05.19.09: London Day Off 2

Ok, so today’s my actual birthday, and some proper Korean food is in order.

We hitch a ride on the bus to Chingu, which usually means ‘friend’ in Korean, but today means ‘badass’. The Oriental fare is much like we have at home, except without the abundance of appetizers. Still, no complaints here. Spicy, sizzling plates crowd the table. It’s a nice change from the tour diet of chips and carbs.

Later on Arwen and Chloe ask me to meet up for drinks near Oxford Circus. My phone runs out of minutes. Wondering aimlessly for half an hour, they finally get through. With the right directions, I stop into The Crown Bar, which I previously overlooked. After a generous order of gin and tonics, TM Martin calls me upon arrival; a birthday dinner is in order. We hail a driver and head towards the Columbia.

Tired and weary, the boys suck it up for a walk to a nearby Chinese restaurant. Even after close, they seat all 14 of us. Content and full of MSG, we stumble towards the nearby Moroccan bar that serves up grotesque Sex on the Beaches and melon hookah. I can tell the guys are tired, but they stay up smoking melon hookah for the greater good. In a fury of exhaust and anger, the bar abruptly gives us the 86. We tag the freshly painted fence on the way back to The Colombia.

If you ever check into this place, watch out for Chuckles. Chuckles is this dude at the reception who is a closet nazi. Our crew tries to head upstairs, but he refuses us entry. Chloe gets up in his face and interrogates his disrespectful ass. Minutes later, the internet starts working and the after hours Grolsch arrives. We make a break for it, and spend the night drinkin and spitting off the balcony.

It's good to be 21.

-Kang