SPLASH!

it's the hottest sunday of the year
we head into town for a rendezvous with the family
h's cousins, aunt and nan
today there's a big parade to celebrate buddha's birthday
is this what you wanted, prince?
we picnic by the rejuvenated chongyecheon
hannah and big cousin yoora play on the stepping stones
hannah shakes off her usual trepidation
and starts to get confident
eventually the inevitable happens
splash!
she slips and takes a plunge
into the chilly currents of the stream
h is ok but soaked to the bone
it's either home to get changed or buy her a new wardrobe
needless to say
i have little influence over the decision
the second option entails a lengthy plod
down to dongdaemun market
where the parade happens to start
me carrying hannah
dressed only in a pair of wet knickers
(h not me!)
and her aunt's jacket draped over her like a dress
then a sudden serendipity
wandering through a traditional open market
we stumble upon a row of bindaeduk stalls
green bean pancakes
ground up and mixed with bean sprouts
fried in oil
served with mild onions pickled in a sweet soy sauce
delicioso!
there's a strange role-reversal here
normally it's me watching indifferently as everyone else tucks in
this time it's me pigging out on this tasty vegan tucker
while everyone else nibbles unenthusiastically
there's a long queue for the seats
so up we get and on we plod
another hour or two shopping for h's various garments
and we've almost missed the parade altogether
i absent myself from the final leg
and take up a roadside pew
just in time to catch some spectacular beasts
a giant pink elephant
trumpeting loudly and flapping its ears
and a pair of enormous fire-breathing dragons
worth the trip in themselves...