Not the prettiest building. I wanted to run into the embassy with my passport over my head shouting that I am a US citizen and North Korean agents were chasing me - like in the movies. Eric told me I could not do that, drats. So, instead I visited some old palaces in Seoul. The first one was Deoksugung Palace. It is Historical Site No. 124. The Koreans have numbered their important historical objects, I guess a good idea, but sort of NQR. Anyway, Deoksugung was the King's brother's place, until the Japanese invaded (1592) and burned down most of the other palaces, so the King took it over. He left after seven years, but later Kings used it as a palace from time to time. King Gojong (one of the last Emperors, if not the last one) died here on January 21, 1919. Too much information?
I also went to Gyeongbokgung (on a different day, don't want to palace yourself out). Gyeongbokgung makes Deoksugung look like a low rent apartment. Gyeongbokgung was the primary palace of the Joseon Dynasty, which started around the 14th century and ended right around World War I. That is some history. Gyeongbokgung is Historical Site No. 117 for those starting a list. The place is massive and they keep rebuilding sections of it. 
The Japanese burned down the place during one of their many invasions. Highlights include the Geunjeongjeon 
- the main building of the palace andHyangwonjeong - a little pavilion for relaxation. Notice the water is frozen!
Other items of interest...Figures on the roof.
I was born in the year of the rabbit.
Pretty cool shot, huh.Other random shots of the area. Including National Treasure No. 811. Can you guess which one it is?
It was the last photo - the Amisan Chimney.
It was the last photo - the Amisan Chimney. 
While not AS random as Am. Sam., Korea as it moments. The ex-pats call it NQR (Not Quite Right). For example, during my visit to Seoul, I stayed with my friend Eric in the diplomatic compound on the army base that is the middle of Seoul. Having an army base in the middle of Seoul is a bit weird, but the inside is even stranger. It is like a little suburban neighborhood surrounded by barbed wire, dwarfed by huge Korean skyscrapers and armed Korean police officers guarding the gates. The Korean police officers are armed, but not with guns, but large battons. Don't get me wrong, I am not going to mess with them, but NQR baby.
I quickly realized that this army base had more stuff in it then all of Am. Sam. Beyond the traffic lights, they had a bunch of restaurants with a wide selection of food that did not have mayo on everything, a movie theater with current movies, a Target-type store, a HUGE (well stocked) supermarket, a Starbucks and the best part a Taco Bell. Perhaps some of you are saying, Taco Bell? You are in a wonderful Asian capital and you had Taco Bell four times? Yes. I am not ashamed. Live in Samoa for a few months and let me know what you crave. While the base was a magic wonderland, it also played a cruel joke on me because I did not have a military ID, so I couldn't go into a bunch of the stores, including the supermarket. I did put my face up to the window and dreamed of fresh salad. hmmmm...salad. 
I quickly adjusted to having solid walls and no bugs crawling or gecko poop. However, he did have a cat - Oreo - or the Devil. 
I am very allergic to cats, and I wondered what might happen to me. The first few days Oreo had the upper hand - my face was redder then normal (a mighty feat in itself) and my nose and eyes were a constantly watering (nice image, huh). By Tuesday, I thought I was going to die. However, my body finally had enough. I went to bed Tuesday night, woke up about 13 hours later and rested for the remainder of the day. By the end of the day, I turned to my normal red color and the snot stopped running from my eyes and nose. sweet. Not sure what happened, but I might have made a major step in my cat allegeries. Oreo and I maintained an uneasy truce and formed a DMZ (similar to North and South Korea). He stayed out of my bedroom and the TV room, and I didn't kill him. It worked out well. I can't say we were friends by the time I left, but I did pet him once, but then ran to the bathroom and washed my hands like I from MacBeth. 
Pretty cool, huh. I will be in Korea for about two weeks. I have a genuine fear of frostbite because it is around 40 degrees in Seoul compared to 90 degrees in Pago Pago. yikes. I did bring a sweater. I am sure that will be enough, right? I think we might go skiing. I am in trouble. Wish me luck.
