Pre-Touch Tournament

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After a month of being on the EV campus, Shauna and I have become accustomed to playing Touch Rugby on Monday Nights after work on the turf field at the Sports Discovery center. Two weeks ago, Captain Tim, asked everyone on campus if they wanted to purchase specially made field shirts with Paju Pirates on the front along with whatever name and number we wanted on the back. Curiosity struck and I wanted to learn why they were getting shirts made? I hunted down Tim, to ask him what was going on with the t-shirts? He simply replied, "we are getting team shirts made to help make everyone feel a part of something bigger around here. A bit of team building through t-shirts." I smiled thinking there was more to this and stated so. That is when he said there was a touch tournament coming up and they wanted to look like a team. I asked how many players they had? Only to learn they needed more guys to play. I said, "I'm in. I'd like to be a part of the team. I enjoy playing sports. No matter if its my first time or my tenth time."

A couple of weeks went by we practiced against each other scheduled team meetings before practice to run a few plays and get all the unnatural players (Americans, Canadians) more time to mesh together with guys who have been playing rugby their whole lives (New Zealand, South African, Zimbabweans).

Eventually, the week came prior to the tournament and everyone was getting excited! During Monday's practice we discussed the options of sleeping overnight in Seoul, somewhere to be closer in travel distance to the field on the far Northeast side of the city. From EV, it would take around 3-hours to reach via bus and then subway plus the short walk from the station to the fields. After Monday nights practice the team was split six people for staying at EV and getting up early to travel to the fields together. The other six wanted to stay in Seoul in hotels and then make their way to the fields. I was in the latter of these two decisions.

By Friday, only Hans, Tim, David S and myself were in for staying overnight in Seoul. Hans (coach) and Tim (team captain) still had the meeting to attend to on Friday night at 8:00 pm at a pub someplace in Itaewon. The plans were to meet up with Hans and Tim, after the Coach/Captains meeting in Itaewon, they would meet up with David and I, to find a hotel rooms, and go out on the town for a couple of hours before getting a good nights sleep to be ready for the tournament in the morning.

After work on Friday, David S and I met up around 6:30 pm after packing our bags for the night and day-tournament to follow. We made our way to the bus stop idly chatting after the long day of work. On the fifty-five minute ride into Hapjeong Station via the express bus we discussed everyone's favorite topics; religion, politics and sports. Eventually, the bus arrived at Hapjeong Station and I was still able to get in a good twenty minute cap nap!

Exiting the bus, we ran into Dane, KJ and three Canadian travelers out with them in Hongdae. We asked Dane if he would be meeting us in the morning for the tournament? We learned he was unable to because of a commitment at his university. We wished them a good night, they wished us good luck with the tournament and headed our separate ways into the Hongdae area.

Hongdae instantly reminded me of several shopping areas in Osaka, Japan. People wandering around amongst the lights and characters strolling out on the Friday night. The Hongdae area is about fourteen blocks squared except that blocks in Seoul can either be fifteen feet apart or two-hundred and fifty feet apart? There is no telling until you are there how far apart one street from the next truly is unless you walk it, drive it, or bike across it. In the area are two Universities; Hongik University and Ewha Womans University which accounts for all the inexpensive shopping, theaters, cafes, pubs and more going on in the area! It's a thriving area in Seoul... with street vendors selling both merchandise and food. It's also a place were you can find many international restaurants for small prices.

David asked if I was hungry even though we would be meeting up with the other two later for a few drinks. I stated I could eat food even though I ate before leaving the house especially if we were going to Dos Tacos! Dos Tacos, David was telling me on the way into Hongdae had huge burritos and anything mexican you wanted to eat at reasonably good prices unlike the rest of the areas in Seoul. Plus he said, you couldn't find anything as nice as this in Itaewon for the prices. I agreed then, that we needed to eat at Dos Tacos. Following David, through the streets of Hongdae was both wreckless and aimless as far as I could tell. We walked straight, then a right, down a short alley out through traffic up a slope around a corner between two vending machines out another door way? How were we inside something? Heck I don't know. Down another alley, across a six way intersection, through the GS25, across two double wide pedestrian cross walks, through three thousand people drinking, eating and smoking on the sidewalk then we emerged in front of a Frisbee shop. Frisbee is the only authorized dealer of MAC products in Korea. And to buy MAC products in Korea, you will pay an extra $500 on top of its original USD prices!!!

Crossing the street, David asked if I knew where we were? I told him the truth... "I haven't the slightest idea but I am sure it will all come flooding back to me in the morning because I am a whiz kid when it comes to all things geographical." Up a short set of stairs and David walked right past the front doors of Dos Tacos. "Hey D.. is this the place you were looking for?" I pointed at the awning with the nice White Letters and the red chili. He stopped, turned around and came back to look at the place. "Sure is," he said as the door opened and a guy said, "hey David, how are you doing?" Confused, I just stood there salivating as the scent of mexican food waft in the air. "Not bad man. How are you? Haven't seen you in a while." The two of them introduced me to the other and we all entered noticing the place was packed. Eric knew David, from a church in Seoul they both attended from time to time. Eric just happened to be at Dos Tacos with four other English Teacher's enjoying a meal. After a few minutes when the table next to them left, they asked us to join them for dinner.

Setting down our bags, everyone introduced everyone else. I felt slightly strange amongst the bible-group of English Teachers only to learn that they all weren't from the church but just co-teachers of Eric's. Thankfully, we chatted idly until someone asked a question about "god or the bible or something religious" that's when the flame thrower came out of my bag. David's smile disappeared, Eric ran for cover and we all sang kumbaya!

Kidding. No one brought up the subject of religion, thankfully because I would have had to excuse myself and eaten outside on the sidewalk. Everyone was fairly nice and had been in Korea teaching between a couple of months and a year. We all spoke quietly about where we taught although they were far more fascinated by our situation at the English Village then we were of their hagwons (private english school).

With food in their bellies and ours just arriving two of the people departed. As we ate our burritos the others discussed their plans for the evening. David told them we were playing in a touch tournament in the morning and would be meeting up with a couple other guys in a little while. Half way down with my vegetarian burrito stuffed full of red kidney beans, lettuce, green pepper, chili's, pinto beans, onions, cheese, salsa and tomatoes, Eric, John and other guy said their departing words and left us to finish off our meals inside the bustling Dos Tacos eatery.

Twenty minutes later, two burritos down and three large glasses of water we were ready to journey out into the Hongdae nightlife. Walking back down the stretch of road we had just come from, I stopped in front of a vendor selling watches explaining the need for a cheap watch so the kids couldn't ruin my expensively nice watch that Shauna had given me for our anniversary the year before. It being my only watch with me, I wanted to keep it in the pristine condition of its current state.

I picked up a Delki watch of what appeared to be a snorkeling white polar bear or dog? I began laughing when the vendor told me the watch was 5,000 won ($3.50 CAD). The laughter subsided when David explained if I wore that watch, I would be attacked by every elementary to middle school child on campus until either the watch was broken or I was. I set it down, thinking it might be what I want later. Although, I haven't need a reason in the past to become a human jungle-gym for small kids.

Rounding the corner, David said "I need to find an ATM so we are heading for this information center and then off to find the ATM. We should be getting the call from Tim and Hans shortly too." I nodded and followed him around the corner. Down a long stretch of road we ran into another guy who knew David. After we walked a few feet in the other direction I pointed out the obvious popularity David had in the Hongdae area. He retorted smiling "yea man. Too bad its not that way with the women." We both laughed walking into the GS25 convenience store. As David, waited to use the ATM (ABM in SK) I perused the ice cream section first, then the chocolates and finely the beer. Thankfully, nothing caught my eye but I think it must have been from the three-pound burrito I had just eaten at Dos Tacos!

