Did you know that red lights are only a SUGGESTION to stop??? Well that's what the van drivers from our hotel think!! OMG, when they took us from the hotel to the airport ( the only place they will take us) I about died. LITERALY!! Dude was driving a million miles an hour, laying on the horn, and would blow through red lights like there wasnt even a lighte THERE! Once in a while he MIGHT slow down, and when a scooter or motorcycle would drive by, weaving in and out of all the cars, and trucks, UP ON THE SIDEWALK... I just had to close my eyes. IT'S FREAKIN NUTS I TELL YA!

We decided to try Dongdaemun market today. We got our ride to the airport and with the hotels advice, took the bus there. It cost us about 13$ for the ticket for both of us. The ride was a little over an hour. Nice muddy scenery all the way since it was raining, but a little rain never stopped me from working so no way is it gona stop me from SHOPPING!!

We arrive and I see nothing of shop worthy value. Lots and lots of MATERIAL.... shoelaces...lace trim, buttons, and some blankets. not even CUTE blankets! Chris and I are like wth?? Where is all the GOOD STUFF? we wander around, and we are STARVING! All the way up there we have seen a MILLION McDonalds, starbucks, Baskin Robins etc, but NOW there is nothing 'American' to be seen! and for breakfast, Im just not feeling squid.

We finaly found a sidewalk stand selling what looks like plain sugar donuts, and they were GOOOD! STILL WARM! We get 2 each. I eat my first one mmmm. The 2nd has some sort of brown filling, is it CHOCOLATE?? I take a second bite. nooo not chocolate. I taste the sugar on the outside, but the filling is... BEANS!!! NOW WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND PUTS BEAN PASTE IN A DAMN DONUT???? COME ON NOW PEOPLE!!!!

The cans of coke are smaller too. they are skinny like a can of red bull only shorter. I bet when a Korean person comes to the states they think we are fat gluttons. ( JELLY IN THE MIDDLE OF A DONUT???YOU GROSS PEOPLE!!)

So we decide to head to Lotte World. We venture to the 'train' which I call the subway. Ive never ridden a subway until last night, so this is new to me. We find the train station and then stand at the map on the wall looking like 2 bumfuzzled idiots. We don't see "Lotte World" anywhere on the subway map, so we ask the ticket man. He cant even repeat the WORD "Lotte World" so he's no help. I smile and say thank you and he looks at me again like I'm an idiot. I'm FEELING like an idiot, and go back to the idiot wall and keep looking, hoping for some divine intervention. Well she comes along. A lady asks "can I help you" THANK GOD!! she was SO NICE! she showed us where to go on the map, where to switch trains, translated to the ticket man for us to help us buy our tickets, then she showed us where to get on the correct train. She was riding that same train, so she got on and then we all got off the same stop. she then told us we had to go upstairs and get on line 2. We thanked her profusley, and went upstairs.

Only to find out she'd told us wrong... there was no line two upstairs... so again we are looking lost and stupid. So much so, that an elderly gentlman asks us almost immidatly 'do you need help'? yes, apparently we do! so we tell him we are looking for line 2. He tells us its downstairs. we sigh and chris explains we were trying to get to Lotte world, so the man says 'come with me, I will take you so you dont get lost. ( what a pumpkin!!) So on the way, chris tells him how the lady had tried to help us, but had mistakenly told us wrong.... the man says "I show you, and you not get lost. you not listen to no more BOO-SHEET!! omg we both died laughing!!!

But he was right, he got us right where we needed to go!! We spent the rest of the afternoon ( after spending the first 5 hours doing mostly riding around and wandering) Shopping and checking out the stuff at Lotte World. There is an ice skating rink there ( we saw NUNS ice skating!) don't know why that made me laugh, but it did. I'm sure even nuns need to have fun too huh? I didn't buy much today, just a few small things for each of the kids, and I got a purse I THINK I like. yeah yeah.... I know. shaddup.

I got some fish flavored funions for the kids... didnt know thats what they were when I got them, but I think they'll like feeding them to their friends! lol

We ate a GREAT lunch and AWESOME dinner! Lunch was at the "Blue Spoon" we had a "set" I see this at a lot of places where its for 2 or more people. it inlcudes a main dish, soup or salad, and a beer or wine for each of you. I got Prawns in a spaghetti sauce,( the shrimp were HUGE and I got about 8 of them) with a fried egg on top, and chris had Carbanara ( bacon and cheese pasta) we shared a huge salad with crab, and we had 2 glasses of wine. Before dinner I had a mocha cappaccino and chris had a beer. Our tab was about 32$. For dinner we ate at Bennnigans. It had a "Korean flair" I guess you could say.... They had some of the usual menu, along with several Korean dishes. Water was served at room temp with no ice and as always they dont expect a tip! We each got a 'trio' of steak, shrimp and chicken for only 17$! Much cheaper than in the states! A beer was only a bit ove 2$!

Here in our hotel room, even though it is a much older place, and it is a VERY small room, it's still pretty nice. The wood floors are heated, and the room comes with full sized bottles of shampoo, conditioner, liquid soap, mens and womens cologn, and lotion, hair spray, q-tips, cotton pads, a brush and comb, along with a few other disposable toiletries. The bed is HARD!! I swear it feels like a wooden box with a sheet over it! Odd thing is, we didnt wake up sore. hmm. No closet or drawers, so were living out of our suitecases and the room is a dang mess. But oh well!!!

Tomorrow is gonna be FUUN!!!! we are meeting up with a friend of ours weve known for YEARS but never actualy MET!! Ric is stationed here in Seoul. His unit came over here just a couple of weeks before Chris's unit did. I met his wife Brandi several years ago on the ivillage message boards, and we became really great friends! I'm still totaly and completly BUMMED that Brandi can't be here with us tomorrow, but it just wasn't possible for her to be here, so I promised her I'd give her hubby extra hugs and luvin's for her, and take LOTS AND LOTS of pics of him for her, ( which I will!! I SWEAR BRANDI!!) So tomorrow we are gona meet Ric and he's gonna show us where HE'S been shopping, then were gona eat, and shop more and shop more and.... well whatever else we decide to do.. like um SHOP.... : ) ( since I will have TWO pack mules I plan on making the MOST of this day!!!)

OH I ALMOST FORGOT!!!

I PEED IN A REALLY WIERD TOILET TODAY!!

I had to 'go' so I went in the public toilet right? First odd thing is you have to get your t.p. OUTSIDE the stall. It's in the outer area by the sinks. OK fine. BUT the 'toilet" is a porcelian HOLE IN THE GROUND!! yes I am telling the truth. I stood there, just straddeling it, staring at it.

I had peed in the dessert.

I have pooped in the dessert.

But I have never squatted to pee IN THE MALL!!

Until today.