Up at 5.40am for a 3 minute shuttle ride to the airport for our 10th flight so far - a short 2 hour hop to Tokyo. Lots of research had resulted in a plan of how to get from the airport to our airbnb apartment. The Skyline Express, a JR train and a metro ride. At each change we asked for help with ticket purchases as the machines, although they have an English option are not intuitive. Then it was a short walk using the owner's instructions and GPS.
The apartment is great - plenty of room for when Jess, Kath and Ryan arrive tomorrow night. We bought lunch and ate it in a local park then made our way slowly round the supermarket trying to work out what was what and what we could buy to cook - not so easy. The staff were very friendly but didn't speak English so google translation came in handy again.
So we will sightsee in Tokyo tomorrow before going back to the airport for our big reunion....I am tearing up just thinking about it.
Tuesday, 29 March 2016
Gyeongju to Busan
As we only had 1 night in Busan and an early morning flight, we decided to stay near the airport. The bus from Gyeongju only took an hour and a half and dropped us near the light rail system which ran past the airport and one stop on to our hotel.
Joined up thinking in S Korea - we could use the same Oyster type card we bought and used in Seoul on the subway in Busan. Because the journey was so smooth and quick we were hoping our room would be ready earlier than the 3pm check in time but no such luck so we had to store our bags and go off for the afternoon.
The tourist information centre at the bus station was closed so we had to cobble our route together with some random leaflets and small scale maps. We got the metro into Busan and walked through the beautifully maintained UN Korean war memorial and cemetery.
After a long trek we found our objective; a coastal path for a good walk and some sea air.
Compressed air to clean your boots;
On the way back to the subway we found a hairdressing salon. My hair had grown out of control and looked awful so, with the aid of google translation I asked for the same style but shorter. Hmmm it was a risk....yes it's shorter but quite uneven and I think it will present a challenge to Pippa at my next haircut at home!
On returning to our hotel we were delighted to find we had been given a room upgrade as an apology! A jacuzzi bath big enough for 4 with a TV and a bottle of wine. Trouble is Koreans may grow grapes but they don't do wine....it was disgusting and ended up being poured down the sink.
Joined up thinking in S Korea - we could use the same Oyster type card we bought and used in Seoul on the subway in Busan. Because the journey was so smooth and quick we were hoping our room would be ready earlier than the 3pm check in time but no such luck so we had to store our bags and go off for the afternoon.
The tourist information centre at the bus station was closed so we had to cobble our route together with some random leaflets and small scale maps. We got the metro into Busan and walked through the beautifully maintained UN Korean war memorial and cemetery.
After a long trek we found our objective; a coastal path for a good walk and some sea air.
Compressed air to clean your boots;
On the way back to the subway we found a hairdressing salon. My hair had grown out of control and looked awful so, with the aid of google translation I asked for the same style but shorter. Hmmm it was a risk....yes it's shorter but quite uneven and I think it will present a challenge to Pippa at my next haircut at home!
On returning to our hotel we were delighted to find we had been given a room upgrade as an apology! A jacuzzi bath big enough for 4 with a TV and a bottle of wine. Trouble is Koreans may grow grapes but they don't do wine....it was disgusting and ended up being poured down the sink.
Gyeongju
There are burial mounds and excavation sites all over the city. The queens' tomb mounds are smaller than the kings'.
We visited a King's tomb, a partially renovated Palace, a traditional hanok village and another fascinating market. As it was a Sunday a lot of Koreans were out enjoying the historical sites and flying kites.
The pond below was excavated in 1975 and loads of artefacts, bones etc were recovered. Only 3 buildings of the Palace compound have been reconstructed so far.
You can hire bikes.....or to get the toddlers around you can hire an electric car
Or have a spin in this cart pulled by a motorised bear
Same thing we've seen before but in stone this time
Seaweed, seafood
We visited a King's tomb, a partially renovated Palace, a traditional hanok village and another fascinating market. As it was a Sunday a lot of Koreans were out enjoying the historical sites and flying kites.
The pond below was excavated in 1975 and loads of artefacts, bones etc were recovered. Only 3 buildings of the Palace compound have been reconstructed so far.
