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.
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:
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.
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment