Changes

It's Friday now, was going to say Friday morning but to be honest i went out last night and didn't get back to the hotel till pretty late so you can guess i got up late. When i got up i found out it was a bank holiday in Korea this totally screwed up my plans for the day. One of the reasons i wanted to come here was to sort out some money in a bank account i have here, so much for the plans of mice and men.
So it was on to plan B, wasn't sure what that was when i found out about the banks being closed, so came up with one quick. Get some dinner do some shopping and go to the local gym not necessarily in that order and then out for the night.
Shopping first didn't really need anything but just wanted to have a look round and see what had changed. Not a lot has really changed but the dynamics of the town have changed it just doesn't seem the same, there been a few new restaurants and bars opened up and a few old ones either closed or changed their names since the last time i was here but basically it's the same.
The biggest changes i have found so far have been that Mr Kim from the Young Chon where I'm staying had retired, the Mamasn who ran a bar called the Golden Gate (GG) in the center of town has either sold up or leased it out, found this out last night as it was one of the places i went.
Now the GG had always been one of my favorite bars in Songtan and i always thought of it sort of like a bell weather of the town. When i first came here many years ago the GG was always busy every night of the week, it was standing room only at the weekend. It always had the best looking girls working there, the best music not the best beer as everywhere sells the same, anyway it's steadily gone down hill over the last few years but i still liked it.
Now it's changed hands to me it just didn't seem the same being in there, in fact it was dead but there again it was Thursday. I'll give it another chance tonight and see how it is, the curfew for the US air base at the top of the road is three o'clock at the weekend instead of the usual midnight in the week so there should be a few out. Amost forgot couple of other things had changed i noticed one of my favorite places has vanished, a cloths called Chasecult, now i don't know if there is one still in town but not in any of the place i went. Used to like to shop there they had some nice stuff, with this and the other two change the town had definitely changed for me a bit. Photo on the right is of the shop that's taken it's place
Did find my favorite sock shop though, yes i know it's sad but got back to the hotel with a few pairs of new socks and some J shorts.
The other change was i when i got in a Taxi to take me to the hotel Thursday night, the meter started at 2,000Won, about a quid to you or me, cheap yeah i know, try getting that in the UK and 2,000Won takes you about 2.5Km. It was basically 25% more than it was a year ago though, inflation and all that. On the plus side beer is still the same price 2,500Won for a bottle of OB that's about about 1.40 UK, OB is a Korean beer and it stands for Oriental Brewery.
That was pretty much if for my shopping and sight seeing trip around Songtan, time to check out the gym i go to when I'm here, it's called O2, needed to get this out of the way get something to eat then get ready for what the night would bring.
So off i pop to O2 for a hour or so. when i get there every thing's the same, same bloke in charge same price, same machines. Now the machines are a little old but everything works so no problems, the gym provides free towels and free shorts and T shirts if you want them, all you really need is a pair of trainers and socks then off you go, not bad for 5,ooo Won or just over two and a half of the UK's finest pounds. Didn't do an awful lot there a little on the tread mill and on the bike and a few free weights, about an hour and a half, and Bob's you uncle i was in the shower and it was time to out of there.
That's the gym out of the way after that it's was out for some food to one of my Favorite restaurants in the town, the Sam IL Bulgogi house, at least that was still the same.
Had sort of arrange to meet some one last night, a bloke i knew from before i might add but you know how it goes had only been in town one day and i wanted a bit of space, just wanted to walk round by myself make my own mistakes and take everything in. I knew the people who owned the restaurant so it was no problem to go there by myself. Had a Koren dish called Samgyeopsal (not sure of the spelling) but It real popular here, basically is bacon that you cook on the table in font of you, like a lot of the food food here. You get a lot of little side dishes lots of Kimch which you add with the bacon wrap it in lettuce make a little parcel and then eat, don't sound great but it's good i promise you. I like Korean food probably more than Japanese food the main difference is that Korean food is quite spicy and Japanese food isn't, i like spicy food, you also get a lot of sushi over here just like in Japan but I'm not a big fan of it, think it's over rated and a bit bland, but will say this it's healthy.
So that was it for the day now to get ready for the night, so paid the bill 9,000 Won about 4 and half quid, cant beat it, i left more than i ate and still ate too much.