Various items from July 12 and 13th

After trying in vain to create a cohesive posts with these photos, I'm admitting defeat and resolving myself to a Mish Mash entry for this week. Above, two men relaxing in front of the river this morning. I feel so silly. I finally figured out what all those seemingly abandoned chairs on the side of the road are for-- for sitting in! Why be uncomfortable when you can drag your lazyboy out?





Some shoes I found for a really reasonable price yesterday. I've never had yellow shoes before :)



I also treated myself to a pack of crayons. Here in Korea, it seems there are generally two kinds of crayons, this being one of them. The others come in a plastic tube and the crayon itself is pushed out of the top. Those ones also have harder texture, so I like the ones shown above better. However, it would be nice if they have more of a point on the end. I accidentally bought another pack of crayons, thinking I was buying markers. How frustrating to not be able to read packaging sometimes. Oh bother.



Sunny and I at Seomun Market on Saturday. Seomun Market is the oldest and largest tradition market in Daegu, and one of the oldest in Korea. Seomun means "west gate" because the market is located where the west gate of the Daegu Castle used to be. The market dates back to the Joseon Dynasty. Seomun Market is part of Deagu's main shopping district, which is primarily concentrated in the downtown core. This area has been the city's shopping district for centuries. The market is huge, composed of several blocks and buildings. You can find anything from furniture to electronics to western deodorant to dried octopus.



Sunny bought me some lunch and we sat to eat outside. We had Korean pancake, and sujebi, a Korean soup.



I also had my fortune told yesterday, something I've been wanting to do for a while. It's not uncommon for people here to get their palm read or their cards read on a regular basis, and the results are often taken seriously enough to affect their decision making. For example, a coworker recently mentioned that as a child her name was changed after her parents were advised to do so by card reader. Another coworker told me that her parents no longer approve of her boyfriend because a fortune teller suggested he was incompatible with their daughter.

Hope you're having a good weekend,