Adventures in JHJ country (1)

The traditional Korean house

The JHJ umbrella

We arrived in Seoul last evening (5/1/09) and checked into our hotel a little after 9 p.m. Would you believe that most eating places (including the hotel coffee shop) closed at 10 p.m?

This morning (5/2/09) we set out on a mission right after breakfast. In all our quest for JHJ souvenirs, we've never come across the umbrella you see above. Our "spy" told us it was only available in Bao Yong Joon territory. So we took a long trip north to Choongang High School. As we were crossing the Han River on the Seoul Metro, we suddenly remembered what JHJ said on "Night Heart" (YSMM) that his girlfriends were all over Seoul, from South of the Han River to North of the Han River and we had a good laugh. As we were emerging from Anguk Station, we heard the Platters' "Only You" blaring from a magazine/newspaper shop. We knew we'd come to the right place.

It took about twenty minutes to walk from the metro station to the high school. On the way we saw a Tourist Information Centre, so we thought we'd make sure we're on the right track. Guess what? The lady in charge sent two of her girls to guide us to our destination. We pretended we're going to the school which was not open on Saturday. We took a picture in front of the Choongang High School anyway. This high school became famous as the setting for the early part of Bae Yong Joon's "Winter Sonata".

As soon as the girls left, we descended on the shop right in front of the school. And it did have the umbrella! We were so thrilled! We checked out the other umbrellas featuring Bae and 4 or 5 other Korean actors and decided JHJ's was the most elegant. Bae's had some trimmings but it looked too cluttered.

It was fine when we left the hotel but it was raining quite heavily by the time we got to the high school. The shopkeeper said: "You have your umbrella, so your purchase is most timely." On no! We couldn't use that! We had to buy another ordinary umbrella for the day's use.

On the way back to the metro station, we went up a slope and looked around the outside of some traditional Korean houses (see photo 1) -- the kind that Andrea and Eun Ha live in when they first attend university. The souvenir shop owner told us that the one used in "Love Letter" had been torn down. Do you remember Andrea sitting in front of their house and crying? There were so many buckets and potted plants in front of these that there was no place for Andrea to sit here!

After lunch we went to Myeong Dong to buy other JHJ souvenirs. Our old friend "Myeong Dong Jo Hyun Jae" was very happy see us, and like last time we almost cleaned out his shop! He did the usual routine when he escorted us out, shouting "Jo Jyun Jae! Jo Hyun Jae!" M was most amused, since this was her first encounter with Myeong Dong JHJ.

By this time the rain had stopped, so we shopped some more in Myeong Dong for JHJ CDs (OST) and other stuff. By the time we sat down for tea, we were weighed down with our purchases. We managed to secure this splendid table for two in front of the glass facade which gave us an unobstructed view of the busy thoroughfare. And we sat there for an hour sipping Caffe Latte and eating Tiramisu and watching the world go by. Seoul has a lot of beautiful young people, but of course no one could hold a candle to JHJ.

We noticed quite a few young soldiers walking with their girlfriends. We also saw four on the metro. We were wondering how come so many soldiers were on leave, along with our JHJ. Oops! The cat is out of the bag! Hush! Hush! Later! These soldiers were all wearing their camouflage uniforms (the green and brown one that JHJ was wearing in that photo with his mates.) These soldiers were quite tall and broad and not bad looking either. They all looked so happy, especially those who were with their girlfriends. What is JHJ doing? How is he spending his leave? With his family and friends? Will he leave us a message? We wish!

For dinner we of course went to Baekje Samgutang (ginseng and chicken soup). We were very surprised it was already three-quarters full at 6:30 pm. Apparently it has gained in reputation in the last eight months. We can report its ginseng and chicken soup is as good as ever.

We haven't had any fruit for nearly two days, so after dinner we went to Lotte Department Store. They had such mouth-watering fruits but all so expensive. We finally brought four honey tangerines and six bananas which cost as much as a JHJ CD!

When we got back to our hotel, we still had to do our homework. First we had to take a photo of the umbrella. We tried doing it in the room and in the bathroom (for optimum lighting.) Can you guess where the above photo was taken? We had to snap the photo from the underbelly of the umbrella because it has two layers (the top layer is black.) So it's an umbrella you can actually use (you're not walking around advertising for JHJ.) And then we had to write this report. Yawn! Yawn! So sorry, very tired. Good night! Till tomorrow...............