Katherine crewing a Lark
Dad at the front of the Squib, back of the race
Semaphore
1 week ago
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
Back
It's nice to be back in the UK. Understanding what people are saying, being able to read signs without sounding them out, tea. It's also great to see the folks again. They were good enough to pick me up from the airport and now I've got a place to stay. Bonus.
I'm looking forward to meeting up with old friends and family. I'm also looking forward to taking lots of lovely pictures here in the UK. Last night my dad and I were pouring over OS maps of the area for nice places to go. I've got the use of my sister's car, which isn't of much use to her yet as she hasn't passed her driving test. We'll see how that goes.
I've also got a years worth of Professional Photographer magazine to work through since I forgot to cancel that subscription before I left. Kind of glad I didn't cancel it now.
I'm looking forward to meeting up with old friends and family. I'm also looking forward to taking lots of lovely pictures here in the UK. Last night my dad and I were pouring over OS maps of the area for nice places to go. I've got the use of my sister's car, which isn't of much use to her yet as she hasn't passed her driving test. We'll see how that goes.
I've also got a years worth of Professional Photographer magazine to work through since I forgot to cancel that subscription before I left. Kind of glad I didn't cancel it now.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Out
As of 12:50pm RoK time I am no longer calling South Korea home. Technically I moved out of my Korean apartment before I went to Korea and returned to Korea as a tourist but now I am on my way back to the UK. At the time of writing I am in the departures lounge of Moscow airport waiting for my 20:45 aeroflot flight to London Heathrow.
I had a hell of a time checking out of Korea. My bags were over-weight so I tried removing all my books but that wasn't enough so I had to re-pack stuff I would need more immediately and mailing everything else to myself in the UK. Courtney was an amazing help through this. She took the initiative going to the post office and grabbing a box. Despite getting to Incheon an hour before my check-in even opened I was still in a rush to get to my gate. Still, in the grand scheme of things its not that bad. It added an extra element to a day that was already full of extra elements but it wasn't like I was in mortal danger or anything. I suppose I should use this as something to think back on next time I consider acquiring more stuff.
I had a hell of a time checking out of Korea. My bags were over-weight so I tried removing all my books but that wasn't enough so I had to re-pack stuff I would need more immediately and mailing everything else to myself in the UK. Courtney was an amazing help through this. She took the initiative going to the post office and grabbing a box. Despite getting to Incheon an hour before my check-in even opened I was still in a rush to get to my gate. Still, in the grand scheme of things its not that bad. It added an extra element to a day that was already full of extra elements but it wasn't like I was in mortal danger or anything. I suppose I should use this as something to think back on next time I consider acquiring more stuff.
Monday, August 31, 2009
China
Courtney and I have just got back from a week's backpacking in China. We had a crazy 3 days from me finishing work to getting on the plane. Even then I had problems with my working visa expiring, but as I wasn't going to be doing any work when I got back I could return to Korea on a tourist visa. Cool beans.
Our hostel was a brilliant place, nestled in one of Beijing's Hutong districts. We were about a 20 minutes walk south of Tienanmen Square so had a pretty central location. It was really strange and quite humbling to go from South Korea, where we have a foothold on the language and culture to being dropped right at the bottom of the pile again. Still we managed to fuddle along okay. Our biggest problems arose in restaurants where we seemed to be ordering too little food. Never quite figured that one out.
We had about 5 days in Beijing. We walked around Tienanmen Square, looked in at the Forbidden City, ate fried scorpions on sticks, saw the preserved body of Mao Zedong and rode bicycles. We also spent a day on the Great Wall in Simitai, a 4 hour bus ride from Beijing. It's a very steep section of the wall so can be kind of treacherous in places but means that its also fairly quiet up there. We walked along it for about a mile or so, awestruck that we were there on the Great Wall of China. Our exit strategy off the wall was via perhaps the best form of transport available: zip-line! We also took sleeper trains to and from Xian, where we were saw the terracotta warriors, 6,000 of them unearthed after 2,000 years underground. It was a stunning sight.
Despite the chronic lack of sleep, suffering from Beijing belly and not really knowing what was going on at any moment, it was a fantastic trip. The people of China came across as friendly and most spoke excellent English. The sights were everything we could have hoped for them to be. All in all it was a fantastic experience and a wonderful way to end my time in East Asia.
Our hostel was a brilliant place, nestled in one of Beijing's Hutong districts. We were about a 20 minutes walk south of Tienanmen Square so had a pretty central location. It was really strange and quite humbling to go from South Korea, where we have a foothold on the language and culture to being dropped right at the bottom of the pile again. Still we managed to fuddle along okay. Our biggest problems arose in restaurants where we seemed to be ordering too little food. Never quite figured that one out.
We had about 5 days in Beijing. We walked around Tienanmen Square, looked in at the Forbidden City, ate fried scorpions on sticks, saw the preserved body of Mao Zedong and rode bicycles. We also spent a day on the Great Wall in Simitai, a 4 hour bus ride from Beijing. It's a very steep section of the wall so can be kind of treacherous in places but means that its also fairly quiet up there. We walked along it for about a mile or so, awestruck that we were there on the Great Wall of China. Our exit strategy off the wall was via perhaps the best form of transport available: zip-line! We also took sleeper trains to and from Xian, where we were saw the terracotta warriors, 6,000 of them unearthed after 2,000 years underground. It was a stunning sight.
Despite the chronic lack of sleep, suffering from Beijing belly and not really knowing what was going on at any moment, it was a fantastic trip. The people of China came across as friendly and most spoke excellent English. The sights were everything we could have hoped for them to be. All in all it was a fantastic experience and a wonderful way to end my time in East Asia.
Beijing
Hutong door
Entrance to the Forbidden City
Inside the Forbidden City
Hutong roofs
Surprisingly delicious
Hutong
Tienanmen Square
Back From China
Just got back from a week in China. Went off to Beijing and Xian. I was hoping to keep this updated while I was there but it seems that blogger, along with facebook and twitter are all on the wrong side of the Great Firewall of China.
Now I'm back in Korea, where Asia makes sense so will get selection of pictures up sharpish.
Now I'm back in Korea, where Asia makes sense so will get selection of pictures up sharpish.
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