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.

Made In Taiwan

Following on from my previous blog, after Greg and I returned from Beijing it was back to school, but on Thursday it was Greg's birthday, so I bought a cake and card and got all the teachers at Sunny's school to sign it, which I think went down well. That night we headed out in Yeonsu-dong for a few beers/tequilas, and then back to mine for some late night Pro-Ev (football game on the Playstation 3).

The following weekend we headed into Seoul for the 3rd Seoul World DJ Festival. I had been last year but Lisa, Greg and Neil were new to the event. After the lenghty walk to the venue (it is in the middle of nowhere, by the Han River, near the World Cup Stadium) we settled down on the grass to watch some of the bands/DJ's and have some Soju and Lucozade! Later on, we did a wee bit of dancing and got a massive pizza for dinner.

Our massive pizza. That is my camera case at bottom left.

After I returned from Beijing Lisa had said she had been given the next two Friday's off work (lucky for some!) so I managed to get the 15th off from my work and we booked some last minute flights to Taipei (the capital of Taiwan) with Cathay Pacific. We got up early on Friday morning and headed out the airport for the flight. Taiwan is only 2 and a half hours from Incheon and only an hour behind time, so it was quite an easy flight. Upon landing in Taipei we got a bus to near our pre-booked hotel in the centre. Our hotel was the 'Tango Nanshi' , which according to TripAdvisor, is the #1 ranked hotel in Taipei (http://www.tango-hotels.com/). For me, it certainly deserves that accolade. It was very cool, both in temperature and appearance (the former being very good, as it was 30C outside) and our room was amazing, King size bed, big TV with surround sound, a bath with spa jets and a big TV inlaid to the wall, and crazy toilet that opened and flushed automatically. Lots of gadgets...my kind of place!

Lisa has a few friends that had been to Taiwan before and they had recommended hiring a scooter, so Lisa had been in touch with an English guy called Jeremy who rents scooters to foreigners in Taipei. After we checked in it was off on the subway to meet him. He was a really nice guy, he met us with the bike (a 125cc scarlet coloured machine) and gave us a thorough tutorial on the do's and dont's of driving in Taiwan. Originally, Lisa was going to do all the driving (as she has a license, unlike me!) but after a few trial runs she didn't fancy it so I stepped up! The scooter itself was pretty easy to drive, automatic transmission, excellent acceleration and brakes, but the surroundings in which you are driving took a bit of getting used to. There are literally thousands of other scooters on the road, as well as buses, cars and people, so you have to be acutely aware of what they are all doing too. Also, in Taipei, scooters are not allowed to turn left at intersections, meaning you have to use the green man for pedestrians and then park up in a little box reserved for scooters. So every left turn has to be done in two stages. Furthermore, there are a lot of roads or lanes of roads where scooters are not allowed, so you have to be careful in that respect too. We had at least one stray into a bus lane that we shouldn't have been in, and there was a lot of pulling over to consult the map, but overall it was a thrilling experience.

After we had picked up the scooter we headed back towards the hotel via the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, an impressive blue and white building where we watched the changing of the guards. Below is a picture of the building and a link to the Facebook album.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=256992&id=777495416&l=aac862cd73

That night we headed to one of Taipei's famous night markets, though didn't buy anything, although we did have dinner nearby, which included some delicious lamb chops. I really miss lamb, you don't really get it in Korea at all.

The next day, we got up quite early and set off on the scooter to explore the Northern coast of Taiwan. We had a hard time getting out of Taipei at first, and manged to take a few dead ends before finding the correct route over the mountains, thanks to a helpful Taiwanese couple who we followed for a while, and who treated us to some fried sweet potato at a roadside cafe. We found Taiwanese people to be VERY friendly, I would say it is the most friendly nation I have been to in Asia so far. Here is a video of us riding along the mountain road. Be warned, it is loud!!!!

Once we reached the North coast the first stop was Yehliu Geopark, a outcrop of volcanic rock that due to wave action and erosion now has many strange formations on it.

We headed along the coast a bit further and stopped at a lighthouse at the northernmost point of Taiwan (the name escapes me), not quite Skerryvore but nice nonetheless.

Then along a little further to a beach where I went for a quick swim. The beach was very busy, and they weren't letting people go very far out, but the water was refreshing after being on the bike for most of the day.

The last stop on our tour was the town of Danshui, a popular spot for watching the sunset. We arrived just in time, and the sun did not disappoint.

