Happy Birthday Buddah Parade!

Last night, I was shopping for coast hangers at a local market and heard loud drums in the distance, so I walked towards the sound... and found myself stumbling up the hidden gem of the night! It was a parade celebrating Buddah's birthday. It was one of the longest parades I've ever seen, which tens of thousands of people involved! The costumes were beautiful, the lanterns were magical, the floats were cool, the drummers were awesome, and the dancing was beautiful!

These elderly women were sitting in the back of a truck because they couldn't walk the whole parade route!

Anyone up for a day at the mall?

This blog is for those of you who have the misconception that I'm living in a 3rd world country! Quite the contrary.... This blog is just to prove it!

On Sunday, we ventured over to Shinsegae Mall, the biggest, most elaborate mall I've ever been to, which makes sense why it is named the "largest mall in Asia." It had an ice skating rink, an art exhibit, a park, a movie theatre, tons and tons of really fancy restaurants, a salon, a spa, etc...


This is the bakery area of the mall... yes, that's right! There is an entire floor of cakes... and let me tell you, the cakes you see in your Safeway Bakery at home are NOTHING compared to the cakes in Korea! They are intriquitely decorated and taste like heaven!


This is the view from the top floor, looking down from the 7th floor. (and yes, I was shaking taking this picture!)


There is an actual park at the top of the 14th floor of the mall, called Sky Park, that overlooks the city! It was such a beautiful day, so we spent about an hour here just lounging together and enjoying the view.


The view from one side of "Sky Park."

Brunch with the girls!

Jess, Kristin, Kate, and I met up for brunch, Sex in the City style, at Gwangalli Beach this morning!  The weather was good, the food was great, and the scenery was to die for!  There's nothing like eating on the boardwalk in Korea!

 

I'm sorry my blog ate your comment!

Many of you have told me that you've tried to leave a comment on my blog page, but it doesn't work!  I'm sorry... I have no idea why it's doing that.  With that said, I added a new function to the bottom of the blogs where you can click, "funny", "interesting", or "cool."  And if you can't resist sending me a comment, feel free to e-mail me at CALOCAL@aol.com.  I check it everyday and am always happy to see an e-mail from a friend. :)

Date night with Kevin! (worth reading!)

Last night, Kevin and I had our 1st official date night in Korea!  We jumped on the bus and took it nine stops to an area called Hadan, which is next to a University, in search of a DVD Bang.  DVD Bangs are an extremely popular place for young Korean couples looking for some alone time amidst their busy lifestyles, overcrowded homes and overbearing parents.   

At the DVD Bang, we paid the equivalent of $5.00 for a movie and were given a "room number." When we opened the door to the room, we saw that it was a VERY small room equipped with a large projection screen, a couch-bed, and a box of tissues...  Let me just say, I wouldn't want to bring a black light in that room.  Most Koreans, especially those in relationships, will not advertise that they frequent DVD Bangs because other people will immediately assume that they're up to no good.  Kevin and I behaved ourselves, and actually had a great time lounging while watching Amelie 2. 

After the movie was over, we walked, in the rain, through the area!  There were tons of Korean students eating and drinking at the local bars!  If it weren't raining, we would have walked longer, but we decided to go to a club near our apartment.

We took a taxi 15 minutes, and only paid the equivalent of $3.50 to the club!  When we arrived, there were men dressed in matching suits who led us up a grand staircase to a platform where we realized we had just entered the HIDDEN GEM of Busan!   It was a gigantic and fancy cabaret with dimmed lights and red lamps on each table!  There was an elaborate stage and dance floor with more stage lights than you've ever seen at any concert in America!  We started laughing and continued to follow the gentlemen in the suits.  They sat us in the very front, near the dance floor and the stage.  We were given a fancy tray of fruits, nuts, raisins, and some drinks and sat back and enjoyed the show together!  

The first act was 7 girls, dressed in skimpy outfits, singing American pop songs from the 80's and 90's, set to a rave/trance beat.  At the end of their show, one of them gave her best effort at singing the Whitney Houston hit, "I will always love you!"  I'm baffled each time someone tries their hand at this song, as it's botched nearly every single time!  We tried to hold back our laughter, but the 2 girls accompanying her on stage pretending to play the guitar and bass set the whole thing over the top!  

The next act was a group of 7 young Korean guys, wearing what looked like matching red satin bedazzled pajamas!  One guy was pretending to play the guitar, another the bass, and the other, the keytar (the keyboard that you wear like a guitar).   It was AMAZING!  They danced and sang their hearts out to songs like: "It's raining men", "Power of Love" (by Gloria Estefan), "Celebration", "Mama Mia", and my favorite of the night, "Cause I'm your Lady" by Celine Dion!  There is nothing funnier than a Korean boy band singing, "Cause I'm your lady" at the top of their lungs!  

After the boy band finished, a DJ was lowered from the ceiling - literally... and he played Korean pop songs with rave beats the entire night!  I don't mind the rave music sound for a couple songs, but when the entire song list has the same beat, it gets old fast!  Luckily, we had a group of 7 korean women there to spice up the night!  They came over to our table and dragged Kevin and I to the dance floor to dance with them!  They kept "boobi-boobing" with us, which is what Korean's call "freaking."  And whatever dance move I did... they did!  It was awkward, uncomfortable, embarrassing, amazing, and hilarious all at the same time!  We felt famous!

All in all, it was an amazing memory and one of my favorite date nights ever!  :)  I'm not sure how we'll ever top it!!