As time rapidly runs out and this steam train of an adventure comes hurtling towards its final destination, it’s only right that I take the time out to write another few paragraphs of inane rubbish. And in a thwarting contrast to the last entry, there will be no overabundance of pictures this time around as my craptop has decided to be an absolute nemesis and stop letting me upload pictures. I’m afraid you’ll have to make do with looking at them on my 4 inch camera screen when I get home. Sorry. It’s certainly not Club Tropicana here at the moment, with rain so heavy that it renders umbrellas almost useless and when it lands it bounces 3 feet up your trousers. Nonetheless, it was my week off last week so I braved the conditions and ... read more

I spent last weekend at Songnisan National Park in Cheongju. It was a welcome break from city life and a much needed opportunity to breathe some fresh air. It was also an example of why it’s a good idea to befriend some local people because I don’t think I’d have made it there on my own. It was well worth the 5am start on Saturday and the 4 hour drive! Once we’d arrived, had breakfast and checked in to our Minbak (rented room) we started on the long walk up the mountain. Songnisan’s myriad trails are popular hikes and there were plenty of mad Korean rambling hikers on route to the heady thousand-metre-high peak. There was also an amusing sign at the bottom of the trail with diagrams showing how to stretch before walking the mountain. ... read more

In the last few weeks I have endeavoured to see some sights and take in some more culture and history - and Korea has plenty of both. Sightseeing is made a lot easier by the fact that I live less than an hour of Seoul, where there’s so much to see and do. I thought I’d share a few pictures of the places I’ve seen. Insadong is one of the best known attractions in Korea, both for foreigners and natives. You can wander around and see traditional Korean crafts, snacks, pottery, galleries, clothes, and street performances. The historical main street is like no other in Korea so you see a real contrast when you reach the end and rejoin modern day Korea - neon lights, shopping centres and high rise buildings. About 5 minutes from Insadong ... read more

Hi All! I’m just checking in to let you know that all is well and that I haven’t forgotten about this page for those of you who still take the trouble to check it. Sorry I haven’t given you anything new to read for a while! It’s come to that point in my journey that was always going to be one of the hardest…..Christmas! One of the few draw backs of coming here for this great experience is that I have to spend Christmas away from home for the first time. I can’t deny that it will be difficult but one day of feeling lonely and homesick is a small price to pay for the enjoyment I’ve already had and hope to have more of in the coming months. The winter here has started to hit ... read more

I enrolled on to a Korean course just a couple of weeks ago and already I'm reaping the rewards. Not only are my lessons completely free but last Sunday I got to go on the first of many 'all expenses paid' day trips organised by the academy. It turned out to be quite a treat. There were about 90 people on the trip but only about 7 or 8 foreigners, few of whom I would regard as normal or worth speaking to. If you had seen one chap you could have been forgiven for believing that Freddie Mercury never died and that he simply moved to Korea and started wearing roll neck t-shirts. As a new foreigner in the Talk House group who hadn’t been seen on previous trips, I was quite the flavour of the ... read more