Yongsan

DISCLAIMER: This blog entry is only a matter of opinion... and it may even be more girly than usual, so GUYS BEWARE. :)

Another weekend in Korea!

Last night (Friday), I stayed up even later than usual. I slept around 1:30-2:00 am after watching a few episodes of (you guessed it) Scrubs.

I woke up today morning thinking 'I'm going to make it a Pamper-Thyself day'. So went out around 11 am because, really, what better way is there to pamper a girl than to go to a beauty salon? However, I couldn't quite get across the concept of threading (hope that the guys are aware of this) to the receptionists of three separate salons. In fact, the exchange between the last salon receptionist and myself went along as follows:

After the lady shakes her head, saying that 'it' wasn't done at the salon, I ask: "Where can I get it done?" She tries to find the most appropriate word and replies back with: "Hospital!"

OMG!!

"Hospital?? No, no!" And I try to show eyebrows and something being shaped.

She nods, understanding dawning upon her. "Tattoo!"

The worst part is that I think she meant 'piercing'... That is to say, she thought I wanted to pierce my eyebrows!!

So off I went to the GH... back to the comforts of my room and my beauty kit. :D

***

After an internal debate with myself, I finally decided to spend my Saturday afternoon in Yongsan. With some cyber-encouragement from my colleague (Thanks Poornima!!) and the fact that I had such a great teacher (Thanks Sid!!), I was fairly confident in travelling in the metro by myself.

Sticking to the theme (ha!) of 'Pamper Thyself!', I made an effort to dress up. I even wore my favorite earrings and makeup. :)

These are little things in life, I know, but they make such a difference. I wasn't aware of it till today but South Korea has these taxi-stops. If you need a taxi, there are designated spots where you can wait. If there's a free taxi, it will come right to you. It's like a bus stop and so very convenient!

Anyway, back to the point. I reached Suwon Metro Station. My ticket was easy to purchase. But I was suddenly unsure of which track to take. I crossed my fingers and walked to a random one, hoping desperately that it was right. Later I realised there was a board above the track that had 'Seoul' written on it (translated as 'Lucky guess'!!). Even then, I waited for a few trains to pass by, taking my own sweet time to consult my Metro map (it's in English, yay!).

The actual ride to Yongsan was quite slow. It took around an hour and I had ample amount of time to people-watch.

You have GOT to hand it to Korean women. Some of the shoes that they wear are so feminine and pretty... but some of them, well I think those shoes should be hidden away in handbags and, in times of dire need, be used as weapons! Why? Because Koreans are quite fond of high heels I think, and we're not talking about ANY high heels... but stilettos! I've still not learnt how to balance myself on such pointed pumps (I think you need the balance of a gymnast, frankly speaking), but I do, DO admire the ladies for it! :)

Yongsan station is a very, VERY big place. It has a digital, departmental and a restaurant complex attached to it. I had a lot of fun browsing around in the departmental section. They had familiar brand names like Giordano, Mango, Marks & Spencers (and the same huge price tags) etc and local shops were present too. Restaurants advertised their fare by displaying food at counters. Some dishes looked very appetising. And some... well, lets just say they must have looked appetising to SOME people. :)

The digital complex was quite impressive too. Different floors were dedicated to different types of electronics. One floor to laptops, another for cameras & mp3 players and yet another for home appliances. That's all I saw frankly, because by then, I was in a hurry to get back home. I ended up buying a digital camera (I have no idea if it's the best price according to Korean standards, so please don't ask me!) which I had been badly wanting for some time.

Getting back to Suwon was not an ordeal. In fact the ride seemed even quicker than usual.

There was a Korean guy who was standing quite close to where I was sitting and (oh my!) was he cute. :) He looked my type and seemed just the right age too! I wished I knew the right Korean words to say 'hi' (and something equivalent to Joey's "How YOU doing?!").

Did I mention that the metro ride seemed even quicker than usual? :D

***

I took a taxi back to the GH. Judging by my appearance, the friendly taxi driver correctly guessed that I was an Indian.

'Samsung?' he asked me.

I replied back with a 'Yes'.

He smiled broadly. 'Samsung number one!' and he gave me a thumbs-up sign.

I felt so proud then... It's not like I built Samsung with my own two hands. But even being a teeny weeny part of such a reputed organisation made me feel very warm inside.

:)