Man, oh Man...bag

This post was going to be about Children's day which took place last Thursday, May 5th. Apparently, some time ago in Korea it was very difficult being a kid. So, they came up with kids' day. It is a National Holiday. To celebrate there was a five day festival with 41 non-verbal performances by groups from around the world. The non-verbal aspect really appealed to me. The festival was going to be at Seoul Station. No problem. I can easily get to Seoul Station. My normal strategy of following the crowd led me to the... trains (hence the name of the station). I wondered around the station for a couple of hours finding some very interesting furniture shops but no theatrical productions. Festival fail.

That's ok. I can blog about the Lantern Festival. Tuesday, May 10th, is Buddha's Birthday which is another National Holiday. Multi-colored lanterns have been hung on the streets of Seoul in honor of Buddha's Birthday. There will be a parade on Jongo-ro street (I think ro may mean street so that might be redundant). Thinking the parade started at 6 pm I left at 5. I got there in a half hour. With the Children's festival failure fresh in my mind, I check the location of the parade on my cell phone. I'm at the right spot but the wrong time. Parade is not until 7 pm. Fine, Jongo-ro like most other places in Seoul has plenty of shops to peruse.

A block away from the subway station I happen upon a luggage shop selling man bags. Now, I have a friend at Yale who has a man bag, and I mock him mercilessly. Of course, I am secretly jealous. Upon my arrival in Seoul, I noticed all these guys carrying man bags. Often, as I ride the subway holding my umbrella, camera, subway map and cell phone, it has become clear to me that I could use a man bag. Indeed, that might even help me blend.

There were plenty to choose from. A small blue one for 35,000 won ($35) caught my eye, but it couldn't really hold much. Then I found a black leather one with a flap that attaches magnetically. Awesome. The owner tells me it 50,000 won. Quick aside - my girlfriend had just related a story about a friend of hers bartering down a necklace price for his girlfriend. That story enters my mind just before I tell the guy I'll take it. "How about 45,000 won?"

"Ooooggggghhhhh, 47!" That first word may have been Korean. Not sure.

"I'll take it." Ha, don't mess with me. Don't even think about messing with me. I bartered $3 dollars off my man bag. Who's the man? Who is the man? Anyway, it is getting close to parade time, but there are still a lot of cars on the road. I re-check the parade route. I'm at the right place, just the wrong day. It's a week from Monday. Nothing like a little foreshadowing for next week's blog. Buddha's Birthday is Tuesday, people! Why is the parade six days later? Don't know. So, to alleviate your disappointment here are some photo's of my remarkably low priced man bag.

Oh, what a nice man bag.

Side view. Looks very Dr. McCoyish.

Action shot - the lifting of the flap. Nice!