Fireworks and Mobs

Sometimes, like right now, I cannot sleep. And then it becomes a great opportunity to keep up with my fans. Fans is what I shall have to call people now because it seems that my blog has acquired over 1000 views. While I imagine that most of these views are poor people who accidentally found their way here through facebook, I still feel a measure of success. Somehow, the material here was interesting enough for it to be viewed more than once.

When we last saw our adventurer, she was aglow with the after-effects of a good old-fashioned K-pop concert. Since then, I have embarked on a number of adventures.


Last Saturday was the International Fireworks Festival in Seoul. I don't know if that's what it was actually called, but the name I have given it is a pretty good description of what happened. Teams from around the world gathered in Seoul to show off their fireworks. Meanwhile, mobs gathered in strategic viewing places all around Seoul. This is how I found myself in a park on an island in the middle of the Han River, eating fried chicken and drinking beer with my coworkers. I should probably mention at this point that Korea sees no problem with public drinking or drunkenness, as evidenced by the vast number of tents at this event that were selling beer for dirt cheap. Meanwhile, the sun slowly set until, at last, the festivities began. The teams from Germany, Italy, and the US were pretty standard. They were loud and they were beautiful, which is really all one asks of one's fireworks shows. But, of course, the Korean team had to show off. So from the very beginning, it was like a continuous finale, complete with geometric patterns and the name PSY written in giant flaming letters. So spectacular was the show that it left me wondering what exactly they were going to do for a finale. Silly me. They, of course, set the bridges on fire. Perhaps I exaggerate. They attached fireworks to the bridges over the Han and then set them all off at once. Was traffic rerouted, you ask? Silly Westerner! Of course it wasn't! Drive onward over the flaming bridge, brave traveler!

In the United States, we would call this a terrorist attack. In Korea, it's national pride.

Two hours later, the show was finally finished. I got up, thinking that I'd just pop on home to enjoy a nice cup of tea and a book. Again, silly Westerner! Did I mention mobs before? Mobs. The crowds leaving the island were like every disaster movie evacuation. Realizing that boarding a train immediately was impossible, I decided to wait a bit until the crowds died down. Surely, I thought optimistically, half an hour shall be enough time! How very wrong I was. There was a line to get into the subway, then there was a mob scene on the platform as hundreds of people tried to shove their way onto already crowded trains. I took a few pictures because there was nothing else to do.

I look at this and think of zombie hoards.

Good luck leaving any time within the next two hours.

The air here has the distinct flavor of kimchi.

Three hours later, I finally made it home. In summary, I can say that the fireworks were great, but if I ever see them again, it will be from a different location. Perhaps a location that isn't on an island.