Catch up....

Ok, so a lot has happened since the Seoul weekend, and another weekend is almost upon us, so I'll try to catch up before Chuseok (Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving – 1-4 Oct).

Daegu International Body Painting Festival -

As soon as I heard this was happening, I knew it was at the top of the to do list. I gather there was a big international competition in Daegu last year, so this year they thought they'd do it again, but the 'international' section was actually just 4 teams (the only girls without strategically placed band-aids), and most of the Korean teams looked to be shy art students with embarrassed models. Obviously we couldn't understand the chat during the presentation, but it was easy to tell that the main presenter was the Korean equivalent of a second-rate cable tv presenter – all shiny hair and forced laughter.

Here are some photos for your delectation...




Sensation Gonzales -

That night, I ran into a couple of local teachers and headed downtown to meet them. On the cards was the last gig by a the above-named local ex-pat cover band (phwoar check out the adjectives on that noun phrase...) after a quick stop at Go Go Vinyl. I think this might be my favourite place in Daegu – they serve dangerously tasty and reasonably priced cocktails in ziploc bags. The real highlight is the service: the two guys that work there dress like nutters (very art-school) and they always ask you to 'TASTE!' when they give you your bag – and once the transaction is complete, they hand you a sparkler. Brilliant! The band was ok too, and the crowd's enthusiasm was so infectious that I soon found myself belting out along with the best of them (I can hear your surprise from here.)

BEACH!!!

Waking up the next morning was far from easy...I very nearly decided that a day in bed was called for. However, I did not come to Korea to hide in my bed. So off we went to Pohang for a day of lounging on the sand. This was my second beach experience in Korea, and probably the last for the season. It was definitely better than Busan: the water was much cleaner and the beach was nearly empty! Yes, despite beautiful weather, and lovely water, Koreans don't go to the beach in September, because It Is Autumn. I cannot possibly complain about this illogical thinking because it gave us a fabulous day!