I've discovered how to pimp my ip. Whatever that means...so I can now update my blog. Still no facebook though. I guess they've caught onto that one!
So, Shanghai. What an...erm...eclectic city! On today's walk I discovered back street markets, washing in the streets, bikes hanging three floors up on walls, kittens, small wiggly eel things in pots and, of course, sky scrapers. One minute you are in old school China, the next it's a space age world.
The hostel I'm staying in (Pheonix) it really nice, with a roof bar that over looks the skyline and bar staff who give you free drinks if you help them to re-write their bar signs. Plus it's a great location - so I've managed to stick to my penny saving feet to get around.
And today the sun came out! So much so that I thought I was going to melt in the midday sun. I am told be very reliable sources (the bar staff) that it is supposed to stay hot for the next few days. Which will be perfect for the next bit of my trip!
Tomorrow I jump on a train to Hangzhou and the West Lake for a little hiking (read limping) and more sightseeing... :-)
Monday, 24 May 2010
Friday, 21 May 2010
Bye bye Korea :-(
It's my last night here. We've just got in from our last supper of BBQ'd squid and eel, so I'm now last minute packing. I can't believe how quickly the time has gone - and am feeling sad to be leaving.
Last night was very entertaining. I went out with Esther and her friends for dinner, lots and lots of drinks, singing and a little light pole dancing. I knew that course would come in handy at some point. Although the number of bruises I'm sporting today suggests that a few more classes could be in order. Falling off the podium - slap bang onto the dance floor - was a particularly special moment. Still, I got in a few good spins and even climbed the pole, so all was not terrible. Ahem.
No doubt pictures will appear on facebook at some point - I have a vague recollection of Esther's friend takings some photos. Oh dear.
Next stop, Shanghai. So another three weeks back in China without Facebook or blog access. Over and out.
Last night was very entertaining. I went out with Esther and her friends for dinner, lots and lots of drinks, singing and a little light pole dancing. I knew that course would come in handy at some point. Although the number of bruises I'm sporting today suggests that a few more classes could be in order. Falling off the podium - slap bang onto the dance floor - was a particularly special moment. Still, I got in a few good spins and even climbed the pole, so all was not terrible. Ahem.
No doubt pictures will appear on facebook at some point - I have a vague recollection of Esther's friend takings some photos. Oh dear.
Next stop, Shanghai. So another three weeks back in China without Facebook or blog access. Over and out.
Friday, 14 May 2010
Busan and Jeju Island
Two 11 hour ferries, two 4 hour bus rides, one hire car, one tire-blow out on a local bus, two nights in a jimjilbang and three nights in a tent. There's nothing quite like a relaxing holiday...
Esther and I arrived in Busan on Friday to find that summer had arrived there too. We spent the afternoon on the beach with our books and then met Esther's friend Ciara who was passing through on her way back from a visa run to Japan. Dinner was followed by beer and soju on the beach and then a night sleeping in a sauna!
The cheapest accommodation in Korea is a jimjilbang. Quite literally a kind of spa with hot baths and a rest area where you can stay the night for very little - as long as you don't mind sleeping on the floor! This one was particularly hot though, so Sunday morning was painful - alcohol and saunas aren't the best mix.
Ciara went home Sunday morning and Esther and I visited the UN war memorial before taking a wander around the fish market where we ate prawns, laughed at the poor kitten whose willpower was being tested to the max, and then stocked up on provisions (beer, crisps, noodles) for the 11 hour boat trip to Jeju. After another night of sleeping on the floor (this time in a room with about 100 other people on the boat) we staggered off onto the island at 6am and tried to wake ourselves up enough to face the day.
At this point Esther had the brainwave of hiring a car, so we didn't break our backs carrying the tent around, and we set off for a campsite we'd spotted on the map - via Loveland first. It really has to be seen to be believed! Apparently it was set up to help educate and act as an icebreaker for young newly weds on their honeymoons...yep, really!
As it turns out we were the only people camping on the island there were no problems finding a camping spot. We even managed to get the tent up without mishap...which is more than we can say about playing cards. After spending about half an hour trying to remember the rules to 'slam' we realised, amidst much hysteria, that we were actually playing snap. Blonde? Us?
Jeju is a beautiful place, especially away from the crowds.
We found waterfalls, great views and lovely beaches. We even started to get used to being stared at on a minute by minute basis!
After a second night in the tent we went back to Jeju City to return the car. On route we stopped at another beach - only to find the whole place was cornered off by soldiers and police. There were fire trucks, naval boats, coast guard...so, after deciding nobody looked worried enough for it to be a North Korean invasion, we made our escape.
Back in the city we left our bags in lockers at the supermarket and had some dinner before taking a well needed shower at a jimjilbang and crashing out for the night. The following day we jumped on a bus heading west to the beach and managed to track down the right camping ground amongst some palm trees, where we promptly fell asleep in the sun for a couple of hours.
After (another) home cooked meal of ramyon (noodles), we decided to check out the 'nightlife'. Ahem. A couple of closed restaurants, two convenience stores and a bar, which to our delight, had a noreabang in it. Two hours later we stumbled out, having set the world on fire with our AMAZING singing skills, and passed out in the tent.
We woke up late on Thursday to find the weather had turned a bit chilly, so we decided to head back home a little earlier than planned. Plus the shower was calling! But twenty minutes into our bus ride back to Jeju City there was a huge bang and the bus ground to a halt. The tire had blown. Everyone piled off and looked at each other for a little while. Fortunately, Esther's Korean is good so she could find out what was going on and all we had to do was wait twenty minutes for another bus to come along. Happy days.
Back to the boat and another 11 hours onboard...this time in a room of only three.
