Group shot as the sun went down.
The two main modes of transport were bicycles and golf buggies, mainly due to the roads being too narrow to manage lots of cars. All the older Koreans got ferried about on the golf buggies while the young things (like us!) pedalled our way about.
The rest of the photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=422944&id=777495416&l=db3b52672
Despite the long journey time there and back (even the direct bus from Gunsan back to Incheon took over 3 hours), it was worth it. The scenery was beautiful (from the Korea I have seen, 2nd only to Jeju in terms of beauty) and I enjoyed spending time with Lisa and some of her friends.
The following weekend it was time for my farewell dinner. I decided on that weekend as it seemed to be one where most folk were available, and although a few people couldn't make it, it was still great to say bye to some of the great people I've met during my time in Korea. We went for dinner in Seoul, at a Mexican restaurant that Lisa introduced me to. The food is great, and the service is superb too. Here's a shot of us all around the dinner table.
After dinner we headed over to Hongdae for a few drinks. First stop was a nice (but pricey) rooftop bar, then into one of the Gold bar's (not as fancy as it sounds!) then a cool place that sold Margarita's in crazy glasses (see photo below) and then finally to Jane's Groove, one of the original places we used to go in Hongdae (back in the 'dae' ahaha). It was a great night, and although I don't miss the Seoul nightlife these days, it was nice to have a final taste.
On the Sunday, I headed up to Munhak Stadium and met Neil, Craig, Callum and Sumi to watch my final Incheon United game. They were playing FC Seoul, one of the 'local' teams, so it is probably about as close to a derby as you can get. FC Seoul were about 4 places above Incheon in the league, and historically are the much stronger team. After 85 mins of 0-0 but some good play, Incheon finally broke the deadlock and scored. The crowd, including us, went wild. It was a great end to the game and I was very happy that my final Incheon game ended in victory for the home side. Although the standard of play is usually questionable, I will miss my trips to Munhak.
My Pride, My United.
Photos from the Farewell dinner and Incheon game: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=425580&id=777495416&l=15994eeffa
On my final full weekend (the one just passed), we headed out to Deokjokdo, an island about an hour from Incheon that I have visited several times before. We left early on the Saturday on the slower car ferry, which stopped at a few other islands en-route before finally arriving at Deokjokdo about 2 and a half hours later. Once we'd got ourselves from the ferry over to the beach, we found a motel room and dumped our stuff, before heading to the sand. It was a bit cloudy at first, but the sun soon came out, and we had a Girls vs Boys game of Hitty-Canny (throw a baseball and try and knock some empty beer cans over......simple but great fun).
Here's a video of the action. The boys won of course!
Craig also managed to persuade Neil and I to go for a swim. It was absolutely FREEZING, but I suppose in hindsight it was good to have a final swim in Korean waters.
The next day, it was back to the beach for a few hours for some sun-bathing and more Hitty-Canny, before catching the ferry back to Incheon. Another great trip, and thankfully I didn't get as burnt as the last time I was on Deokjokdo! Here's the rest of the photos link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=428455&id=777495416&l=e8f52842fc
So, that's all the weekends up to speed. The weeks have been pretty uneventful, a few open classes at GnB (where the parents come and watch), and Sunny's GnB had a fun day for the kids the day before Children's Day (5th May) where I was tasked with doing the children's quiz. We had Children's Day off, so Lisa and I headed into Seoul and had a game of Crazy Golf on top of Yongsan station, which was good fun.
As I am leaving GnB this week, my boss has hired a new teacher, and so he has been sitting in on my classes to see how things work. Today, my 2nd class couldn't have gone much worse. They are only little, and so have a tendency to lose focus quite quickly. They also have trouble staying on their chairs, and are constantly dropping things off their desks and then diving underneath to retrieve them. Today, we had all of this plus one girl got quite a severe nosebleed, and then several others, in a freak coincidence, managed to break their red pens which resulted in yet more red liquid being smeared onto hands, books and desks. I was already too hot from the lack of air-con, but the preceding events pushed the temperature up further. Poor new guy, he must have been sitting there wondering what the hell he's let himself in for! I am in the process of taking class photos of all my students, here is aforementioned class.
The one who had the nosebleed is on the right, with her fingers touching her nose. The girl on the left was one of the casualties of the exploding pens, if you look closely you can just about make out the redness on her fingers.
I finish work in three days time, and will be glad to do so. I suppose a lot of my desire to finish is because I know it's so close now and also that I'm going on holiday afterwards, but I also think I have had my fill of teaching for the time being. I would not rule out doing it again in the future, but that's enough for now. I will move out my apt on Friday, that will be a sad moment, I have grown to really like it. And then, on Sunday morning, I fly out to begin my adventure around SE Asia. I am really excited about it, but also a bit nervous and sad too as I will be away from Lisa for almost a month. The Internet is a wonderful tool but it is no substitute for actually being with the person.
Closing thoughts on my time in Korea? Amazing. Life-changing. Frustrating at times. Extremely rewarding at others. And above all, a great experience that will stay with me forever.
I may, depending on how busy I am in the next few days, put up another blog regarding things I will and will not miss about Korea. At the moment it is saved in my drafts box, so if I have enough time I'll finish it and post. We'll see.
So, until I blog again, 안녕히 계세요 to you, and to Korea!
and also went for a wee row on the pond. It was nice to be on the water again.
That night I headed up to Bucheon to see Neil, Scott and Craig. It was especially good to catch up with Scott, I hadn't seen him since his return to Korea.
Yesterday (Sunday) Lisa and I headed into Seoul again. I have been selling off quite a lot of my stuff as I prepare to vacate my apartment so yesterday I met a couple of people and got rid of my Playstation 3 and some camping gear. Then we headed to Itaweon for lunch at Gecko's and I got a new pair of sunglasses. From there, we headed over to Yeouido.
As it is spring time here, the cherry blossom is starting to bloom, and so the riverside Hangang Park was packed with people out enjoying the flowering trees and milder weather. We wandered down to the boat dock and bought tickets for a river cruise, something I've been wanting to do for ages. The previous times it had always been rained off but thankfully it stayed dry. Our cruise took us upriver from Yeouido to Jamsil. It was a nice cruise, however there is no denying that the Han River and its banks are not the prettiest. We passed by apartment block after apartment block, and under various different road and rail bridges, none of which were particularly attractive. Still, I'm glad I did the trip, and it gave another perspective to Seoul that I hadn't seen before.
FB link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=415614&id=777495416&l=c50cfe724e
Leaving Yeouido. 63 Building and swan pedalos.
Self-timer shot on the boat.
So, that's been the last few weeks. I have 4 full weekends left until I head off on the trip to SE Asia. I booked the last flight for my trip (from Siem Reap in Cambodia to Luang Prabang in Laos) and have also booked a couple of other bits and pieces, including a deposit on a tour of Halong Bay in Vietnam. I have my Vietnam visa sorted, but still have to arrange visas for Cambodia and Laos.
Before I go, Lisa and I are heading away with a group of other folk for a weekend on an island a bit further south in 2 weekends time, and the weekend after is my 'leaving party', basically a meal out in Seoul and then going to watch Incheon vs Seoul at football the next day. Next weekend I am having an open house to try and sell the remaining items I want to get rid of. That leaves one free weekend. Maybe I will try and do something with it, or maybe I'll just buy loads of kimchi and try and cram as much of it down my throat as I can. Hey......time is running out!
Superman ski rental. They gave us free socks too!
Looking down from the top. Notice the absence of snow on the surrounding hills.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=392933&id=777495416&l=e09b3b16c2
After our afternoon skiing we got back in the car and headed East. I did most of the driving over, Lisa was pretty tired after the skiing and morning driving. Now, some of you may know that I don't actually have a license, so in retrospect it was probably a silly thing to be doing, if we had got into an accident things could have gotten very tricky, but hopefully I will pass my test this summer back home so the situation will never have to happen again. As I will explain later, I still have a bit to learn about driving!
We got over to the coast quite late, and decided to try and find somewhere to stay in a small town called Jeongdongjin. After enquiring at a few places in town, we ended up going for the aptly name Jeongdongjin Hotel which was a bit out from the centre, but cheaper.
We were up reasonably early the next morning, and headed to the nearby Unification Park. There are two parts to the park, and we only visited the section right by the sea, which has two main attractions. The first is a Ex-US Navy warship, perched right next to the water, and the second is a captured North Korean spy submarine.
Lisa and I with our hard hats on.
Then, it was back in the car to head down the coast. The next stop was the 'Penis Park.' Lisa and I had already experienced Koreans fascination with penises on Jeju when we visited Love Land, but this took it to another level. Perched on a rocky part of the coast South of Samcheok, the park was literally full of penis. Wooden penises, stone penises, metal penises, statues of men with penises, they were all there. Some of the sculptures were quite clever, but I wouldn't go as far as to call it pretty. After a while we were both a bit penised-out, so we took a little walk down to the beach, the water looked very clean, although the omnipresent Anti-NK barbwire fence was a bit of a blight on the landscape. Here's a couple of pics from the park. If you're not a fan of penises, you might want to skip through this bit.
