. While we were eating, I got a text from Matt that said they were on the way. We met them at Exit 3 of the Itaewon Station. Objective two complete. Anything from here on out would be a bonus. We continued on to the book store and Katrina was in her glory. It has been difficult to find books in Korea but now we know where to go. I think we ended up spending an hour or so browsing the shelves – I forgot to mention, most of the books are used, so they are cheaper (bonus #1). I ended up buying two books, both by Kurt Vonnegut, Katrina got two, and Shuffles and Transition each got one.

Right next to the book store was a Foreign Food Grocery Store (bonus #2). There was not a huge selection but we did luck out and find some black beans for Katrina, 2500 won a can, some refried beans, 4500 won, and hummus, another Middle Eastern food Katrina enjoys. Next time we go back to Itaewon, we are definitely going to take a larger backpack and stock up on some supplies.

(An enticing display - notice the hair piece)

(Bonus #3). I forgot to mention that I asked Transition to pick up some cheese and granola bars at Costco since it is so much cheaper than any grocery store. So, we got two blocks of cheese and 48 granola bars.

We toured around Itaewon for a bit longer, checking out the shops and seeing what other treats there were in this forbidden city. A few times I was enticed by a Korean custom suit maker. One even said, “I am a suit doctor. I will fix you up!” However, I declined all the offers and continued on my way. From the limited reading I have done on Itaewon, it used to be a red light district but has since cleaned up its act. However, at certain times of the evening, in certain parts of the city, ladies of the night can still be found.

(Alley Market)

We made our way back to the station, transferred three times, went out the wrong exit, but still managed to catch a bus back to Yeongtong. We dropped our goodies off a home, had a few drinks of Makali – Korean rice wine – and headed to the Mexican restaurant. I had a chicken burrito, which was sufficient, considering the circumstances. It definitely was not a real chicken burrito. In fact, I think there was more chicken than rice, but it was Mexican nonetheless (bonus #4).

We came home, drank, played some cards, and had a nice evening. After playing cards with Dani, I gave her the nickname ‘Shuffles,’ due to the manner in which she shuffles cards. Imagine holding the cards to shuffle them, now, rotate your hands 180 degrees so that your thumbs are no longer in the middle but on the outside. Then, shuffle the cards with your four fingers. If you can picture this, you will now know how ‘Shuffles’ shuffles the cards.

(Me attempting to shuffle in the same manner as Dani - aka 'Shuffles')

Today, on the 4^th of July, we woke up, went back to the Fortress to show Transition and Shuffles around. Dani’s mother had sent her a care package with 4^th of July plates, a tablecloth, and four U.S. flags. So, we ate at the top of Mt. Paldal on an American tablecloth surrounded by four flags at each corner. Of course, our picnic was served on the red, white, and blue plates sent by her mother. It was a nice day and we did all of the things we had previously done so there aren’t any pictures. And that was our weekend. In a brief summary, falafel sandwiches, English bookstore, black beans and hummus, cheese and granola bars, Mexican food, as well as the Suwon Fortress with Transition and Shuffles. What a wonderful weekend!

(Happy 4th of July!!!)

(Picnic Spread)

(The four of us at Suwon Fortress)