Broken Rock in the Hot Sun ( I Fought....)

After an exhausting 5-day work week it was the start of what may be three consecutive three day weekends.

Dinner with TSR last night - a curry of brilliant provenance and, happily, three bottles of wine between the two of us. Or sadly, when I remember how I felt when I woke up this morning. ;-)


But the trip to the festival was delayed until 1:30 (and then another hour because Adam's kid was cranky) and that helped. The festival lasted until just after 8 and it was hot.. probably near 90 and, as usual, the "field" was sand and dried spit. Still, some very nice cultural acts, an Indian lunch that wasn't within miles of what TSR had prepared the night before, and some very nice chat with Adam, who I rarely see except in passing. His wife drove us and she has perfect English, although she rarely spoke.



The festival ended with an awesome fireworks display. It was set off not 100 metres from us and it blew the sky open. The bonus thing? As I'm goggling like the idiot that you all know I am at the magnesium-based, steel backboned sparklers of my youth (you know, the ones that give third-degree burns on contact?) Adam says, "oh yeah, you can buy fireworks in any major store. Year round."

Now, Koreans may pile up in the thousands to hold candle-light vigils against US beef (Hey, genius, just don't eat it if you don't like it) at the same time that fans and taxi drivers freely take lives all across the country. And that would be a point against..



But, dude... fireworks.. all year. And, really, no crime worth mentioning (which comes up as a draw when measured against the fact that drugs aren't available). And the price of the food...



Korea.. not "sparkling" - and, that evil looking Ralph-Steadmanesque thing on the left is the new fucking OFFICIAL "mascot" (if by mascot you mean that thing that, after getting up from its position as recently sodomized beast is probably going to kill you) of Seoul - but pretty darned cool..



I mean really.. a fucking horned lion... drawn in random circles and inkblots.

Is there anything Korean Marketing can't fail?