18th dec 09 - evening

After Mark had a rest we walked down the road in search of dinner. We found a small restaurant in a row of restaurants near the tram stop and Jo's bar (Restaurant U Kostela). We walked in and we could hear Coldplay. Good music so I thought we would probably get good food. The place was nice and the staff quite friendly. We had a tomato and vegetable soup for starter. It was nice but I bet I could re-create it using a combination of Heinz tins! Then mark had potato gratin and I ordered a Czech dish which consisted of duck breast, pork rib and ham. It came with Czech dumplings and two types of cabbage. The cabbage was like boiled pickled onions! I ate the meat and dumplings but couldn't quite manage to finish the cabbage. We were so full up that we decided to give dessert a miss. halfway through our meal Coldplay was turned off and a Woman started playing the piano. She was playing Christmas songs and what we thought were film theme tunes. Very surreal as we were the only ones in the restaurant.

Observations about Czech dining: MEAT!!! Czechs love meat. It is quite usual to have more than one meat in a dish. Lots of restaurants advertise -'Mixed Grill - three types of meat!' Luckily they accept that there are non meat eaters so most places have a vegetarian menu. The Devil restaurant didn't but after ascertaining that Mark did NOT eat meat or fish they cooked him up a pasta thingy. The Music in all the places we've eaten in so far is either film themes played on a piano or 80's pop music. We find ourselves playing 'name that tune' as we eat! Bread - with every meal you are given bread. Lots of bread of varying shapes colours and sizes. I have never seen so much bread on a table.

19th Dec 09

We went to Prague castle today ( Prazsky Hrad). It was really cold and the walk up the hill was a nightmare. Well, the castle is just above our hotel so it about a 10 min walk but the slippery, icy road made it a chore. The castle is breath taking. I'm not into architecture but even a philistine like me could see the beauty in the buildings. We walked through a a couple of courtyards and then bought tickets for St George's Basilica, Golden lane and the old Palace. We went back to the entrance of the castle to watch the changing of the guard. It was very camp and casual. President Havel changed the ceremony after years of communistic ritual, giving the guards uniforms designed by an Oscar winning costume designer and a fanfare composed by a Czech rock musician.

St. Vitus's cathedral was free so we went in there first. It was stunning! The exterior was stunning enough with it's Gothic spires but the interior was even more stunning. We spent a bit of time in there looking around and taking pictures. The other places were nice but I wished we'd seen them first as they paled in comparison to the Cathedral. Half way through our tour we went to a cafe for some hot wine so we could thaw out a bit. After we had seen everything we wanted to see we made our way back to the hotel. By now it felt like it was minus thirty not minus ten! We went into the Arcadia cafe in the hotel for hot chocolate and strudel as a treat.

We spent a bit of time in the hotel thawing out, Mark having his regular nap and me listening to him snore! We then decided to go to an Italian restaurant we'd passed just a little way up the hill. I ordered pasta and mark ordered pizza. After we ordered they bought us the regulation two ton of bread to have with our soup. We felt we deserved a desert after braving sub zero temperatures all day so I had tiramisu and Mark had strudel. We had a good nights sleep as we planned to visit the Jewish quarter the next day.

17th - First full day in Prague.

We decided to go out and explore today. We went across The Charles Bridge and towards Old Town Square. The bridge was beautiful with lots of statues adorning it (25). There were lots of stalls and artists selling paintings of offering to sketch you. The view from the bridge was stunning. The Old Town square is so pretty. That's where the Christmas market is held and the stalls sell a variety of Chrismassy goods and food. The square has a lovely tree that is decorated with brightly coloured baubles and lights. We hung around in the square for a while drinking hot wine and trying to avoid being accosted by men trying to exchange currency with us! The views from the square were lovely. The town hall houses the Astronomical clock which shows you the state of the universe etc as time passes. Every hour a man stands right at the top and plays a fanfare. He does this from all four sides of the tower and then waves at the crowd - quite a few of them wave back too!

We decided to move on so we tackled the map. Eventually we found the way to Wenceslas Square. Not impressed. There was half a dozen market stalls and loads of nightclubs. It is a shopping area. We went to Marks and Spencer's for a coffee then had a look around C&A's. That was a blast from the past. We eventually wandered back to the old town square and had some more hot wine - the way to ward of the cold apparently, and then back across the Charles bridge. On the bridge we got talking to a young Malaysian boy who studies in England. He was in Prague with his Mum and Dad as part of a European tour he was taking them on. They were a really nice family and we said goodbye after he took our photo with his parents. We went back to the hotel and had a rest then went for dinner at a restaurant just down the road. The theme of the restaurant was devils. There were pictures and models of devils everywhere. We had a fairly nice meal but instead of going for a walk we went straight back to the hotel as it was too cold. Mark had booked a trip to Terezin for early the next morning. Terezin is a fortified town that the Nazis turned into a Jewish concentration camp/ghetto. Given Marks interest in history I'm not surprised he wanted to visit there. I didn't want to go as I thought it would be sad and I don't have the same interest in history as Mark does. We had a fairly early night after eating all the snacks in our room.

Today - 18th

Mark went of on his excursion after breakfast and after stocking up on fruit and snacks I spent an hour in the room staring despondently out of the window at the the snow :( After seeing the status's on fb saying that the UK was suffering from snow I didn't feel too bad. It's very cold here (minus four today) and it is snowing but we are by no means snowed in , so I decided to go out to the Old Town to look in the shops. Before I left I went to the hotel roof garden to have a little look. It's really pretty and will be lovely in the summer when you can sit out there for longer than two minutes without being turned into an icicle!

I walked to the old town being accosted numerous times by people handing out leaflets advertising various carol concerts. The bridge was busier today...loads of tourists and artists - even an organ grinder with his monkey (a toy one unfortunately). I had a look around the shops, going inside whenever I could to defrost. One thing Czech Rep is famous for is it's crystal and glass. There is a crystal or glass shop every few feet! Some of the stuff reminds me of bits and pieces my mum owned in the 70's. Some of it is really nice though albeit a bit pricey. There are lots of jewellery shops too. Garnets and Amber seems to be the stones of choice here...lots and lots of Amber, not my favourite as it looks like nicotine stained glass to me. I was once again accosted by a man trying to by sterling! After a wander around I decided it was time to get some lunch I walked back over the bridge. It's much colder on the bridge as the cold air sweeps in from the river. Half way across I wanted to cry. I couldn't feel my face it was so cold! Even with two pairs of gloves my hands were freezing. I decided to go in Jo's bar - with a name like that it was bound to be great! I was right. I had a hot wine and a chicken sandwich that was actually a huge chicken filled baguette that came with masses of chips and salad. I hurried back to the hotel so I was there when Mark came back. He was meant to be back around threeish but came back at about four thirty. He enjoyed his trip and found it very interesting. We had a chat about our day and decided we'll go out for dinner a bit later. As I write this he is snoring his head off on the bed. HELP! At least at home I can escape from his snoring. Here I'm trapped with it in a hotel room!!!!!

Oh and the young man on the desk said that this winter is much colder than normal and they don't always have snow!

Prague day one.

I was looking forward to this trip and then I realised it would be cold. Even though I knew that nothing could prepare me for how cold it would be.

But first. The journey. Quite a convoluted journey as we could only get a flight with a stop over. I don't mind but Mr. W doesn't fly well - it's the take of and landing that freaks him out. Mmmm...so thats 2 take offs and 2 landings each way - ooops! So there's my big 6ft 1" husband sitting there squeezing my hand with his eyes tightly closed on take off. I looked at the young boy - well kid really - across the aisle and he looked back at me and we burst out laughing!! Poor Mark.

When we got to Prague it had been snowing and I felt a bit traumatised as I don't like snow. We spoke to a lady from Chicago on our flight who was going to stay with her daughter. She bought her daughter over to say hello at the airport. She said that today was the first day of snow. We decided to get a cab to the hotel. The ride was interesting. We went through some pretty grotty areas before we got to the pretty part. It was such a relief to get to our hotel. The hotel is beautiful. We are well pleased with our room. After unpacking and freshening up we decided to go out to eat. We went to a grocery store across the road first. We bought snacks and drinks for the room.

We went to a restaurant a few doors away called the Three Violins (named so because it used to be a violin workshop) The place was beautiful. It was only about 5ish so we were the only ones in there. I decided I would eat Czech style as much as possible. I ordered Czech boiled ham with horseradish - yum yum! Mark had onion soup - Yum yum! I then had sirloin steak and dumplings (Czech style) while Mark had risotto. We finished with Czech pancakes with fruit for Mark and Chocolate ice cream for me. I have never had such a lovely meal before. It was great and we really enjoyed it.

