KOREAN DVD BANGS

A typical movie night in Texas is far different than a movie night in Korea. There are the same movies in both countries. Korea loves American movies as much as you and I, but instead of just buying a ticket to the theater room... you get to select which seat you're buying at the ticket window. This beautiful Korean girl smiles and shows you a display of the seats available. You pick them the same as you would for an airline.

I actually think that is something we should bring to America. It was very helpful and efficient. Plus, there wasn't that weird walking up the stairs with your date/friend asking if this row is good or that one.

Also, they offer something totally different in Korea too!

If you want to go out, but not so keen on sitting in a crowded room with a huge screen in those seats with no room to stretch out in, then you can go to the DVD bang. Bang, pronounced Bong; which means room.

The DVD bang is like your own private movie room. There are huge leather seats/couches. A projector to watch your selected title on. There is an amazing sound system which you can control; go as loud as you want because the walls are soundproof. You can pause the movie, etc. And order beers too! Food also... but I was sold on ordering beer! That was like every Texan's dream come true.

Most of the time in Korea, I had a bad opinion/attitude towards those DVD bangs. I don't know why I had that perspective, but I thought it would be dirty and used for sex or something. So when my Irish friend, (NAME), invited me to explore one with her in Uijeongbu, I had to. I never want to say no and I always will try something at least once.

We picked out a great movie! We had our own alcohol that we carried in with us, plus we ordered some beers while watching the movie together. It was my kind of place.

I think one night we ended up crashing there for a few hours before going somewhere the next day. Let's just say that you can pay $5 for this room, sleep there, watch a movie, whatever you want to do.

There were some great times in those DVD rooms.

I had some great times on the public buses afterwards too. Since I am looked at like a zoo animal all the time in Korea, there is no public shyness when it comes to acting out because they are already looking at me weird to start off, must be the red hair.

This one time, I got on a public bus with a girl around 7am, we had stayed up the entire night in one of those DVD bangs and we started making-out on the bus. It was so fun to be rolling around in the back of a bus in Korea while Koreans were trying to go to work and be professional. Those were the days! I think we ended up on the floor at one point, got off at the wrong stop on purpose to explore a mountain. Then, we realized we were really tired and hung over. So we went to my place... we both had work that same day too. Lot's of coloring and tests that day in class for 45 minutes.

In conclusion, Texas would be wise to observe business models from other countries. Korea had a lot of problems, but they also had a lot of success too! That's what I love about traveling, a man can go into the unknown and gather new perspectives, new friendships, and totally new business ideas while analyzing the benefits and costs.

ATM... We Meet Again!

Before I knew how to say much other than HERE. NOW. in Korean... I was out for a wild night on the town in Seoul.

Seoul was about 2 hours away from my apartment, but it could have been light years when I woke up on a street curve, next to a club, with a slight drizzle coming down .... like God himself was waking me up with his first morning piss! Love you God, but that was wrong!

So I lost my friend, Andy. Andy was my co-teacher. He had lived in Korea a year or two so far and spoke some Korean. But I had only lived in Korea for a week or two and spoke two words of Korean. I didn't even have Korean money in my wallet, nor a Korean bank account or phone.

When I awoke and remembered that I had passed out after getting lost, I started laughing... then I felt hunger and thirst. I stopped laughing. Got up, which was a task in itself. Started wandering down the street. I remember seeing, on both sides of this street, Korean women, women standing in doorways smiling at me and saying something. Could have been:

"Hi American Boy! I can help you. I can give you warm food and a dry place to recover."

OR it could have been:

"Hi, American boy! I want to give you sex and you give me Korean won ( money ) for good time! "

I decided it was the later... and kept my drunken swagger going down the papered city street and around the corner. I ended up at an ATM. I put my Bank of America card in it. It was all written in Korean, of course. So I tried to do it, but couldn't. After a few tries and failures, all of them just making me more and more depressed... I walked further around the corner, trying to remember where I might have lost Andy and myself. I didn't even know what city I was in. Nor did I know where I lived. I knew the name of the city, that was it. "Sin-gal"

I saw a catholic church on my right. I walked over. Didn't see anyone, found an open door into a room with a table, some chairs, and a water tank. So I sneaked in. I took that paper cup and drank! Drank me some water like I was the drinking from the fountain of Life! Then I crawled up on the table and went to sleep. I awoke to the faces of some Korean women, not like the Korean women I mentioned earlier, in the doorways on that street... but these women were saying some more Korean gibberish. I think I winked at one of the nuns and swaggered out the door and went to the nearest store.

