The weather here...

is finally getting nice, not that it was all that bad to begin with. Our temperature has been in the 70's for the past week, but it's still cool in the morning and evening. All around the base the cherry blossom trees are blooming and look really nice. There is even a blossom festival down south this weekend by our other base, Kunsan, but I think I'm going to skip it. I am venturing to make it down to Seoul on Saturday to see some new sights. I spent last weekend in bed due to food poisoning. Its ironic though, I got sick from the chicken on base, not off base like you would think. There are a lot of great places to eat off base. I walked through the open market just gazing at all the fish, kim-chee and fruit. I even stopped into a french bakery and picked up a danish, it was fantastic! I walked through the fish market with two buddies, and the one ran through fearing he was going to puke from the funky smell. None the less, it was very interesting to see the variety they have to offer. I guess it's just like shopping for everything else like the suits, dresses, purses, shoes and lingerie(everything is tailored for you personally). I even had a Red Sox robe made just for me by one of the local suit makers. Also, don't be mistaken into thinking that the products here are cheap, they are not. I plan on having a couple suits made for me with a cashmere overcoat before I leave next March, all for a couple hundred dollars. My friend Adam had a pair of boots fitted to his big feet and manufactured in just a week. Its really pathetic if you think deep about it all. Americans do not know how to make these materials by hand( everything is mass produced) but the companies will charge an arm and a leg for it. The same jerseys sold in the stores in America, I can buy here for 30 dollars. Lets go back to the food. the picture on the right is just a tidbit of the kim-chee available of base. Along with that is a dish called Bul-gogi(ba-gogi). It is excellent!!! It reminds me of a stir fry with rice and has tremendous seasoning added in. I have not tried anything from the local market yet, I am still trying to adjust to any bacteria my body is soaking in that I am not used to. So far, so good! Their are some tasty restaurants outside the base(many, many, many to choose from)coupled with the numerous bars. Darts is a very big hobby here and every establishment has a team. Some off my buddies are trying to recruit me, but I am holding out for more money to the highest bidder come mid season. Every bar has several dart boards and seems to be very homely, like "Cheers". My plan is to scope out Seoul for this weekend in order to find a nice restaurant for Leslie and I for when she comes here.
The picture on the right is just an example of a local place where Leslie can have a dress made just to fit her, no returning for it for some fashion failure or so on. I think it would be extraordinary to have something made for us for a nice classy dinner is Southeast Asia. I guess i will just have to see what is on the menu...