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Published: April 26th 2010
Sunset over Daegu
From Bullo-dong ParkGotta love the English language.
This weekend was pretty awesome. My friend Kate (from training--her blog is linked on my profile page) came down from Seoul this weekend to hang in Daegu with me. As we're both pretty big dorks, that means tons of tourist-y things. 😊
It was a little chaotic meeting-up. Half because a chunk of the later KTX trains were booked up that Friday, so she had to come early. Half because I'm kind of high-strung sometimes. Regardless, we met up (and she bought me a little house flower!) without too many problems on my dinner break (7-8). We grabbed our kimbap/etc. and headed back to April. She got to see my classroom, and I let her watch some of the day's "Acting," listen to some of the funniest speaking homework I get to grade (I love those kids), and read a few of their short essays. It provided a little bit of insight on the semi-crazy life I lead, I suppose.
Afterward, we went home to drop off all of her stuff, walk the pup, and then we went out to hit up one of the hookah bars. We went to the one called
Buy the Book
Turkey Chili "Garden" which, if you're a Daegu resident, is located near "the Bus." The entrance is a two-story staircase lined with candles. I promise it's not too hard to find.
This particular hookah lounge is cool because it's decked out in a sort of Bohemian/Indian vibe. The lights are dim lanterns, candles, and little LED lights; there are 3 stories-- the main seating area on the floor, an area of little nooks along a staircase, and a separate area for bigger parties, etc. They're actually primarily a wine bar, but they offer cocktails as well. The shisha selection isn't huge (Double Apple, Mango, Mint, Rose, Silver Fox, some sort of berry I think, and Fruit Mix comprises the main selection), but it's a good quality, and it pulls smoothly. My faves are Mint and Silver Fox.
Anyway, it was
Dr. Fish
For those of you looking for Dr. Fish, this is the sign ;) a great way to kick off the weekend. We went home afterward ready to face a new day. The next day, we both made our first trip to Buy the Book, an restaurant on the 4th floor of a building downtown that specializes in organic/vegan/vegetarian dishes (good luck finding many more of those in SoKo, I dare you). They also sell used books and magazines. As a perk, they make excellent smoothies with ginger. We both got chili-- Kate's was vegetarian (as she is one), and mine was turkey. Served with salad and brown bread. It was delicious.
Then, we moved on to Dr. Fish, those spas where the fish eat the dead skin off of your feet. Now, I've heard of Dr. Fish, and had even considered locating one in New York City before I moved here. However, it just didn't happen. Following the directions of some of my coworkers, Kate and I traversed downtown until we got to the UNIQLO. Directly across from it is the Dr. Fish. I promise.
Go upstairs to the second floor, and you see a huge cafe with tons of Koreans just knocking back iced coffees and eating bread. It's so
Dr. Fish
Jam and Bread Korean. Anyway, those of you looking to do Dr. Fish in Daegu, walk in, head to the register, pay the entrance fee (less than 4,000W), pay for your coffee (which is ridiculously cheap), and pay for Dr. Fish. The entrance fee pretty much is there to cover the coffee discount and the copious amounts of all-you-can-eat bread-and-jam they have available. I have never been so happy to slather bread with butter and strawberry jam in my life. Kate and I both had 4 little slices. And the Koreans around us were probably on their fourth or fifth serving of bread.
I should point out that rice is to Koreans as bread is to the United States. That being said, bread is to Koreans as, I don't know, cupcakes are to the United States. Koreans. Love. Bread. It's kind of a crazy phenomenon. Tous Les Jours and Paris Baguette are MAINSTREAM *HUGE* chains... and they are pretty much bread bakeries (yes, they make a few cakes and donuts, but seriously, they bake primarily buns, loaves, and twists).
Once we were finished devouring a loaf between us, it was time for Dr. Fish. Step One? Take off your shoes and
Dr. Fish
"Fish Spa" socks. Step Two? Wash your feet. Guess they don't want any foot creams/lotions poisoning their profits (I'm sorry, I'll stop making bad puns). Step Three? Put feet in fish tub and zomg freak out.
When you get used to it, the fish actually feel kind of like a bubbler, except you occasionally might think for a moment or pay too-close attention and notice the fact that it does, in fact, feet like there's a fish nibbling your foot. I just have to wonder how often other foreigners go there and freak out just like we did. I don't know. A lot of people have said they don't notice a difference afterward, but I can honestly say that my ankles feel smoother-- which is somewhere I always have dry skin. Also, it just feels nice to have fish eating your feet. Is that weird to say? Whatever. It's true.