I enjoyed the velvet/light in the dark Jesus display.
The ceremony was nice - bride (as they normally are) looked beautiful. 
They even had a choir, which (as they are normally do in Samoa) sang wonderfully.
The musical accompaniment - a electronic keyboard - was set on "Baseball Theme Music" so the hymns to the music were a little odd, but still worked. After a couple of post-wedding photos,
we went to the reception. It was one of the stranger receptions I have ever attended. Besides the Tim's (the groom) brother, nephew and brother-in-law, the eight of us were the only palagis at the wedding. We were sort of a big deal. They placed us at the VIP table - so designed by a piece of paper ripped from an appointment calendar with the word "special" written on it. We also got table service for drinks. We attempted to get our own from the bar, but our Samoan hosts would have none of it. It was weird ordering drinks from a nine year old, but when in Samoa...
The DJ kicked it. 
We were very popular as dance partners. The Samoan women wanted to dance and they would not take no as an answer.
Our ladies were also popular...
Dinner was eventually served.
In theory, this is only for one person. While not the most tastiest meal, I will say it was the most original wedding dinner. 
I did not get a piece of cake,
but I guess others did.
I noticed that we were really the only ones who were actually eating our meals. The rest of the wedding guests were carrying the food out to their cars to save for later.
I hear that this is a normal practice. The removal of food did not slow down the party
or the popping of balloons.
The popping of balloons was very popular and at times, turned a bit savage. Eventually the party slowed down. In a sad note, Sharon's wallet was stolen, not sure how or when. Our new friend Angie told us that she would get her Tongan friend to do a card reading and figure out who stole it. On a happier note, Tim told us that we should grab as much beer as possible, because he paid for it all, and would like his friends to enjoy it as much as the random people from the village. The party planner had him buy 90 cases of beer. Our cab drive we met earlier in the day, Triple X, took us back to the hotel with our stash. Sidenote, Triple X was so named by the large decal of "XXX" (from the the famous movie) on his windshield. We hung out at the hotel with Tim's West Virgina relatives. Even Dwight from the TV show "The Office" showed up at the hotel.
How cool is that. At the wedding, some people mentioned that there was going to be an afterparty. Our new Samoan friend Jeff picked us up and took us to the afterparty. It was a party, but it turned out that it was not in fact an afterparty for the wedding, but a party for a couple that just returned from Australia. whatever. The highlights of the party was a Number 2 size pig (they come in five sizes),
the host of the party, Panoa
who introduced us to the "Panoa" - Malibu rum and coconut water - DE-LI-CIOUS and this guy...
he opened our beer with his mouth. The beer was not a twist top. ouch. After awhile, we were all fading, but our ride had left for an errand and would return soon. In Samoan speak that could be five minutes or the next morning. Cynthia was able to con our way into a ride with another Samoan couple. sweet. The next morning Sharon and I enjoyed the air-conditioned room. Paul and Barbara had already left for a flight to New Zealand for a three week vacation - super jealous. Ryan, Cynthia, Jeff and Meredith were going to stay for the rest of week in Samoa and go to another island called Savai'i by ferry boat. Since Sharon and I had some time before the flight, they dropped us off (after finally getting a rental car) at Aggie's Gray Beach Resort. Aggie's is close to the airport and is a posh resort in Samoa. We had some lunch and thought about doing some water sports - like waterskiing, but the weather was not ideal for it. We then decided to get a full body massage.
Best idea ever. Can't really say much about it, just recommend it highly. Unfortunately, we almost missed our flight, the airline attendant said it was closed, but a second guy allowed us to go. We timed it perfectly, we passed customs as they were boarding the plan. sweet. Overall, a wedding weekend to remember. Best of luck Tim & Ana - thanks for for hosting a great wedding!
Department of Commerce - a bunch of my friends were in this group.
