Big Blog Update: Part 2

Following on from Part 1, here follows my account of my brothers visit to Korea at the end of June.

Stewartie flew out with Air France from London and arrived in Korea on Friday 19th June. I was working that day so after we'd got back to my apartment I had to head off to work and he tried to sleep off some of his jet-lag. In the evening we went for a galbi dinner in the Bus Terminal area with Greg, Lisa and Neil and Kyongmi.

A rather dark picture of our 1st night meal.

On the Saturday we had Neil Munro's stag party to go to. Originally the stag was to begin with a boat cruise on the Han river but due to torrential rain we had to cancel this idea and instead hastily arranged to meet at Rythmn and Booze (a western bar) in Bucheon instead. Once everyone was assembled we headed into Yongsan where we had booked a big table at Hooters, a Western-style bar which for anyone not in the know has waitresses with......well.......large hooters! The bar was very new, one of the staff said it had only been open a month, but the girls did some dancing and entertained us well. After that it was onto some of the more familiar nightspots in Seoul, namely Itaweon and Hongdae. It was a good night which I think Stewart and Neil Munro enjoyed.

Our table at Hooters.

The next day we were feeling a bit 'tender' after our big night so we took it easy in Incheon, visiting a discount store in Yeonsu-Dong and having some pizza for dinner.

On the Monday, we headed into Seoul to do some sightseeing. First stop was Gyeongbokgung Palace, the main historical tourist sight in Seoul. We spent a good while looking around the buildings and then walked over to Insadong where Stewartie got a few souvenirs for folk back home. Then we headed past the Chungechung stream and through Myeong-Dong to the bottom of the Namsan Cable Car that would take us up to N-Seoul tower. N-Seoul tower is a hip name for the Namsan Seoul tower that sits atop Namsan mountain and on a clear day gives great views over the Seoul area. Unfortunately on the day me and Stewartie were there it was a bit hazy but we still saw a good amount and it gave both Stewart and I (it was my 1st time up) a good idea of the sheer size of Seoul. After that it was back to Incheon for a an early night.

Now would be a good time to provide the Facebook album link for my brothers visit (this album doesn't include photos from our Jeju trip, they are in another album)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=275084&id=777495416&l=cdf2e16cef

So, on the Tuesday morning it was up bright and early to head into Seoul to board the KTX high-speed train for the start of our Jeju trip. It is easier to fly to Jeju, but I thought the combination of train/boat would be a good way for Stewart to see some of the Korean countryside and coast. So, after a 3 hour train ride we arrived at Mokpo on the South coast. From there we boarded our high speed ferry, the "Pink Dolphin" for the trip across to Jeju.

It was very fast (30knots+) and for the first part we were going along the coast through some narrow straights with the tide with us which made it a lot faster! Here is a video of us passing under the bridge that connects Jindo island with mainland Korea. Flying along. (Watch the volume it is quite windy!)

We stopped at a couple of islands along the way including some small ones midway across the Jeju straight that had quite an isolated feel to them. It was here that the captain came out on deck and said "You are Jardine?" he must have looked at the manifest and saw our non-Korean names. We were the only foreigners on the boat, we had a wee chat then he had to get back to disembarking.

After a 3 hour ferry ride Jeju appeared out of the haze and we docked at the port. That evening we checked into a 'love' motel and had some dinner, then had another early night as we were both tired from the travelling.

The next day we headed to Mr.Lee's bike shop to pick up our scooters. I had spoken to Mr.Lee and he had ensured us that despite us not having any licences we could hire bikes as long as we were careful. And so, after a bit of paperwork and tuition we headed off on our 125 cc peach and red machines!

Jeju is roughly an oval shape being wider West-East than North-South. We decided to do a anti-clockwise circuit of the island so we headed off. Although it is quite a big island with a population of around 560,000 (plus many tourists) there were a lot of nice quiet coastal roads to wind our way along. Here is the Facebook album from the Jeju trip.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=273916&id=777495416&l=72c5b9f1a1

On our first days riding, we went from Jeju city around the West coast to Jeju's 2nd biggest city of Seogwipo. On our way we stopped at a nice beach for a paddle, went up to a high spot where we got a great view of some outlying islands (see picture below) and saw the popular Jungmun beach (popular with Korean honeymooners) and also Jeju's world cup stadium.

