BANG!

six years in this country
and i ain't never been in one
until now
a pc bang that is
i heard lots of horror stories
about these smoky poky seedy airless joints
stuffed full of sad gaming addicts
sitting wide-eyed through their all-night sessions
then sleeping through the day
but as for the place i'm in
it can only be described as a positive paradise in comparison
for a start there's hardly a soul in here
most of the fifty terminals sit idle
the aircon is cool and breezy
drying up the sweltering humidity of the afternoon
the staff are friendly and obliging
and at 1000 won (60 pence) per hour
plus free chilled water
i certainly can't complain
there are a few gamers
but also a mum with a couple of kids in tow
all i'm lacking is a nice cool beer
to quench the nagging thirst
that follows you everywhere in sk in august...
earlier on the saemaueul deposits me
on the platform at yeosu station
(no katy x on this route)
a pretty five-hour ride
across the plains of kyeonggido
and through the lush mountainous terrain of chollado
i book into a place overlooking the harbour and namhae island
where hannah cavorted on the sand
a couple of summers ago when she was two
i hit the mean streets
the heat is oppressive
kind of tropical
the sun is out but a mist hangs over the mountains
sea salt in the air
giant leaves sprout from thick stems
vertiginous buildings are stacked up steep green hillsides
yeosu is a mini san fransisco
minus the trams and the yanks
it even has its own version of the golden gate
draped gracefully across the harbour mouth
the pace of the place is so languid after seoul
shopkeepers lounge lazily in the shade
half an eye out for a passing customer
myriad taeguk flags flutter in the hot breeze
i realise it is korean independence day
i do my mad dog englishman thing briefly
strolling down to the harbour prom
and along the sea front
i haven't brought my hat
i sweat my way into town
after about forty minutes
i am melting
time to duck inside a doorway
for the relief of the aircon and some dolsot bibimbap
it is four in the afternoon and i am the only one in there
the ajumma latches on to my minimal but positive comments
and refills my delicious side dishes generously
people are friendly and smiley down here
they seem to have time on their hands
instead of always racing against it
i strike up a conversation with a lady
up at the old wooden pavilion on the hill
she's got a 6-year-old boy who approaches me shyly
she starts off in decent english
but incredibly my efforts to communicate in korean somehow win over
and we finish our chat in english
a recent quantum leap has somehow taken place
suddenly i have developed the ability
to pick out the gist a little better
to assemble a sentence just that little bit more fluently
i guess i kind of got there in the end
just like i got to the pc bang...