Got a triangle sandwich thing with some Korean gibberish written on it. Then I got a bag of chips. Used my Bank of America card, and it WORKED!

I sat out there on the street! It stopped raining. I started eating my prized possessions on the steps of a bank. Then I decided to return to that street with those Korean women and that club I slept in front of. I'd try and find Andy once more, I thought. But no luck!

So I passed out for another while on a concrete thing between two telephone poles. Again, God must have had to piss, because that same drizzle woke me up. So I did a repeat of the get up and walk procedure. This time, I really thought about going over to one of those doorways... but no! I couldn't. They did look sexy as hell, but I chose to try to get into something else.

"(uh) ATM... we meet again!"

ATM and I had some moments! I yelled and punched her, she spat out some gook money and I went to the nearest cab. I said. Here! Now! and the name of the city I lived in. ( in Korean-ish Texan )

After a ride, we found ourselves in the city. I just pointed in directions, he laughed and we went that way until I saw something I recognized. It took about an hour to find the building I lived in. I got out, gave the gook his gook money and went up to my apartment, it was not raining anymore. It was like 2:30 PM. I rode the elevator to the fifth floor and entered my room.

I was dry and in the shower, singing and smiling... I woke up in the shower a few hours later, Hungry and Thirsty with no gook money. "Damn, I really need more of that gook money!" I thought to myself... luckily Andy knocked on the door and he made me some American food. God bless Americans.

In a Special Place

Korean night club experiences are different than anything else I knew in America! My first time was with another expat, so I thought all nightclubs were the way I am about to describe, little did I know that I was in a SPECIAL place.

This special place looks like a normal club. You have the dark room with lasers, neon lights, loud music, fog machines and even bars with booths for sitting in with little candles on them.

We sat down at a booth, guided by some Korean in a tux... which is common for Korea, they dress up for everything. Service is very formal in Korea and nice. There must have been at least 20 of those butler looking dudes in suits in the club. Within a few minutes we had a huge platter of fruit, pitchers of beer, and women on our laps... all without getting up or pulling any strings.

In this special place, which is called a hooking club or booking club; couldn't understand their pronunciation. The tux dudes pay attention to new people that walk in and they are your personal attendant for everything. For the women that come to this place, they know the procedure. A normal woman, that isn't a hooker or anything, just a shy Asian woman... she can walk in with her friends and just enjoy the music and wait for a tux dude to escort her to a table of eligible men. The men choose if the woman/women stay or go. To keep the women you don't have to do anything except look like you like what you see. If the tux dude see that you are not liking, he will take them off your lap and they go back to waiting in the general population for the next opportunity. If you really don't like the women, then you just raise the candle up... with a bolt of quickness, the tux dude will appear and apologize and get you a new girl.

So, my first time here was only my second week in South Korea. I spoke not a word of Korean. I understood nothing, so I was open to all. If this was how it was in Korea, then that's how I'd do it too.

We had a good time that night! I think we only raised the candle once. There is no obligation to have sex or anything like that, it is all free to do or not. This is just a way for the Koreans to get over that initial shyness and meet new people.

One time, these girls took me to a club... and they tried to get me to pay for all their food and drinks. I didn't even understand Korean very well, but I understood what was going on... so my friend and I walked towards the exit and then bolted, jumped in a cab and went to a karaoke bar instead. Clever boys we were.

Within Death's Intake

Not all those who wander are lost.

One of my near death experiences. I treasure those experiences more than you could ever imagine. Each one changes you, gives you life, gives you spirit, gives you character.

Floating on a tube. A tube we bought for 30,000 won from a Korean farmer in Shin Cheorlwon. Ernesto, Doug Huey, Megan and I were doing what no Korean would dare, nor most people. We jumped into a river, not just any river... This was the Grand Canyon of South Korea; at least thats what Koreans said.

First off was a dramatic white water tumbler on the Han Tan river. We all went. And we all fell off our tubes - but that's the fun of the game. This river was new, unexplored, and that was what made my heart beat and our eyes open.

We managed to avoid the death spots. And we had a blast. Half way, we say a beach where all the other rafts were pulling up to end their day and get lunch. We got told by the Police that the river was too dangerous! We were told we'd die if we floated it on a tube. And they even offered us life jackets, but being with Ernesto - that wasn't needed, he was confident of his skills, and I was way too sure that we'd handle any obstacles in our path. Doug and Megan were just kinda following along.

The police ended our float that day, which was okay with us, we had been floating for a long time and were getting hungry... I think it may have even started to rain. So we walked up the hill and the hospitable Koreans gave us a free lunch. We just joined in with their tour groups, since they were having some buffet and we never say no to anything free; especially not Ernesto.

The next day we sneaked back to that spot where the Police had ended our adventure. As fast as we could, we jumped on our tubes and paddled like Jaws was after us. They never saw or heard us slip past their guard.

It was a fun day, until this last bit. We tubed about 98% of the river without major issues... we got flipped a few times, we got a few dings and stuff, but nothing serious.

Ernesto and all of us were on the last stretch. Ernesto said to watch out because this man-made damn was up ahead. We were in this canyon were waterfalls were everywhere, numerous falls on each side of the walls of the canyon. And the water was going fast. So I took point on this last part. Ernesto and I usually took turns leading into something.

Just so happened I assumed something that almost ended my tubing days for good! I approached the man made damn first, well ahead of the group and that may have saved me. Other things that may have saved my life that day were: Waiting for the rain to stop and leaving the river from the previous day. Getting a good nights rest. Refusing the life jackets. Having shoes that could be slipped off, if need be; and I did need be. A man by the name of Doug Huey being way slow, not mentally - but tubing speed, so he was last and behind me a good distance too.

Within 5 feet of the damn, my assumptions were WRONG! Dead Wrong! I assumed that the concrete would be solid throughout the dam... and especially where I was heading. It was the complete opposite. It was an intake for the irrigation system, river feed irrigation system mind you. So with a burst of energy, I threw my tube onto the top of the damn and was able to also throw hands up just in time before being sucked in and gone forever!

The force of the water was strong and unending. As I struggled with my predicament I noticed that Ernesto was too far on the far side to help, but I did see his face and his emotion! Then there was Megan, she just wasn't really paying attention nor helpful even if she'd seen me fighting. So that left only one other, Doug Huey... he was approaching slowly.

I began to fight, but my ribs cracked... and my muscles were growing weak due to the river. I went under a few times to try and gather strength... and I found a metal lip in the mouth of the intake. It was just big enough for the ends of my toes to grip onto and relieve my arms a bit. If I let go, I die. If my feet slip, I die. So I thought about reducing the drag. I slipped my shoes off, down the intake they went and to this day they never showed up anywhere... that was a bad sign to see... if they'd shown up on the other side of the dam, then I'd have a chance if that slip occurred - but it was as I said... nothing inside of that intake except death. It was dark, cold, and full of life at the same time.

At this point, I was taking off my shorts, my underwear, my everything and shuffling over to the west corner of the intake. I tried to pull myself out, but I was too weak.

Doug Huey asked if I needed help. I replied, very calmly... yeah bro, this is no joke, Help me.

Some how Doug Huey, who was on the far side of the dam, managed to climb onto the dam and made his way over to my intake section. He reached his hand down. We gripped each other and he pulled me up out of death's intake.

I said to Doug, thanks and if you ever need anything, anything at all, I'm your man to help you. This is a great impression to make on someone you just met yesterday.

So there I stood on top of the dam that nearly killed me, I let Doug Huey go on first. I knew I had to jump back on my tube and finish what little of the river was left. It wasn't the river that scared me though when I entered, it was Ernesto's eyes.

I remember slowly catching up! The silence, the time froze, the river slowed... as I neared Ernesto, who was still in his tube, I couldn't look at him. He said something like DUDE, I almost lost you! Dude! What the Fuck! Not sure what all he said, but when I managed to look up at him... his eyes said it all. I don't cry, but if I did... I bet a tear would have fell from my eye.

I had to walk bare foot on rocks down the roads with them, I smiled the whole time... no complaining after that adventure. A Korean farmer let us hitch a ride in the back of his farm truck, blue is the color of every farm truck in Korea for some reason. I smiled the whole time as we made our way back to camp atop of the waterfalls.

Half Fish Can Swim, Sort Of

On the Great Barrier Reef at night, we would go for dive around 7:30pm. There were typically 5-6 divers following each Dive Master. Usually I just played Shepard; making sure no one got lost of left behind or strayed off into the other groups. There is a bit of mystery on each dive. The dive briefings are a bit different too. One particular thing would be the requirement to bring a light; how to enter the water with it, how to signal underwater, etc.

