S. Korea PET

[Softball Bat]

I flew to S. Korea in late March.
My wife and I were there for a little over a month.
Prior to my departure Roux asked for a PET, so I have obliged.

This was not a sight-seeing trip, so the pics you will see are not geared that way.
Also, we were in many churches, and other such places, and while I have some
pictures of those times, they do not send a thrill down your leg, so few will be
posted.
Nevertheless, from what I will post you can get a bit of a feel for what it's like to
be in S. Korea.




On a beautiful day, we flew out of DFW Airport on Korean AIr.









Landed at Incheon Airport (Seoul) about 14 hour later.
Turbulence was heavy on the way down to Seoul. Not pleasant.
I was by far the most momentarily disturbing landing I have ever experienced. Yikes!

The plane landed hard and awkwardly, on one set of wheels only, and for a brief moment it seemed
that we would flip, or twist off our runway path.
#doom



People on the plane were looking around sheepishly, like, "WTF just happened??"
Well, our number was not called.
The episode was momentary, and then... all was well.
I wonder if Left Seater can relate to this incident.







Mr. & Mrs. poptart take a taxi ride to where we were staying.







We needed a few things things from the market. It's referred to as a market in Korea, not a
grocery store.
Anyway, Segyro is where it's at. Home of the famous "fresh meat self" and "fresh fish self."









I picked up some tasty Corn Flight cereal for the next morning!







To be continued...

[Roux]

Two things:

First, it is readily apparent that poptart has married WAY above his paygrade. You need to realize your good fortune each and every day, my friend.

Second, rack poptart for the PET. Looking forward to the rest of this.

[HighPlainsGrifter]

[FiatLux]

Looks like Mikey is spending a lot of time in HPG's brian.

[The Seer]

Looks like Mikey is spending a lot of time in HPG's brian.

You missed a great opportunity to add some enhancements to 'tart's post with some of your own homemade pics...

[bungle clone]

Looks like Mikey is spending a lot of time in HPG's brian.

Hey HPG,

You gotta tell Mikey to get the hell out of Brian.

[HighPlainsGrifter]

[Softball Bat]

After very careful deliberation, I opted not to have lunch at 666 BURGER.








There are many funky things (from a Westerner's perspective) in Korea, and some of them have
to do with the way the English language is used.
I noticed this bus, for example.
Rather humiliating.






My wife needed to order a new suitcase while in Korea.
We have long had a variation on the word black (balck) on the boards, but what about this unique
variation?
Modern Blcak.






There happens to be a motel fvck culture in Korea.
That exists to an extent in America, but it is more prevalent in Korea.
Motels are, generally speaking, places where people who hook up go to get it on.
Reason?

Korea is a small land, so an extremely long drive in Korea is 4 to 5 hours. Nothing more than that.
So, people don't stop at motels to sleep overnight on a trip. They go to motels if they want to scrog.

Of course there are hotels, and some very nice ones. But motels? Generally not so great.
My wife and I spent a day-and-a-half in Suwon, and we stayed in hotel in a resort area there.
Suwon -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suwon

I noticed three interesting motels/hotels in our area.
You & I Motel.
A blatant fvck motel.






I was fascinated by this "sensual motel." O2 (no relation to m2) Motel.






And I still have not figured out what Hotel Very Six6 means.
I'm sure it means something to someone.






I came across this old photo while preparing this PET.
Who dat?






#purse





To be continued...

[Mikey]

Looks like Mikey is spending a lot of time in HPG's brian.

Hey HPG,

You gotta tell Mikey to get the hell out of Brian.

Things are getting too expensive here in Commiefornia (obviously not because of inflation). I need to find some different palces to hang out.

[bungle clone]

[Softball Bat]

It rarely snows in March, but here it was snowing in early April.






I needed a haircut, and considered green hair.






But instead, I chose tried and true 02 Hair -- the hair professional.






Mr. Kim had cut my hair many times over the span of 3+ years.
Before the pandemic, cuts cost 10,000 won.
One day during the pandemic I walked in for a cut and saw that Mr. Kim had put a notice up on
the wall.
Cuts went up to 11,000 won.
This means that cuts went up from approximately $7.15 to $8.00. The horrah!

Anyway, Mr. Kim is a good man.
Rack him!






Another good man is Ricky, from Myanmar, who I met up with again.
His country is war torn, and he has not been able to leave Korea for over 20 years.
I was sick that day, hence the mask.
Many prayers going out for Ricky!






One more good man is another Mr. Kim. A buddy I saw for over 12 years when I lived in Korea.
We met again.
This is his actual height -- international standard.
For context, I am 183 centimeters.

Rack Mr. Kim!






To be continued...

[bungle clone]

F*ck that.

The soft pile of suck in those pict...errrr, images ------------->NOT our poptart.



more like:

[Roux]

Back in the day, there would have been two Mr. Kim trolls already created, arguing with everyone on the board

[Softball Bat]

It's okay.
We've morphed into Facebook.

[Left Seater]

I read a lot, but haven’t read these facebooks you speak of.

[mvscal]

Congrats on being saved to Pickle's spank folder. He has probably degloved his cock by now, obsessed faggot that he is.

[bungle clone]

Back in the day, there would have been two Mr. Kim trolls already created, arguing with everyone on the board

Sounds like a confession, counselor.

[Diego in Seattle]

It's okay.
We've morphed into Facebook.

Yup. Some in here spread just as much Russian propaganda as BookFace.

