Good Times with Laura

Last week I mentioned visiting with a friend whom I haven't seen in some time. Laura shared with me some of the photos she took of her visit and gave me permission to post them here.

This picture was taken outside Hoegi-station. When new stores open in Korea they often have a "Grand Open" (i.e. grand opening), which include clowns, dancers or other attention grabbing gimmicks to draw customers to the new shop.

I'm supposed to be in this picture too, but the giant pushed me aside.

Laura, some friends of hers and I went to a lovely little traditional restaurant at Daehangno, Hyehwa, which serves around 20 side dishes at a very reasonable price. Apart from the fish, which is quite good, the meal is great for vegetarians.



We also went to Minto afterwards, since I've never had the Minto experience. Minto, short for Mindollaeyeongto, is a coffee-shop franchise where you pay a set price (I think 5000 Won) and then get a variety of unlimited soft drinks and teas, as well as a limited number of hot drinks and snacks. You can stay as long as you wish (it is usually frowned upon at other establishments to stay too long), and there are a some entertainment options available, such as free magazines, books and even a little movie theatre.

It was nice seeing Laura again. She was part of the orientation staff when I came to Korea the first time. We also worked together at the same language school in Kangnam for a while. I have some really good memories of my last couple of months in Korea at that time with Laura, another South African teacher, Patricia, my friend Young, and one of my roommates and I.