Having eaten like pigs and feeling really full I suggested we go for a long walk. OMG am I mad?? It is so cold here. After 5 mins I realised my hat wasn't adequate and I should have put my leggings on under my jeans. I even jogged for a bit to stop myself from freezing to the spot. All this while Mark was strolling along with his jacket undone and hat off saying "Whats wrong with you? It's not that cold" (Well he is from Leeds!)

I ended up dragging him into a shop to buy a 'deputy dog' hat - you know, the ones with the ears. Snug fit and so much warmer as it covers my ears. Alright, I look like a dick but who cares - the need to avoid frostbite outweighs my vanity! So now I'm in the hotel, already posted my pics, writing this with Mark snoring away in the background! Just watched the weather forecast on CNN and it's snow all around I'm afraid. They reckon London will get it bad on Saturday. It's meant to be -10 here tonight and we are going to get bad snow over the next few days. Think I'll have a shower a go to bed so we can make an early start in the morning.

This will probably be my last post from South korea, I might try to do one more later on tonight.

Jenn and I went out about lunchtime to LaFesta. We had as good look around the shops and bought a few bits and pieces. We went to the record shop so Jenn could buy some music and I found 'Frozen Flower'!!! Even thought I'd promised myself not to buy any more stuff for myself I had to have it.

Oh, I forgot - Jenn and Jaron went to an outlet shopping park yesterday and saw Kim Bum and Joo Jin Mo he's in frozen flower) filming dream! Jenn managed to sneak a picture of Kim Bum But alas couldn't get one of Jin Mo!

Anyway, after acouple of hours shopping we made our way to "Coffee and Dogs-I love Puppy".

We walked in and as the dogs spotted us they all came running to the door, it was pandemonium. We were shown in by a nice young man and we ordered our drinks. Immediatly the dogs were on us. We bought some food and fed them. I've never had so much fun! There were a few people in there and a few children that seemed to be there with the express purpose of playing with the dogs. We ended up buying more food for the children to give to the dogs. We had a chat with one of the men there, he said his name was Joe (we initially named him number one). His English wasn't great but he managed to say that he loved London. We had a bit of a laugh with him. He and the other two men looked at my tats and admired them. We were there nearly 2 hours but the time went quickly because we were having so much fun. The dogs were great, they were all really friendly and there were no dog fights. I think a doggie creche is a great idea but I dion't think it would work in London because of health and safety issues. Jarons friends Josh and Kito leave their dog there and they said he always comes home really tired. I'm not surprised because the dog are free to roam and there are people to play with. The three men there also play with the dogs. One of them was playing with them with a laser beam on the floor! The dogs seem active the whole time. It's better than leaving them on their own while you're at work all day.

Oh well my case is 99.9% packed. We've been cleaning the flat up too. We are going to be at the airport at lunchtime tomorrow so we'll leave here about 11ish. I have very mixed feelings. I'm looking forward to getting home and seeing everyone but I also feel very upset. I've had such a positive experience here. I've seen and done some wonderful things. I've made some firm friends and met some great people. I know when I walk away from here with my suitcase tomorrow I'm going to be crying like a baby! I know I'll be leaving a little bit of my heart here :(

Just a few more observations:

The trains: People sell things on the trains. I don't know if it's for charitible or commercial purposes, but it's quite usual to see people pulling small carts through the carriages and to see people stop in the middle of a carriage and deliver a sales blurb. So far I have seen CD's, slippers, handkerchiefs and big fluffy gloves for polishing! In fact the man gave a demonstration by cleaning the train doors and windows!

Quite often in the evening people are asleep on the trains.

I've got used to seeing groups of young men sitting with their arms around each other or leaning against each other, I've even seen young men holding hands.

It's quite common to see people preening themselves in their mirrors or in their reflection in the windows. The stations often have full length mirrors where people preen themselves before leaving the station. (Claire you would so be at home here girl!)

Other things:

So many people wear glasses here. The streets are full of glasses shops, shoe shops, mobile phone shops and donut shops!

People wear health masks if they have a cold and it's very rude to sneeze at the dinner table (but the ajushi's spit in the street!).

Seoul if full of apartments - everyone seems to live in an apartment (Arirang reckons it's 40%)

People really do bundle up their good in pieces of cloth in order to carry them around (just like they do in the drama's)

Students study all the time. At the weekend in starbucks there are many youngster sitting there with a coffee and their books open.

Ajummas wear the most amazing visors! And yes - I have seen them wearing shell suites.

I also saw a group of ajummas fixing the paving slabs in the street!

It seems normal to wear small flesh coloured plasters on you face to cover up spots. Ive seen beautifully made up girls with a plaster on their face!

I found a shop selling couples clothes! I though they only existed in dramas.

I saw a t- shirt in a shop window with the logo "Love is what you thing off during the sad songs" Why oh why don't they check their spelling or grammar with an English speaking person. I've seen signs such as "food do not bring in" and " dog is not allowed" on shop windows. Actually I do think It's quite sweet.

Home plus (Tesco) is madness! It's a cross between a market and a supermarket inside. There are small tv screens on the shelves selling the products and the place is as noisy as hell - I love

it!!

I've just got used to the money, the roads, the metro, the people etc. and I have to leave!!!

Oh well I'm off to finish cleaning the flat now. Having our farewell dinner with Josh and Jenn at the restaurant downstairs later.

Got up early today and made my way over to the other side of Seoul to Jamsil. I was heading for Lotte World so I could visit StarAvenue http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FU/FU_EN_15.jsp?cid=770125
I paid my 10,000 thoufand and was let in by a young lady. she asked if I spooke English and when i said 'yes' she said 'Good I will guide you'. She took me around all of the sections and explained them to me. We had a nice chat when we finished. She told me she had been to London and cambridge and she really liked England. She also said that most of the visitors they get are Japanese amd as she can't speak Japanese she gets bored. I left there and had a quick look around Lotte world. The place is amazing! Ice rink, amusements, shops etc. I could have spent hours there just wandering about. I left there and got back on the metro to Anguk so i could visit Insadong and shopfor souveniers. OMG I bought some really corney stuff! I won't say here what I bought because some of it is pressies, but lets just say I have more DBSK stuff now.
after I had shopped I made my way back to the station. It was geting on for 5pm and the metro is really crowded in the rush hour. I managed to get myself and my goodies home in one piece. When I got back Jenn had arrived. She's a friend that is staying for a couple of nights. We went to JDPP (Junsu'd dad's pizza parlour)
After a bit of discussion about what and how many pizzas to have we finally ordered. Thank god because I thought I was going to die of starvation!
Our Pizza arrived and as we ate amd chatted I noticed there were a lot of older women in the place, probably Japanese. We finished our food and as we were sitting and chilling a man walked in. Jaron was like 'do you think that's his dad?' This man then started greeting everyone.
OMG It was Junsu's dad. We had our pics taken with him and sort of had a chat, His English was bad but when I said in his ear 'Beat SM!' He gave me a big smile and handshake so I think he understood that. When we left he walked with us to the door and shook our hands and thanked us. He was so lovely! I feel really honoured that I actually touched Junsu's daddy!!! I mean it's a bit like touching Junsu cos they are the same flesh and blood!!! Oh well fangirling over now....
After dinner we went home and Jaron went out to meet a friend. Jenn and I have been sitting here watching DBSK, we've watched a surreal Korean film and just generally chatting. I can't believe tomorrows my last day. I'm going to finally have coffee with the doggies, Jenn's coming with me. then we are going to look around the shops. Jenns going to help me clean the apartment too - bless her! I'm looking forward to seeing my family and friends again but I feel really sad at leaving Korea, I love it here!

I haven't written a anything for a couple of day so I have a bit to catch up on.
On Friday I went to meet my lovely friend Sang Kyun. I was very excited because I haven't seen him for a long time. I wanted to see the river so he took me to Seonyudo park by the the river. The park was beautiful but the river was even moreso. We sat by the river for a while and chatted. As we talked I realised that my friend was not a boy but a man, he is so confident and clever. He told me he hadn't spoken English since we last met but his English was great. It was so hot in the park! We then went into Sinchon and ate chicken. After our meal we went to Starbucks for Iced coffee! He had to leave at seven and I had to go and meet Jaron so we parted company on the train when it reached my stop, I felt sad to say goodbye to him as it will be some time before I see him again. It was an absolute pleasure being with him as he is one of the nicest young men I have ever met.
Jaron and I wandered around Myong Dong for a while, Jaron bought some clothes. He then went to meet David for a drink and I went straight home as the heat had drained all of my energy. It was an interesting journey. I sat next to an old man (Mr. park) and he started talking to me. his English wasn't great but it was much better than my korean. We spoke about all the usual stuff - why was I here and what did I think etc. We also discussed the political and economical situation in Korea! He was a lovely man and before we parted he gave me his card and said I was to email him so he could keep in touch with me.