Or have a spin in this cart pulled by a motorised bear
Same thing we've seen before but in stone this time
Seaweed, seafood
Sunday, 27 March 2016
Andong to Gyeongju
We were certainly ready to move on from Andong and on Saturday we caught the first of only two trains that day for the 2 hour trip to Gyeongju. The view was better - lots of small farming communities and crops. We also started to see traditional burial mounds.
Our motel is one of many in downtown Gyeongju - some of which are obviously the infamous 'love motels'. Ours isn't advertised as such although a young couple without luggage checked in as we went out in the afternoon.
Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla and we spent a good 2 hours at the National Museum learning about the history and burial mounds. On the way back we passed the world's oldest surviving observatory which was used by one of the Queens in the 7th century to observe the night sky.
It got really cold on our way back in the evening. For dinner we ate in a small cafe where luckily there were pictures of the dishes on offer so we could point! I had a ramen based dish which was lovely and hot but also quite spicy.
Our motel is one of many in downtown Gyeongju - some of which are obviously the infamous 'love motels'. Ours isn't advertised as such although a young couple without luggage checked in as we went out in the afternoon.
Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla and we spent a good 2 hours at the National Museum learning about the history and burial mounds. On the way back we passed the world's oldest surviving observatory which was used by one of the Queens in the 7th century to observe the night sky.
It got really cold on our way back in the evening. For dinner we ate in a small cafe where luckily there were pictures of the dishes on offer so we could point! I had a ramen based dish which was lovely and hot but also quite spicy.
A strange time in Andong
Andong is South Korea's 'spiritual culture capital' renowned for folk villages and carved wooden masks used in traditional dances. It seemed to be a one horse town which we could walk through in 10 minutes yet it had lots of designer label shops. There was hardly anyone around.
After a bit of a walk round we went to the Traditional Culture Contents museum and, for the whole hour were the only visitors. The curator took us straight to an area where he put me on a dais and I had to put a mask on and dance! It was filmed and scored too!
In the evening we ate at the local market - Martin had a hotteok which is a thick pancake stuffed with all sorts. I played safe and had a Korean hotdog (frankfurter type sausage covered in a potato batter). The stall holder indicated the ketchup and a box of sugar....I opted for the ketchup but a Korean girl who ordered the same rolled her hotdog in the sugar and then squirted ketchup on it too.....yuck!
The following day we tried and failed to find a cafe open for breakfast. We set out for a walk along the river on a purpose built raised footpath. A few kilometers south of the river there were many tower blocks of apartments which explains how the designer shops survive in the old town. All day we heard military jets overhead - presumably part of the massive US, South Korea training exercise currently taking place.
We visited a folk village and a dam where there was an exhibition put on by S Korea's water provider.
Good job we just had to follow the river;
Lunch spot;
Shortage of water;
A variation on love locks - these had messages in a bottle;
I admit we did muck about a bit with the interactive screen at the water exhibition;
We have had plenty of stares and double takes as, since leaving Seoul we have been the only westerners. As we ate our dinner in the evening a teenager looked and looked again. He approached our table then veered away then came up to Martin. He asked if he was Liam Neeson! Martin said yes we are filming Taken 4 up at the dam! We all had a bit of a laugh and he acted out a bit of dialogue from a Neeson film then apologised for asking and shook Martin's hand.
After a bit of a walk round we went to the Traditional Culture Contents museum and, for the whole hour were the only visitors. The curator took us straight to an area where he put me on a dais and I had to put a mask on and dance! It was filmed and scored too!
In the evening we ate at the local market - Martin had a hotteok which is a thick pancake stuffed with all sorts. I played safe and had a Korean hotdog (frankfurter type sausage covered in a potato batter). The stall holder indicated the ketchup and a box of sugar....I opted for the ketchup but a Korean girl who ordered the same rolled her hotdog in the sugar and then squirted ketchup on it too.....yuck!
The following day we tried and failed to find a cafe open for breakfast. We set out for a walk along the river on a purpose built raised footpath. A few kilometers south of the river there were many tower blocks of apartments which explains how the designer shops survive in the old town. All day we heard military jets overhead - presumably part of the massive US, South Korea training exercise currently taking place.
