Thursday, August 3rd
11:10 a.m.

I got drunk again last night, but not as bad as last time. The only reason it happened is that one of the guys who was there last time was in the group last night. When people discovered how much "fun" I am when I'm drunk, it was accepted as the goal for the night to reproduce that effect. It was Julia, eight guys, and me. I took a few shots alone [and quite a few shots with everyone else], and then we went to a no-dae-bong (karaoke, if you remember) where I danced on the furniture and hogged the mic. [I warned them! :)] I wasn't the worst off one there, though: A guy named Larry provided some surprise entertainment as he got drunk for the first time in his life. He was drunk long before I was. He started laughing and didn't stop until we got him into bed. I got lots of pictures.

Yesterday afternoon I went shopping at an antique market in Tongdaemun. (I still haven't been to Tongdaemun Market. That's where I thought that big group was going last night when I first joined them.) Actually, half the adventure was just getting there. I found the first error in my travel book: The antique market is not in Changhanpyong. Changhanpyong is the auto district of Seoul: service centers, parts shops, and the used car market. My boyfriend Mike would have loved it. But it's one of those places where there are practically no women and definitely no whites (and it was a little seedy), so I got even more looks than usual. Clara and I got directions from - get this - TWO female police officers. (And today I saw a female construction worker. WOW.) We had to walk for at least half an hour under the scorching sun to the next subway station, and I was wearing tight jeans. We didn't have a lot of time left once we finally found the market and only walked around for about half an hour, but I managed to find a small antique teapot - genuine - for about $10. I think I'll give it to my grandmother, unless I find something better.

[The travel book that I have been using has still been quite useful overall, though. It's called LONELY PLANET: SEOUL, by Robert Storey (Lonely Planet Publications, Oct. 1999).]


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