Everybody Loves A Parade
They say that everybody loves a parade. Garbage. I hate parades. I think that parades are absolutely stupid.
They are ridiculous in the US. Meaningless politician after meaningless politician driving by in El Caminos. Lame high school marching band after lame high school marching band. Clown on minibike after clown on minibike. Hayseed princess float after hayseed princess float. Fire truck after fire truck. Ugh… And then there are thousands of morons who line the streets for hours watching this crap.
Last night marked the beginning of the Annual Chagalchi Fish Market Festival here in Pusan. And as usual, the parade route goes directly below my office window. Although parades, in and of themselves, suck. Let me tell you…The Annual Chagalchi Fish Market Festival parade is awful, even by parade standards.
Unfortunately, I was without my camera yesterday and couldn’t take pictures of old people dressed like prawns, octopi, squid, and sea squirts. I missed taking pictures of hanbok-clad sign-holding woman after hanbok-clad sign-holding woman. I had to suffer through clanging, banging farmer’s music playing troupe after clanging, banging farmer’s music playing troupe after clanging, banging farmer’s music playing troupe after clanging, banging farmer’s music playing troupe pounding their way under my window with drums and gongs…. ugh.
Thank heavens THAT crap is over for another year.
However, I must say that Korean parades have surprised me twice…and both surprises were in the same parade. A couple of years ago there was some stupid “HI SEOUL!” celebration that I didn’t know was happening and got stuck in the middle of.
My first surprise came in the form of this….uhhh…. this….er….whatever it is….:
Later in the same parade, I was really quite impressed by the all woman Scottish Highland marching band….I was impressed until the next five all woman Scottish Highland marching bands went by and I realized that it is the Korean equivalent of lame high school marching band after lame high school marching band:
