It's Halloween, You Swine!

Now, to further elaborate on the events of Halloween.

I met up with Courtney after her Korean lesson - she's far more dedicated than I am - and we hopped on the KTX for Seoul. Chris M. had departed an hour or so earlier and was kind enough to wait for us at Seoul Station. The rest of our cohort was in the suburbs getting ready so we decided to make them jealous by heading to Itaewon and eating Mexican food. Next, we headed to What the Book? to stock up on English books. I was looking for Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72, but sadly that was pretty much the one Thompson book they didn't have. I picked up Dubliners by Joyce instead . . . it was cheap.

At this point we decided to try to find lodging for the evening. The 30,000 won a night love motel we stayed in during our last Seoul trip was booked. The Hotel D'Oro, where I've stayed a few times before, was charging a "Special Halloween Rate." That is to say, rooms were 50% more expensive for Halloween. We could neither support this profiteering, nor could we afford the 200,000 won price. The Hamilton Hotel was also pricey, so we decided to dump our bags in the lockers at Itaewon station and address the sleeping issue later.

As we had given up on getting a room, we decided this was the right time to get into costume. I was already in full Raoul Duke garb, but Courtney and Chris needed to get changed . . . in the scuzzy Itaewon station bathroom. That's what we get for being frugal. Still, it paid off, as Chris attracted impressed glances with his insane killer outfit (he is in the center, obviously), and Courtney looked lovely in her rumba outfit (a costume chosen by the author, thank you very much).

We were still waiting for our homies to arrive so we headed to Gecko's where we saw the first real Halloween action of the night. It made me feel at home to see the usual Halloween blend - skanky costumes for the girls, deeply offensive costumes for the guys. Seriously, to the guy who dressed as a Nazi: I seriously hope you aren't in the military because I shudder to think that my taxes might have paid for that costume.

Our friends finally arrived and Courtney was able to join the rest of the Girls of the World. They all looked fantastic, though sadly we were never able to meet up with Vietnam. Our entourage also included Elvis Presley, a Kissing Booth, and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The first bar was a lot of fun. As I mentioned before, I may or may not have won a costume contest there, but it's immaterial as I never claimed a prize. Our time at that bar did end on a sad note, as a mentally troubled woman began throwing drinks. By that time we were ready to move on and grab some kebabs before transporting ourselves to the Hongdae area, which has more university students and fewer sleazebags.

We lost Kate and Chris temporarily en route, but we found something extraordinary. Those of you from Seattle, particularly those who went to UW, might be familiar with Orange King, a fixture in the U District for as long as I've been alive. Well, when we saw this sign, at first I assumed it was a coincidence. But if you look closely, it says Seattle's Orange King. Turns out a Korean UW student liked it so much he opened his own in Seoul. I'm not sure I've ever been to the one in Seattle, but I'll definitely make sure we hit this one up when we return next week for Carmen.

Once Chris and Kate returned we split up. Some of us went to a club, while those of us with a moral objection to 10,000 won cover charges headed to a nearby hookah bar. We made the right choice. Not only was the melon hookah delicious, but this is where the gentleman introduced us to the outstanding Agwa Buzz shot.

We hit up a couple more bars, but the party was dying down, as you might expect at 5AM. Yes, it was late (early?) but there was a method to our madness. As we never got a hotel, our plan was to take the first KTX train back to Daejeon. After some street food, we took a cab back to Itaewon station. Once that opened at 5:30, we grabbed our bags and headed to Seoul Station. We hopped on the 6:10 KTX, dozed briefly, got home around 7:30, and slept.