The next day we planned to go to Itaewan but I decided to go to the Worl Cup Stadium in the afternoon. It was about 40 minutes away on the metro. When I arrived at the station I was very impressed with the decor. I came out of the station and had a look around and then I decided to walk towards the Museum. It cost me 1000 to get in and I was shown in by an ajushi. After I'd looked around for a while he came up to me and said he would show me the stadium. He took me through a door and we walked right into the stadium! It was spectacular! He took me to the pitch and took photos of me. Then to the dug out where Man U sat a couple of weeks ago, the Seoul dugout, the away team changing room and I sat on Rooneys seat, the warm up room, the coaches room, the reception room and then we walked the path the teams walk when they come out onto the pitch. All the time he was taking my picture. I'm grinning like an idiot in them because he was very funny and kept making me laugh! I watched a short film on the history of South Korea in the world cup and had a chat with another man who had immpecable English. He said it was a shame that none of the Seoul players were there because he would have introduced me to them. On my out I visited the shop and was able to pick up some souveniers.
I walked back towards the station and went into the stadium to find starbucks. The stadium has a huge cinema in it as well as ashopping centre and a banqueting suite. I walked throught the cinema's huge lobby to get to starbucks and I noticed an area where there were handprints of Korean actors. I spotted Kang Song Ho's hand print and picture - I was well happy!! I went into a convienience store to get some water before I went to the station. I saw a young man in an Arsenal shirt. Of course I had to smile at him. He and his girlfriend came up to me and asked me if I liked Arsenal. We chatted about the team for a while and how I was a supporter etc. He said his dream was to go to London one day to see them play live and go to see the stadium. I gave him my Arsenal keyring telling him it came fom the shop at the stadium. I thought he was going to cry! He was so grateful and wouldn't stop thanking me. I told him it was my pleasure and that he must be a good man as he has good taste in football teams.
I eventually got on the train home and something funny happened. A Christian lady got on and was handing out leaflets. Three young boys sitting opposite me refused her leaflets and she started lecturing them. I coulddn't understand what she was saying but it soundedd like they were getting a good telling off. I was trying my hardest not to laugh but one of the boys looked at me and that was it! We both burst out laughing and the ajuma just carried on scolding!
On the way back from Jeongbalsan station I had a little look around La festa and bought a couple of bits. I decided to go the the record shop and there was AADBSK season 3!!!!! I just had to buy it. It cost me 23 pounds, on Yesasia it costs 88 pounds! I also bought the latest live album which cost me about 8 -yesasia 13, so I got some bargains!
When i got home it was shower change and out the door to Itaewan. We met Jaron,s friends and had BBQ. Then we went to a Noraebang. No alcohol was allowed so we sneaked in Soju and beer. Unfortunatly the ajoshi caught us and had a moan. I couldn't understand so I didn't care. he only found one bottle of beer so we still had beer and soju hidden. Everyone had a sing and David sung Hug for me. Jaron Sang Mirotic for me! It was really cool.
After that we went to the bar and started drinking and dancing. I got chatted up by some French man and a very young looking Korean boy tried to cozy up to me but he looked about 15!
As I was dancing on the stage a man came up to me and shouted JoJo! I thought he looked familar. He said "OMG I met you in Ku bar in London a few months ago and now you are in Korea!" It was surreal - I remember meeting him and his friend at Ku and telling them I wanted to visit Korea and chatting with them all night.
It was a great night and I ended up getting the train home this morning.
Another ajushi spoke to me on my train journey. His name was Kim Dong Ho and he was learning english. We had a reallty enjoyavble chat aboout all sorts of things. and when he left he gave me email adress with a request to keep in touch!
Today I'm just chilling out! Tomorrow and Tuesday I have things planned - hopefully Star Avenue and the big lake, oh and coffee with the doggies!!!

I woke up yesterday and it was raining. It rained all day and throughout the night. It rained for half the day today. When I say raining I mean torrential rain! I've not seen rain like it before! Jaron made me go out to get dinner with him and even though we had umbrella's I still got wet.

It must have been bad because it was featured on the news and seemingly it caused a lot of road accidents (no surprise there then!) In fact it was reported that Daesung from Big Bang was in a car accident that caused him to break his nose and his coordie that was in the car with him is in a bad way. I hope they recover soon.

The rain stopped mid afternoon today so I clamberd to get out. I was going stir crazy!!

i decided that as my plans to explore Lake Park were ruined I'd visit the mall on my doorstep, then if the rain started again I would be close to home.

Last night I was introduced to the delights of Korean Toast. this is a sandwich made from 2 pieces of bread toasted with butter on a hotplate then stuffed with tasty things. I had egg (i think that's standard) ham, cheese, and veggies. There is a thin layer of syrupy stuff to add sweetness. OMG delish!!! I promised myself that if I completed my missin to find a DVD shop I could have one of these for dinner. I looked around for ages, just browsing the amazing shops selling anything from Hello Kitty socks to giant teddy bears! Then I found Synnara Records. Not a record in sight but lots of CD's and DVD's. Lots of Korean stuff but quite abit of western stuff too. Then BINGO!!! There on the shelf in front of me was Tohoshinki's 1st Asian tour DVD. This is the one that yesasia won't ship to Europe so it has eluded me! It was soon nestled in my grubby little mits as it was the last one! And it only cost 12 quid!!!n i also bought their latest single. i was looking for MC Mong and FT Isalnd's singles but couldn't find them. I must say that the artist with the biggest range of merchandise was the boys (of course!)

I walked out of the shop with the biggest smile and made my way to the Toast stall. The kind Ajumma remembered me from the night before and helped me with my selection. One of these sandwiches costs about 90p. I popped in the shop on the way back for a bag of crisps (yes I am officially addicted to these particular crisps) and an ice cream. I'm eating a lot of ice cream as it is one way to keep cool.

All of a sudden people around here are being very friendly. Everytime I go out someone is interested in speaking to me. Either to ask where I'm from or to remark on my tattoo. A lot of people still ignore, but that's the Korean way. I went out ot look at the rain at about 3am because I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. People were still outside the small food places eating and drinking. People were still walking around. It could have been evening if I didn't know better. I had a little walk aroung to see if I could tire myself out and some funny man came up and started talking to me in English. He was interested in where I was from, how long was I here for and did I like it. I think he was a bit drunk but he was friendly and polite. if someone at home approached you in the street at 3am, a bit drunk and asking you questions you'd run a mile but it so different here. Even at that time people are still coming and going and some shops are still open. I don't suppose it's like that everywhere in Korea but it's certainly been like it wherever I've been.

Just a couple of observations: Our front door is metal, I think this is common here. Feels much safer. The doors can be opened by key or by a code - such a good idea!

The apartment block is so clean! there is doorman/caretaker 24 hrs and there are public toilets on the ground floor. Oh, there is no ground floor - what we call ground floor is 1st floor here. Also 4th floor is called F not 4 because the word for 4 (sa) sounds like the word for death.

The lifts don't smell of pee!!! there is 2 floors of underground parking and a large recycling area in the outside car park.

packaging: So many things are over packaged! I bought some biscuits in a packet inside a box. A cup noodle in it's sealed cup and then wrapped in a clear film. Kit Kats come in a packet like at home but then inside a box. Other chocolate comes like that too etc etc....

Thank goodness they're hot on recycling!!!

Looking forward to the weekend. Seeing Sang Kyun, Christophe and Sooyoung and then Itaewan on Satrday - here I come Homo hill!!!!

Had a very lazy sunday. Jaron had a friend over! Jaron and I started watching a Korean Drama that's big over here, called partner. We watched it on Mysoju with English subs. Jaron said he fancied chinese so he looked for a menu then he realised that we actually don't know the address of theis apartment! Korean adresses are quite complicated and there is a distinct lack of road name signs! In the end we opted for fried chicken as there is a shop about a minute away. It was really nice but it made me feel sick because it is so greasy! I had a bad nights sleep because I felt sick.
This morning I had a lazy time watching DBSK on youtube etc. I had arranged to Meet Jessica and Danny at 6pm at Anguk station. I left home and made my way there and met them on time. I had a great time with them. Danny took us to a nice little restaurant and I ate Pajeon. It was lovely! Corea Chillie - I realise how crap you are after being here!
we left there and found a really cool coffe and tea place. It was small and cosy and a bit hippy like. It was called Jeons travellers coffee rest or something and we sat around a low table on cushions. We had a really good chat and exchanged numbers. We left about half ten and made our way back to Anguk station. We will meet up again and hopefully thay will come out to Itaewan on saturday.
It was so good to see them as I haven't seen them both for ages!
Tomorrow I might go to The World cup stadium. It isn't far from here and I want to see if I can get a souveneir for Mr.W!