Lisa holding a big penis.
So many things wrong with this photo. These fishermen are supposedly ejaculating into the sea, which according to Korean legend was supposed to bring good fishing. What I find even more disturbing is that there are several children posing for photos in the background.
Slightly overawed by the amount of penis we'd just experienced, we got back in the car and continued South. We took a rest stop at Uljin, and it was there that I had my mishap. I was reversing out of a parking space and started turning too early, with the result that our front bumper scraped along the side of another parked car. There was a bit of paint missing, but thankfully no-one was about so we carried on our way, me feeling very stupid and Lisa not the least bit pleased. Thankfully, we had taken out the maximum insurance possible, so when we returned the car we only had to pay £25 excess.
We arrived in Gyeongju that evening. Gyeongju used to be the capital of the ancient Shilla kingdom, and is known as the 'museum without walls' due to the large number of historical sites within the city. Upon arrival we checked out the burial tombs in Tumuli park. They are similar in idea to the pyramids of Egypt, but not quite as grand in scale. Still, it was an strange sight to see all these big mounds in the middle of a city.
One of the tombs. For scale, you can see a person at the foot of the mound on the left.
We walked around for a bit, and went inside one of the tombs, which was pretty boring. As it was getting late, we found a motel for the night, wandered around for ages trying to find a Bossam restaurant (we failed, and ending up going to Pizza Hut!) and then went to bed, exhausted after a long day.
The next day, we woke up to the sound of rain outside. It was wet. Undeterred, we drove a bit out of town to Bulguksa temple, reputedly the crowning glory in Shilla temple architecture (not that I would know!) It was quite impressive, if a bit soggy.
The steps to the temple. There are 33, representing the 33 stages to enlightenment.
One of the temple buildings. There were quite a few Buddhist monks praying inside.
After Bulguksa it was back in the car and up a very windy road to Seokguram Grotto, where it was even wetter and windier! The grotto itself was a bit disappointing, one large seated Buddha which we weren't allowed to take photos of, and a walk through the trees and back that destroyed Lisa's umbrella.
The grotto. Wet.
Me fighting to save the umbrella. I lost. I miss oilskins!
Seokguram Grotto proved to be the final attraction we visited on our road trip, as we had agreed to drop the car off in Incheon at 6pm. We left Gyeongju at 12pm, and started heading North on Route 1 (Gyeongju-Seoul is about 400km). The driving conditions were terrible for the 1st half, but the road was reasonably quiet. After a stop at Daejon, the rain disappeared but was replaced with cars, lots of cars. From Daejon to somewhere outside Suwon, we rarely (if ever) got over 40mph. Soul-destroying. I called Avis and explained the situation, they were understanding and said we could return the car the next morning at no extra cost, so that took the pressure off a bit. Still, we just wanted to get home. Eventually (around 8pm!), we got to Bupyeong in time to see Mairead, Jo and Marie who were leaving the next day, and finally, after dropping the car off at Avis (I went and handed in the keys the next morning) we got back to Yeonsu, tired but happy after a good trip. For me, it was the final piece in the jigsaw with regards to where I still wanted to visit in Korea, I now feel I have been everywhere here I really want to go.
Since the road trip, nothing much has happened. I went to an Incheon FC game a couple of weekends ago with Neil and few other folk, here's a link to the album on FB, the photos of the game are on page 3:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=366191&id=777495416&l=3996f5a50a
Sadly, Dragan no longer plays for Incheon, but he has been replaced by another Balkan boy, Koroman. He played for Portsmouth for a while, and scored for Incheon in the dying minutes of the game. Overall, the attendance was one of the lowest I've seen and the standard of football was not much better. Still, it's a game, I think I will go to one more before I go, Incheon play local rivals FC Seoul on May 9th, it will be a bit warmer by then which will help too.
Neil with the ball he caught (taking out several Korean children in the process!)
What other news before I finish? Well, one of the foreign teachers that I worked with, Toni, did a runner last month. She left during the night and left behind a note saying 'I was sad. So I have left.' Fair enough, but maybe give some notice. Korea isn't for everyone, but leaving like that is very selfish as it puts other people in the shit. Luckily, a guy called Chris was able to fill in until a permanent replacement could be found, so the classes weren't affected that much. The new teacher, an English girl called Sally, arrived last week and seems to be settling in well.