My favorite part about giving night briefings is the part where I tell them about my hobby; Red Bass Sniper. There are tons of huge RED BASS on just about every night dive. These fish are really aggressive, not the smartest fish in the sea, but they have learned that we can help them find dinner. This was one of my favorite things to do.

So after you descend down into the dark sea, you can really calm down and enjoy the stillness and the space-like environment - in many ways it is better than being an astronaut, on many levels. Well the RED BASS would soon take position on my shoulder as I swam around with my torch, on the hunt. As soon as I found a fish that was ugly and small, I'd spotlight it with my torch. This does two things; 1. It blinds the prey fish a little. 2. It shows the RED BASS what's on the menu. So the Predator locks on and the games begin. The night briefings have rules even for this hobby. Only 2 kills per night and try to shine the ugly fish, and if you can't find any ugly ones that should be on the menu; shine your buddy or have the Bass chase the light and run smack damn into a reef.

This one time on a night dive, I was loving every minute of the dive; there were so many different varieties out on the hunt; sharks, turtles, you name it... I believe the dive site was called "THE WHALE". Well I had a gathering of Red Bass teamed up with me and my sniping skills and there was this one fish that was ugly, but too big for Red Bass.... boy was I wrong! I just wanted to see if they'd be able to eat it. So I sniped it and watched the chase. There were 4 Red Bass chasing this fish. One of the Red Bass was huge! He took one bite of the prey; leaving only the front half. The front half of the fish was still alive and able to swim. It was trying to get away but then the other 3 took their bites and that was the end of the show. It was one of the most memorable things I have ever seen; on land or under the sea.

I remember I was actually yelling underwater and just hollering like I was at a Nascar race!

Night dives are by far the best, for me. I've seen some amazing displays in the ocean at night. I'd love to live under the sea one day, soon.

Poop in the Tuna Cans

On the island of Ulleung-do in the East Sea, I pooped in an empty tuna can and then carried it to the front window of a man that tried to beat up my friends and I the night before. Then I threw it beside the window, told my friends we should pack up camp and hit the road. And we did.

Great way to start the morning; by getting even with a douche bag.

I get around...

The theme of this story is places. Places I've slept in my life as a gypsy, maybe I'm Irish... maybe I'm not, but I am for sure a nomad.

