Carry on Jeju...
Well that's my only real holiday for the year done and dusted. Luckily it was well worth it.
We finished work on the Thurday night and after much faffing about we were on our way to Gimpo airport. As our flight wasn't untill the next morning we had to look for somewhere to stay. We decided upon a 24hour spa because for whatever reason you're allowed to sleep in them. The first problem areose as we got a taxi to the spa and we experienced the wonderful joy that is Korean incompetence. We drove for the entire taxi journey with the boot open, when we noticed it we started screaming at the driver who of course just laughed. When we arrived he looked in his rear-view mirror jumped out of the car closed the boot, got back in took our money, then got out again and opened the boot where luckily all our bags still were. Anyway the spa was so much fun to sleep in what with naked men wandering past every five minutes and clearing their nose and throats at you (they all love doing it).
So after precisely three and a half minutes sleep we got on the plane and sat down with our business news papers in prestige class. The flight was pretty swift and as we touched down in Jeju I was horrified to see apartment blocks, nearly as many as the beautiful city I just came from. "Where is my Island paridise?" I tought to myself as we taxied off the runway. Being the organised individuals we are we didn't have a hotel booked so we went in searh of one. Luckily we stumbled across the 'Wind and Sand hotel" owned by the greatness that is Ted. Why he ended up being called Ted no one now knows, what matters is that he is a legend. A Korean who is actually happy to help you and has an ounce of sense in his Korean brain.
Anyway that day we ventured forth to Iho beach at the north of the Island. If you check out the pictures you'll see that it was actually really pretty. Did however manage to find every rock in the sea an gracefully smash my foot into it (why's it always the same toe?). That evening we went to the main area and started looking for a bar suggested to us by another teacher we met on the beach. Once we found it a good night was had with plenty of teaching stories exchanged with the abundance of white individuals. It's weird though how many of these people have been here for more than a year. I'm enjoying myself to be sure but I couldn't see staying for any longer than I have to!
The second day we went to another beach, which wasn't quite as picturesque (thanks to the backdrop of a powerstation). Had a good time burying Ris in so much sand that he actually couldn't move, we wern't bored or anything! That night we went to a party of sorts as lots of the teachers we met the previous night were leaving. Was much enjoyable and culminated in a good ol' fashioned skinny dip in the sea, am sure everyones done it!
The third day was spent doing various tourist type stuff. Very exciting rock that Ris took us too was definately a highlight of the holiday if not my entire life. It was called dragon head rock or something and yet it looked nothing like a dragon from any angle. I'm learning more and more that unfortunately Korea is completely devoid of culture, or at least decent culture. Our next destination was the mysterious road, and let me tell you it was very mysteriuos indeed! Cars with their engines off appear to roll up hill...I know it's the greatest thing ever. I wouldn't have believed it myself if our taxi driver hadn't of humoured us stupid tourists, but there we were rolling uphill. Madness. Will try to get the vids online somehow incase your thinking to yourselves "Dan that's just not possible, why would you lie to us, why?"
Anyway on our fourth day we went down to the South of the Island and saw a rather beautiful waterfall (pics to follow) and then went to the nicest beach in the world ever. Managed to get sunburnt thanks to my intellect being as it is and am still nursing a red nose now. That night we had to catch the ferry over the waters to the mainland and our second and final port of call-Busan. It was a damn good journey, saw an awesome sunset and then lay back on the deck and looked at more stars than I have ever seen. Could actually see the milky-way which was actually quite an experience for me. As was to be expected however the drink was very expensive and then the shop proceeded to run out of it. So we bit the bullet and went to the bar, which was even more expensive. But then they closed. It took an awful lot of Irish and English charm from Aidan and myself to persuade the bar maid to let us have a few more. Once we did that we had a sing in a norebang (a singing room) with some Germans we met, think they were scared by our rendition of "tubthumping". Anyway...by the time we got to sleep it gave us about an hour or so to sleep before we arrived so as you can imagine we got off the ship and fell into a hotel.
This is where it all took a bit of a nasty turn...because we arrived in Busan in the early morning the amount we paid for the hotel was only untill checkout at midday. Korean logic I know but us waking up mid afternoon and just walking past reception on our way out didn't go down too well at all. The old woman behind reception legged it after us and then screamed a lot of things in Korean. Our confused faces seemed to just anger her more. So we just left. This probably didn't go down to well either. The whole respect for your elders thing here isn't as good as I first thought it would be, it just makes them arrogant. The mere idea of an old person being wrong doesn't compute with 99% of Koreans. When as we all know nobody's always right, especially if they're senile. But anyway we had a nice day at a big spa with lots of different pools and types of water and the like. Then we went back to the hotel, got our bags and left with sounds of "good riddance" floating through the air. Once we found a new hotel we set off about the town aiming for the Russian (yes Russian) area. Twas pretty dead to be honest and looking back the only real highlight was a Russian woman who was quite literally twice the size of me doing everything in her power to get me to buy her a drink...scary? She haunts my nightmares.
What turned out to be our last day was spent in a Buddhist temple which was really good aside from the kids running about. Would have considered staying a night (which you can do) but a) I'm not Buddhist and b) The bug we found (see pics) scared me. Our last night we went to the university area of town. It was enjoyable if a little quiet, Koreans don't do drinking during the week it seems. The last bar we went to in that area was the best. As the picture shows we met some Koreans and I met a barmaid...nothing sordid I assure you! Anywho the next day we got the KTX train back to Seoul. South coast to the North in less than three hours-they may not have sewers or anything of architectural significane but they've got fast trains!
So that was by far the most I've written since university but I had to get in an entire holiday! The link to your right will take you to some of my pictures (unsuprisingly) and I will have more for you once I steal from Ris.
Hope everyones okay, been thinking 'bout ya'll! x