After Dr. Fish, we did a little shopping , and then headed back home to deposit our packages, walk the dog, and then grab my camera and hoodies. Onwards to Bullo-dong Tomb Park.
According to the sign
Burial Mounds
Before sunset, Bullo-dong Park at the entrance of the park:
This area is the center of large-scaled tumuli, which are composed of 210 odd tombs in the Era of the Three Kingdoms. Since first excavated in 1938, these tumuli were unearthed and investigated again by archaeologists of Kyungpook National University Museum in 1968. Most of the earthen mounds measure approximately 15~20m in diameter and 4m in height. The interior rock lined pit-type chambers are about 4.5~8m long, 0.8~1.2m wide, and 1.0~2.2m deep.
Monoliths or split stones are layered to build the walls of the chambers. No special treatment applied on the floor. There are some chambers with partition walls that divide the space into two, one of which is used for burying relics and the other of which is used for burying dead bodies.
Excavated remains are earthenware like lids with the pictures of horses engraved on them, harness such as bits and reins, iron weapons and fish bones. The tombs are assumed to date from the 5~6th century and to be the graves of the families that ruled this area.
Anyway, it's not terribly exciting unless you're (a) an anthropology major , (b) a photography whore , or (c) going at sunset . A lot of people actually have the nerve to bitch about how boring this park is. Thankfully, I will assume those of you who are reading are smarter than that, or at the very least, understand that lighting is important to get a good photo.
Bullo-dong is located in the north, north-eastern part of Daegu. It is also located on a mountain. What does this mean? It means that if you have half a brain, you have already concluded that this is a bitchin' spot to watch the sunset over Daegu. You have also already hopefully concluded that that means awesome photos and a great view of the mountains surrounding Daegu.
Anyway, enjoy the photos of this beautiful park; they were taken as we sat atop the highest mound at the highest point of the
Silhouette
Tree silhouettes.
Bullo-dong Park park. And if you're a Daegu resident, I think you should give Bullo-dong a chance.
That night, we hit up Bonita Coffee, so Kate could meet Su Jin (my Korean friend from the Bull Fighting Festival, if you don't remember). Then we went to a DVD Bang, and watched Mamma Mia; I crooned the entire time. We also spent a good chunk of time talking (like everyone does) about Pierce Brosnan's singing abilities. We also speculated that the entire movie was pretty much an excuse for Meryl Streep to be awesome/fabulous while singing ABBA songs.
I also got a new ear piercing. I guess I'm still bitter about losing the nose ring. So I figure if I have to give up my little German souvenir, I should pick up a little South Korean souvenir along the way. It's a conch. 😊 It was less painful than you'd think. Also, don't judge me.
Then, that night, Kate's computer died. 😞 Kind of put a damper on things, but we pressed onwards.
Sunday was less eventful than Saturday. We slept late and then went to Fruu for lunch. Fruu is an organic restaurant near my work. The food
King of the Hill
Korean teenagers doing the same thing we were. Bullo-dong Park is scrumptious, which is why I'm about a third of the way through the punch card (that's about a dozen stamps, people). Anyway, I took photos of our meal (with the good camera this time), so enjoy the food porn.
After lunch, we went to Apsan to see if the cable cars were running-- apparently not. So instead we walked around for a little while, and checked out a temple. We were going to go to Seomun Market, but because we woke up late and because we decided to exchange Kate's new shoes, we ended up not having time. We got some Kim Pasa to shove down our throats, and then hopped the subway one stop down back to my apartment.
Kate packed up, and I packed up Ziggy. Nicole from the shelter was meeting us at the subway station to pick up my foster dog for a few days-- it was time for his vaccinations and check up.
Then, Kate and I made our way to Dongdaegu Station. She got a last
Moutains
More mountains around Bullo-dong standing ticket on a train (which isn't technically standing, as there are seats between the cars) at about half past seven. I headed home to my person-less, puppy-less apartment.
All-in-all, it was a very fulfilling weekend.
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Kate in Africa
Kate Henschel
I really want to try Dr. Fish in Okinawa this summer. And yay for finishing up my package! :)