http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Jools/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Jools en-us Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:14:13 +0000 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:14:13 +0000 Ladies Market bargain Backpack crammed full of kit one last trip to the post office to post my sixth and final parcel home and I was finally mentally and physically prepared for vacationing in VietnamI arrived a little before 4pm at Hanoi Airport and boy the contrast between Hong Kong and Hanoi was evident from touch down but the third world vibe always gets me a little excited cause it oozes a http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Hanoi/blog-454736.html Irsquom not too sure how 4 days of traveling can feel like months but when 12pm rolled around and I was due to get in a taxi and then onto a shuttle bus to the airport to catch my flight from Xian to Gaungzhou my mood was akin to that of a traveler who has hit the six month mark on a round the world trip. I hadnrsquot realised just how much personality was lacking till I had a rather annoying http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/blog-454572.html I truthfully think that being late and rushing for things is a type of curse that follows me because no matter how much time I try and allow in the hopes of being early or at least on time I still seem to be late or only just on time. I was told that it would take 20minutes to get to the train station so I set aside an hour and low and behold the epic traffic in Beijing coupled with my idiotic t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Shanxi/blog-452709.html I was very excited about a trip to see the Great Wall of China and we had heard only good things about the organised trip that could be booked through our hostel so we secured a place each Maria and I and we set our alarm clocks for 5am so that we could brave the freezing cold morning. 555 our transport arrived and two Germans a Scot and I joined a bus with a couple of other people and off we http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Beijing/Great-Wall-of-China/blog-452221.html Needless to say I only got to the airport 30minutes before my flight was due to take off so the China Air booking lady promptly told me I wouldnrsquot be getting on the flight bound for Beijing at 105 seeing some distress in my face she immediately started to check up on the later flight and not 5 minutes after telling me I has in fact missed my flight proceeded to inform me that in actual f http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Beijing/Tian-anmen/blog-452026.html After Chusok weekend ended life switched from a nice even 80kmh pace to 250kmh on an autobahn in a country that didnrsquot seem like South Korea it was a chaotic whirlwind but unforgettable none the less. The remaining four weeks that I had were filled with exam writing stress mad school stress coupled with the need and desire to attend every Hash and every party that was on the cards. It re http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Seoul/blog-452018.html I never thought I would see a second Chusok weekend in South Korea but there I was 13 months in and so happy that we had a long weekend Since staying in the city for Chusok was not at all what any of us had in mind we enlisted the services of Jusinersquos very awesome Korean Coteacher Sophia to help organise us a little get away to Gyeongju so see the cultural centre of South Korea. Naturall http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Gyeongsangbuk-do/Gyeongju/blog-452005.html Itrsquod been well over a year since Irsquod been to the beach and to say that I was missing some sun and surf would be an understatement and since my time left in the ROK was rapidly drawing to an end a trip to the easterly shores of South Korea was a must and so the call to Busan was made.7 newly acquainted mates boarded a train at 1115pm and we were on our way for a weekend of unbelievable http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Busan/blog-434560.html 730pm and I was on a train in Osaka watching an atmospheric buzz of Kimono clad Japanese while on route to a fireworks display wondering how only three hours in Osaka could possibly have been so awesomeI arrived at ShinOsaka station around 320 Oh sorry 321 Shinkansen time in usual style I quickly made my way from ShinOsaka through the mayhem that is Osaka station and onwards to Fuku http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Osaka/Osaka/blog-429214.html Captivating Hiroshima and MiyajimaThere is a down side to missing your 716 train...cause hot footing it to the station to see if there is perhaps a 740 train and finding out that the next train available to you is only at 950 results in an epic wait in the station To top it off when you finally get on the train hoping to nap for a couple of hours to recuperate and discover you got booked to s http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hiroshima/blog-428897.html Arriving a little after 11pm in Kyoto I missioned strait for a pay phone and managed to secure a bed for the night on my third call. I had grand ideas of making a night adventure of the walk to the backpackers but after leaving the station it quickly became apparent that it was perhaps a silly idea to get lost in Kyoto at 1130pm so I refrained from indulging in adventurous temptation and opted r http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Kyoto/Kyoto/blog-427386.html 28th of August and there I was sitting on the bullet train sipping my English tea and eating a raisin bun how I miss these pleasures waiting for the trains departure bound for Odawara and onwards to Hakone for a full day of adventuringIt turned out to be a rather hectic but serene day all at the same time starting off with a jolted off the bullet train in Odawara because I had it in my mind tha http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Kanagawa/Hakone/blog-427321.html I couldn't believe it was already 630pm 36hrs after arriving Tokyo and it was literally the first time I had taken time to absorb and fully take in everything and where better to take the time to reflect than sitting in a coffee shop in Shibuka overlooking Tokyorsquos finest Tokyo really is just brilliantI arrived around 12ish the day before but by the time I had collected my luggage alway http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Tokyo/blog-427048.html Summer is in full swing and what better way to enjoy some sun than at the beach. Annually Boryeong some two and a half hours by train South of Seoul holds a mud fest. Yes an excuse for just about every westerner in South Korea to hit the beach and get silly and dirty....itrsquos a recipe for fun740 am excitement at an all time high and time to taxi to the train station. We got lucky that o http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Chungcheongnam-do/Boryeong/blog-422021.html I am increasingly astounded at how quickly time flies. I have now been here close on 9 months and I just donrsquot know where time has gone. As I mentioned my coteacher Robin sadly couldnrsquot get her head around the crazy disorganization which is a common occurrence at a Korean Hagwon and I think perhaps the whole Asian experience was just not quite what she expected so she did a midnight http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Incheon/blog-412039.html Yay finally a clear day in Seoul about time You always read that highly industrialized countries like China are so polluted but you never really grasp the immensity of the pollution In fact even when you get here you kind of brush it off thinking that itrsquos maybe just a little fog until you head down south to places like Gwanju and you actually experience a truly beautiful clear day where http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Seoul/blog-411732.html Itrsquos quite strange to have family around 247 for two weeks and then suddenly wake up on a Saturday and they have gone home now how to occupy yourself61514. After missing it on our Seoul city bus tour I decided that Gyeonbokgung deserved a visit the lazy Saturday. It turned out that I got even more than I bargained for and my fairly average Saturday turned into a really lovely Korean exp http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Seoul/blog-411728.html Wow a week flies The folks kept themselves well occupied checking out the sights and sounds of Seoul Incheon and the surrounds and then it was Friday again much to my delight. We had been invited to have dinner with all the staff from school and admittedly I was worried cause I had been told that we were going for a traditional Korean meal how the three of us were going to make it through a tr http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Gangwon-do/Chuncheon/blog-411724.html I had been looking so forward to this trip and even more so cause I would have a couple of good travel companions for the trip Tea picking in Boseong in spring what a treat7am and we were on our way to the Incheon bus terminal soon to be on rout to Gwanju. The buses in Korea as I have mentions so often are fantastic but the half way stops AKA Engen 1 stop type spots are even more incredible http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Gwangju/blog-410995.html There is nothing better than family normally but itrsquos even better when they manage to make the long treck east to visit After lots of discussion my folks finally arrived on South Korean soil. It was brilliant to have them here for a two week visit to see where I work and live and just to experience South Korea a county that would ordinarily not be a spot I nor they would ordinarily think t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Seoul/blog-410935.html