We visited a folk village and a dam where there was an exhibition put on by S Korea's water provider.
Good job we just had to follow the river;
Lunch spot;
Shortage of water;
A variation on love locks - these had messages in a bottle;
I admit we did muck about a bit with the interactive screen at the water exhibition;
We have had plenty of stares and double takes as, since leaving Seoul we have been the only westerners. As we ate our dinner in the evening a teenager looked and looked again. He approached our table then veered away then came up to Martin. He asked if he was Liam Neeson! Martin said yes we are filming Taken 4 up at the dam! We all had a bit of a laugh and he acted out a bit of dialogue from a Neeson film then apologised for asking and shook Martin's hand.
Saturday, 26 March 2016
Seoul to Andong
On Thursday we caught a train to Andong - a 4 hour journey south east. We thought it would give us a view of lovely countryside but it was bleak. The grass was brown, the trees not in leaf and no livestock. A jolly tune played as we approached each station and the train guard's uniform is really smart, with white gloves. Every time he left the carriage he turned and bowed.
A political candidate was due to arrive just outside Andong station.
When we checked in to the motel the chap kept repeating my name in syllables; Sarah.......Wood......cock......cock......Wood...cock and so on. I got the giggles and had to duck down and pretend to look in my bag and try to regain a straight face but he carried on for the whole time checking us in.
A political candidate was due to arrive just outside Andong station.
When we checked in to the motel the chap kept repeating my name in syllables; Sarah.......Wood......cock......cock......Wood...cock and so on. I got the giggles and had to duck down and pretend to look in my bag and try to regain a straight face but he carried on for the whole time checking us in.
Thursday, 24 March 2016
The rest of our day in Seoul
We had a coffee from a stall holder, and sat in the sun on 2 plastic chairs - it was good to rest our feet. We then walked up some stone steps to the Bukchon Hanok village. These are traditional houses, still lived in. It was interesting to walk around looking at the architecture and alleys but annoying that in the traditional craft centre you could only see craftwork if you paid to do an activity. The place is a bit like Clovelly - a victim of it's own success.
Two enthusiastic tourist guides;
Our next stop was....... a Buddhist temple even though we've seen quite a few earlier in this trip! They all have their own unique aspects though. They offer a 'homestay' here where you spend 2 days living alongside the monks including rising at 5am. By the look of the shoes left outside a number of small temple rooms dotted around the site they had a few customers.
You can write a wish, pop it in a bag and it will come true;
We walked across the Han river and caught the metro home discussing various options for dinner. In the end we found spaghetti, sauce and some form of ham (spam?) in a 7-11 shop and cooked at the hostel.
I've used various loos over the course of the trip - the one I used in the subway here had a choice of a western style loo or a hole in the ground. The soap dispenser had this blue handle - pull, push or twist? Nope - the blue is actually a bar of soap!
This was outside the Folk Museum;
We have had a lot of stares in Seoul. Even at the major tourist spots westerners are rare. I don't think the hostel gets many westerners either and the 2 girls on duty really took to us and gave us hugs and took a photo of us when we checked out.
Two enthusiastic tourist guides;
Our next stop was....... a Buddhist temple even though we've seen quite a few earlier in this trip! They all have their own unique aspects though. They offer a 'homestay' here where you spend 2 days living alongside the monks including rising at 5am. By the look of the shoes left outside a number of small temple rooms dotted around the site they had a few customers.
You can write a wish, pop it in a bag and it will come true;
We walked across the Han river and caught the metro home discussing various options for dinner. In the end we found spaghetti, sauce and some form of ham (spam?) in a 7-11 shop and cooked at the hostel.
I've used various loos over the course of the trip - the one I used in the subway here had a choice of a western style loo or a hole in the ground. The soap dispenser had this blue handle - pull, push or twist? Nope - the blue is actually a bar of soap!
This was outside the Folk Museum;
We have had a lot of stares in Seoul. Even at the major tourist spots westerners are rare. I don't think the hostel gets many westerners either and the 2 girls on duty really took to us and gave us hugs and took a photo of us when we checked out.
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