8th Feb: Onto the bus at 11 (at night) in Seoul and we were off on the long drivedown to Busan. Hoping that the traffic wouldn't be too bad, even though it'sSeolnal (Lunar New Year) and they had extended the bus only lanes for a few more hours. 9th Feb: Well we made it to Busan around four, half four ish. The traffic wasn't that bad, a lot better than it had been at Chuseok. The bus was freezing though, which made it difficult to sleep. We dropped off the people, who were staying in Busan for the holiday at their hotel and then drove to the port. We parked up in the carpark and slept until about 6 or 7. When I woke up the bus was like a sauna. It's was bloody lovely, after ... read more

5th Jan: Up at 6. Showered, layered up, and had brekky. Skidded down the road to get a taxi. One came pretty quick. Taxi driver was chatty, sad face, I can't be arsed to make conversation in broken English first thing in the morning. Got to Suwon station by about half seven. Went and got a coffee at Maccy Ds in the station and then headed out to the subway exit, where the bus would be picking us up. Chain smoked, while waiting. The bus turned up about ten to eight. We all got on. Bloody hell, it was freezing on the bus. We waited for a bit and then drove into Seoul to pick up the people there, at the Express Bus Terminal and Yongsan. My God I was bursting for the toilet. Tried to ... read more

6th Oct: Up far too early. I made my way to Seoul and onto the bus to take us to Andong. The bus journey was about 3 and half hours, not too bad. We stopped a couple of times on the way. We arrived at Hahoe Village around 12. We got off our coach and onto the regular shuttle buses that take you from the park's entrance to the main village. We took a five minute walk and then we arrived at our accomodation for the night. Hahoe Village is an old style Korean folk village, however it differs from other folk villages in that people actually live there, so it isn't just for show. It's all preserved in the old style. The only spoiling factor is the sky dishes attached to the houses and the ... read more

Well this blog isn't really about travelling, but it is about experiencing culture through food. Something I really enjoy. I love Korean food, but didn't really know where to start when it came to trying to cook it myself, so I signed up for a nine week cookery class. The course I took was run by the Institute of Korean Royal Cuisine. the course took place in their istitute in near Anguk station in Seoul, right next to Changdeokgung Palace. The building is a traditional Hanok, set around a courtyard, it's so pretty. The Institute of Korena Royal Cuisine researches and passes on the Royal Cuisine of the Joseon Dynasty, which is a nationally designated important intangible property. Each week we had a different teacher, who would teach us the dishes, the teachers seemed to teach ... read more

Alarm went off at 8 am. Why did I think it was a good idea to go out drinking until 5 via KFC? Oh well. Right, time to pack and clean my apartment. On the airport bus by 11. Got checked in and had a hot bagel and coffee to sober me up. Witnessed a woman beating up her husband / boyfriend in the deprture area. Gave me a good chuckle. Flight was traumatic. Asiana, why do employ kamikaze pilots? Got a grilling off the customs guy due to the size of my very large case for a three day holiday. Got the metro fine and arrived at the hostel without getting lost due to the fantastic directions with pictures and arrows the hostel provided. Thank you Khaosan Original! 4th May: After a lovely long lie-in ... read more