Where's Woodcock?

Thursday, 24 March 2016

Sewol ferry

Nearby the palace we came across a square with a small number of marquees, some policemen and this person at the entrance;

We wandered in to investigate and found lots of information in English. It was a protest about the Sewol ferry disaster in April 2014 in which over 300 died, the majority of whom were youngsters from one school. There were photos of every single one which was heartbreaking to see and I was moved to tears. The Vice Principal who organised the trip has since committed suicide. The protesters want a proper enquiry, more people at government level to be held accountable for lack of control over shipping safety (there is a possibility the ship was overloaded) and the salvage of the vessel in order to locate the bodies of the 9 people still missing.

Seoul

Today we walked through the city via a canal path which was a very pleasant way to avoid roads etc. There were pieces of art along the way including this mural which stretched for 100m. It depicts a King's procession in 1795 with an accompanying sound track of horses hooves and drums.

We emerged close to the Gyeongbokgung Palace (one of five in the city). It's right in the city - this is behind you when you look at the palace;

Then you turn and look at the palace;

Guard outside......real or a model?

He was real but we reckon the beards they all had were falsies.

The changing of the guard was a colourful spectacle and for once I was in a prime spot at the front of the crowd.

Market

In the evening we went to the market looking for dinner. We have visited many markets on this trip but are always fascinated by the range of fresh produce on offer, a lot of which we cannot identify. Octopus is a favourite here.

One lady was eating from a plate using chopsticks....the plate was full of what looked like larvae in a goo and they were still alive!!

This lady's food stall was very popular - low plastic stools or boxes covered in plastic are provided.

We opted for chicken skewers (well, we were told it was chicken) and Martin was brave and had the spicy version.

Our hostel was down an alley full of little houses with korean signs outside with windows set at a low level. When we returned in the dark the signs were lit up and the windows too........with red lights....... and with ladies sitting there.......yes it was an alley full of brothels! Martin said he might go for a walk later....

I did check and it was not the renowned red light district but apparently there are plenty of such alleys dotted around Seoul. There was a room price list displayed in the hostel reception and I was relieved to note that you couldn't rent a room by the hour!

Ihwa village

We went to the Culture and History Park which was a waste of time with nothing to see. We passed the Design Plaza which was hosting Seoul Fashion Week. Their website stated that they were trying to be one of the top 5 international fashion weeks. There were lots of eccentrically dressed wannabees outside posing for photographers.

There is some of the city wall remaining (first built in the 14th century) and we walked on the top up hill for the view.

Ihwa village is located up here - besides the view it is renowned for quirky murals and street art and it was great fun to walk round.

Vietnam to South Korea

We caught a Vietnam Airlines shuttle bus to the airport - earlier than needed but it stopped running at 7.30pm. As we waited for the bus to depart this chap was making a new seat cover for the driver, a mobile service. He had windscreen wipers and all sorts.

We tried to sleep at the departure gate but it was too noisy. There weren't that many passengers probably due to the time of the flight so after takeoff we all got to stretch out on 3 seats for a sleep. I reckon we had just over 2 hours kip on the 4 hour flight. Unfortunately there was an extremely long queue at immigration which took us at least 30 minutes to get through. Working out how and where to buy the metro passes was fun then locating the right train and platform. Luckily the station names are in English as well as there would be no chance of deciphering the Korean. This signboard shows the progress of the train through the previous 2 stations and a jolly tune plays as it comes into the station. The Koreans form orderly queues to get on but don't always wait until passengers have got off which seems a contradiction of manners.

We located the hostel easily thanks to the smartphone GPS and Martin's sense of direction. We arrived at 10 and were told very sympathetically that our room wouldn't be ready until 3pm. Martin asked cheekily if we could have breakfast and despite it being past the time when breakfast had finished they let us eat for free and were very solicitous ensuring we had everything on offer. So, tired but no longer hungry we left our bags and headed out to explore.

First impressions; wealthy, no litter, pavements are smooth, even, wide and empty and one can walk without fear of being run down. Crossing the roads we have gone from one extreme to the other; in Vietnam you literally took your life in your hands when you crossed the road, here you wait obediently for the green man for ages and the traffic obey the lights.

The temperature is like our early Spring - lovely in the sun but chilly in the shade or breeze.

Monday, 21 March 2016

Last day in Vietnam

This is just an ordinary side street but they all have road names displayed like this - all part of the community feel.

In 14 days we haven't heard a police siren even having spent time in 3 major cities - it seems they are self policing. The other day in a museum 6 of the staff including the security guard, admin and handyman all sat on the floor together sharing a hot meal. So - very community minded but, except for hostel/hotel staff I have not found them to be as helpful as the Thais and Cambodians.

Chatting to the guide yesterday and to other locals it seems that much more value is put on males here. The sons provide for their parents, daughters have to move to be with their husband's family. On two occasions men have asked to have a photo just with Martin ignoring me!

Crossing the roads has been a nightmare and walking the pavements nigh on impossible - even on this morning's walk around a lake no scooters but loads of trees in the way!

There are lots of shops selling North Face clothing and bags - it is manufactured in Vietnam. We nearly bought some items but checked online and there is a lot of forum chat about fake gear and videos showing how to tell. Interesting when you closely examine the stitching and labels and see the mistakes etc. So whatever the shopkeepers say, it's all fake.

Tonight - or rather tomorrow morning at 01.45 we fly to Seoul arriving at 06.00 body time so we are not expecting much sleep. Fingers crossed the hostel can let us have a room early. We then take a week to travel down South Korea. Jess has emailed to tell us they experienced a mild earthquake in Christchurch on their last day in NZ. Kath has had her first day of her scuba diving course in Cairns and learnt the sign for 'shark'! Only 9 days to go before our big reunion in Tokyo.

Ninh Binh and Tam Coc

Sunday was cloudy but thankfully the clouds weren't as low as Saturday as we had booked a day trip to an area 120km south of Hanoi called 'dry Halong Bay'. There are the same limestone karsts as Halong Bay but set in rivers rather than the sea. Our first stop though was Ninh Binh to see temples built in the 10th century for 2 Kings. Their Royal Palaces have disappeared but the temples remain. These temples were for the community to pray for the kings rather than to buddha.

After a buffet lunch in Nam Coc (including roast goat) we had a 90 minute boat ride down the river and through 3 caves (Nam means three, Coc means caves). The people rowing used their feet - if there were more than 4 passengers one of them was given a paddle to help.