[Softball Bat]

I went to Myeong-dong one day.
This is a major commercial and financial region in Korea.
It is a popular area for shopping, eating, drinking, and socializing.
It is also one of a handful multicultural areas in Korea.
In most of Korea, you only see... Koreans.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myeong-dong






Nothing special, but this is what it looks like in a Korean rail car.
The rail system is very efficient and clean.






I took this picture because you can see Namsan Tower in the background.
I went up in the tower once before, but not this time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N_Seoul_Tower






I also did not visit the Cat Cafe in Myeong-dong.






Let it be known that I tried to help you people out.
This women with the gray bow in her hair was quiet attractive, but I could not manage to get a good picture of her without being a public pervert, so this is the best I could do for you.
Use your imaginations.






This is a residential area, and you can notice the red flag on the building.
These flags are very commonly seen in residential areas.
The flag signifies that a shaman lives there.

Above the red flat you can see what looks like a swastika.
This "swastika" symbol is often seen hand-in-hand with the red flag (shaman).
The symbol as actually called a manja, and it is said to represent good fortune and auspiciousness.
I laffed.






Cherry blossom trees are spectacular in April!








To be continued...

[Roux]

The flag signifies that a shaman lives there.

Sincerely,
Tin Foil Ted




I am surprised at the amount of English on the signs there. Do the natives speak English or is that for the tourists?

[bungle clone]

good on Roux for the TFT reset.


So the cat cafe is a friendly place where kitties congregate and have meals together, right?







right?



...ok don't answer that...

[Softball Bat]

The flag signifies that a shaman lives there.

Sincerely,
Tin Foil Ted




I am surprised at the amount of English on the signs there. Do the natives speak English or is that for the tourists?

The red flags to indicate the presence of a shaman is definitely not tin foil.
It is a real thing.
Everyone is aware of it.


There is a thing called the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Co ... nd_Signals


Korea falls in line.
The English you see on signs is for the benefit of tourists, and for those living in Korea who are not fluent in Korean.
Also, Korea wants to be a player on the world stage, and adopting at least some degree of English into their culture is a way of moving in that direction.

And finally, many Koreans are very self-conscious when it comes to English.
They study English in school from 1st grade all the way to the end of high school.
And many (or most) students go to after school academies to learn more English.
So, a lot of Koreans can understand English, but they generally have a very hard time actually using the language.
Those who cannot use English well feel self-conscious about it.

When I was living there, there were always people coming up to me to talk.
They were trying to practice their English.

[FiatLux]

good on Roux for the TFT reset.


So the cat cafe is a friendly place where kitties congregate and have meals together, right?







right?



...ok don't answer that...

Depends if the Cafe is next door to a motel.

[FiatLux]

The flag signifies that a shaman lives there.

Sincerely,
Tin Foil Ted




I am surprised at the amount of English on the signs there. Do the natives speak English or is that for the tourists?

The red flags to indicate the presence of a shaman is definitely not tin foil.
It is a real thing.
Everyone is aware of it.


There is a thing called the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Co ... nd_Signals


Korea falls in line.
The English you see on signs is for the benefit of tourists, and for those living in Korea who are not fluent in Korean.
Also, Korea wants to be a player on the world stage, and adopting at least some degree of English into their culture is a way of moving in that direction.

And finally, many Koreans are very self-conscious when it comes to English.
They study English in school from 1st grade all the way to the end of high school.
And many (or most) students go to after school academies to learn more English.
So, a lot of Koreans can understand English, but they generally have a very hard time actually using the language.
Those who cannot use English well feel self-conscious about it.

When I was living there, there were always people coming up to me to talk.
They were trying to practice their English.

I have a friend that just moved back to South Korea. He was working a sushi bar here and sending money back to his wife and kids. He kept telling me how much he spends for school after school for his kids. Not sure if it was for Math, English, etc.

[Softball Bat]

It sounds right.

Students are under a lot of pressure in Korea. They work long hours.
Parents invest a lot of money in education for their kids.

There are limited opportunities in Korea, and competition is fierce.
Parents know that if their child falls behind, his employment possibilities will eventually be undesirable.

[Roach]

Great PET Pops, thanks for sharing it all.

To what extent are parents and teachers allowed to discipline their kids?

[Softball Bat]

Thanks, Roach.

In Korea, and generally in Asian countries, there is a culture of respect for those who are older than you.
There is a respect for age and rank. This ideology has positives and negatives, imo.
But anyway, kids learn a certain understanding of discipline early on.

Up until fairly recent times, teachers were allowed to physically discipline a misbehaving a student.
But that no longer exists.

Middle school and high school public school students are required to wear a prescribed uniform to school.

There is a sheep mentality in Korea.
"Free spirit," "go your own way" doesn't work too well in their culture.
If you float away from the crowd, you'll get banged over the head until you either 1) leave, or 2) fall into line with the other sheep.

[Slap]

Let it be known that I tried to help you people out.
This women with the gray bow in her hair was quiet attractive, but I could not manage to get a good picture of her without being a public pervert, so this is the best I could do for you.
Use your imaginations.

This is plenty enough. Thanks. I will be dumping a load to her Saturday morning.

[Roux]

Is Mrs. Poptart a U.S. citizen? I think you are.

I ask because I'm curious as to her experience going thru customs and immigration. Was that difficult?

[Diego in Seattle]

Is Mrs. Poptart a U.S. citizen? I think you are.

I ask because I'm curious as to her experience going thru customs and immigration. Was that difficult?

Experiences for her may be different under the current administration than what they were under previous ones.

But then she has pretty light skin...

[Softball Bat]

Is Mrs. Poptart a U.S. citizen? I think you are.

I ask because I'm curious as to her experience going thru customs and immigration. Was that difficult?

She is a U.S. citizen.