What do you get when you put a Korean from Los Angeles, a Colombian from Florida, a silver fox from Boston and a polish girl from the Midwest together for five weeks in Asia?
Well if our first night, which involved Nick setting a bone fracture in the middle of a Korean nightclub is any indication- I think we’re in for quite the adventure.
The first stop on our trip was Seoul, South Korea. After about 20 hours of travel time each- the gang all arrived and immediately started sightseeing.
We spent the day wandering around the city, with Thomas translating and guiding us through Korean food. Without his Korean skills, I probably would have ended up eating coagulated ox blood, and we also would have missed out on local gems like taking photos with women in traditional dresses. We capped the evening off with a visit to the cities palaces, and a beer overlooking the city.
At that point we had barely eaten or slept in two days and had just walked 15 miles. But you can’t be in the country that consumes the most alcohol per capita and not go out, so naturally, we decided to go clubbing.
After a quick pre game of Soju, a spirit made from rice, Thomas’s Korean friends took us out to party like the locals- and boy can they party.
We danced and mingled with Koreans. In retrospect, they didn’t speak any English and I obviously don’t speak Korean, but soju is a universal language. The club was crowded and I was wearing sandals, because when you’re living out of a backpack for five weeks- heels don’t make the cut.
I was trying to weave through the sea of drunks when a man stumbled into me and kicked my toe. I felt pain shoot through my body and knew it was broken. Nick noticed the panic on my face immediately and I showed him my toe, which was bent at an unnatural angle.
Without any questions or hesitation, there in the middle of this Korean nightclub, Nick grabbed my little toe and pulled it in the opposite direction. It set right back in with an audible crack.
Needless to say, we left shortly after that, and I spent the next day hobbling around the city. Lucky for me, the guys always wait up.
We’re off to Hong Kong now, time for some good eats.