After a quick dinner, it was back on the scooter again, only this time in the dark! Fortunately, there was a scooter lane most of the way back to Taipei, so we made it back safely, albeit very burnt and pretty tired! But we had a great day, so it was worth it.

Here is a video of a portion of the night ride back to Taipei. It's like something out of Wacky Racers!

The next day, we got up and rode to Taipei 101, currently the tallest completed skyscraper in the world (until the one in Dubai is finished). It certainly was huge, and the elevator up to the top (the fastest in the world) was amazingly quick. 5th-89th floors in under a minute. Here is a video of the display panel inside the elevator as we ascended

The views from the top were a bit hazy, but we were still able to get a good idea of the size of Taipei (about 6 million I think) and also how high up we were! After we headed back down we dropped the scooter off with Jeremy and caught the bus back to the airport for our afternoon flight back to Korea.

Looking up at Taipei 101.

Here's a couple of other photos from Lisa's camera.

The massive gold damper inside Taipei 101. It is designed to counteract wind forces on the tower (basically, the tower leans one way, it leans the other). It weighs over 600 tons!

So, that was Taiwan! I was very impressed, Taipei was a cool city, friendly people, things are pretty cheap, quite a lot to see, and flights from Korea were very cheap. I may well return before I leave this part of the world.

Talking of that, this week I have agreed a new contract extension with my bosses at GnB. I will now finish in April 2010, and my plan is to travel in South-East Asia for a month or so before flying home. Included in the extension contract is an agreement that I can go home for the Christmas/New Year period, and that I also have time off next month. Why? Because Stewartie is coming to visit! I'm so excited, it will be brilliant to see him and show him some of my life here and the sights Korea has to offer. He will arrive on 19th June and stay until the 1st of July, so that should be a good length of time to experience some of Korea I think.

And last but definitely not least, a huge CONGRATULATIONS to one of my best friends Neil Munro, who is getting married in July. He has been with his Korean girlfriend (Kyoungmi) for over a year and they seem very happy, so the wedding is planned for the 25th July in Seoul. Greg and I will be joint best men, so we have a stag doo and a speech of sorts to organise! I still can't believe it is happening, but they are so happy together I know it is the right thing for Neil to be doing.

Right, off to get ready for a wee night out with the boys.

Speak soon,

Beijing jing jing

Hello,

The original intention was to have one post-Beijing blog, but as will become clear in my next post, there is the need for two. This one will detail the Beijing trip only.

So, in what seems like an age ago, Greg and I headed out EARLY on Sat 2nd May to board our China Southern flight to Beijing. I was a bit apprehensive about CS but they turned out to be good, not excellent, but perfectly OK for a two hour flight. Upon arrival at Beijing airport we caught the airport express train into town and then rode the subway a few stops to get near our hostel. The hostel was called the Sleepy Inn, and rightly so. It was located in a 'hutong' which is a traditional area of Beijing. There used to be hundreds of 'hutongs' and they constituted the majority of housing in the inner city, but due to population increase and China's insatiable appetite for growth many have been bulldozed and replaced with faceless apartment blocks. Thankfully this is yet to happen to the one Sleepy Inn is located in, so we were greeted by meandering lanes filled with bicycles, a lake with old men fishing and playing mah-jong, and people generally taking it easy. Here's a couple of photos of the hostel entrance and the lake nearby.

After checking in and unpacking, we headed down to a clothes market to get suits fitted. I didn't have a suit before this trip, but after some hard bargaining we managed to get a deal. Mine cost around 120 pounds, which I think is a pretty good deal for a tailor-made suit! After all our bargaining we were pretty tired out so went went for dinner back near our hostel, and then headed out for a few beers.

The next day, it was up bright and early for a day of sightseeing in Beijing. First stop was Tiannamen square. it's the largest public square in the world, and we were glad it was so big, as there were thousands of people there. We had a stroll around, took lots of photos and drank lots of water (it was very hot!). At this point it's probably a good time to roll out the Facebook album link, here it is for our Beijing trip.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=252141&id=777495416&l=59c21b3dbf

We made our way over to the Gate of Heavenly Peace (the one in the above photo with the huge portrait of Chairman Mao on it) and passed underneath the Chairman's giant picture, all the time being watched by lots of Chinese guards. We continued on along with the crowds of other people and bought our tickets to the Forbidden City. Back in the day, only the emperor, his assistants, lady friends and other approved people had access to the place, these days, anyone with 60 Yuan can get in! It really is a massive place, lots of different buildings each with its own function, and miles of walls, paths and a huge moat encircling the whole thing. My photos don't really do it justice, I think it's one of those places you really have to see to believe. We made our way slowly through the complex and exited out the other end, slightly overwhelmed by it all.

