Sunday, January 25, 2009

Meanwhile, back in the States...

The flight was.. well, an international flight. Got to the airport and immediately spotted the tour of 35 Korean kids who were getting on the same flight as I was.

This is never good.

Got on the plane and was sitting next to a guy about my age who had been in Korea for a week (his first time) and we had a grand time swapping stories of eating the inedible, Korean drinking, and trading cultural animadversions. The Korean kid behind me looked like an innocent little girl, but as soon as I turned my back she turned into Pele, Maradonna and Beckham indulging in an open-goal kicking contest. I didn't sleep on the plane.

The public transport hookup from SFO to SJ was good. The main things I noticed in the US were the lack of spitting, the amazingly clean air (no smog or bad smells), and the vast amount of space among and between buildings. Korea is without property setbacks and space between buildings (unless it is a vacancy or wreck), and parking lots are pretty rare. I walked around and shopped for clothes.

I also went to a couple of my old hangouts and found them without charm. I ate at a Mexican place I used to frequent, and couldn't clean the plate the way I used to. The old bar just seemed cruddy and dank, so I did more walking about and watching TV in English.

As I type it's 5 am (hello jetlag) and the lobby of the hotel is empty. I see MAF and the BKF today for greasy burgers, and will consider that the "official" start of my vacation in the heart of the empire..

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

We bought our airline tickets to Seoul. It's official now! We'll see you in Korea between March 30 and April 10!

BKF

Charles Montgomery said...

Woot!