I found out something else today from Danny. Ilsan is in a high risk malaria area! We're nearer to the North Korean border here (Keep collecting for my release fund, and keep working on the banner claire!) Well I haven't been bitten by any mossies since I've been here so I think I'll be alright but it explains a lot. There's these whiney wire things all around the streets that constantly make an irritating noise, apparently these are to deter Mossies! I've just done a bit of research and the type of malaria in this area is not a killer - so I feel better now! So I'm just going to go and sparay myself down with mosquito repellent now and get into bed. Goodnight! x

I had a great day yesterday. I met with Yang Wook in Seoul. I finally worked out what bus to take to the station and actually found my way into Seoul without a hitch. It took me an hour and then I found out there's an express bus that takes about 35 mins! Still it was a pleasant journey and I got to see a bit of scenery on the way.
We met at Kyeunbok Gung Palace - the largest palace of the Joeson dynasty. It was spectacular! we watched the changing of the guard - a reinactment which is performed by men doing their military service. The costumes were brilliant but I did find the false beards a bit amusing. After that we went around the palace grounds and even though Yang Wook got me a translator device he provided better and more interesting information. The grounds were beautiful.
Then we went for dinner. We had a really lovely meal but it was really expensive. After lunch we went to the Palce museum and I had a great laugh because Yang Wook is a socialist and I got his take on the History of Korea and what he would have done if he was around in those days. Seems my friend would have been a revouloutionary on par with Che Guevara! It was really interesting to see all the historical costumes and documents and then to hear his very irreverent views.
There was special exhibition on the Celedon pottery from the Goreyo Dynasty (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2009/08/135_49283.html ) this will explain why the display of celedon pottery is so special. That was the highlight of the museum for me as I love Celedon pottery.
I waited outside while YW went to the loo and got talking to some young men who were asking me about my tattoo. My tattoo has aroused so much interest! When I told them that people usually have Chinese or Japanese symbols but I prefere Hangeul because Korea is the best they were beaming. I got big smiles and lots of bows! An older gentle man beckoned me to sit by him and then started to ask me where I was from and what did I think of Korea. I had a little chat with him and then said goodbye with a bow from him and a handshake from me.
We then made our way to Insadong. I love Insadong!!! We wandered throught the streets, browsing the shops, just looking at the prices of the pottery and laughing at some of the corny souveneirs. We went in the Arcade shops and made our way upstairs. We found a stall that made the granite stamps with your name engraved on. we worked out how to write my name in Hangeul and YW bought one of the stamps for me! It's absolutly lovely and comes in a little case. After that we made our way to the station so we could go home. YW is going away this morning with his family for a few days so he didn't want a late night. I had an absolutly brilliant day and he wouldn't let me pay for a thing. I hope I see him again before I go home. When I got home Jaron was in and we went straight out again for dinner. We went to the restaurant downstairs. I've been a bit curious about this place as it seems to be filled with autographed pics. Anyway we ate there and the owner was friendly and told us that the waiter is his son. I told him that they looked alike and they were both very handsome. We had a nice meal and then made our way back upstairs. No sooner we were in the door then Kito rang. They were in the English type bar round the corner, the Frog and Toad, and would we like to join them. So it was out of the door again. By this time my feet were killing me with all the walking I had done that day. Anyway we got there and I had a pint of Guiness! Glorious after the lager I've been drinking. we only stayed for the one drink and then made our way home. It was an exhausting day but really enjoyable. Today I felt a bit grotty, just a bit nauseas and a headache really. Probably just really tired. I've been in the apartment catching up with the washing and watching subbed episodes of Dream on Mysoju.com! Can't believe I've only got about 10 days left, I have so much more I want to do. The time has sped by - that's probably why I haven't felt homesick yet.
Just one observation before I go! There's a lot of Christians in Korea and so many churches. The churches are marked with red crosses that are lit up at night, so you can't miss them. On the way home yesterday on the train between Samsong and Wondang stations, which is basically just industrial area, I counted eight churches!!!

Well I've had a lazy couple of days. I needed to recover from all the walking with Matt and Sean. Yesterday I just chilled all day and then when Jaron came home we went shopping at Home Plus. This is Tesco! I was desperate for some breakfast cereal but all they had was flakes - bran flakes, corn flakes, frosted flakes etc. I opted for frosted flakes. I'm craving some shredded wheat but I can't find it anywhere :( We managed to get some real grapes and bananas. So now the fridge has some healthy food in it. The only bread available is white bread. You cannot get granary bread here but I caved in and got white so I can have some toast when I'm peckish! There is also no instant coffe - not as we know it anyway. The coffee comes in tube shaped sachets with the sugar and powded milk already in it. I'm afraid I'm becoming addicted. I've just popped down to the shop for another box!
The apartment is nice. It's small but cosy. It has everything we need. It has a huge tv which is hooked up to the comp so I can watch youtube on the big screen. The shops underneath the block seem to stay open all the time so it is always busy in the street. When do Koreans sleep??? We went out to dinner with Jaron's friends Josh and Kito. We went to a place right underneath Junsu's dads pizza parlour! I can't remember the name of the food we ate but it was spicy and delicious.
This morning I got up and the weather was a lot cooler. Yesterday I popped out for a walk and it wa so hot I could feel my skin burning! Today I decided to look for the bus stop so I can get out of this city when I want to! As I passed Junsu' Dad's Pizza parlour (JDPP) I decided it was time for lunch. OMG this place is full of pictures of Junsu! The place isn't very big - seats about 40. There is a board full of messages and pics from fans and life size cut outs of Junsu. There is also a shelf full of models of the boys and memorabilia. I sat down and orderd myself a roast apple pizza. Never seen that before. Some of the pizzas are Koreanised and unusual. Going to try a sweet pootato one next time. The place was full of young girls - not a male in sight apart from the staff! A couple of young girls on the next table who heard me order started up a conversation with me. They asked me if I liked DBSK and which member I liked best. They were really sweet girls and wanted to have their picture taken with me ( that will end up on some website captioned "the strange English women we met in JDPP")
Then a Japanese lady from Vancouver started up a conversation with me - so my lunch wasn't boring at all!
My pizza was gorgeous! They should do roast apple pizza in Pizza Hut! I had a beer with it - I was the only one drinking beer as everyone else there was underage! Well maybe with the exception of the Japanese lady. By the time I'd finished eating the place was full of excited young girls and camera flashes! I found myself being photographer a few times so the girls could have their pictures taken together with Junsus cut out! Suddenly two young men walked in and I thought 'Fanboys!!' But no - they had microphones and a film camera so they were from the media. After a 10 minute chat with the manager they went. I suppose with the current situation the boys are going through it's not suprising the media is there. After all it is Junsu's dad who is helping them with their court case against SM.
For those who don't know three of the group are taking SME to court regarding their 15 year slave contract. They state here in the press that the boys are "mentally and physically fatigued" and that they have been paid a pitance in relation to the money they have made for SME. I think anyone who knows anything about Dongbangshinki will know that that is true and it's something fans have been saying for a long time.
After my excitng fan girl trip to JDPP I went looking for a bus stop so I can leave Ilsan! I like this place but I want to go back to Seoul and see some more stuff and meet up with Christophe and Soo young! I couldn't work out the buses at all . I found the buses that go to Daehwa but that is 3 trains stops further away from Seoul. Worse way I'll go the the station there and get a train in. Tomorrow I'll go and have another look. I also want to go and have coffee with the doggies tomorrow and look for the lakes park. They have a fountain their that dances to music. That happens at 8pm for an hour! I so need to see that.
As I haven't done much I thought I'd inflict a few more of my observations on you. Sorry if any are repeated from earlier entries!

Shoes off: What an absolutely great idea! I can sit on the floor of this apartment with my coffee and snack knowing that it is clean! You absolutely daren't enter a Korean household with out taking your shoes off (and some traditional restaurants). I'm becoming an expert at whipping them on and off quickly. I think I'm going to clean all my carpets at home and put this rule in place. It's just so much more hygienic than treading all the gunge and dogs pee in from the street!

