Itaewon Adventure

I finally made it to the infamous area called Itaewon. I rather liked it and spent a long time walking around and even navigating back streets through an area with traditional looking houses! It was a wonderful neighborhood just for having some actual geography of hills and alleyways and architectural variation, all of which are totally lacking in my area.

After a great deal of walking around I decided to end the night by checking out an Irish pub there called the Wolfhound. I stood around and sipped a gin and tonic, awkwardly looking around while holding too much stuff. I was not in Itaewon or the bar to par-tay. I was there to be a dork and learn. This means I had my camera, an art project, and materials for taking notes along with me rather than, say, a wad of cash and a slutty top.

Eventually the oldest guy in the bar (an Australian 5 year resident of Seoul who is only four years older than I) sat next to me and chatted me up. It was very interesting and I got a lot of elbow nudges. I felt as though I was in the "Does your wife go?" sketch from Monty Python. The gentleman was very polite and we had an interesting talk on a variety of subjects. I think perhaps the moment he knew the cause was truly lost was when he said, in response to my comment of having lived in Sydney briefly, "I guess you're immune to my charms then, eh?" *nudge* I then said I preferred New Zealand, which is probably the equivalent of saying "I've had sex with your mother" to an Australian.

I should also add that he was the oldest guy in a bar where the average age was probably 12. I saw some honky man-child by shots for two Korean girls with the air of someone who was wealthy and worldly. It was a very strange experience and not my scene at all. Bars are only fun on occasion and with good friends.