Friday 3/6 (& now I'm caught up!!)

Friday! Last day of work of our first week of actual work! Hm, so what shall we do? I suppose we will see what all the hubbub about Seoul's never-ending, world-famous nightlife is all about. I read that no peoples drink more or more often than South Koreans (yes, they even beat Russia) but is that really true?

Yes. Yes it is. It is unequivocally true.

But first, let us backtrack; Friday's classes went just fine, I got to see the same kids as Wednesday, so I'm beginning (just barely) to remember some names (English names that is, they all pick one when they begin English schooling) & I think all my classes like me quite a bit 😄

It was a long day, since Taylor & I have middle school Wed & Fri we don't get out until 8:15 & then Taylor had a lot of marking to do (grading) so I helped him until 9:30. But finally we beeped our cards at the front desk & were free for the glorious weekend!

We went home & fed Grimm, took him out & played with him, changed clothes & had a quick bite of snacks (drinking on an empty stomach is foolish, kids) & then were on the last ride of the subway once again! We've have impeccable timing whilst in Seoul thus far.

The subway ride was about 40 minutes (& someone fell asleep...), but took us all the way halfway down 6 to HapJeong station where we then got off & walked to Hongik University (with the aid of my iPhone's compass, which apparently does work without wifi, service & while on the other side of the world).

The area we were looking for (Hongdae) was easy to find, as there were about 10,000 Korean university students clubbing, bar-hopping or sampling the many street vendors along the busy, busy, BUSY streets. (Below picture is before we actually arrived at Hondae, though it does show a taste of the neon signs we encountered)

Once in Hondae we saw a very good street performer (guitarist), three mountainous dogs big enough to ride into battle & a whole slew of young adults dressed like you would see in a music video. It was truly awesome & entertaining & just what I was expecting in Seoul. To my amazement most of the clubs proclaimed from their neon signs 'Open until 6am'!

Taylor. We are not in Michigan anymore 😳

We grabbed some spam ramen (pictured above) after our first round of exploration (because, again, drinking on an empty stomach is never a good choice) & then decided which of the many, many, MANY mega, ultra-loud & flashing clubs to try. We decided on Cocoon, which was insane, though no pictures tell its tale. I left my phone in my coat at the coat check (club-style outfits rarely have functional pockets). Plus apparently smoking in bars/clubs is still allowed in Korea, & boy do the smoke! So any pictures I could have taken would have probably been rendered useless due to the smoke, flashing lights, confetti, big bouncing beach balls & colorful but blinding lasers.

But since no physical evidence exists of our evening, here is a recap:

-20,000 won each to get in ($20) but it included a free drink. Taylor & I both opted for our go-to Long Island which was amazing to say the least. Our bartender was quite skilled

-the club was actually split into three, downstairs was electronica-ish & smaller, main floor was tiered with all kinds of standing room, ledges & stages, & then upstairs which was VIP & could look down on the throngs, & the basement & mid-level had seperate dj's with quite nice setups (especially the main floor, W-O-W)

-about every half hour or so they had dancers or enthusiastic workers (sometimes in masks, wigs, costumes, props or various levels of undress) line the front DJ stage & dance, throw hundreds of huge foam glow sticks & mouse ears (think Mickey Mouse but neon & flashing), pour Jack into the open mouths of the crowd & fire confetti cannons, all the while having western & korean music bumping & blaring. It was truly something to see

Taylor & I ended up leaving round 4:45 in the morning & the club was still going strong, easily a thousand people inside (& I didn't see anyone over 30😳). It was utter madness, but very entertaining to watch & sometimes, sorta, be a part of. It seemed like something you would see on TV or in a movie, not something that actually exists. Even though Taylor & I both only had a drink & a half each,  just the atmosphere of Cocoon was absolutely intoxicating. Very well done club, in my opinion. 

We caught the very first subway of the morning home at 5:30am & were in our welcoming bed by 6:30 (waking up at 2:30pm).

But now, it is Saturday (6:00pm) & YOU ARE CAUGHT UP! Woo! I shall post tonight about whatever adventures Taylor & I encounter in the next 8 hours 😃

Much love from the other side of the world!

Tea