Daegu or Bust!

Hello friends! I'm sorry that I haven't written with the verve that I had promised. I was a complete wreck after the 5 hour bus ride from Incheon to Daegu. We made one stop, during which I had a daytime nightmare that I missed the bus because I was getting snacks. I come from a snacking family and thus, am a snacker by nature. I had the wherewithal to not get snacks but I almost walked onto the wrong bus, a bus that was not there when I left to use the bathroom. The lack of cozy red lazy boys of my "limousine bus" clued me in.

As an aside, the public bathrooms here are quite lovely with western toilets, soap on a stick (actually, an astute idea), and paper towels. Ali said that due to the recent outbreak of H1N1, paper towels can be found everywhere. Anything helps, right?

Anyway, anyone who knows me knows that I cannot live without at least one beverage by my side. Well, I took 2 vitamin waters with me (oh, vitamin water! where have you been in Asia?) but alas, it was not enough. Thus, I became officially sick. Not sick enough to let on...that's the beauty of makeup. I was not going to let H1N1 paranoia (and potential quarantine) stop me from reaching one of my best friends, Ali Loercher.

Ali and Timber (her roommate and a friend of mine as well) have been taking such good care of me. For dinner we walked across the street and ate spicy Korean soup (sun du bu ji gae) at what may turn out to be the Peach Pit 2 (Saved by the Bell, anyone). We had sides of kim chee and pickled daikon radish. We were encouraged to throw some kim chee into the already spicy tofu/octopus/clam stew. Tasty and perfect for my Gan Mao (common cold). They've also taken the time to draw out a map including all necessary destinations (hair salons, of course) and Ali created a menu for me. Ali is also the woman credited for my love of tea and I've been on a steady diet of pang da hai and black tea, along with good old Yin Qiao Wan and Qing Qi Hua Tang Wan. I also was the recipient of a wonderful acupuncture treatment (GB 31, ST 36, ST 40, KI 6, SP 9, LI 4, LI 11, PC 6, LU 7) that immediately relieved my Tai Yang (temporal) headache.

And, to tell you the truth, it's about time that I slow down a little bit. Yes, I know. This is very unlike me. I've realized that Daegu with Ali and Timber is the best place I could be right now. Daegu isn't that much of a bustling metropolis so I don't feel pressure to "see the sights." And Ali is a wonderful caretaker. And, for your peace of mind, when Ali and Timber are at work, I am in good company. Ali has a cat, Fu Zi Miao (Confucius!), and she is being just as lazy, if not lazier than me. She is serving as my inspiration.