After our morning exploring the history of the Forbidden City, it was time to see some more up-to-date structures, in the form of the main Olympic venues. A lengthy taxi ride eventually dropped us off at the 'Birds Nest' the nickname of the main Olympic stadium. It is an incredible piece of engineering, with all the girders intersecting and giving the birds-nest-like appearance.

Inside is equally impressive, it is huge. They have covered the running track and infield, so although you can't see where the athletes were treading it does mean you can walk around almost anywhere inside. Greg and I even did a bit of sunbathing in the middle! After some time soaking up the arena we exited and took a short walk over to the main aquatics centre, the 'Water Cube'. Another amazing structure, it has this translucent double skin in a honeycomb like structure, really cool. Unfortunately, some genius at the Cube decided to locate the ticket office on the other side of the entrance, so we had a long walk there and back before we could head inside. It was weird sitting in the grandstand staring down at a perfectly still swimming pool and watching the cleaning ladies at work. It made me want to go for a dip!

After seeing the Cube we headed back to the hostel, freshened up and headed out to our pre-booked table at a recommended Peking Duck restaurant. The duck was delicious, it comes already sliced and you make little parcels with onion, sauce and these thin pancakes, very tasty. We also had some deep-fried scorpions, which are my least favorite animal! I had to build myself up to do the first one, but they were definitely dead and didn't really taste of much, so it wasn't too bad really!

The next day, we caught a bus out to Badaling, the site of a restored section of the Great Wall Of China. There are various different bits of the Wall you can visit from Beijing, but Badaling is one of the most popular. There are those who say that it is perhaps not a good experience, being stuck on a restored section with hundreds of other people, but I really just wanted to see the Wall you see in books and postcards, and Badaling offers that. There were a lot of people, but for me it didn't detract from the experience. We hiked right up to the 'top' of our section of Wall, negotiating the crowds and steep gradients, but were rewarded with great views and the accomplishment of having climbed one of the new 7 wonders of the world. It's something I won't forget in a hurry.

Greg near the top of the Wall

Having hiked our way up, we thought we deserved a break so we hopped on the cable car for the journey down. Then it was back on the bus to Beijing, sweaty, but satisfied! That night we went to pick up our suits and do some more hard haggling to buy a few other bits and pieces (polo shirts and shorts for me)

Us with the tailors!

Our final day in Beijing was a bit more relaxed. We got up later, enjoyed bacon and eggs at the hostel, and then headed to the nearby lake where we hired a battery boat (basically a pedalo but you don't have to pedal) and headed out onto the lake for some initial boating and then latterly, sunbathing.

A hairy encounter on the lake. As you can see, the sea conditions were pretty nasty, I had to work really hard to keep the boat pointing in the right direction!

Sadly, we couldn't stay on the water forever so it was back to the hostel to pick up our bags, and then a taxi back to the airport for the flight back to Korea. When we got back to Incheon we met Lisa who was returning from her trip to Hong Kong, so we all shared a taxi back to Yeonsu-Dong together.

Overall, I was very impressed with Beijing. There is so much to see there, much more so than Seoul. Korea work hard to promote tourism but it is easy to see how they struggle to attract people given what Beijing, Tokyo and Hong Kong have compared to Seoul. I don't think I would like to live in Beijing, but for a visit, it was incredible.

To be continued........with Greg's birthday, the DJ festival, and a trip to Taiwan!

Before-Beijing-Blog

Hi,

A class has been cancelled at my school today as some of the older kids are doing their mid-term exams so I thought I would seize the opportunity to do something constructive and post a blog, as promised, before we head to Beijing on Saturday.

Greg and I are both ready for the trip, we have our visas and accommodation booked, and I managed to borrow a Lonely Planet guide from one of Lisa's friends so that should help a bit. We are going to exchange money tomorrow at KEB and then that's us. We will have to catch a bus at 05:10 out to the airport (groan) but I don't care really, I'm so looking forward to getting away for a while, and seeing the sights of China's capital.