That night in Seogwipo we dined on Jeju pork (from black pigs) and also some lamb, very tasty. The next morning we checked out a nice waterfall near Seogwipo that falls into the sea (kind of)and then continued round the South coast until we reached Songsan Illchubong. Songsan is an extinct volcano cap (?) that you can climb up to. It is a very popular spot to watch the sunrise from and is nicknamed 'sunrise peak' but we weren't there early enough for that! The sweaty climb to the top was worth it, the crater looks like something out of Jurassic Park and the views from the top were good too. After making our way down we got back on the bikes and continued our our way, sticking to the coast. We did make a brief detour inland to visit the worlds longest lava tube (basically a big long cave ) and a nearby maze where poor Stewartie got a bit lost.

Here's a video of Stewartie doing a bit of off-roading on his scooter too.

After visiting the cave and maze we headed back to the coast and then stopped for the night at Hamdeok beach, where we watched an amazing sunset and had a few beers by the beach.

On our final day we headed inland once more to the 'Mysterious Roads'. These are two stretches of road where, if you put your car or scooter into neutral it will appear to roll uphill. Of course, it's not really happening, it's something to do with sight lines, but still, it was a very weird sensation. We briefly visited a black-sand beach on the outskirts of Jeju-city before reluctantly returning the scooters and heading to the very-busy Jeju airport for our flight back to Seoul.

Jeju is by far the most beautiful place I have visited in Korea, and I think the fact that I was visiting it with my brother AND that we had our own transport made the trip that extra bit special. It really was a fantastic time, and one I shall remember forever.

After Jeju, the fun didn't stop. The next day, we got up early (again) and joined the DMZ tour in Seoul. It was my 5th time, but obviously only Stewart's 1st, and once again it was interesting to look at the most heavily fortified border in the world. I didn't notice many changes from my previous visits, although they had changed the terrible video in the 3rd tunnel theater to a slightly less-terrible but still very cheesy new version.

On the Sunday, I had booked with a foreign friendly tour company in Korea (Adventure Korea) to go on a rafting/bungee jump trip to the East of Seoul. Again, it was an early start and this time Greg, Stewart and I joined lots of other English teachers on the bus to the rafting launch point. Our rafting guide didn't speak much English, but luckily we had a translator so he helped out a lot. We got dressed up in our lifejackets and helmets, and carried our boat to the river. The water level was low, so the rapids weren't very exciting, but they made up for this by playing games and having water fights and races. It was great fun and I think the boys enjoyed it too. I didn't want my camera to die so I don't have any photos, but I do have a video of our next activity. Excuse my language in the video.

Yeah............I did a bungee jump. And so did Stewart. The jump itself was off a river bridge, I think the height was just over 50 metres, but when you're standing on the edge it looks a lot higher! I'm not a big fan of heights, so I was quite proud of myself, but now I've done it I'm not sure if I'd do it again! Once may prove to be enough.

After everyone had finished jumping it was back to Seoul and for us, Incheon. For me it was back to work on the Monday, Stewart came and saw some of my classes on Monday and Tuesday at my different schools. And then, all too soon, it was time for my brother to go home. We had our final early start on Wednesday 1st July as we headed out to the airport for his flight back to London.

I think he had a good time, if you're reading this Stewartie I hope you did, I know I certainly loved having you here. The trip to Jeju was a highlight for me but just having my 'wee bro' here was great. I don't imagine he'll make it our here again before I leave next year so I am so glad that another member of my family got to see where I am and what I am doing here. 2 pictures to finish of the blog.........

New blog coming soon with Deokjokdo trip, birthday weekend, Manchester United's visit to Korea and of course, Neil and Kyongmi's wedding!

Big Blog Update: Part 1

The same thing happened last year, but as we get into the summer months, my blog posts become more and more sporadic. I blame the heat. Anyway, as you can see from the title this is post no 1 of a 2-part update. This post will cover the time between my last blog and my brother arriving in Korea, and also the time between my brother leaving Korea and the present. The 2nd post will focus on the time Stewart and I spent in Korea together.

