Namdaemun / English Village

Just some pictures here then. Namdaemun Market in Seoul. Very old fashioned slice of life. Many strange things on view, and quite a few nasty smells. In places like this you are encouraged to haggle, and the phrase "Nomu Pissayo" means "You're having a laugh mate, what a rip-off". Basically. I managed to get a good leather wallet for 20,000W when he first claimed it was 30,000W. Not a bad first attempt.





Our field trip to the English Village with all the kindergarten. Lynne posted a better blog about this, so you should just check hers out. I will take some credit for getting my namesake Chris (below, middle) a place on stage. The lady kept choosing kids from other schools to go on stage, so I loudly protested from the stands and finally won little Chris a spot in the limelight. It was to demonstrate the words "Tall, Taller, and Tallest". I don't think the lady was too happy, as there didn't end up being much difference in height between the two kids. Shit happens lady!


The fake town even had a working pub. Shame we didn't have a chance to grab a pint!


You might think young Ryan is playing Cops and Robbers and using his fingers to mimic a gun. Much more likely, is that he is planning to indulge in the popular pasttime of jamming them up your crack and saying "Dong". Which means Poo. Why do they like doing that? I have no idea!


Bip, Amy, Elena and Ustina from Cindy class.


Of course there has to be a picture of Mickey. As usual he spent the day in his own little world, entertaining us all. At lunchtime he mostly rolled around the floor with a packet of crisps roughly the same size as him. What a guy.


Nicky is a mentalist. I used to sort of ignore him a bit, until one day he came in and it was as if he'd been gorging on Tizer and Fruit Pastilles for a week. Completely flipped his lid. Now, ever since Lynne and I mistakenly called him "Babo" (Fool), he runs amok shouting "Nicky Babo!" to anyone in earshot. I think it's hilarious. As is his plastic bag hat.


Mickey successfully pulls off a high-five while holding onto his kimbab. My tastes have really changed here. At first I wouldn't touch these seaweed wrapped snacks, but I had about 10 of them for lunch that day! Fat seaweed eating git!


The kids wait as I get sent inside to ask someone directions. It turns out the ONLY person in the whole park that DOESN'T speak English, is the one that works at the Information desk. How delightfully Korean!


I thought all of these buildings would be fancy fronts, with nothing behind them. Like a movie set or something. But they were all proper building serving various purposes. The place must have cost a shitload to make!