Gyeong-Ju: Napoleon was definitely here

I got up early again to catch the train to Gyeong-ju.  The train station was full of tiny cute korean toddlers wearing the same oversized backpack.  I remember when I was a kid your backpack was the one school going accoutrement I cared as to the design of--poor kids, having to wear the same one.  No Mogwais or Transformers for them.

I got to Gyeong-ju and walked 20 minutes to my hostel this time.  At least it was a hostel and not a motel--Hanjin House.  It was kinda gross looking.  It looked like Optimus Prime just died from Ebola and someone set up shop in his remains.  But whatever--I've had my tetanus shots.  I met Jason  from Los Angeles in the lobby of the hostel and we went off to visit one of the local parks together.  It was a tomb park and it played music from speakers hidden in the trees.

After the park we walked around the city.  And then suddenly, my wishes were granted, when just as I had announced my intention to devour dumplings and steamed goods, we came upon such a place.  This was amazing, because it was the first such place I had seen all day.

After we got back to the hostel we met some more people, Jeff a local English teacher from Canada, Ben from Kansas, and Victoria from China.  They were going to seek out some traditional Sambap.  Seeing as I hadn't had this food yet I went with them despite still being full from heaps of dumplings.  It was a galaxy of small plates of food.

After dinner we went to my favorite place--the tables outside a generic convenience store (this time it was a 7-11) to drink beers.  Korea has no problem with drinking in public.  It's actually pretty popular (and affordable) to buy beer at a convenience store and sit outside it with your friends and drink it.  While we were there a guy from my last hostel in Sokcho walked by--Oliver from Australia.  He was staying at the same hostel as me here.  Funny.