T.V: There is one channel that shows English language shows and films with Korean subs. So far I've watched CSI, cold case, 28 weeks later and Kung fu Hustle was on earlier. There is also Airirang an English language American channel. I find the tone of it a bit condescending and a couple of the female presenters make me want to slap their stupid faces but it does have some good interviews. Did you know that the only female CEO of a banking company in Korea is English!!! Go girl! - she was very interesting. I watched an interesting interview with the mayor of Seoul this morning - nice man. I'm watching two good dramas at the moment. Partners, about a law firm, with Lee Dong Wook and Dream, about a sports agent and his boxer client, with Joo Jin Mo and Kim Bum! Don't understand a bloody word of it but it's fun trying to work out what's happening.
The news is cool, at the end of the broadcaste the news readers bow to the camera and then each other! Oh and the boys have been all over the news too!
The food: Love it love it love it!!! Spicy and tasty and very healthy! Korea seem very contrary when it comes to diet and health. Korean food itself is very healthy but western food has crept in which has resulted in 1 in 10 Koreans becomeing obese. If you look around the streets are full of Baskin Robbins, Dunkin donuts, Mac's etc. Korean restaurants are still full of peole eating but they probably eat these unhealthy foods alongside it. All of the junk food seems over processed such as the coffee I mention and the breakfast cereals! But also thre are Ginseng shops everywhere! Maybe it's a generational thing and it's the youngsters who are going to suffer from the effects of a western diet.
It's raining here now but I'm going to bed soon so Goodnight - Oh and thanks to those people who are reading this!!! xxx

Yesterday was a sad day. I went to gimpo airport to see the boys off. The airport is big and clean but not as busy as Incheon. I found the escalaters that DBSK come up when they come to the airport. (I recognise it from youtube!) After a tearful goodbye to matt and Sean (from me anyway) I went for a look around the shops. So many mobile phones!
I had a coffee while I decided what to do for the day. I had to kill time until jaron could pick me up from the hostel. They had kindly said they would keep my bags there until the evening. I went to a shop called Seoul selection near Anguk station. It is a book shop that sells books about Korea in English. I browsed for ages, there is also dvd's and cd's. It is only small but it is cosy and friendly and has coffee and a computer. I bought myself a Korean vocab book so I can learn some new words while I am here. I will deffo go back there for a visit before I leave.
After that I had a wander around Insadong. Insadong is cute. It is full of traditonal pottery shops alongside souvenier shops. When the markets on it's really busy.I'm so going to bring back some tacky stuff! The little backstreets of Insadong are very pretty.
I made my way back to the hostel and didn't have to wait long before Jaron met me. We took a cab to Ilsan and we were met by his friends Josh and Kito who took us to the appartment. we dropped off our cases and then went to dinner. I asked Josh what is the nearest metro station and when he told me i thought it sounded familiar. Then he said it is three stops from the end of the line. OMG Junsus dad's pizza place is three stops from the end of the line! I told them and they were not that impressed. I knew it was above a"Buy the Way" shop so I was looking out and then I spotted it! I recognised it from pics on the internet! I was really excited so Josh took my picture. Then three Korean men/boys who were amused at my excitement offered to take our picture together. I will be having my lunch there one day. It will cheer me up after the reading about the contractual difficulties the boys have been having and the horrible break up rumours! We went for dinner at a friend chicken restaurant - it was the best fried chicken I've ever had.
jarons friends Kito and Josh are really nice and they live just around the corner. The appt is nice. very clean and it has a washing machine! The couple who own it have gone to Canada with their baby to visit relatives. They have two cats that we have to keep alive. Lovely cats -ones very shy but the other one is friendly. The appt is in a huge square right opposite a gym and a church! We are literary on the edge of a huge shopping mall! This area looks really nice with parks etc so when I'm rested I will go aout and explore. Josh told me that there is a coffee shop opposite us where people take their dogs. It's like a dog creche and people can go in there for coffee and buy food to feed other peoples dogs and play with them! Josh and Kito drop their dog ther a couple of times a week and he always comes back really tired because he has been playing so much.
I've been watching a bit of T.V. There are some American shows on - I watched Cold Case this morning. I've also realised that Kang Ho dong, Noh Hong Chol, Park Myeong Soo and Yu Jae seok are on TV anytime of the night or day. Just flick around the channels anytime and you will find them!!!

I am so exhausted! We went to Danggogae this morning. In the station was amachine selling tissues, plasters polo mints etc and condoms! Surreal.....
We hiked halfway up suraksan, just getting to the mountain was ahile in itself! The views were beautiful. at one point Sean and I said 'No'. It was about 30 degrees and the sun was beating down on us. Matt decided to climb a little higher but we sat by this beautiful little stream and soaked our feet in the water. There was a family picnicing nearby and the children were playing around us. We managed to communicate with them and the chidren sprayed us with their water guns to cool us down.
After we left the mountain we had a walk around the town. It's very different from central Seoul and has it's fair share of scruffy housing.
We then went to Namsan tower. We had to queue for ages to get on the cable car but it was worth it when we did. The view was amazing. We decided to go up the tower and the view was even more amazing. It was really crowded up there.
after our time there we went for BBQ and by then I was ready for food!
Lastly we went for a wlk through the market. There was lots of DBSK merchandise, everything from socks to calendars! I'm so going to bring some tut home! we met some interesting people there - from Ajummas who tried to talk to us to younger men who tried to talk to us in English.
I have walked for mile these last few days. Korea is all mountains, hills and not many escalators! I'm proud of myself for all the exercise I've been doing and I'm sure my legs are thinner (they bloody better be!)
Tomorow morning I'm going to Gimpo to see the boys off. The man here said I could leave my case till the evening when Jaron comes to get me. I'd meet him somewhere but my case is too heavy to get up and down the stairs at the underground.
Only a short piece today as I'm so tired I can't think. When we get to the appartment I'm going to rest for a couple of days and just explore the local area.

Left Windflower this morning and booked int Seoul backpackers with Sean and Matt. It's right opposite Nandaemun market. Had dinner with Su Young, Christophe and a few others. I felt sad to leave there as I will miss all the staff. The place has a brilliant atmosphere and I'm sure I will keep in touch with them.
I got to Seoul BP at about 12ish curtesy of a taxi and Christophe. He is such a sweetie and very funny. I will be seeing him some more before I leave and will defo keep in touch with him.
It rained like hell so we decided to do Namsan tower tomorrow. Instead we went to the Nation Museum of korea. It was fantastic but we didn't get to see everything so it needs another visit. There was a bit of a summer music festival going on with live music and everyone was having a really great time. After that we went to Insadong and I fell in love witht the place. There are so many pottery and arts and crafts shops. The market was on so there was lots to see. People there seemed very friendly. I was watching an Ajumma prepare some stuff that looked like toffee and an old man and his wife explained that it was a Korean speciality made from malt. He broke a big of his portion off for me to try - it was nice but a bit too sweet for me. We went in Macs and I had some chips. The macs here are much better than those at home. Bigger, cleaner and the ice cream counter is separate from the burger bar. I will have a bulgogi burger before I leave here. My tattoos seemed to cause some curiosity again with random people looking at them. People seem to like them especially as they are in Hangeul.
We then walked to Gwanhwamun Square which was having it's opening ceremony. The place was absolutely packed. I have never seen so many policemen - and they are so young! The people seemed so excited about this event. there were old granpa's and grannies down to babes in arms there. We stayed around for quite some time to soak up the atmosphere. At first I was a bit daunted to see so many policemen, especially those with riot sheilds, but then I realised they were there for crowd safety more than anything else. As we, along with about 50,00 other people tried to cross the road to reach the station they actually formed a human chain around us to protect us from the mad Seoul traffic. I realised they were not that scarey, especially when I got pushed in the crowd and a 'baby' cop asked if I was ok. He looked about 15 bless him and I think he just wanted to show off his english.
The underground was packed but our train wasn't too bad. We got back to our station and decided to go for BBQ. We went in a little old traditional place in a backstreet. The owners were an old couple and they were really sweet. They spoke to us in broken English as they had lived in the US for a few years.
Tomorrow we are taking a train to danggogae to see the Suraksan mountain. We are going to walk down the mountain and then get the train back to BP's. Matt assures me it is an easy walk! I hope so because I have done nothing but walk for days! On the way we can visit a few sights, temple etc.
If there's any typo's it's cos I'm really tired - so sorry! Goodnight. Look at the photo's and leave a comment please!
P.S. Matt is so funny. He talks to everyone and is always picking up people's litter and telling them to put it in the bin! He and Sean have been an absolute dream and they have looked after me so well. They are going home on Monday and I'm going to Gimpo to see them off. I'm really going to miss them!