I am forging ahead with my SE Asia plans, I booked another domestic flight from Hue-Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam, but still haven't decided on a route after that. I really want to go to Laos but it is proving tricky (and expensive) to go from Cambodia to Laos, which would be my ideal route.
I'm still trying to get out running in the mornings, although the frequency has dropped a bit recently, although I have played football a couple of times, which left me very stiff afterwards (getting old!) I am also nearing the end of my Lent diet, this year I have given up junk food, chocolate, sweets and fizzy drinks. I am allowed cereal bars and coffee, but everything else is off-limits. So far I've stuck to it pretty well, I had some ramyeon (instant noodles) tonight but I'm not sure if you can strictly call it junk food as it was part of my dinner. I see Lisa most weeknights, and on Saturdays I have been meeting up with the boys to watch football and have a few beers.
I am really saving the best news to last here, because on Tuesday Lisa got her unconditional offer to the University of The Sunshine Coast in Australia. She will start a 9 month course there in February next year, and it is my plan to join her over there too. I am very happy for her as she was worrying about whether she'd get in, and it means she (and I) can move ahead with planning a bit more for later this year and next. It is a while away yet, but there is a lot to sort out. So, well done Lisa!X
The next few weeks are looking pretty quiet, and I am happy to keep it that way. I'll update sometime in April, by which time I'll only have a month or so of work left. Quite a thought!
Until then, cheerio.
The queue for the lifts. Not busy at all!
The outside of the restaurant (I forgot to take pictures of the food)
Mum at the kitchen 'island'.
Although I didn't have very long with Mum and Mike, we still managed a nice walk and then a drive through some of the surrounding villages, a coffee with Fiona Reid (one of mum's friends) and a nice dinner with mum and Mike's neighbours. But, all too soon, it was time to head North again. Mum and Mike were heading to Iona for New Year so they gave me a lift to Glasgow, where I stocked up on M&S boxer shorts and socks and was reunited with my washbag and headphones (thanks to Aidan and Greg). Then I met Stewart and Bec and we caught a train up to Perth to meet Granny and Grandpa.
After a snowy journey back to Wester Balgedie, we tucked into one of Grannie's delicious dinners. Stewart and Bec headed to Fife that night but I stayed over, and after a quick walk with Grandpa the next morning, Jock and Grandfather came to pick me up. I think it was nice for all the Grandparents to see each other, it had been a while.
The fridge.
Apart from drinking, there was a good walk on Hogmanay, some delicious food courtesy of many different cooks, and of course, the 'Loony Dook'! The aforementioned basically means 'Crazy Dip' and so on New Year's Day Jock, Calum, Alasdair, Rhona and I went for a very brief swim in the North Sea. With frost and snow still on the ground, I was cold even before I went in, and yes, the water was absolutely freezing! Still, it was a good laugh! Here's a couple of pics:
Baltic!
The Loony Dookers. Note the frost on the ground!
On New Year's Day night we had a delicious turkey dinner, and then a good few more drinks! On the 2nd, I awoke somewhat hungover and a bit depressed, said my goodbyes and headed to Glasgow with Dad and Stewart. I had a bit of a lump in my throat as I said goodbye at the airport, but at least this time it is not for a full year.
Upon my arrival at Incheon, I was surprised and delighted to see Lisa had come to meet me, that really lifted my spirits a lot. I have now been back for over a week, and things are going pretty well. The day after I got back, Korea experienced its heaviest snow for over 50 years, and so on Monday I got a call from my boss saying school was shut! It was a real bonus as I was still a bit tired from travelling. Lisa and I used the time to build a snowman, however it was cruelly destroyed by some children shortly after we had finished it. Still, I did manage to catch it on camera.
And so, as I settle back into the routine of Korea (January is a very busy month, there are extra classes for me as we entertain the kids for longer whilst the schools are on holiday), I am already thinking to the months ahead.
In the short-term, Lunar (Chinese) New Year is in the middle of February, although this year we only get one extra day off. Lisa and I had considered going to Japan, but there really isn't enough time and flights are already booked solid, so instead I think we will stay domestic. Maybe a skiing trip, or possibly do the road trip that was meant to happen in November.