With David's cash in his wallet we walked outside turned right and went to meet up with Tim and Hans who had just called. They would be another eight minutes or so and would be exiting from the Hongik Station exit number five. As we walked to the station exit we talked about the random ajumma (old lady) selling kittens on the corner and how cruel it was for her to have each one running around with a cord around its paws attached to a cardboard box. I stated the obvious; at least it wasn't tied around their necks! We laughed then Tim and Hans emerged from the station. We discussed our options for finding a place to crash at for the night. Then we walked onward down into the station under the road way and back up the other side on the advice of KJ who earlier had disclosed a guesthouse to David outside of Hapjeong station.

Up a set of stairs around a corner into an elevator the four of us crammed, out on the twenty-second floor buzzing one home door bell. Hans asked the lady if she had an available room for four. She said no but try the one across the hall. We buzzed, this time Tim responded to the persons voice on the other end. The voice replied they didn't have room and we all crammed back into the elevator. On the way back down, we discussed further options to find a place to sleep and what everyone's budget would be on the room. Back out on the street corner we looked around. I spotted a couple of hotel names down the road. The one across the street Seokyo Hotel, looked nice and expensive. I then said "there is one further down the road with a blue sign I can read. And beyond that there is another one with brown letters." Pointing down the roadway, I tried to get Tim, Hans or David to see what I was seeing. They all shook their heads and we crossed the street. Down the street idly chatting about our chances to get a room at the Seokyo Hotel. We all walked in, laughed at the expensive marble floor and vases in the foyer. Hans approached the reception desk only to learn that one night would cost us $300 USD. We all laughed and walked back into the street. Further down we continued our search when the next hotel, was in extremely poor condition. I said, "we can still check the one further down?" Tim simply stated, "if there is a hotel down here, I will buy you your first round." Another three blocks we walked talking about the tournament and the bad luck we received in being placed in the division with last years finalist, runner up and two of Seoul's top teams!

Spotting the remainder of the hotel, I said, "looks like you all owe me a drink." Hans replied, "how did you see that?" Tim stated, "you must have super human sight." David didn't say anything other than "I hope they have a room for the night." Upon entering the Bobo Hotel, Hans approached the two women at the front counter inquiring about two rooms for the night. The price was 100,000 won for a room for two. We all agreed on the price, paid our 50,000 won took the key and the nice gift set they handed to us and went up in another 3-foot by 3-foot elevator. Laughing as we rode to the sixth floor, we fell out of the elevator into a dark black and neon blue hallway. Great! My first love hotel experience is with a guy from South Africa! Laughing inwardly, Tim stated "let's freshen up and meet back here in ten minutes?" "Freshen up? Are you kidding? What are you going to do to Hans? Blow dry his hair?" David sarcastically stated. Laughing I didn't care what he meant because it came out totally wrong but I understood what he was saying; let's toss our bags in our rooms, use the facilities, change if needed and go out for a while.

David, agreed during the hour walk as did Tim, to sleep on the floor in the room instead of sharing the double-twin mattress. Stating I was okay with that arrangement we went into the love room of pink carnation floral wallpaper and hardwood floors. The bathroom was a highly decorated mix of black and white marble tiles with a large nicely secured shower massaging device along with a pull-down wooden seat! Smiling before the gust of laughter filled the room these "luxuries" inside the love hotel just kept coming as I went back into the bed-area of our room. While I continued to snap of photographs of the room and laughing, David busied himself by trying to search for extra blankets in the room then out in the maid's closet around the corner.

Instantly after the door closed, I picked up the toiletries bag given to us by the front desk agent. Pulling the bag to one side I read slowly, "shower cap (not needed/shaved head), whitening cream lotion (definitely don't need, I'm white enough), toothpaste & travel toothbrush (99% chance of no fluoride but might have a good green tea flavor/could keep the travel toothbrush for another trip? maybe), night cap (would have rather had a shot of airplane bottle whiskey, oh well), leg cream (definitely not needed) and thankfully no condoms!" Laughing again, at this absurd pack of things, I snapped off another couple of pictures then unraveled the bag for a closer look when David popped his head back into the room. "Those other two are ready, let's get out of this place!" "Alrighty... just need to put on the shoes, meet you in the hallway."