We got up really early today and caught a bus to the Bulguksa Temple. It was spectacular! The views were fantastic. I have never seen so many steps in my life. Myt leg muscles are going to be like a power lifters! I wandered off without the boys and was just amazed by the beautiful pagodas. The colours are amazing. I sat around the back of one of them and just chilled out for a while. I could hear voices but I felt like I was on my own. The atmosphere was so serene.
When we left the temple we had some lunch and then made our way to the bus to go and see Seokguram Grotto. This Grotto is very high up in the mountains and we had to walk a long way. When we got there we could see the clouds resting on the mountains. I felt exhausted because all I seemed to have done all day is walk. It was nice to sit somewhere where the air was clear.
One thing I noticed is that the people hereare much more friendly than the people in Seoul. After lunch we were approached by a man who was with his family. He was interested in where we from. We spoke to the whole family in English and his two little girls were adorable. they had been learning English for 3 years and had impeccable acents. We also spoke to a group of Chinese tourists and their Korean friend and they seemed very interested in London. Matt and Sean had been to a sauna the night before and in there they met two Korean boys who were twin brothers. they arranged to meet them for dinner so we had to get the bus back to be at the hotel by 7. The two men Hyun Dai and Hyun Woo took us to a busy Korean restaurant and we ate bbq. The meal was great and we had two lots of meat and two bottles of Soju. The whole meal came to about 20 quid for 5 of us! We payed the bill and then decided that as the night was still young we would go back to the hotel for a drink. The Korean men bought some beers and snacks and we ended up in my room. We sat around talking and I decided to find some music on the t.v. I flicked through the channels and was absoulutely mortified when I came across a porn channel! The others thought it was hilairious that I was so shocked as we were in love motel. Needless to say the t.v went off and I found music on the computer instead.
We had a really fun time (as the pictures will show!) The two Korean men were really open minded and friendly. They thought it was hilairious when Matt told them to bundle me on the bed so he could take pics! One of them is going to contact me next week because he is coming to Seoul.
we had to be up and out early as our bus was leaving at 10ish andit is a 4 hr journey. On the way back we had torrential rain. that ewas quite daunting as acombination of Korean driving and driving rain is no fun. When we got back to
seoul I realised how cool Gyeong Ju is in comparison. The heat just hit me like a brick wall when I got of the bus.
Some observations:
Korean people outside of Seoul are friendlier.
I have never seen so Many soldiers in my life, especially at the bus depots.!
Everywhere you go there is a 'family mart'.
There are rice fields everywhere outside of Seoul.
It's surreal to be sitting on a bus listening to piped Korean reggae while passing through a rural area with traditional houses.
Also listen to Althea and Donna's Uptown top rankin' with Matt was quite surreal while surrounded by rice fields!
Zebra crossings without lights are meaningless.
Crossings with lights can also be meaningless depending on the drivers mood!
Korean people of fascinated with tattoos - or is it just my tattoos because they are Hangul and I'm not Korean, and I'm a woman?
Korean buses and trains don't hang around!
In Seoul I am coughing and sneezing but in Gyeong Ju I wasn't. Pollution?
They spray the street with mosquito killer - which is quite scarey if you're not expecting it!
Korean men on Harley Davidsons look cool.
If you have read this please comment just so I know I'm not wasting my time!

Today has been a great day. I left early to make my way to meet the boys. Christope and Su young travelled with me on the metro. OMG that was horrendous! This is the first time I've been on it during rush hour. I will never complain about London transport again. Korean trains are better - cleaner and bigger- but they get absolutely packed. People just squeeze on and stand together packed like sardines. I suppose in a country where about a third of the population lives in the capital city that is what happens. Christoph left me and my bag (he caried it all the way fro me bless him) at the meeting point with a promise to email me so we can meet up for dinner when I get back from Gyeong Ju.
The boys and I travelled to the express bus station to wait for our bus. After a wounderful brekki of rice omelette we got on our bus. It was so comfy - just as well because we had a 4 hr journey. I then confessed to the boys that I hadn't been to bed all night as Steph, Marika and I had been up all night talking nonsense and we had laughed so much I couldn't breath at times. I then fell asleep for two hours and awoke to the most beautiful scenerey I have ever witnessed. South Korea is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen! The mountains are spectacular!
We had a quick break at a very busy bus station an then continued on out journey.
When we arrived at Gyeong Ju Matt went to sort out our return journey and to find out where our hotel was. Matt is an organiser and he doesn't mess about he just gets things done. We started to walk to out hotel when Matt suggested we should look at some others first. We went into Sky hotel and inquired but when the lady said the same price as our original choice we said no thank you. As we walked away she yelled "discount!" Matt negotiated a price and we saved 15 quid a night! matt and Iwent to look at the rooms and it was only when we noticed the dubious vending machine that we realised it was a love hotel! The rooms are lovely, with all mod cons, two PC's, a huge tv, fridge, water dispenser and handy little extras on you coffee tray! the bed is huge and comfortable and the bath has a spa.
after I got over my shock and excitemnt of staying in a love hotel we went exploring. We went to Tumuli park where there are 23 Shilla tombs containing monaches and thier families. they were huge and spectacular. The park is one of the prettiest I've ever seen. we went to the tomb of Cheonmachong which was opened so you could see a cross section view. Unfortunatly pics were not allowed so I can't share the fantastic sight with you. The coffin is huge and filled with gifts and then covered with rocks to form a 13m. high mound then covered with earth. Grass then grows over it so it forms a massive grassy mound.
We went the oldest observatory in Asia where Sean took photos. After that the boys walked in the forest for a while and I sat and rested for a bit. We walked around for ages just enjoying the brilliant views and wonderful serene atmosphere. We went into a Korean/Chinese resturaunt on the way back to the hotel and ate the most tastiest fried rice and dumplins. The food and a large bottle of beer cost us about 10 quid! That was surreal - at the back of the reaturant there was a raised platform with a PC and TV and a Korean child was laying down asleep. This was actually in the restaurant right amone the customers.
My Korean friends have always told me that people outside of Seoul are much friendlier. How true that is! During our walk in the park we saw two small boys and their father. The boys were blowing bubbles at us and their dad was encouraging them to say hello to us. we shook their hands and spoke to them in Korean and English. I encouraged the smaller boy to blow more bubbles and taught him that they were called bubbles. they were delighful children and their father was lovely. This experience was repeated a few times with us speaking to children and their parents. People were generally friendlier and were smiling and exchanging a few words with us all the way around the park and out on the main road. Also my tattoos have never had this much attention. a cab driver grabbed my hand to examing my tattoo with great enthusiasm! People guenuinly seemed pleased that we were making the effort to communicate with them using their language and that we had an enthusiasm and interest for their country. I actually felt that my interest in Korea was being appreciated. We walked away from most of the conversations with a thumbs up sign and a nod saying "Korea is a great country".
We have a full day tomorrow with so much to see. I'm exhausted but I' determined to write a little bit everyday. I'm sorry for any typo's or errors but I'm so tired by the time I get to write this I know it's no masterpiece!
Still loving this country, still loving being surrounded by the korean language, still loving being among Korean people, still having a good time!















Shilla graves

Had a very lazy day today. Just sat around in the morning then I showered and packed my bag ready for tomorrow. I'm looking forward to visiting Gyong Ju because it is a historical place. I went for a walk today but instead of heading to the busy part of town we went the other way. It was very different a bit scruffier. We bought some fruit which was really lovely and on the way back we gave in and bought a hot dog.
I've just spent an hour putting my pics up so I hope someone is looking at them. I'm going to bed now beacuse i have to meet the boys at 8.30.

I was going to have an early night but that didn't happen. There is a wonderful couple staying here. he is french and a teacher and she is an extremely pretty Korean girl. I had such a laugh with them. He is the one that fed me intestings under false pretenses! After most people had gone to bed Marika was hungry so I walked with her to the local Mac's. I can't believe I was standing in mac's in Korea at 3am. The place was still buzzing with music coming out of clubs etc. some of the food shops here just never close! It's a university town so it is very busy!

Drunk Korean: Korean like to drink! They like to go out drinking straight from work with their collegues. It is not unusual to see a man with a briefcase being helped along the road by his collegues at 8pm! I haven't seen anyone be offensively drunk yet, it just seems to be a part of the culture that everyone accept and nobody batts an eyelid - even the crazy Ajummas!

