Recently on business I went to Seoul, Korea.  I was there for New Year’s Eve and was really looking forward to seeing what Seoul had to offer as for New Year’s celebrations.I woke up early and headed out to see some of the sights planning on staying out sometime well after midnight.

I visited the Seoul National Museum, Kyongbok Palace and then went to Seoul City Hall where various traditional New Year’s festivities were taking place.  I was really impressed by the tradtional dance and music that was performed there.  During the performances a Korean man in his 50’s kept commenting on the performance in an almost inaudible tone and then would laugh hysterically.  I really don’t know what it is but it seems where ever I’ve traveled (Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, etc.) I always seem to run into someone who insists on talking to me even though I haven’t a clue what they’re talking about.  I guess it’s a gift.

Anyways, afterward I went to a resturant in that area and had seafood bi bim bap (bi bim bap is a mixture of rice, eggs, meat, and vegetables).  Originally I was under the impression that I was ordering regular bi bim bap, but as that my Korean isn’t very good I was brought seafood bi bim bap instead.  The owner of the place warned me it was spicy but being that I practically grew up on Mexican food alone I wasn’t dissuaded by her cautioning.  To my astonishment however, it was probably…no definately, the spiciest thing I’ve ever eaten in my life.  As much as I didn’t want to eat it after the first taste(especially since it was primarily octupus which, in my opnion is only good in small doses), I also didn’t want to offend the owner of the resturant and I couldn’t think of a way to get out of there without not eating it and still being polite.  So, I ate it.  Almost all of it.  I still don’t know how I did it but I did.  And when I was finished I felt like I was going to dye.  My head pounded and my stomach turned.  What’s worse about the whole situation was that a family with two children around the ages of eight and six came into the resturant and ordered the same thing I did, only the kids had no problems eating it.  As a matter of fact I’d say the ate it with "gusto".  If I wasn’t in so much pain I probably would have been impressed.  After sitting at the table for about ten minutes trying to compose myself, I finally payed and left the resturant vowing never to be polite to anyone again.

Assuming that I’d feel better after a little walk I headed to the Lotte Department Store which was a few blocks away from the resturant.  Department stores in Korea are a lot like the malls in the U.S. only bigger.  They usually have everything you can think of to buy, from electronics to clothes, and often have a movie theater.  By the time I got to department store I was feeling worse.  So I reversed my logic and figured I’d feel better if I just sat down for a bit.  And where is there a better to sit then in a Korean movie theater?  After I got my ticket and found my seat and the movie began.  Before the previews began the standard "TURN OFF YOUR CELLPHONES" announcement was made, which is of note here in my story because the lady next to me didn’t.  The entire movie I got to listen to her text message people and talk about the movie to whoever was on the otherside of that cellphone.  The women next to habitual cellphone user was equally distrubitive.  Apparently she had an aversion to movie violence and continually made a "Guh!" and "Eck" sound about every 15 minutes.  After the movie my condition had gone down hill(if that’s imaginable).

So I decided New Year’s Eve aside and headed back to my hotel.  Unfortunately it wasn’t a very direct route there because I got on the wrong subway train twice and got off at the wrong stop three times.  It was one of the shortest long trips I’ve ever made (yea! another first).  Finally I reached my destination and my New Year’s Eve "fun" ended with my climbing into bed praying for a quick death in my sleep.  Apparently I was the only person in all of Seoul who had such a horrible day, because at midnight I awoke to the sound of people having fun, which amazingly sounds alot like nails on a chalkboard when you’re as sick as I was.