Since I last blogged, (if you discount the "all the jobs I've ever had" post) things have been a bit quieter as I have been trying to save the pennies for going away. A few Saturdays back I had a great day, Neil, Greg and I headed over to Ilsan (a suburb of Seoul, about 90mins from us) which is where Connor and Steph are now living. There is a big park there with a lake in the middle, so we took a ball and had a kick-about on the grass. It was also the first day I was allowed beer after my self-imposed Lent-style ban, so it was nice to have a few cold bottles as well!

After a few hours of mucking about there I quickly changed into a shirt and tie (behind a bush) and headed on the subway to the other side of Seoul to meet Lisa. We went to Seoul Arts Centre to watch a performance by the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra. It was my first experience of anything like that, and I have to say it was an enjoyable one. The way they all play in harmony is amazing, and some of the pieces were beautiful. The conductor was called Jesus Amigo (appropriate given it was Easter Saturday) and we had great seats, on the 2nd tier right at the front. And all that for only 30,000 Won (15 pounds)! After some post-orchestra dinner we headed back to Incheon, tired but happy.

An afternoon in the park!

The orchestra getting ready to start.

The day after (Easter Sunday) we were going to venture down to watch/participate in the world's largest tug-of-war contest, but I awoke on Sunday feeling very strange, sort of flu-like and dizzy, so I was floored all day. I think it might even have been sunstroke or maybe an adverse reaction to the beer after being off it for so long! who knows.......

Marco, a Finnish guy who is an engineer here, is leaving soon after being in Korea for almost 3 years, so last weekend we headed to Seoul for a final night-out with him, although it ended up we didn't see him for too long. He is a really cool guy, and I will be sorry to see him go. He is being relocated to Germany, but it sounds like he will basically commute to work from Finland! Quite a long one!

The weather here is improving, we had the very brief cherry-blossom a week or two ago, and although it has gone there are now lots of other pretty flowers starting to appear, and everything is starting to become a bit greener. I have been going for occasional runs down by the Incheon 'river' and also playing a bit of badminton with the boys, which I really enjoy.

The teaching is going well, although honestly right now I am a bit preoccupied with going away so that is dominating most of my thoughts!

Lisa and I see each other at least one night during the week and at weekends, we went for some DELICIOUS ribs last Friday, she is off to Hong Kong for the holiday period so I hope she will enjoy that as much as I did.

And that's about it, I've run out of thoughts and time, my final class of the day awaits!

I'll blog when I'm back from China and Greg's birthday weekend/the DJ festival is over.

All the 'jobs' I've ever had!

Just posted this as a Note on Facebook, but thought I'd fire it on here too.  A list of all the jobs I've ever done.

Greg and I were talking about this at work the other day, so I decided to make a list and see how many I've actually had. They are in rough order. Some of them were not undertaken for very long, but all have earned me money at some point in my life.

1: Empty bottle collecter/sorter, Argyll Hotel, Iona. It should have never been a job that somebody was specifically employed to do, but the person who employed me was trying to win me over so i got it. Much needed pocket money when I was young.

2: Hall cleaner, Village Hall, Iona: I cleaned the hall after discos and other events. 3 pound 50 an hour. and I got to play my own music while I worked. And got free booze if it was left over.  

3: Relief Deckhand, Iolaire, Iona. My favourite job ever. Spend all day on the water, drive a boat, get paid well, and have good banter with whoever you are working with. Brilliant.

4: Vending Assistant, Sodexho, Edinburgh. My 1st job not on Iona. I worked in the Standard Life offices on George St, and had to go around and refill and clean all the coffee vending machines. At lunch time I went and helped with the washing up, and sometimes I worked late in the staff shop which was good because I got free sandwiches. During this time I also worked for 2 days as a Kitchen Porter at some restaurant/bar near Ryan's bar in the West End but it was too hard work and I quit after two days and never got paid.  

5: Deckhand, R.Tucker Thompson, New Zealand. I never got paid for this, but got my accommodation and food paid for and an allowance so it counts I think. Also a great job, although I was shit at most of it. Worst bit was going up the rigging untethered to furl sails in a big swell, best bit was ferrying passengers to shore in the RIB. I will never forget this one.

6: Bakery assistant, Paihia, New Zealand. I got this job because the woman who helped me get job number 5's husband owned the bakery and so she was obligated to find me work after the ship buggered off to Fiji. The pies were delicious, and I piled on the pounds as a result.