I got up quite early today and waited for Matt and Sean to get up. They checked out today to go to Seoul backpackers so I went with them to see where it was. It is in a great position right near Namdaemun market. It's a great place, air con and everything. I've booked to stay there on Saturday and Sunday so it's easier for us to go and do the tourist thing. It's 25 quid a night!I will miss the Windflower because everyone here is so nice. On Monday Jaron and I will move to the appartment. It's a bit outside Seoul so I will have to take a bus in everyday.
After we dropped their stuff off we went to the Namsangol Hanok village which is a traditional village from back in the day. It was stunning to look at and great to see something in real life that I've seen in dramas. Then we went to another place that I can't remember the name of - it is a stream that was built over and then dug out again. It was so beautiful. we soaked our feet in it to cool ourselves down. It was strange to stand on the bridge and look down on this quiet haven of water and greenery with the mad Seoul traffic around you. A group of Korean children and their mums turned up and the children were so cute - all rushing to the stream and taking their shoes off. the said hello to us in English and seemed thrilled when we answered them in English and Korean. We met a Spanish man there just chilling out and Matt started talking to him. We all went to lunch together and exchanged emails. We were on the bridge and matt asked an old man if he would take our photo. The man pretended to run off with the camera and was trying to joke with us. After lunch we had a walk arounde the shops and market.People were so friendly, asking us where we come from etc. We bumped into two young men on one of the bridges and had a conversation. One of them had a sister in London studying. They were interested to know why I had chosen to come to Korea. I told them about my interests and how i had discovered Korea. After a long chat about Popular Korean culture one of the boys took my hand and said "I think you are Korean. If not now in a previous life".

I've also found a way to deal with the scarey ajummas! Smile sweetly and say "annyeong haseyo"
The response is amazing. Their hard looking, scowly faces beam at you and they greet you back!
I've discovered that Korean people are really friendly but you need to approach them first. It's also true that if you stand on the street and look at a map, that is the one time a Korean will approach you and offer to help you! This man came up and offered us help. He told us where to go and then gave me a map that had the english station names!
Matt and Sean went back to their hostel and I had to make some of the journey home on my own.I'm going to go out tomorrow on my own and try to find my way around. Daunted much!
I'm running out of money fast!!! My trip to Gyeong Ju is costing 100,000 won (50 quid) for the hotel and 60,000 (30 quid) for the travel. Two nights in backpackers is 50 quid. Food and stuff is really cheap but when you eat out all the time it adds up. When we're in the appartment we will save money because we can shop and eat at home. Also I'm drinking a lot of bottled water because although the water here is safe it has a lot of chlorine in it.
the weather hasn't been too bad but it is humid and we have had a bit of rain.
I got home at about 10 and I had a call from the cool couple asking me to meet them for dinner. I met them at the station and we went to a Korean BBQ. The food was lovely - we had pork bbq and some beer and it came to 5 quid each!
i've been really luck so far. Meeting Matt and Sean has been a right boon! they are really great and have been looking after me in Jarons absence. they invite me everywhere with them and I'm so pleased to be going away with them for acouple of days. they are the one and only reason I would consider going to Australia. I think I may take them up on their invite to Melbourne. Don't worry mark they are not typical Australians! they have the same opinion about the place as you do! In fact matt is from Greenwich and is as left wing as you can get! I love them!!! Matt is very enironment conscious. In fact today he went up to a korean man in the street who had thrown a drink carton on the floor. he picked it up and gave it back to him along with a lecture on looking after and being proud of your country! sean and I had to walk away because we were cracking up!! it rubs off on you too. I picked up astray plastic bag a the Hanok village today and put it in the bin.
One more thing! Walking! I have never walked so much in my life!!! there are hills everywhere! And it is so hot but i am determined to walk as much as I can. A habit I hope I keep when I get home. The stairs in and out of the underground are many and steep so I'm hoping that a combination of healthy korean food and all that exercise will make me healthier.
My opinion of Korea so far??
I LOVE IT!!!! despite the drunkeness, the (not so) scarey ajummas, the spitting on the street, the language barrier, the heat, the humidity, the funny money etc...I love this place! So far it has lived up to alll my expectations and I just hope I don't have any bad experiences to change my mind.

Went to Itaewan last night. We didn't go out until about 11ish.It was just Matt, Sean, Steph and I. We passed our stop on the train cos we were chatting and then the trains stopped so we had to continue in a cab. Seoul has so many hills!! We wandered through the street trying to find the place Jaron had told us but he gave me directions from the station. he'd left earlier to meet a friend. We actually knew we were in the right area when we started to spot the transvestites. OMG the y were pretty. We reached the bottom of what wee assumed was the 'Homo Hill' we were looking for . I said "OMG not another bloody hill!" This tall black American gay man grabbed my arm and said "Hi Honey - let a homo help you up the hill" That's when I deffo felt at home!
We looked around for Jaron and he appearedf in front of us. He introduced us to his friends and immediatly I started having a good time. I met a really funny American man called Steve who in turn introduced me to lots of other guy's. Some were American and others were Korean. Jaron introduced me to the man who owned the drag queen club and he told me that Rain had visited the club a few times!! (Hmm....makes you wonder!) I met the guy who owns the bar we were drinking at. He is American and really funny. We went inside and had a dance. We were trying to convince the Korean boys to dance with their shirts off like they do in London but they said they were too shy. We left about 3.15 - too early as far as I was concerned - the night was still buzzing!
Itaewan is fantastic. There is a mix of so many different people and lots of Americans. I was told there are a lot of gay American servicemen that drink there. There are a lot of transvestites and foreigners too. When I come back I think I will stay here as it seems to be busy all the time and there are a lot of English speaking people around.
I wanted to go and stay at Seould backpackers with Matt and Sean but there are no more rooms so I'm staying here for the next week. On Wednesday I'm going away with them for a couple of night and we've booked a really nice hotel. One day in the week I'm going with them to Namsan tower - I can't wait to go on the cable car!There's still so much I want to do and places I want to visit but I'm having to watch what I spend because of eating out all the time. Once we get into the appartment it will be better as we can buy food and eat in.

This is just a short one cos I'm tired. I've just got from a day out with Sean and Matt. We were picked up at 7.30 from outside Dunkin donuts (these bloody places are everywhere - what is it with Koreans and donuts????) We were dropped off at the Lotte hotel to wait for the coach. We had 20 mins to spare so we had a look around. OMG talk about opulent!This is the hotel I want to stay in when I get back!
The coach ride was about an hour. We stopped at Imjingak park and went to look at the freedom bridge. This was where the pow's were exchanged after the war. I found out lots of interesting thisgs such as it was built by the man who owned Hyundai, he was North Korean and was trapped on the South side. He stole a cow from his parents and went to the south to work. When the bridge was opened he drove a 101 cattle across to the north. One to replace the one he took and 100 as interest so it is also known as the cow bridge. There were messages of hope written on ribbons and pinned up on walls. It was quite emotional reading some of the messages. After that we went to the infiltration tunnel. I decided not to walk the tunnel as they recommended that people with heart trouble or diabetes didn't go. When I saw the people emerge from the tunnel 30 mins later I was glad I didn't go because it was quite an uphill trek on the way back. After that we went to the observatory. There are only certain places you are permitted to take photo from but Matt had binoculars so we could see North Korea and Gaesong quite clearly. There were soldiers among us ensuring that no one was taking pics in the restricted area. The restricted area was beyond a yellow line that was a few feet away from the observation wall where all the viewing scopes were. I guess this is because the North Korean military are observing and if they see photos being taken they would accuse the South Koreans of spying. One man had his video camera sitting on the wall and the soldiers were quite insitant that hew played back his film to see if he had been filming the north. My camera stayed firmly in my bag once I was over that line! It was quite an emotional experience because North Korea looked quite beautiful and the thought that there were people there that were suddenly separated from their families in the south is very sad. I also thought about the children over there that suffer from malnutrtion and lack of proper education.
On the way back we stopped a the station and I had my photo taken with a couple of soldiers. It was a very interesting experience and I might go again befor I leave but actually go to the Joint security area.
On the way back we got of the coach at myeong Dong. What a great place! We went in the Lotte store for a look. We were also trying to find an adapter so I can recharge my camera which had died by then. Matt eventually found one for me after we'd been to 50,000 shops!
The very exciting thing was that I found stalls selling DBSK merchansdise!!! Purses, calenders, passport cases etc!!! I am the saddest person in the word - I actually bought a Jaejoong jigsaw puzzle! I wouldn't buy anything because I have 3 weeks left to shop but when I saw this puzzle I had to have it. It is the cheapest most corniest thing I have seen so that's why I had to get it. A shop in the station also sold DVD's and Cd's mainly of DBSK. I'm going to treat myself to a picture book as here it's much cheaper than Yesasia.
We came home on the underground ( I refuse to call it the subway!) always an experience as Koreans concept of queing is almost non-existant. Of course we had to endure the stares from the scarey ajummas as usual. I'm finding this quite amusing now.
I'm going to have a rest now because we are going out later to Itaewan. I'm looking forward to that.
Matt and Sean are moving to another hostel near Myeong Dong in a couple of days and and as our app isn't ready till the third I might go with them. it depends if Jaron wants to or not. They are also going to a place called Gyeong Ju next week for a couple of days and they asked me if I want to go with them. It is the historical part of Korea so I think I'll go. I'm also going to the Namsan tower with them next week. It's good that I met them, it takes a bit of pressure off of Jaron because I'm not on my own all day. Let me tell you about them. Matt is a London born but has lived in Australia for 6 years. He is left wing and radical and is very irreverant about Australians. He is so funny and full of energy. Sean is his Australian husband and seems to have quite a different personality to Matt. He wanders of and says himself that he is in his own little bubble most of the time. They are both really lovely and they would be one reason I would visit Australia. I'm really pleased I met them.
I'm going for a lie down now so I have some energy for tonight!