We're now safely back in Cheongju, we're showered, we have clean clothes, and we even have a little bit of a sun tan. Next stop Seoul on Sunday for the lantern festival. :-)
Esther and I arrived in Busan on Friday to find that summer had arrived there too. We spent the afternoon on the beach with our books and then met Esther's friend Ciara who was passing through on her way back from a visa run to Japan. Dinner was followed by beer and soju on the beach and then a night sleeping in a sauna!
The cheapest accommodation in Korea is a jimjilbang. Quite literally a kind of spa with hot baths and a rest area where you can stay the night for very little - as long as you don't mind sleeping on the floor! This one was particularly hot though, so Sunday morning was painful - alcohol and saunas aren't the best mix.
Ciara went home Sunday morning and Esther and I visited the UN war memorial before taking a wander around the fish market where we ate prawns, laughed at the poor kitten whose willpower was being tested to the max, and then stocked up on provisions (beer, crisps, noodles) for the 11 hour boat trip to Jeju. After another night of sleeping on the floor (this time in a room with about 100 other people on the boat) we staggered off onto the island at 6am and tried to wake ourselves up enough to face the day.
At this point Esther had the brainwave of hiring a car, so we didn't break our backs carrying the tent around, and we set off for a campsite we'd spotted on the map - via Loveland first. It really has to be seen to be believed! Apparently it was set up to help educate and act as an icebreaker for young newly weds on their honeymoons...yep, really!
As it turns out we were the only people camping on the island there were no problems finding a camping spot. We even managed to get the tent up without mishap...which is more than we can say about playing cards. After spending about half an hour trying to remember the rules to 'slam' we realised, amidst much hysteria, that we were actually playing snap. Blonde? Us?
Jeju is a beautiful place, especially away from the crowds.
We found waterfalls, great views and lovely beaches. We even started to get used to being stared at on a minute by minute basis!
After a second night in the tent we went back to Jeju City to return the car. On route we stopped at another beach - only to find the whole place was cornered off by soldiers and police. There were fire trucks, naval boats, coast guard...so, after deciding nobody looked worried enough for it to be a North Korean invasion, we made our escape.
Back in the city we left our bags in lockers at the supermarket and had some dinner before taking a well needed shower at a jimjilbang and crashing out for the night. The following day we jumped on a bus heading west to the beach and managed to track down the right camping ground amongst some palm trees, where we promptly fell asleep in the sun for a couple of hours.
After (another) home cooked meal of ramyon (noodles), we decided to check out the 'nightlife'. Ahem. A couple of closed restaurants, two convenience stores and a bar, which to our delight, had a noreabang in it. Two hours later we stumbled out, having set the world on fire with our AMAZING singing skills, and passed out in the tent.
We woke up late on Thursday to find the weather had turned a bit chilly, so we decided to head back home a little earlier than planned. Plus the shower was calling! But twenty minutes into our bus ride back to Jeju City there was a huge bang and the bus ground to a halt. The tire had blown. Everyone piled off and looked at each other for a little while. Fortunately, Esther's Korean is good so she could find out what was going on and all we had to do was wait twenty minutes for another bus to come along. Happy days.
Back to the boat and another 11 hours onboard...this time in a room of only three.
We're now safely back in Cheongju, we're showered, we have clean clothes, and we even have a little bit of a sun tan. Next stop Seoul on Sunday for the lantern festival. :-)
Thursday, 6 May 2010
Damn it!
A day trip to Daecheong Dam with Esther and Connie. Sunshine, views and some really bad background music!
Welcome to Fandom
Two home games, one night out and an away game too. I feel like I'm cheating on Watford FC, but it's been fun! Plus Esther and I managed to track down their players at a service station and have our photos taken. Unfortunately though, Jang Geun was so overcome with excitement that he couldn't hold the camera steady! Never mind. I have now officially touched a Brazilian footballer. Not a very good one, admittedly, but you can't have everything!
Monday, 3 May 2010
Spring has sprung
At long last the weather has improved! It's changed from cold and wet to hot and sunny in the space of a few days. Saturday was the first really warm day, and as well as coffee in the sunshine we went to the football again. Unfortunately I seem to have used all my luck up keeping Watford in the Championship, and Daejeon lost 2.0. It was a good game though, and we joined the group of fans that Esther and Jang Geun belong to for dinner and drinks afterwards.
It turns out that Korean's really really love to toast! So round after round of soju shots were consumed - toasting everything from the football to the food. By about 3am I was feeling slightly worse for wear and heading home to Cheongju.
Sunday found me chilling in the sun in a local park. My celebrity status seems to have followed me from China, and I woke up at one point to find small children taking my photo! They also came to say hello and show me the snake they'd caught and built a home for in a paper cup.
This week's plan is to head south. Esther has some time booked off work, so we're going to the beach! The idea is to camp on Jeju Island - which looks lovely in the photos. We'll also be making a trip to Loveland while we're there (type it into a google image search...although you should probably check your boss/parents/children aren't looking first!).
After that excitement, I'll be going back to Seoul for the Lantern Festival before heading back to Esther's to pack ready for the next leg of the trip.
It turns out that Korean's really really love to toast! So round after round of soju shots were consumed - toasting everything from the football to the food. By about 3am I was feeling slightly worse for wear and heading home to Cheongju.
Sunday found me chilling in the sun in a local park. My celebrity status seems to have followed me from China, and I woke up at one point to find small children taking my photo! They also came to say hello and show me the snake they'd caught and built a home for in a paper cup.
This week's plan is to head south. Esther has some time booked off work, so we're going to the beach! The idea is to camp on Jeju Island - which looks lovely in the photos. We'll also be making a trip to Loveland while we're there (type it into a google image search...although you should probably check your boss/parents/children aren't looking first!).
After that excitement, I'll be going back to Seoul for the Lantern Festival before heading back to Esther's to pack ready for the next leg of the trip.
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