While I Was Hashing...

Ashlynn had another good excuse not to join me at the hash. This job included straightening her hair.

Here she was getting a touch-up later in the day.

The shoot was for the 2019 Fall/Winter Lookbook for LEHHO, an emerging womenswear brand owned by Shinhye Suk, a Korean who studied fashion design at Parsons in New York City.

The theme for the collection: The LEHHO Woman as Space Traveler.

 

She enjoyed posing with another model for a few shots.

Southside H3...

The day before I left Seoul, I hashed one last time, this time with Southside H3 which runs south of the Han River. It was about a 1.5 hour train ride to Uiwang, one of the satellite cities that rings Seoul.

It was nice to get away from the big city and out into some nature. We ran through some farm fields and a large park next to a lake.

Like the Yongsan Kimchi Hash, there were multiple beer breaks which consisted of the group sharing one or two beers, in this case Danish Bear Beer.

We all agreed that Leon Beer from Cyprus was horrible, so we were relieved that there was only one can. 

Not sure what she wears during the summer, but the hat and scarf were a nice addition on a cold winter’s day. 

Unfortunately there was no time to use the Uiwang Rail Bike, which is a bike for four that rides along old railroad tracks around the lake.

We were a small group who were obviously challenged to cooperate during a photo op.

As the only visitor, I was challenged to do an interpretive dance with dance ribbons, to which I wasn’t thrilled about. The theme was: looking for the right kind of toilet on Uranus. Luckily I didn’t have to perform alone and it was actually really fun.

The hare had hoped we could go to a craft beer place afterwards, but had failed to check the opening hours. Instead we went to Mom’s Touch, a fast food place serving New Orleans-style fried food without any beer.

DJs at 6th Floor...

Ashlynn was very happy to have the boy models living nearby, and spent a lot of time hanging out at their 6th floor apartment. One of the managers from the agency also lived there to make sure things didn’t get out of hand with 8 models from 17 to 23 living together.

I also found myself there multiple nights, drinking soju, listening to music, watching a movie or chatting.

Ashlynn’s closest friend was 17-year-old Matt from Warsaw. He liked the same kind of music and was happy to have Ashlynn teach him how to use her mixing deck.

While there was a no-smoking rule inside, which was usually followed, that didn’t stop the kids from lighting sparklers inside.

Dinner with Models in Itaewon...

I was honored that I was invited to join a big group of models out for dinner in Itaewon. They chose a Mexican place that had a creative way to store all our bulky coats: large bags at the ends of the table. Despite the freezing temps outside, I couldn’t resist having a mango margarita, which was yummy.

Ashlynn was already sad knowing that her good friends Matt and Oskari would be leaving shortly, but was happy to be out with them that night.

Here’s the whole gang for that evening which included several of the managers from Model Directors.

After dinner, the gang headed out for a late night of karaoke, but I decided to catch the subway back instead. 

It was so strange seeing the main street filled with bars and nightclubs, many of which had signs that said they were open 24/7. I remember being in a bar in 1991 when the police arrived to close it as there was a strict 2 a.m. closing time for all bars and clubs.

Meeting Ashlynn in Hongdae...

After lunch, I headed towards Hongdae, which is a more youthful area to shop and a favorite amongst some of the models. 

Ashlynn hadn’t had lunch, so she was excited to try an all-you-can-eat veggie bibimbap place.

Afterwards we wandered around some shops. As always, I was on the lookout for unusual things, like these teddy bears having a meal...

...a Dear Stalker outfit...

...an upscale vending machine for bouquets of flowers...

...and many shops selling face masks.

Ashlynn finally broke down and got one as she was tired of breathing in the fine sands blowing in regularly from China.

Another Saturday, Another Hash...

That Saturday I hashed again with Yongsan Kimchi H3. It was a great trail into the hills above Yonsei University and through the grounds of Bongwonsa Temple, originally built in 889 and rebuilt in 1994.

Sadly, this was the only Buddhist Temple I saw in Seoul and I didn’t even get to see the inside.

There was an interesting variety of statues on the grounds.

It probably isn’t a surprise that this one was our favorite.

After the circle was over, one of the hashers invited us back to her apartment for a very nice lunch, which was a pleasant surprise.

National Museum of Korea...

One of the unexpected parts of being a model is that it’s apparently rare for an agency to receive photos from the client and then pass them onto the model for use in her portfolio. In Ashlynn’s case, she has a mother that is willing to spend a ridiculous amount of time tracking down photos from her jobs. In fact, of the 19 jobs she had in Seoul, I was successful in finding photos from all but one. This behind-the-scenes photo that she sent us is the only photo from her eight-hour handbag shoot with Lotte.

Another free museum that I visited was the National Museum.

The architecture was pretty cool with a nice view of Seoul Tower.

To be honest, I was more interested in the building than in the collection of archaeological items... 

...although this 10-story pagoda from 1348 was pretty cool.

This was also pretty cool: a coffee cup holder placed at the entrance of the gift shop for visitors to leave their cups while browsing.

Gwanghwamun Gate was originally built in 1395 as the main gate to Gyeongbokgung Palace. It was destroyed by the Japanese in 1592 and then again during the Korean War.

The current impressive wooden and concrete gate was completed in 2010, so would have looked different when we visited the palace back in the 90s.