Getting Inked at Fat Buddha

I decided early on in my time in Korea that I wanted to get a tattoo to commemorate my year here. At the time, I didn't know what I wanted. The best I could think of was a whale, or at least a whale's tail, because it's the official symbol of Ulsan. The problem with that design is that the tattoo didn't mean anything to me; it was a nice kitschy souvenir type of idea, but that's not what I wanted. All of my tattoos have deep personal meanings and stories behind them, but this one didn't, so I never bothered to pursue it. I think that if you're not in love with a tattoo design, that's a clear indication that you probably shouldn't get it. You shouldn't choose a tattoo with the same indecisiveness as you choose from a restaurant menu; you should choose a tattoo design with a passionate conviction.

Nonetheless, I kept the idea of a tattoo in the back of my mind for months. Then I went to Seoul for the first time a while back, and I stumbled upon the Folk Museum in Gyeonbukgung. That's where I learned about the magpie bird's significance to Korean folk culture. According to Korean beliefs, if you are visited by a magpie bird, it signifies that good fortune and good people are coming your way.

This idea stuck with me, because I felt that it perfectly encapsulated my time in Korea. Case in point:

Good fortune and good people.

Also, considering what I have planned for the near future, I like the idea of having a symbol of good luck looking over me at all times, because I know I'm going to need a lot of it.

So without further ado...

I actually didn't know the slow trains had cafe cars, but Honey suggested we check it out. It was a solid idea. They come complete with their own noraebongs! (Karaoke rooms)

It's past noon somewhere.

The brilliant Horitatsu gets to work. Love this guy. He learned his craft in Japan years ago. In fact, much of his clientele is apparently Japanese gangsters who get FULL BODY traditional Japanese tattoos. (And I mean full body! Even...the nether regions...) In an article I read, he even joked that the badass gangsters always ask for numbing cream before they get started. 

Let's backtrack a little.

Honey, Lex, and I met Horitatsu two weeks ago when we went in for my consultation. My first impression of his shop wasn't quite what I expected it to be, considering that every foreigner I've come across who decided to get a tattoo in Korea went to Fat Buddha Studio.

We had a hell of a time finding the place, because it turns out his studio is in his apartment, which is on the 37th floor of his building. What kind of a tattoo artist works from the 37th floor of an apartment building?! We walked in and were greeted by his apprentice and his yappy little dog.

We got there a bit early, so we waited in the living room and eyed his apartment. He was clearly a well traveled man, as there were masks hung up on the walls, a collection of swords mounted on a rack, and coloured flags hanging across the entrance to his kitchen, along with an assortment of other souvenirs he'd collected over the years.

I'll be honest and say that I was initially put off a bit by the fact that his studio was in his apartment, but as soon as we met the guy, I started to feel much better about the situation. Horitatsu walked out into the living room and invited us into his laboratory. He was an easy-going, mellow kind of guy, which I liked. He asked me what I wanted, pulled up some ideas from his computer, and proceeded to freehand a picture on my shoulder with amazing speed and ease. I looked at it in the mirror and was taken aback by how big it was. But that shock lasted for all of a second, because I was more overwhelmed with how beautiful the damn thing looked. I wanted it. The appointment was made for two weeks later.

Now let's fast forward to today.

I swear, I was sober during this entire process.

And it begins...

That spotlight is from a flashlight headband Horitatsu wore at all times.

This was one hour's worth of work! The man works fast!

Once again, I was impressed with how quickly he was able to freehand the drawing for the rest of the tattoo. That first hour was just the beginning!

I now have three tattoos on my left side, and only one on my right. I guess that means I need to get more ink to balance it all out :)

Apparently the apprentice thought I actually fell asleep.

Horitatsu initially gave me an estimate of four hours for the tattoo. We were done two and a half hours in; but then, he had this amazing idea to throw in a sun behind the bird. He drew it in with red marker, and  I violently approved.  

The final stretch...

I practically ran to the mirror. It was love at first sight. 

The reason for the apprentice's shocked face is she just realized her hand was on my freshly tattooed shoulder, and I just burst out laughing when the thought occurred to her. Great experience all around.

Boryeong Mud Festival

It's basically what it sounds like. Really, I don't think I need to expand on the title other than to say that it's as fun and ridiculous as it sounds.

We got to our hostel, got changed, and headed down to jump headfirst into the chaos.

Remember when you used to go to swimming pools in the summer, and there was that little mushroom/umbrella shower thing that you'd run under to soak yourself in just before jumping in the pool? Well that's sort of how we started things off as well; except it was more like a trough of mud that you just scooped up and applied to yourself and/or your friends with great liberty. Same idea, though; it was just to get you excited for the real fun that awaited in the mud area.

Honey got a little carried away.

At first, it looked like Honey, Lex, and I were out of luck, because we hadn't bothered to buy our entrance bracelets in advance, and they were apparently all sold out now. So without a bracelet, we were basically stuck watching all the fun from beyond the fenced off area. Or we could go to the beach, but I had already paid $100 for the bus ride and hostel, so I was having none of that.

I was NOT gonna miss out on this.

Or this.

OR THIS.

Thankfully, Kat mentioned that some other friends who went to the festival last year ran into the same problem, and they just hopped the fence. And wouldn't you know it, it really was that easy. I hopped the crap out of that fence at least five times.

I was pleasantly surprised that the lines weren't absurdly long; the longest we had to wait for a ride was maybe 30 minutes or so. After years of summers spent waiting in line at Canada's Wonderland, though, that was a piece of cake.

Once inside, it was like we were all little children again. Thankfully, Kat had the sense to bring a water-proof camera to document all the shenanigans.

We posed for a little Escape From Alcatraz action; we played American Gladiators by racing through a couple obstacle courses; it was loads of fun. (Alan may or may not have been the recipient an accidental elbow to the face from me during our race.)

I like to think the elbow was karma for when he tried to push me down on our way up these stairs. The jury is still out on who won this race.

The Mud Festival was likely my last big hurrah in Korea, and I'm pretty happy about that. I mean, what a way to go. I can't believe the adventure is almost over. But on the plus side, it just means another adventure is just beyond the horizon. Huzzah!

PS: A tremendous thank you to Kat for being the only one smart enough to think of bringing a waterproof camera. Without her, this day would've been a hazy memory drowned in soju. You rock, Kat!