This was our day to be really adventurous. And, this is a really long post...
At first, we were going to be crazy and go to Insadong AND Yongsan Electronics Market. Well, we determined that with 2 little girls, that might be a wee CRAZY. Insadong is really neat & I wanted PGUB to experience it...plus, it is supposed to have a HUGE music store. Lots of instruments for my father--some insane number like 200 vendors or something like that. I can't wait to leave my dad there see it, so next time we'll give it a try!
Anyhow, we headed to the train station bound for Yongsan Electronics Market (it won because we didn't have to change trains!). So, I went to the Pyeongtaek Station and we spent 15 minutes figuring out how to get tickets. I asked the guy at the counter what time the express train would get there and he checked his little sheet and told us 10:27. Okay. We went outside to wait in the freezing cold. More people joined us, and a train came. They all got on it. We waited because we wanted the FAST one. Sure enough, at 10:27, the express rolled by...ON THE MIDDLE TRACKS! Okay, Plan B. Get on the next train. We do and literally 2 minutes later, Abby informs me that she has to go to the bathroom. Are you kidding me? Those of you with kids know that this is no surprise. So, knowing I had no choice but to make the best of it, asked her if she could make it for a few minutes longer. See, I KNEW if we got to Suwon, we could get on the FAST train & I was determined. Oh, forgot to mention that we weren't at the Pyeongtaek Station originally...I had taken us to the Jinwi Station. Silly me.
The FAST, express, whatever you want to call it train, is awesome. It's like Amtrak. Big, cushy seats with lots of space. I could nurse without a bunch of people gawking at me. It was warm. We went through 2 or 3 stops and we were at the electronics market. On to lunch and then we found an area with lots of guitars and pianos for my dad to play. So, I'm am pooling everyone's won together to make one of the guys a deal on a guitar, and my dad can't find his wallet. He & my brother head back to the restaurant and have no luck. We go to the help desk, but no one has turned a wallet in. It's just a helpless feeling to lose something like that in a foreign country where it's hard to communicate. My dad was pretty upset about it, but there was nothing we could do at that point. Thankfully, he only lost a portion of his things (he had left quite a bit back at the house) and we were able to cancel everything he needed to. We left soon after the wallet incident. It really was fine and I felt good that I had finally braved the train/subway/metro. We went back to base & got a new ID card for him. He felt like he ruined everyone's trip, but I was pretty impressed that we did all that and didn't freak out! I just liked being with all of them, even if it didn't turn out exactly right.
On the slow train back, we were crammed in like sardines...lots of nice Koreans volunteered to give their seat up, so Beks and I could sit down. They all flirted with her and Abby got some goodies from a group of Korean school girls. Then, Bekah got hungry. Why didn't I feed her at the train station? Can anyone tell me? Did it seem smart to be wedged between 2 Korean men and have to do it? Especially fun because a Korean woman kept telling me Beks was hungry. Thanks.
Here is the ONLY picture of the day at Yongsan Electronics Market...
We picked this sandwich place to eat lunch because it had cheese toast on the menu. Abby wasn't feeling too crazy about a Japense lunch. So the boys had Japanese and the girls went for sandwiches and coffees! Abby, her cheese toast, and the whipped cream for it...what? See, things are just a little different here!
We were tired and didn't feel like doing anything, but we ventured off base again to eat some dinner.
I LOVE the part of Korean culture that loves our babies.
They love kids and Beks loves them. This is one of her new friends at one of my new favorite places. I think it's called Han's Bulgolgi House...yummy sides and the steamed & yaki mandu are awesome. Every time we have eaten there, Beks has been promptly carried away and entertained. Work it girl. What will she think when she moves to the U.S.? Poor baby will no longer be the center of attention!
Pie #2...Chocolate Pecan Pie
INGREDIENTS - 1/2 cup margarine, melted
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
- In a heavy sauce pan combine melted margarine, corn syrup, white sugar and cocoa. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Add vanilla, salt and eggs, stirring well. Stir in 1/2 cup pecans. Mix well.
- Pour filling into unbaked pastry shell and top with remaining 1/2 cup pecans. Bake at 325 degrees F(165 degrees C) for 55 minutes. Let cool and serve.
