I was hoping to post all my pictures from this weekend tonight, but I ran out of time. This first installment will be about my, Ras’, and Barry Bond’s Saturday trip to the Yeoido public swimming pool. You see, Reardon has been dubbed Barry Bonds by Kevin because he cheated at Scrabble. This occurred the last time the three guys played travel Scrabble at the Yeoido Pool. This was my first time at the pool, since I’ve been away for the summer.

On Saturday, we woke up to a sunny day and knew the swimming pool was on our itinerary. You see, we don’t live close to a beach anymore, and there aren’t many places to go swimming in Seoul. As I’ve been told by the guys, the Hamilton Hotel (in Itaewon) is crowded and overprice, while the pool near Yongsan is technically outdoors, but walled in. The guys decided the Yeoido pool was the best deal, because it was outdoors and you could sneak beer in. The staff will check coolers, but not backpacks. Once inside, you can also buy beer at the snack stands. They open a can and pour it into a paper cup for you for 3000 won.

Entrance was 5000 won for adults, but 4000 for “youngman.” (See picture. “Young man, there’s no need to feel down. I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground…”) Like I said, coolers will be checked. Bring a swim cap, or buy one there for 8000 won, because it’s mandatory before getting into the pool. Ras got away with not wearing one because he has really short, buzzed hair.

Feast your eyes on the sexiness of the head condoms. I know Barry is going to hate this picture, but hey… at least I cropped our bodies out!

Above is the view from our spot on the sarongs. There are no chairs, but umbrellas are for rent. We never found out how much they were, though. Sitting on the bricks wasn’t too uncomfortable. With a cooler, food and water, you can make a whole day at the pool.

The water was refreshing and surprisingly clean. Every hour, the lifeguards whistled everyone out of the pool for 10 minutes to take a break. The reason, I’ve been told, is so people don’t run the risk of hypothermia! (Yeah… that’s what I thought.) Travel Scrabble was probably the best purchase I made during my first trip home this summer. The tiles click in and you can even save games for later.

The kiddie pool was a SCARY sight. Can you imagine how much pee is in that pool?!? (Best viewed large.)

I also took at least 5 videos while at the pool. I installed iMovie ’08 a couple days ago and need to learn a little more about it. Once that’s done, I’ll be posting a lot more videos. So, if you’re wondering what Korean girls are wearing at the pool nowadays, you’ll see it on the video. Practically every 20-something girl wears bikinis now. The guys even saw one girl wearing a thong bikini the last time they were there! Things have sure changed in the last 5 years. Anyway, the pool was fun, and I’d recommend it. The closest subway stop is Yeoido-naru.

We’re hoping to make at least one more pool stop during the week before classes start next week.