My last post was around the end of May, and the next event worth a mention after then was Lisa and I's visit to the Korea International Boat Show at the start of June. Korea is very much a maritime nation, much like the UK, but it's recreational boating sector is not nearly as developed as the UK's, and this event was aimed at trying to get more people investing in personal watercraft. After a long and slow bus journey to the event site ( two marinas on Daebu-do, south of Incheon) we arrived to find a very busy show. As usual, here is the Facebook link to the photo album.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=265128&id=777495416&l=5737d100d2

We had a good look around some of the outdoor displays, there were some pretty cool jet bikes and jet boats, and also some jet-powered surfboards which looked like fun. We stopped off for a nice steak lunch and then checked out some of the indoor exhibits, there were some nice small sized speedboats and a couple of medium-sized cabin cruisers but nothing particularly special. Then it was on a shuttle bus over to the other marina to board a couple of moored modern-style tall ships (similar to Jean De La Lune that is often in Oban) and also have some Scottish style sausages courtesy of Gavin (see previous blog for details). This time the big man was actually in attendance so I had a quick chat and a photo with him....turns out he has been in Korea for 25 years, but was originally from Colington in Edinburgh.

Me and the big man!

It was a really good day out, I don't think Lisa was too bored at being dragged around lots of boats, and it was a lovely day which always helps. I would say Korea is definitely an emerging market for recreational boating so I'm sure the event will only grow and grow.

A week or so later Lisa and I went to our local bowling alley and played a few games. Despite my best efforts she beat me 2-1, but I'm sure we will return for a rematch soon! Like many sports in Korea (mountain biking, hiking etc) when Koreans take up a sport they like to get all the kit, so we were surrounded by Koreans with custom bowling balls and Terminator -style gloves to hold the ball with. The alley itself was quite run-down but all the equipment worked, so it was a good night out.

Lisa trying to pick up a few spare pins.

The rest of June was quite quiet until my brother arrived, and as I said before I'll cover that in the next blog. He left on July 1st, a Wednesday, and the following weekend we headed out the island of Deokjokdo for a camping trip. I had been out to Deokjokdo in May and June last year, and although we were going a bit later this year I was happy to see that the island and the beach had not changed much at all. The rest of our group opted to stay in a guesthouse but Lisa and I toughed it out and pitched our tent near the beach. We had a few good swims, played some badminton and football and of course had a match of 'can knockdown'. Here is the link to the album:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=238531&id=777495416&l=d95cc70694

On the last day I built a big sand castle complete with a tunnel, moat and bridge. I decorated it with empty beer cans....I was very proud! I'm still just a big kid really.

Unfortunately, all the fun in the sun meant that I got extremely burnt, in fact I think the most burnt I have been in recent memory. Over a week after Deokjokdo I am still peeling, and the early part of last week was agony. Very silly.

The weekend just passed we headed south to a place called Boryeong, where every year they hold 'Mudfest', a two week long festival where truckloads of mud is carted to the beach and thousands of people (mostly foreigners) get very muddy. We had a good weekend but the weather wasn't too great (it is rainy season here in Korea) and our arrival time meant we missed out on a lot of the mud which was a shame. Furthermore, I managed to lose my phone (my 1st loss in while though!) so I may have to shell out a bit of money for a replacement. Still, I was glad I went, I didn't go last year and it was a fun experience. There are no photos yet, as I didn't take my digital camera for fear of it getting mudded up, but I did take an instant camera so when I get the photos developed and access to a scanner I will try and put a few of them up.

I will finish this blog with future news. Next weekend, it is my 'birthday weekend' (even though my birthday isn't until next Monday) so I believe Lisa and I are going for dinner and something else on Saturday night (maybe a show....I don't know!) and then on Sunday if the weather is nice we're going to hire bikes and go for a cycle along the Han river.

The following weekend, it is Neil and Kyoungmee (Misty)'s wedding and Greg and I are best men so that will be a busy Saturday. We also have tickets booked for Manchester United vs FC Seoul at the World Cup Stadium so that will be great on the Friday night.

The week after we have our GnB holiday so Greg and I are going to head down to Busan for a long weekend. Greg hasn't been and I haven't been since I first arrived in Korea so that should be a fun time. Not long after that, Greg leaves Korea so I suppose it will be a final time to have a trip with him.

So, that's the next few weeks sorted, it's going to be busy but enjoyable. I will endeavour to get the next post up about Stewart's trip in the next few days.....until then, cheerio.