Thirty-two seconds later I stepped into the hallways prepared with a camera, cash and my humor intact for the adventure of going out in Hongdae. My thoughts were we'd be out until possibly Midnight so we could all get a good nights rest before the tournament the following day. However my mistake in judgement only took me by surprise later in the night when I realized midnight had come and gone along with the two or three beers at each of the four bars we went into, conversed about random topics over extremely LOUD MUSIC* all the while trying to enjoy ourselves amongst the University like atmosphere! Although I do recall one bar where they served us a flattened dried fish cut into thin strips with a pair of scissors at our table then dipped into a strangely sweet brown sauce, tortilla chips with bland salsa and a cup of melted cheddar cheese and crunchy salted honey shelled peanuts along with our 12-bucket pale of Tsingtao Beers!

At some point the evening went from full on LOUD MUSIC in bars to walking around the Hongdae area in search of a bar that sold bottles of Absolut Vodka to patrons for 35,000 won, about thirty-two dollars. I vaguely recall trying some really random street food as an appetizer to soak up some of the beer we had been drinking at the various bars we entered. And there was a guy on stilts making balloon animals for people entering into a disco-club its facade in day-glow blue light bulbs blinking erratically to techno music blaring down the street!

Eventually, we made our way down the largest street in the Hongdae doubling back through the parked cars in the middle of the road past the Zen Bar, behind Ho Bar III, around the corner from the Kimbop place, through a short doorway between the GS25 and a T-World coming out in front of the eatery David had pointed out earlier in our evening when we were searching for food. All four of us crossed the street amongst a crowd of strangers gaggling at one another about some ruckus further down the road to our right. A stream of taxis then impeded our path grabbing up random pedestrians along the way as we finally reached the other side of the street, Hans stated, "Do you think its down this street or the next, David?" "Honestly, I cannot remember if it was left here or after the "buy the way" shop?" "Guys its this way, I can see the Red, Yellow & Green flag," excitedly I pointed down the road. "It's his super powers acting up again!" Tim jibbed at me about my eyesight.

Down the alley the four of us went until the alley hit a dead end looking left right up and down four pairs of eyes finally spotted the same red, yellow and green flag stuck against the building that I had viewed just minutes before. Beside the flag was an arrow pointing diagonally down to the right. We all looked around wondering what was going on since there were no doors on the building. This is when David, pointed to a door standing alone by itself with the same colors painted on its door. Literally this was a door coming out of the ground by itself, unattached to any other structure around it. First David, then Hans, Tim and finally myself passed through the doorway taking steps down into the belly of this random building. Each step we took could have been fatal had we been any less sober. The steps were at a seventy-percent pitch! Every single step was sharper then the previous one as our feet stepped onto each of the panels the ancient wood yelled out in agonizing pains with creaks and squeals as our weight moved further down into this new environment. At the very bottom of this steep staircase we moved one after the other to our left into a very small foyer. Because I was the last down the stairs, I rounded the corner and ran smack into Tim who was taking off his shoes, Hans and David had already removed their shoes and were stuffing them into cloth shoe sacks which you brought with you to your table.

The room had a distinct smell something like a temple but even a bit more sweet. Somewhere in the memory banks, I recalled being in another bar at some point in my life with this same sweet scent. My first thought was Nag Champa an incense we frequently burn in our home but then I spotted a gigantic red and white polkadotted mushroom standing eight-feet tall in the middle of the room. Along its bottom were two three foot Indian Hooka's which I could see had recently been used due to the cloudy water in the middle of the pipe. My brains finally picked out from the memory banks in my head the last time I had enjoyed this dark sweet scent! It was in Thailand during one of the adventurous nights on the strip with some other divers! Without thinking I blurted out to Tim who was standing closest to me... "Hey have you ever smoked out of a hooka before?" "Not that I can recall, why do you ask?" "Seiously?! I wish we didn't have a tournament tomorrow Indian tobacco from a hooka is sooooo smooooooth and gives you this ever slight buzz. It's honestly one of the best feelings just sitting around smoking out of a hooka. It brings you into a peaceful mind meditation mood. I'm definitely coming back to this place if I can remember where the heck we went tomorrow?"

