Wonju Weekend #1 of Many... 09/08/2009

Last weekend I embarked on my first weekend getaway to the city. I went to Wonju to meet up with Whitney, Angelina, and Tim – our ever-so gracious host. Though it took much longer than expected, Whitney and I arrived in Wonju as happy campers ready to get the party started. However, we had to find the party first. Just imagine Whitney and I at a random bus stop in downtown Wonju at night with no clue where to go from there. Not cool. But after a few confusing (and expensive) phone calls, we were soon trying to explain the concept of “middle school” to a very confused taxi driver. You would be very surprised how far talking in a slightly racist Asian accent can get you in a cab.

When finally reunited with Tim and Angelina we thought we were out of the metaphorical woods. However, it would seem that our friends were too drunk to remember where they had come from, and we proceeded to wonder the streets until help arrived. Needless to say, Whitney and I needed a drink after this experience. The rest of the night, for many reasons, shall stay only in the minds of those who lived it – and then again we don’t really even remember that well.

The next day we were slow to get started but did eventually get downtown to do some shopping. I finally got a cell phone (010 2470 5675) and Angelina got a giant comforter. Later, we ran into James and Adam and an impromptu basketball session commenced. Some nearby Korean guys were interested in getting in on a pickup game after we messed around with HORSE and whatnot. Let me tell you, those two Korean dudes just went at it! They were fouling each other left and right like Shaq and Rasheed Wallace in a finals game.

Later that night we went to the movie “Last House on the Left” which I do not suggest to anyone unless horribly deprived of American media like I am. Granted, it was better than the Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding I watched the other day, but not by much. (Another horror porn from the desperate Wes Craven who also brought you The Hills Have Eyes remake.) Walking out of the movie, I really realized how in love I am with the city of Wonju. It may not have any special tourist attractions or stunning scenery, but it has everything one needs to be happy and well taken care of - thus furthering my jealousy of Tim and all of the other lucky EPIK teachers living in and around the city.

We finished off the night with dinner, and a quiet evening piled on Tim’s couch. After watching yet more sub-par American media, we agreed to bring DVD’s the next time we come to visit including, my favorite, Marx Brothers movies. Something tells me it won’t be long before we are back at Tim’s. I hope they have air mattresses at Emart. :P

The next day, we had to keep taking the bus home on the forefront of our minds as all of the ladies live in Podunk, Gangwon, and the buses stop running from small town to small town at 7pm. So we took a trip to Emart fill a cart with all of the things unavailable to us in our small towns. We also visited an electronics store so that Tim could get another camera to break (like I should talk) and Whitney bought the same camera that I currently have. We had Dak Galbi for lunch which was good, but uber-spicy as well. Thus ended our trip to “Healthy Wonju” and we reluctantly boarded our respective busses for the cumbersome trip home. Waahh, I miss it already!