Slept on the subway in South Korea. Slept on the streets of Seoul. Slept in the Gulf of Mexico, under a boat, under the water. Slept in a container near a drilling rig in Texas. Slept in a tent in the backyard of the Prather's. Slept on a train heading to Busan, didn't pay for my ticket on that speed train. Slept under a Toyota car in Cairns, after a going away party. Slept on the Kangaroo Explorer on the Great Barrier Reef. Slept in the monkey bed of the Kangaroo Explorer. Slept in a tent in Shin Cheorlwon on the top of the Three Pond Waterfall. Slept in a tent while a friend had sex, kept my headphones on to be a good wing man. Slept in a spider infested house on a springy bed in Cairns. Slept in a Youth Hostel in Surfers Paradise with some Germans, a French, and a strange Aussie. Slept in the backseat of my pickup truck somewhere East of my girlfriend in High School, as far East as I could. Slept in a hammock on the cliffs of Ulleung-do. Slept in a strangers house in the pouring rain my first night on Ulleung-Do, in a massage chair. Slept on the bow of the Kangaroo Explorer. Slept on the Prather's couch. Slept on the floor of Jeff's house. Slept on the floor of Chris Cannon's house. Slept in Marcus Cargile's bed and on his couch, afraid that Chopper would bite me if I moved. Slept in a bunk bed in a Ski Resort in Korea. Slept in a DVD room in Uijeongbu. Slept on a public bus in Korea. Slept on the Greyhound bus from Florida to Texas. Slept in the Omni Hotel for the Christmas Conference. Slept at Alan's house. Slept at Alan's Mom's house. Slept at Christina Manser's apartment and house. Slept at Melissa Nickhah's apartment and house. Slept at Tara's house. Slept at Barrett Marshall's house, my manager at Barnstormers. Slept at "The Lodge", usually on the couch Zeke, Caso, and I found on the side of the road. Slept on the planes to many different countries. Slept on the chairs at the airport in Canada. Slept at Alison's place in Busan. Slept at Mandolyn's place in Wanju. Slept at Nick's place in Uijeongbu. Slept at Rishi's place in Goam-dong. Slept at Ernesto's apartment in Goam-dong, both of them. Slept at Taylor's place, before she left Korea. Slept at Ernesto's grandparent's place in Mexico City. Slept on many buses in Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. Slept in a $5 room in Antigua, Guatemala; best bang for your buck there. Slept in a Jim Jo Bang in Korea; its like a spa for a few bucks. Slept at Cameron's place in San Antonio. Slept in a tent on the beach of Boreyoung Mud Festival. Slept in a tent in the sea of that festival, naked. Slept on the river banks of the Inje River of Korea in a tent. Slept on the river banks in the heart of Korea. Slept in a tent in Tikal with the Mayan Ruins during a lighting storm. Slept on the Isle of Flores. Slept in a public park in a tent, next to a pig and our canoe, after almost being shot for trespassing on Lake El Remante in Guatemala. Slept in a hostel in Brisbane. Slept on the floor in Mesquite Texas for 6 months in Amanda's place. Slept at Amanda's house in Saltilo. Slept in Chris Cannon's old house near M&R Construction. Slept in a drug house in Daytona Beach. Slept in a house with a stripper, more drugs there too. Slept on Georup-do, island in the Yellow Sea. Slept on another island out there too, a bit bigger. Slept on a boat from Ulleung-Do to the east coast of Korea. Slept on the DMZ of North and South Korea. Slept in the forest, next to a monastery in Korea with this huge 100 foot Buddha. Slept at Claire's parent's place. Slept at Virgil's motel for 2 months with the Campus Outreach summer training project in Gatlinburg, Tennessee while working for Dolly Parton. Slept in McKay 278, the freshmen dorms at ERAU. Slept on the beach after a beach party on the back deck of the Hilton with some Ohio State cheerleaders. Slept at Jennifer's place in Irving, Texas. Slept at Tyler State Park. Slept at Rishi's 2 new places on the first night of moving in after getting a new teaching job in Korea. Slept on the couch at my parent's place in Linden, Texas. Now I sleep on the floor there. Slept in the cheapest room ever on the Mexico-Guatemala border. Slept at a hostel in Zihuateno. Slept on the floor, too close to the litter box, of Claudia's in Zihuat for 11 days on the cheap. Slept for free in a pimp room on Caye Caulker in Belize. Slept in a room across from Yuuki on Caye Caulker. Slept at Alli's place in Jacksonville, Florida. Slept at Josiah's place in Jacksonville. I slept on the floor of Bear's Town Ski Resort in Korea. The last time I slept in my own bed was July 2009, over a year ago.

Flying to Oz, Sleeping Pills, and a Helmet

When I was on the plane from San Francisco to New Zealand, end destination was Surfers Paradise in Australia, I made my flight no worries. Sat down next to a nice girl, Ann heading to Papua New Guinea, and this Kiwi dude, Shane.

After a few minutes of chatting with the two of them, we were in the air and cruising... this leg of the flight was like 16 hours straight... so I got my sleeping pills out. Took 2 or 3, wanted to make sure I woke up in New Zealand. Shane, saw me and asked what I was taking... then asked if he could have some.

I paused for a moment, to check if he was serious or not... Then I told him how unsafe it was to take pills from strangers, we laughed. Then I handed him some sleeping pills and he took them.

Shane and I traded information on the plane, he offered me a place to visit if I was in New Zealand ever again. About 30 minutes after we took our pills, we were singing with the sandman, sound asleep.

I woke up in a haze a few times to walk around the plane, looking for the head. I think the attendant woke me once to feed me something, who really knows what those meals are on international flights.

The next thing I knew I was in New Zealand, waiting to catch my next plane to Australia around 5 am. It was about 40 minutes of free time before boarding.

The flight to Oz was only an hour and 20 minutes. I made it to Surfers Paradise. Immigration was a breeze, the whole security screening process was pleasant there in Coolongata ? not sure how that's spelt.

I made friends with some more kiwis there outside the terminal trying to catch a public bus because I had my motorcycle helmet with me, which was my carry-on... not many folks do that I bet.

Jumped on an expensive public bus to the beach, found a hostel... then went to the beach and started day 1 of 100 in the Land down under! Didn't know anyone, anything, nor anyone... very good way to measure yourself, to feel strong when looking back.

Unprotected Cellphone Rape

One time in Korea, on a public bus, I was wearing Korean paints, which have shallow pockets and always made me worried something would slip out... well it did, and the it was my cellphone... which in South Korea, a cellphone can be used for quite a lot of things... like buying some porn, some animations, etc.

A few days later I got my phone back because I called it and told the Korean my school address. When my director received the phone in the mail, he gave me the phone and threw away the envelope, etc.

On my next monthly bill, I owed $500... mostly porn by the look of it, sex lines, crazy ring tones, etc.

I went to the police, they couldn't help because the business was located in Thailand or something. I didn't have evidence to show the cops because my director threw it away. I never could track down the culprit, and since I was enrolled in auto bill pay... I lost $500.

Advice: If you lose your phone, cancel it immediately - no matter if it is being sent to you in the mail or whatever... cancel it to be safe. And if your phone has a lock key code that can disable it unless the correct code is entered, do it.

My director apologized a thousand times. I got angry. So I went to the Dragon Bar and then to a Karaoke Bar... and all was alright in the world the next day.

Ocean in my Tent

So this story starts in South Korea, my second year in country there as an English teacher. Every year there is this huge festival called Boreyoung Mud Festival. The MUD festival is on the east coast of Korea, it is 2 weeks of mud parties, partying with strangers, mostly Koreans and Expats from all over, watch out for those military guys, that's for sure. And this mud festival has the best mud in the world, its really good for your skin and stuff. So you paint yourself and your friends and strangers up in it, then go run around with fireworks, put people in jail, a fake jail and go down slides, at night the party doesn't stop... there are these floating stages, well not floating, but they are in the sea... it is a platform with all the lights and performers.

Well, that's the location - best I can describe. So my friend Funeka, from South Africa joined me on the train ride there... which was said to be impossible to board without reservations made months in advance, but that didn't stop me... we got on, I made a creative use of the free space in-between seats, and started jamming out... well in my backpack I wanted to try a social experiment, so you know how Koreans eat dogs, well I wanted to see if I could shock them by eating dog food... so I bought a bag, gave the dog food to a dog and put cornflakes in the bag... looks like dog food, then when people walked by they'd see me eating from a dog food bag and just start starring, which was usual.. they never understood my eye color, nor my hair color... plus I wore some crazy hair styles... it isn't uncommon to feel like a zoo animal on display while in public there. So I had fun with a few people, some soldiers gave me a few beers and we played card games on the train. When I got to the beach, Boreyoung... it was party mode, as I am sure you could imagine, well later that night we packed like 30 people into a Karaoke room that should only fit 5, we sang our hearts out... I ran into friends I met in all corners of Korea, this one girl took me to her motel even, we had a naked shower together, but I never really liked having sex with strangers, so I just made-out and ran out... all the time outside was raining, so we were covered in mud, sliding in puddles etc... some of the crowds were standing around, so me and this girl started a dance party, which caught on in a matter of minutes... that was always something I wanted to do in life, start a dance party in a crowd that wasn't dancing but the concert was playing... then this girl I was dancing with, she sneaked up onto the stage and they let her dance with some Korean girl artist, it was hot!

Well I ran back to my tent, took off my clothes and went to sleep listening to my radio... smiling ear to ear... this was in the midst of a storm...

in the morning hours, which must have been like 7 or so, I think I passed out happy and laughing at the wind blowing my tent around, at like 4... so this is what I felt upon awakening, my legs very cold, no radio, just loud wind, my tent hitting me because of the force, but my upper torso very warm still... so I look around, notice the OCEAN is in my tent... and I am still naked as a new born baby. So I get out of my tent, still naked, and try to do something, but I am still so drunk and sleepy, so I walk around my tent and decide that I am going to have to save it, and in a hurry... then I hear laughter and then I turn around and see 4 Korean Policemen. They were laughing and pointing, this is in the middle of a storm too. And they didn't help. So I pulled and yanked on the tent, got it out of the sea and onto dry sand, then I smiled and waved to the Koreans and crawled back inside and slept for another hour or two... then I had to pack it all up, ran to a train, found Funeka somehow and made it home.

Oh, and on the subway home... I was really tired... so usually I stand and allow the koreans to sit first, but not this day... so I pulled out my wooden snake, and they all thought it was real so they moved away... which opened up a spot on the bench for me to sit... so I did, held tight to my bags and passed out, woke up at my stop and hiked back to my apartment.