7: Fruit Picker, Gisborne, New Zealand. I didn't do this for very long. Oranges were OK, but we did one day of Lemons and they were horrendous. You had to use a stepladder to reach most of them, you had to cut each lemon off the tree because if you pulled them it damaged the fruit, and the lemon trees had thorns so my arms at the end of one day looked like I was a self-harmer. On top of this, we worked out we earned 1.50 a day. Candidate for worst job ever.

8: Vine Pruner, Gisborne, New Zealand. You had to trim off all the old dead branches from the vines and then keep 5 or 6 and tie them to the adjacent fences. I was slow at first but I sped up. I remember working with a cool French guy who taught me lots of French swear words, most of which I have now forgotten. Most people didn't work when it rained, but I did. trooper.

9: General Assistant, Argyll Hotel, Iona. The job I did before and for the first couple of university summers, before graduating to the kitchen. Consisted of scullery (washing dishes), pots (washing pots), chambermaiding in the morning and laundry. For at least one summer I also painted the annex (listening to Stevie Wonder non-stop) and did gardening. A job with a lot of good memories, and different people.

10: Bakery Assistant, Sainsburys, Stirling. I did this for a while in 1st year of uni. In the winter when I was staying in Dunblane I commuted on the bike. I hated the uniform, and disliked the job. I was shit at slicing bread, and the meringue towers were always difficult to pack.

11: Betterware Salesman, Stirling. I delivered Betterware catalogues in Riverside, Stirling, and then a few days later went back and picked them up along with any orders. If someone ordered something the area rep came round a week or so later and then I delivered it, all on my bike. I did it more to aleviate boredom during the winter holiday rather than make money.

12: Cash and Carry assistant, Booker, Stirling. I loved this job. I mainly stacked shelves and served customers, towards the end I was supervising tills a bit too. Because it was a C&C they didn't care too much about tidyness, so you could leave packaging around and it was OK. We used to have pallet truck races, crisp box stacking competitions etc. A good laugh.

13: Commis chef, Argyll Hotel, Iona. It was hard work, but good. I liked breakfasts the most, I was my own boss and liked making the fry-ups look good. It also taught me how to cook a lot of food too.

14: Mackerel Merchant, Iona. We caught mackerel, and sold them to the hotels. 1.50 a fish, gutted. Beer money mainly.

15: Customer Service, Scottish Widows, Edinburgh. An inbound call centre, I was trained to deal with pensions calls. Mostly old people who didn't understand their pension or financial advisers unhappy about something. Sitting down all day, depressing, unhealthy, no prospect of career advancement, I think this beats the Lemon picking to the worst job I have done. NEVER AGAIN.

16: Whelker, Iona. Lucrative, but back-breaking, literally. If you found a good patch and the weather was nice it was easy money, but if not.....its tough. The summer of 2007 with Nat and Stewart was brilliant.

17: English Teacher, GnB Academy, South Korea. My current job. I love being in the classroom, but don't enjoy the other aspects of the job, the phone teaching and pointless paperwork, and the fact I am inside all day. But I've been doing it for over a year and will do it for another year or so, so it can't be that bad!

A wee update

As the title says, this is just a wee update on what I've been up to in the last few weeks. I will blog again before the start of May, and then again shortly after that. The reasons for this blogging 'timetable' will hopefully become clear below.

The last few weeks have been pretty full on socially, a good few nights out in Seoul, spending time with Lisa and quite a bit of gym/badminton and even a little football too. At the end of my last blog I mentioned I would be playing 5-aside at Munhak where I hurt my ankle in December. It turned out to be a a busier weekend than I had planned!

We went out in Seoul on the Saturday, and I, having not taken the subway home in a while, decided I would give it a go. Big mistake. Of course, the nice heated seats and a good dose of alcohol made sure I drifted off to sleep almost immediately. I woke up 3 hours later about 6 stops from the OTHER end of the line I was supposed to be at (the other side of Seoul). Another 3 hours on the subway and I finally got home at around 11am, but got a text from someone asking if I fancied playing 11-aside as they were a man down. "Why not" says I, so it was off to play for Seoul St. Pats against Incheon Shooters (cue a few dirty looks and shouts of "what are you playing for them for?") Thankfully the guy who was supposed to play eventually turned up so I only had about 60 mins on the field. Straight after it was in a taxi and over to Munhak for 3 hours of 6-aside! Safe to say my feet were a bit tired at the end of the day. Pretty full on, but good fun.

