Korea Life Blog - Haehwa Conclusion


Here are the last of the pictures I took last weekend in Haehwa-dong:



There are some monstrous coffee shops here. Look at this place. It looks more like a Hollywood mansion than a cafe. I can't believe they could sell enough coffee and "fusion" food to pay for it, considering the sky-high cost of property in Seoul.




I thought that was some kind of weird Osama bin Laden information tent, but I guess that's a drawing of some famous psychic Chinese guy from the past. Check out the hangul written in black. It's called the Psychic Department Store, hahaha. If you look closely you can see someone getting their palm read. "This line here is too short. You will die next year. That'll be 10,000 won, please." I once visited a psychic when I was in Geoje-do. She told me I would travel and have many adventures and then write about them. Man, was she way off. What a scam!




Here's the outside of another booth. It's typical for Koreans to set up identical businesses right next to each other. I guess it's to make it more convenient to get service without waiting, but there was hardly anyone around here. Anyway, this place has a huge poster outlining the various psychic points on the body and what they mean. I guess there's really no point going in now.




There are a few other booths where you can get you portrait drawn. I don't know how anyone can draw this well. I can barely draw stick figures. The picture on top is making me wonder. For some reason I just can't imagine a Korean woman flying an airplane and especially then stopping off for a quick self portrait. Hmm... The women on the bottom however looks more realistic and damn good.




You know, a few years ago this would have surprised me, but nowadays things like this seem to blend into the scenery. I wouldn't have noticed it if Julie hadn't pointed it out. What it is (a toaster van?) and why it's here is anyone's guess.



I thought these people were singing Christmas songs and sharing the joy of the season until I looked closely. It's yet another anti-war demonstration with gory war photos on display.




I guess these are The Christmas Trees United Against the War in Iraq. Apparently if your against the war, you sign a decoration and hang it up. I'm not really sure how that helps anything, but if it makes people feel better then carry on. Ironically I took this picture just a few hours before it was revealed Saddam was captured. I'm not a proponent of the war, I'd rather see all that money used to help the millions of people suffering in our own country, but I must say I am happy that guy won't be putting anymore people feet first through a wood-chipper. By the way, for Christmas I want one of those Captured Saddam Dolls or any of the other overpriced villain dolls for that matter. (Play the Talking Baghdad Bob audio clip, hahaha.) Please feel free to send me one anytime. :D