I have told my boss that I intend to finish work at GnB on 21st May. I then plan to fly to Bangkok, from where I have already booked a return flight to Singapore. From there I will fly back to Bangkok, then another flight to Hanoi in Vietnam, and then I will work my way back to Bangkok using an as-yet undetermined overland route. I have about a month to do the whole lot, as I would like to be back in Korea for Euan's wedding which is on the 19th of June. All this depends on whether I can persuade my other boss (Sunny) to let me delay my flight home until after Euan's wedding, or give me the cash equivalent, but I don't think that will be a problem. I'll keep you posted. After his wedding, I will return home to the UK for the summer, and then most likely head overseas again.......that is as yet a draft copy!
Well, that's everything pretty much updated, I'll try and blog again soon, might end up being after Lunar New Year, it'll depend on how exciting my life is between now and then!
All the best for 2010, and the new decade!
Grandfather and all his grandchildren
L-R (standing up): Calum, Stewart, Esther, Catriona, Rhona, Me, Alasdair.
L-R (on the sofa): Hannah, JJ, Freya, Toni.
Album from back home: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=365950&id=777495416&l=03461d0749
The weekend after, on the Sunday, Lisa and I had our 'Christmas Day'. After opening our presents (I got a nice jumper, hat and belt) we went to a local place for brunch and then headed into Seoul. First stop was the Grand Hyatt near Itaewon. Around the festive season they convert their outdoor swimming pool into an ice rink (not literally, they put a big platform over the top of it!) and guests and non-guests can go for a skate. It is pricey, but there are great views over the Han River and it's not too big (so you're never too far away from the side!) so we thought we'd give it a try.
Ice skating has never been my strong point. I can still count on one hand the number of times I've done it, and early attempts (at the Time Capsule in Coatbridge) resulted in me running on the ice instead of skating. These days, I can skate, although somewhat Bambi-like. Here's a couple of pics. I am happy to report that neither of us fell over, although there were a few close calls!
View from the rink looking over towards Gangnam.
Get yer skates on!
I had to catch a train to Oban in the morning, so after a couple of hours sleep I arose zombie-like (forgetting to pick up my washbag and headphones) and made my way to Partick underground to get to Queen St. I didn't really sleep much on the train, which in a way was good as I got to see the winter wonderland that was (and seemingly still is) Scotland. The whole journey was full of snowy mountains, frozen lochs and snow-laden trees. Beautiful, even to a hungover and sleep-deprived person such as me.
Over 6 hours after leaving Glasgow, I stepped off the ferry at Iona to be met by Dad, Anja, Freya, Stewart and Bec. It was good to be home. After the long-awaited cup of tea, Dad, Stewart and I took a walk to the Machair to deliver a present to John and Joanne at Culbhuirg (sp?), and once we were home we all helped decorate the tree.
On Christmas morning, Anja made a pancake breakfast and then we headed up to the Abbey's Christmas morning service. I remember as a child loathing having to go to the service as it usually either delayed the present opening or prevented me from playing with my new toys, but these days I enjoy it. The Abbey is such an amazing building and the service itself is usually enjoyable too.
The Abbey church.
After a light lunch we opened a few presents, although there were so many that we had to do it in stages! I was very happy with my gifts, a few books, DVD's, a couple of pieces of clothing, and few Scottish things (including a malt from Grandfather!). Freya was very happy with her scooter from Santa, and before the dinner we headed along the low road to give her a chance to test it out. Then it was time for the feast. And what a feast it was. A HUGE turkey, all the trimmings, and then Yule log and Christmas pudding for dessert. Delicious.
The bird, and some of the trimmings, including my favourite 'pigs-in-blankets'.
On Boxing Day, it was time for a trip on the water. Dad, Stewart and I headed over in Chance to Bullhole where Birtha Marie (dad's 'new' boat) is moored. It was my first time seeing her underway, I was impressed with how stable and solid she was, and as Dad says she is currently unballasted, once that's in her she will be unstoppable! Hopefully when I'm back home in the summer I can help Dad in getting her ready for some fare-paying passengers.
In the evening, Stewart, Bec and I went up to Glen and Leanne's for some Wii playing and a good few beers.
On my final full day on Iona, we went for a walk up to the North End and then came back along by the East shoreline, we did a bit of sorting of my and Stewart's old junk and also saw David, Louise and their boys who came round in the afternoon. And then, on the early ferry on the 28th, I was away again. 3 full days, not enough really, but great just to be back at all. Here is the album on FB: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=365950&id=777495416&l=03461d0749
OK, that'll do it for this part, I need to get to my bed. The next part will contain the rest of my visit back home (Mum and Mike's, G&G's and New Year at Windygates), current goings on in Korea and future plans.
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