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In Search of Chocolate |
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It certainly looked like rain when I left the dorm for a walk to downtown Somyon. Truer words were never spoken as I later realized that unpredictibility comes in the form of weather changes on a Thursday afternoon.
It started out well enough. I stepped outside to muggy conditions, overcast skies and a light breeze on my face. It felt like it was going to be a scorcher. My goal for the day was to head to the Lotte Department store in Somyon in search of chocolates for my friends... but this was not any ordinary chocolate. This was chocolate from Belgium, and it came in the shape of seashells in a rich, creamy flavor of hazelnut praline.
So with light steps I headed out the back gate with |
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I looked up the stairs and the rain was pouring down. It wasn't coming down in a lught drizzle, but in sheets. I hesitated and then started walking up. There was a Korean man next to me, opening an umbrella and I smiled at him, as I do to every other person I encounter. He surprised me by smiling back, and holding his umbrella over me. I said thank you in Korean and we walked out into the rain together. I indicated I needed a taxi so he walked me over to the taxi stand and held the umbrella as I stepped into one.
There are two types of taxi services in Korea. One is the plain white taxi... no frills, and the fairs are reasonable. Then there is the deluxe taxi... they are usually black vehicles and the interior is designed for luxury service... all leather, plush and padded seats, etc. The fares are marked up about 20% from the white taxis. Considering they are so inexpensive to begin with, I really wasn't so concerned. Apparently the drive was because as soon as I told him Hialeah, he got rather upset and started rambling off something in Korean, which I understood nothing of. So I suffered in silence as I rode with him while he continued taking me to the base. To add insult to injury, he forgot to set the meter as he took off and when we arrived, he had to approximate the fare. It came to a little less than $3.00. Yes, the taxis are very cheap. |
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It was still pouring down when I arrived at the main gate. I could either wait it out or walk it home. It was about a 10 - 15 minute walk to the dorm. Smiling to myself I decided to walk it and within a matter of minutes I was soaked to the skin. No matter I taxi'd it to the base, this was like a walk in a river. As the rain came down in my face, and my bag of goodies disintegrated in my arms, I started to laugh and looked up to the skies. Water poured down me, turning my faded jeans to a darker shade and plastering my bangs to my face. My shirt was sticking to me and my boots were soaked. Thankfully they remained waterproof throughout the entire walk home. I encountered the occasional person out in the rain, umbrella in hand and I would smile and wave to each, suppressing a giggle in the process. I finally stepped through the dormitory entrance, dripping wet and giggling to myself.
Despite the watery ending, the day was a good one, another memory to be stored away in my stay in Korea. |
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