Well, I got to Busan limping, lost and hungry. But after a brief walk through the Russian red light district (sorry, no pictures) and a quick meal, Tracy and I got right to it. And it was impressive.
There were dozens of brightly clad fishmongers; pig head salesmen(!); spice shops; whale meat restaurants (well, it sure looked like whale meat, anyway); knife vendors; writhing octopuses; unidentifiable Lovecraftian sealife; watch salesmen(???); and concession carts rolling by with boomboxes jamming.
This, I think, is a case in which I should thank the ability of the camera to frame and solidify the chaos of the moment. I've never been much for snapping shots, but the way these turned out kind of amazes me. Being there, yes, was surely impressive. But it was also quite overwhelming. I'm glad I have these artifacts to look back on. We could have just stuck our lenses in any direction down there and gotten a great shot. As it stands, we didn't do much more than that, and what we got was somethin' else:
fish:
medicinal herbs:
old women playing with fire:
gangly men and little ragamuffins:
and, of course, pig heads (which I ate a few weeks ago! More on that later):
Viva Jagalchi!
8 comments:
Are those pigs' heads balanced ATOP THEIR OWN SKULLS?!?
Lovecraftian, indeed.
Great photos!
You ate a pigs head? Oh my. You're a braver man than I Ryan, that's for sure.
"Pig heads, pig heads. Rolly-polly pig heads. Eat them up, um!"
Gossip: You and Tracy are hitting it off, then?
You jump right into the story, but it leaves me wondering about "...limping, lost and hungry..."
Was this an elephant trip?
jason.
Patrick - those shiny pig heads are INDEED balanced atop their own skulls. I assume you buy the whole package, but I didn't ask.
Rob - peer pressure, or perhaps a certain sense of responsibility; an old lady sacrificed her own portion and gave it to me.
Jason - not as dramatic as it sounds. I was limping from some nagging jogging injury; I think only I was lost, really - Tracy seemed to know where she was going; and no, it wasn't an elephant trip - we gotta get more of the crew together to do one of those...
Those fish look mighty yummy. I don't think I could ever eat a pig's head myself (poor Wilbur!) but you certainly seem to be living it up in Kor-e-uh. Which is bittersweet to see, of course, because you are missed. But, a good move on your part. It's snow in Cabmridge (still) and this area is serverly lacking in gangly men and ragamuffins. MMMMMMmmmm ... muffin.
i am now on a mission to create an adult-sized version of that little ragamuffin's plaid outfit. thats some serious style.
i look forward to reading more about your korean adventures . . .
~emily (coward)
wow. isn't asia fun and hectic? it's like chaos and noise and smells and laughter all at the same time.
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