I was going to have an early night last night but when we got back from the PC bang we sat and chatted with the girls for a bit. Then the two new residents turned up. They are Sean and Matt from Australia and they are married! It was so great to sit and talk to two gay guy's. We sat until about 4am and just chatted. Matt is English but lives in Australia. This morning or should I say afternoon Matt, Sean, Marika and I went out for lunch and coffee. when we got back Matt booked the DMZ tour for the three of us. Its costing 41000 won (about 20 quid) but we have to meet the bus at 7.30am - early night for sure! I'm looking forward to it but I really need to charge my camera and as the plugs are different I have to find an adapter. It's very quiet here at the moment because everyones gone out. I decided to stay in as I'm up early tomorrow then clubbing tomorrow night. I think I'll have a little sleep now.

Last night Jaron went out for dinner with his collegues so I went out with the girls from the hostel. We went into Hongdae. Marika forgot her id so we ended up wandering around until we found a club that would let us in.The first club we went to was very strange. Boys on one side and girls in the other, everyone seemed so self conscious as if they were worried about how they looked. we left there after a couple of drinks because it was so dead. We found another club called Ska 2. The doorman was great and he had the most amazing tattoos. He gave me the number of the tattooist.
As soon as we went inside I started dancing at the bar. A really lovely korean girl came up to me and started a conversation. I dragged her onto the dancefloor - we were the only ones on there. after while more people came in and it got a bit livelier.I met two African guys - one of them actually made a pass at me so he was told in no uncertain terms to bugger off! then I met two really nice french guys who ended up dancing with us. There was a really nice Korean boy who came and daced with us too. The two girls he was with wanted to go so he sent them off with his bag and stayed with us.Eventually I said to the french 'we need to liven this place up' So we dragged everyone onto the dance floor!All the little korean boys that were hanging around the edge of the dance floor watching were suddenly up there with us having a good time. i had a chat with the nice Jorean boy when I was dancing with him and it turned out that he wasn't a boy but 28 yrs old. his name was Min ah and he'd already done his military service. he really made an effort to speak to me in English which was really nice. we left the club around 4.30 and took a cab home. The cab cost just over four quid! I think at home it would have been about 15 quid.

korean clubs: Smoking is allowed. Most clubs women get in free and get 1 free drink. The club stays open longer and the drink is really cheap..a bottle of beer is about 2 quid.

It was a really good night!!! Crazy but good.
Today i went to the SM entertainment buiding with Deam. She is an American Vietnamese girl staying at the hostel. Getting there was a mission. 2 trains and a very long walk. We stopped off at the SME shop first and bought a couple of goodies. There was so much Suju and DBSK stuff!
We got to the building and I was really surprised. The building is old and scruffy with no signs. There's lots of graffiti on the walls, mostly korean. When we was ligging about outside two American girls that work there told us that Shinee were having a photo shoot up the road. they told us to sneak in and have a quick look. We watched them for about 10 mins. we were so close to them and they looked really nice. i managed to sneak a couple of pics! then all the fangirls turned up - obviously to see Suju cos the boys are back in Japan. It's so stange to go and see a place that you've only ever seen on the internet.
I got back home at about 7. I've done so much walking this last couple of days and I haven't eaten much. Jaron and I have just had dinner and now we're sitting in a PC Bang. I'm having an early night tonight. I'm going to sit and plan my outings for the next couple of days. they run tours from the hostel to the DMZ so I might do that while I'm here.
So far so good. I'm loving this place. The people are very different and the customs are very different. The seoul metro is nearly as crazy as the roads but now I've used it a couple of times it's not so scarey.
The thing that scares me most in Korea??? The crazy ajummas! OMG these women are intimidating. They stare at you like your from outer space. I thought it was just me but I noticed when I was on the train that these women give everyone dirty looks. They are nasty!
Going home now!!!
사 랑
Jojo xxx

Crazy night!!!

Jaron and I met the people and Windfllower and they were all very friendly. Jaron went to bed because of his early start the next morning. I stayed and carried on drinking with Tomato, Marika and Stephanie. Stephanie and Marika work here, they are from Germany and Finland respectively. Marika and I decided to go and get some more Soju and snacks. On the way back we met two young men and being the way I am I had to speak to them. On of them - calls himself Kevin, runs the hostel next door. We asked him to show us around Bong house and it was vewry nice. It ended up with all of us back and Windflower drinking and chatting. We were gwetting so loud wedecided to go to the park! OMG I felt like I was 15 all over again! So there were the two boys, two girl and I sitting in a park drinking Soju and eating crisps. We saw a young man sleeping on a bench so we woke him up and he joined us. He was drunk and having a rest before he made his way home. So now there was seven of us. What I find unbelieveable is that it took less than a tenner to get us all drunk and feed us! An ajosshi wandered in and sat near us so I went and said hello - he was a nice old guy and I suspect he sneaked out of his house for a cigarette. I've come to the conclusion that Koreans are friendly but only if you approach them first.

I woke up today at about 1pm. I had a shower in a bathroom where you just stand on the floor. Everything in the bathroom is waterproof - so cool!
I wandered around the local area today - just so I could explore. I went to Starbucks for my breakfast and managed to order in Korean! I sat upstairs facin the window and decided to just people watch. Here are some of my observations:
The roads: Crazy crazy crazy!!! The traffic is horrendous. There are crossings with the green/red man but that doesn't stop cars from stopping on the crossing while people weave in and out trying to cross. The taxis stop anyway and wait - even on the crossings! Motor cyclists and bikers weave in and out of traffic at great speed! There are an awful lot of mopeds and scooters and they also use the crossings to cross over!
Busus: There a so many buses. If your bus pulls away and you chase it it will stop for you. I saw many people chasing after buses.
Police sirens: They sound so funny - a bit like a person whining.

Ive been to the shops to buy hairspray etc. Everything is so cheap here! My cappacino and bagel this morning cost me just over 3 quid.
It's so lovely being surrounded by the Korean language and music all the time. So far I love it here - I just hope I keep on loving it!

Im sitting in Narita aiport at the moment because we have a couple of ｈourｓ till our flight to Seoul. Im so tired!!! Got to Heathrow this morning at 10.30. While Mark parked up Steph, Reece and I went to the departures board and when I saw our flight on the board I did the happy dance singing "Im going to Korea...Im going to Korea". Behind me was a Korean gentleman and as I turned he laughed at me. Embarressed much???
A bit later on at Narita he came up to me in the immigration line and we had a chat. He works for the Korean tourist organisation! He along with two ladies whom I assume are his wife and daughter are on our flight to Seoul.　Im glad though because when I came to the front of the line　a fierce looking Japanese man waved me away telling me to finish filling in my declation card properly! I didn't understand what he meant. The nice Korean man told him I was in transit so I didn't need to do anything else. My hero!!!
I've only had 30 minutes sleep since I started my journey so I am absolutely knackered - but I'm too excited to care.
Japan (alright so I'm only at the airport!) is quite funny. The Japanese stewardess on our flight was over the top friendly but all the airport officials are very scarey. The people in the shops are lovely.
I'm going to get some food now. The food on the plane was some food now. The food on the plane was nice but I had my brekki at about 1.30 am our time so I think my body is confused!
Korea here I come!!!!!!

OMG! Leaving for the airport in about half a hour. Still won't believe I'm going until I'm on the plane.

Lets hope the lady at the embassy is in a good mood tomorrow and tells Jaron when he can pick up his visa.
Currency arrived today (Thanks Dommo)
Accomodation is sorted (Thanks Jarons mate)
I can't wait to book our flights and start packing! Fingers crossed x