Market Day

This morning, under a hazy sky with balmy winds, we jumped on bus 101 and headed across town to the old open market. What a sight!. Blocks, and blocks, and blocks.... of small stands displaying and selling anything and everything from cow tails, to stingrays, to huge white radishes, shoes, and clothing, beautiful handcarved chests, and everything in a pig but the "oink"! The fascinating thing about the market is the care and attentione each seller gives to how their wares are displayed. If, for instance, you've got shrimp to sell, they're not just thrown into a basket- they're arranged in a pattern in that basket.. Seaweed of varying types and colors, all displayed in such a way that you're almost convinced it will taste as good as it looks.

When it began to rain, we headed down into the "underground city". Once again, blocks and blocks and blocks of shops located under the streets of Daejeon. Thousands of people, hundreds of shops -  cell phones stores, shoe shops, jewelry stores, tailors, clothing stores - endless blocks! Finally, we headed back up to the surface and landed at a McDonalds! Despite the fact that it's against my better judgement to eat at  McDonalds when in a foreign country, the lure of something familiar drew us in. Given the cost of food here, eating their was cheaper than eating anywhere else. So, along with a swarm of uniformed high school students who were taking their lunch break, we ate double cheese burgers, french fries and cokes!!! I'd like to feel a littler bit guilty, but so far I have nothing but good memories.

Finally. we hopped back on bus 101 and headed for Emart - a large store similar to Target or Walmart. We came with a list, butter being one of the items we were seeking. Two plastic drinking glasses, a pound of butter, 3 asian pears, a bag of apples, a clump of green grapes, 4 bananas, 2 liters of skim milk, a "nine pack" of peach yogurt, handlotion, and an Emart green bag later, we hailed a taxi and headed home - exhausted, and $60.00 poorer.

Something you may find interesting - in a store like Emart, there are dozens and dozens of sales people standing in, and at the ends of every isle, calling out to attract your attention. We had FOUR girls descend on us within seconds as we approached the lotion isle! One wonders how the store makes any money. Labor costs must be miniscule.