Two weekends ago, Lisa and I spent the day in Wolmido, a seaside area of Incheon, that I have visited a couple of times before. Previously, I didn't really like it that much, but on this occasion we had a really good time. We climbed up the hill (Wolmi san) which afforded brilliant views over Incheon port, down to New Songdo and even out to the new Incheon bridge. Here's the Facebook photo link and a panorama from the top.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=215565&id=777495416&l=5fa0a1e889

Hmmmm I just uploaded it and it's pretty crap. Right, I'll try a non-panorama shot and see if that's any better.

That's a bit better! In the foreground you can see a ship in the lock about to enter the main port basin, and some car carriers loading up. In the distance is the new Incheon bridge. The main span is complete, they are aiming to have it open in October and work seems to be rattling on, I would imagine it'll be on schedule.

After coming back down the 'mountain' (190m high) we went and had a look at the small amusement park at Wolmido, had a surprisingly terrifying ride on a Viking and enjoyed my favourite, the dodgems/bumper cars. Maybe it's because I can't drive in real life, but I love them! We then headed into Chinatown for dinner and caught a taxi home. A good day.

A week ago today (Wednesday) Greg and I finally got our chance to see Oasis in concert in Seoul. We got the bus in and met Scott and (James) Tucker, got our tickets, had a quick beverage of Soju and Powerade (still off the beer......so you have to diversify!) and headed in. There was a good crowd, we had standing tickets but weren't allowed too close to the stage, but what with the big screens and our taller stature compared to most Koreans, we got a pretty good view. They didn't disappoint, played most of the classics, Liam was his usual wide-boy self, and the rest of the crowd loved it too. As is often the case with dark venues where everyone is going mental, my photos were mostly blurry, but there were a few good ones. Here's a couple:

The second one courtesy of Greg. Thanks.

What else has been going on? Last weekend saw the start of the Korean baseball season, so on Saturday we went and saw SK Wyverens (Incheon's team, and 2007/2008 Champions) lose 8-2 to Hanwha Eagles. On Sunday there was an Incheon FC game, which myself and Greg went to, they got a great 2-0 win against high-flying new team Gangwon FC. We also caught the tail end of the baseball, this time SK beat Hanwha 5-2, so the series was 1-1.

On Saturday night, it was one of Lisa's friends birthdays so we headed into Seoul. The venue was the Ice Bar, the only one in Korea. You pay 15,000 won (around 7 pounds 50) to get in, this gets you the loan of a silver poncho-style jacket, some gloves and one free drink. The whole place is made of ice, even the glasses. The walls, seats, lots of sculptures, it's all ice! And obviously, to stop it all from melting, the bar is kept at a cool -5C. Here are some piccies:

Lisa in her jacket

The barman serving up the drinks. It's a cool (literally!) place to go for a drink or two, but I wouldn't want it to be my local! We stayed for a short while, then went to a Norie Bang (Karaoke room) and then Lisa and I took a late-night, high-speed taxi back to Incheon.

And so, from past activities, to future plans. The biggest news is that Greg and I have booked our flights to Beijing, we fly with China Southern (hmmmmmmmmmm) on May 2nd and return on May 5th. We are in the process of getting visa's and then it will be time to sort accommodation and what we want to see/do. Must's for me are Tiannamen Square, the Great Wall and the Olympic venues (Bird's Nest, Water Cube especially). We will have almost 4 full days though so we should be able to fit in a bit. When we return it is Greg's birthday and the Seoul World DJ festival the weekend after, the line-up is not as good as last year but it is a nice park and if the weather stays fine it'll be a good weekend I'm sure.

Before that, on Saturday Lisa and I are going to see the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra in Seoul. I've never been to anything like it before, so I'm quite excited, and it is making me feel very cultured already! The day after we're thinking about taking a bus down to a small village south of Incheon to witness the largest tug-of-war in the world. The rope is over 200m long and over 1m in diameter. Hopefully they'll let us have a go too!

I will post again before we head to Beijing and then again after the DJ festival. Until then, lots of love and goodnight.

Oh, here is another link to my most recent Facebook album. Right now it only has some other photos of the Ice Bar trip but I'll fill it up gradually.

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