A good day

I seriously wonder if I'll take many photos on this trip. It's just so bloody cold i don't want to take my hands out of my pockets. Also - Korean cities are so dirty - like garbage heaps with lots of people. Crowded garbage heaps. Not very photogenic. I find Korean cities very depressing places to live - that's why I left here two years ago.

Still - I had a great day today. I went to the jjim-jil-bang, or public sauna. Spent most of the afternoon soaking in hot water and steaming my troubles away. They have a room with jets of hot water coming from the ceiling. One can position oneself so the jet massages one's back... sheer heaven! This is thermal water too - sulphurous smelling, from the ground. Only fly in the ointment was it is school holidays and there were a lot of kids there making it noisy. Am I becoming a grumpy old man?

After the sauna I met an old student, Jon Yeong-ook (전영욱) aka Uncle Murphy, and we went to a traditional drinking house and had dong-dong-ju, my favourite Korean drink. Sort of a milky rice wine, it is sweet and packs a punch. Also ate great food - tofu, kimchi, seafood pancakes (hae-mul pajeon) and fish roe soup (al-gook). Uncle Murphy is a good friend - my age, and a doctor at a hospice. We were in the Busan University area and I think we were the oldest people there.

 Baths and socialising - a perfect day.

Off to Gyeonggi-do tomorrow - that's just near Seoul.