What Did You Do This Week-end?

The answer to that question for me is: I went to Seoul for the second time in a month and will be going again for the next 2 week-ends - getting ready for the International KOTESOL Conference. Should be a great networking opportunity.

Seoul is a GREAT city!! I LOVE IT!! Lot's of action (which I love), lots of people to watch - lots of Westerners, Europeans, Australians, Africans, etc.

Sheilagh and I had a massage at this place where she has been before. I LOVE MASSAGES but the small Korean girl I had for my massage had hands like a SUMO wrestler. I, naively, thought I could take it but she just about killed me. I am still sore 2 days later. I think I needed to get the kinks out but perhaps next time I should let her know that she can TAKE IT DOWN A NOTCH!! Anyone know how to say that politely in Korean??

Anyway, it was great and we did some shopping, of course. We shopped in the stores in Insadong (suburb) where we stayed Saturday night and then hit the underground market in Itaewon on Sunday where they have Western sizes. I actually had better luck in Insadong and love this one little quaint street there. It has cobblestones on the street and there are a LOT of cute little stores selling all different kinds of things. We had a fresh fruit drink up on a rooftop patio and just had a great time. We even sat on a stone floor of one little shop and had our picture taken (polaroid). We took the fast train to Seoul from Gwangju and took the bus back home to Yeonggwang Sunday night - about 4 hours by bus.

Today (Monday) was a national holiday remembering the birth of Korea, so Sheilagh and I went into Gwangju to get her computer back from being repaired. She, Connie and I went to the public bath. WHAT A PLACE!! I really can't do it justice in trying to describe it but I will try. The actual "bath" area is divided into men's and women's areas. Good thing because everyone walks around "in the buff". The women scrub each other and the children with abrasive cloths to exfoliate the skin and there are different pools of varying degrees of hot and cold - some with jets,some without. You can also pay for a body exfoliating massage (apparently they just about rub you raw though so I decided my body had enough torture for one week-end!) After the pools you put on a Tshirt and shorts (supplied with price of admission - W5000, about $5) and make your way upstairs to an area that is co-ed where everone is lying around on heated floors watching TV or sleeping or chatting. Around the perimeter there are "caves" that are all saunas with varying degrees of heat and there is one cold one that is shaped like an igloo with penguins on the walls. Each hot room is incredible - one has amethysts all over the walls, one has little tiny stones on the floor that are really hot but felt good to lie down and roll around on your back, another one smelled like Christmas cake (O.K. I'm crazy but that's what it smelled like to me - maybe raisins??). It was the most incredible place and experience. One I want to repeat in the not too distant future!! You can even sleep there overnight in one of the little bed "caves" - on the floor, of course. I want to try that some night too probably at one in Seoul.

That's it for my week-end. What did you do this week-end??