The room was decorated in the very latest fad-hippie-fashion decor straight out of a 60's pop-culture book or from scenes on album covers of legendary reggae singer Bob Marley and the Wailers. It was an incredible space this room down in a basement. I glanced around the room as we strolled over to an empty table on the far side of the room sitting down on the comfortable floor pillows. Picking up the menu Hans, and David began perusing their next beverage choices as Tim's hand-phone (Konglish**) began vibrating, so he answered and I kept up my observations of the room before us. Directly behind me less than twelve feet was a pond on the opposite side of the giant red mushroom from the hooka's! The ceiling was a gigantic red, yellow and green flag representing Irie or Reggae. The place had guitars, tamborines, a couple didgeridoo's and a couple djembe drums laying around for people to just use as the mood in the room moved them! The music... obviously was reggae and the proprietor's along with the people who worked here all had dreadlocks! This place was the perfect serenity to end our evening but then Tim announced his three friends would be joining us shortly which meant we would be postponing our return to the Bobo and the sleep we all needed.

The longer we sat in the Redemption Bar the more I just wanted to lean over on some large pillows and take a nap. It was extremely peaceful in this room with the light musical tunes of the Caribbean floating around the room, the scent of Nag Champa floating in the air and the delicious island beverages resting on the table in front of us. Tim's friends arrived ten minutes later everyone was introduced and discussions arose out of the numbing air. Honestly, I had a great conversation with I think his name was "William, Willie or John" but I cannot really recall about falling asleep in the Redemption Bar one night when he was out drinking until 4am. And we talked about living in Korea although it all evades my mind. I don't recall having any conversations with the two Korean girls who came with "John" but they seemed friendly overall.

Eventually, someone decided to figure out what time it was and when we realized it was nearly 1:45 in the morning that we should return to the Bobo after all and get at least a few hours of sleep prior to the train ride in the morning. We departed in with gestures of newly bonded friendship with the John and the girls when we reached the GS25 around the corner. Tim, David and I ran out across the street in knee deep taxi traffic as Hans wobbled forward through the cars realizing for the first time just how drunk he was from the bar hopping we had done over the last four and a half hours. Everyone grabbed various random snacks from digest wheat cookies to hot dogs cooked on a stick to salami and cheese with crackers. After our schmorgasboard of delights we headed back to the hotel down the street. Entering the Bobo we were all laughing at the name, and various other random thoughts which we belted out for no reason then to be entertaining.

Somehow, we arrived at the correct street crossing and made our way back inside the lobby of the hotel. Retrieving our keys from the front desk clerk and riding the elevator up to the correct floor departing on words of encouragement and what time we should all be awake to get out of the hotel. I would like to say this should have stopped our excitement for one night but staying in a love hotel in the middle of the University district made things even more miserable. But thankfully, I was smart enough to bring along with me; ear plugs. So, I slept on one of the most solid mattresses ever in a stuffy hot room with only a sheet for warmth because we an American and a South African couldn't figure out how to turn on the air conditioner and didn't want to bother Hans and Tim next door due to the need for sleep and the lack of function brain cells by 2:23 in the morning. The normal tournament jitters had finally fallen away thanks to the entertaining evening Tim, David and Hans had taken me on... on my first trip into the Hongdae area and I was determined to eventually come back and scour through the numerous dance clubs, taverns and shops along the way!


*Koreans' in general have this thing about listening to ear-splitting "treble only" music
** Konglish is a word made up for Korean's to understand English.
handphone = cellphone
eye shopping = window shopping
burrberry = overcoat
manicure = nail polish

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Photos

The Bobo Hotel
David from South Africa in the lobby

Bar One
The Angel Bar

Bar Two
Ho Bar V

Bar Three
The Redemption Bar

Bar Snacks
Flattened dried fish, chips & cheese, peanuts