Sunday 24th April, 2011

I was excited I was going to a Pet Expo in Korea. I get excited over anything animal related. The only problem was I had never been anywhere outside Changwon by myself so it would be a challenge for me. I've caught buses and cabs before, so how hard could it be?

I went prepared. I got reception to write for me in Korean the following things: Daegu Bus Terminal, Changwon Bus Terminal and Exco Convention Centre, which is where the pet expo was going to be held. I left around 9am and walked over to the Changwon Bus Terminal and bought my ticket to Daegu. The bus arrived at 9.10am and I hopped on. I settled in and made myself comfortable as this was going to be a 1.5 hour ride. 15 minutes into it, I fell asleep.

The bus arrived at the station at 10.45 am. I woke up just as it pulled in and I saw that everyone started to get off, so I soon followed. As I got off, I tried to remember landmarks, just in case I got lost later on. As I turned around, I noticed the station was called Seobu Bus Terminal. Had I gotten off at the wrong station? Freaked out, I went inside the terminal and asked the cashier girl if this was Daegu Station. She was having abit of trouble telling me, so she pulled out her trusty Galaxy English Translator and type in what she was trying to tell me. Apparently Seobu was the West Terminal in Daegu. I was sort of close. Nothing a cab couldn't help me with. With a sigh of relief, I walked outside to the cabby rank and jumped in a cab. I showed him my notebook where I'd written down Exco and luckily enough, he knew exactly where to take me. So far so good. I'll be happier once I get to the pet expo.

Welcome to Daegu Pet Expo!!!

The 20 minutes ride took me all over the city. I had no idea where I was and was just trying to go with the flow. From the distance I could see the big Exco sign and soon enough we pulled up around the corner and I could see the entrance. My ticket to the expo cost me W5,000 and once inside it was doggy haven! They had every dog product imaginable. From food to clothes to prams, they had it all. I looked around to see if there were any new products, especially in the grooming section to see if there was anything I could buy to take back home. Once I go back home I will start operating my dog grooming business again, so it's always good to see what new ideas and trends are available. Unfortunately I didn't see anything different, so I continued onto the dog show arena. I absolutely love this. One day I would love to breed and show my own dogs so it's good to be able to see what the competition is like and what the judges look for.

I want this!!! It's a walk in dryer

Getting ready for the show

Waiting to showoff

Pomeranian pup

Little Bull Dog pup

Shiba Inu pup

Standard Poodle getting ready to show

All dolled up

Girls and their pups

Scooby snacks

I later went over to the interaction corner where the University of Daegu Veterinary Science department had brought in some of their animals to show. They had a skunk, prairie dogs, a lot of big snakes, lizards, macaws, a wallaby and baby black bears. They were the cutest things ever and it was the first time I'd ever seen baby cubs before.

El skunko!

Beautiful earthy red colouring on this snake

a happy macaw

A little prairie dog

And a very sleepy ferret

I you brought your pet, you were guaranteed to get freebies. There were staff members walking around giving out doggy snacks and sample products, which was a great way to get their name out there. They also had competitions to win food, animal products and pets! I saw atleast 3 'Win a Pet' competitions where you had to put your details into a barrel. I assume at the end of the day, if your name got picked out, then you'd be going home with a new friend. On offer, they had two hedgehogs, snakes and turtles.

Albino Burmese Python- soooo beautiful

I can't explain why he is dressed like a cow.... and holding a lizard

Lizard AKA Chub Chub from The Simpsons

Walking around you also noticed how much Koreans or Asians in general LOVE dressing up their dogs and cats. Almost everywhere you looked some dog was wearing booties, or had their hair dyed a bright shade of orange. There were a few clothes stands and I must admit, I bought my little dog, Monty a new hat for the silly season. I can't wait to put it on him when I go home. I just know he'll look so damn cute in it!!

Doggy fashion avenue

A girl and her cat

One of many dressed up pups

Dressed up pup

Pup taking a break..

Twinsy pups!!!

Bright orange hair dye!!! ohhhh yeaaaa

Two guys and their little white dogs..

Like owner, like pup

A schnauzer pup trying on Monty's hat for me

Afghan hound

Little French Bulldog pup having a snack

It's a herd of sheep!!!

The expo

I spent about 2 hours at the Pet Expo and was impressed with the variety of animals on display. On the way back, I caught a cab back to Seobu Station. I figured it would be easier just to go the same way back as I got here. As I was walking towards the terminal, I got distracted by an accessories store I saw....

Half an hour later, I came out with 4 bags and ready to go home. A perfect way to finish my Sunday
x

Annual Daegu Pet Expo remains copyright of the author Two Otters, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs