First, however, we had to navigate the crowds. The subway was increasingly packed as we approached Kwangan-lee Beach. There were crowd control guys who would help pack people into the train. It was difficult to get lost or move, as all you had to and could do was follow the million (yes, literally there was a million people) others who were on their way to the beach. There was a point when I physically could not move from being packed into the crowd so tight. Eventually, we eyed an alleyway that led to an air conditioning unit, that led to a ladder, that led to the roof of a motel. We ended up getting some really great seats for the last 45 minutes of the show. Without further ado, here are a few mediocre pictures of fireworks taken with a mediocre camera with a nighttime picture phobia:
And to prove that I was indeed there:
It was really spectacular in person. The set up is what really made it. This marvel of a suspension bridge spanning the bay and boats exploding with fire all while pieces like "Ride of the Valkyries" played and a million people roaring at the highlights. Not to mention the panoply of lights around like a watered down Hong Kong. Here's a picture of the most people I've ever seen at one time:
And that's just one side. The other side was the same, in front of us was the same, not to mention all the people in the alleys and arteries of streets trickling back away from the beach. It was absurd how many people were there, and that goes to show that Korea can operate logically to make public urination legal in instances like this. I also have video, but with a combination of the real name verification law for YouTube and Blogger's ineffective video upload process, I cannot show you. I think it actually may be my mediocre camera's fault. I don't know how to change the recording format (which is also why I can't seem to figure out how to make my videos compatible with Movie Maker) to be anything resembling an easy, compact file. Such is life, I suppose.
In other news, we spent the rest of the night wandering around in the rain, unsuccessfully trying to find a love motel to stay in (remember those million people I talked about? Yeah, apparently they all needed a place to sleep as well...and they plan ahead). As a result, I think I am getting sick (as I previously mentioned. Remember? Geez, you must be getting old). I can only hope that the pinnacle of this illness is not too bad and I can carry on with my life with minimal interruptions from the green sickness goblin.
It's Sunday night and I'm eagerly looking forward to Monday, wherein I can go to school and teach children who don't much care about English for five days straight before what may or may not be a crazy Halloween weekend. I will, as always (or at least sometimes, right?), keep you posted.
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