Korean Baseball.

Korean's know how to have a good time. Give 'em a beer (or two and a few shots of soju), some fried chicken, and a few lively friends, much fun is to be had for sure!

Yesterday I went to my first Korean baseball game. The same held true. We had a good time! Beer. Fried chicken. Baseball. It was AWESOME. So awesome. The sheer energy, noise, and devoted fan-ery radiating in the crowd was contagious and for the equivalent of 9 bucks, it was well worth every penny.

We were right in the middle of it all. Centered behind home-plate we had the Doosan Bears' fans to the right and the Lotte Giants' fans to the left, and on fantastic view of an awesome baseball game! I rocked at home team Bears hat, for no reason other than it was the first I found under 25,000w, but I think I definitely scored some cool foreigner points! However, around the 5th inning I was wishing I had chosen the Giants. You see, at the top of the 5th, Giant fans blow up orange plastic bags and tie them on their heads. I have no bloody clue why, but I liked it!

A few observations:

• You buy tickets. They have seat numbers. However no one sits in their given seats. Unless you're a baseball game rookie. We had veterans in our group, so we knew the rule. Sadly we got booted from our seats around the 5th inning from two rookies who didn't get the "first come, first serve" memo.
• Jerky in Korea is squid. Not bagged. Not packaged. Just dried madness in the literal shape of flattened squid. Interesting. Next to other game snacks: kimbap, beer, soju. No peanuts. No sunflower seeds.
  
• Fans cheer the entire game. Yup. Most players have their own chants. And some of the chants borrow familiar English tunes. Mary Had a Little Lamb. Hallelujah. It's a Small World. awesome.
  
• There are many very fortunate looking men at baseball games. There's just something about a man wearing a baseball hat. Gets me every time. : )
• There are cheerleaders at baseball games. Clad in more strange than scandalous outfits in a humble group of 4. Strange. Very strange.
  

So there we have it. Another "To-Do List" activity marked off. Another awesome adventure! I don't even know what the score was. But i do know this: I'm a fan of baseball games in Korea and shall be attending another one here soon!

The happy group!

Rachel, Me and Jin

Fans are crazy. I had to take a video!

For my SoKo Fellows:

Jamsil Stadium
Sports Complex Exit Line 2(Green Line)
Ticketing and Game Schedule for the Doosan Bears
You can buy tickets at the game. However if you want really good ones, buy online.
Ample Korean snacks are available for cheap outside the stadium, however, you can bring your own food and drinks into the park.

Cheers friends!