Blogs from Hwacheon, Gangwon-do, South Korea, Asia

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

No, I lied...no fishies were caught this past weekend. But WHAT a weekend. I had pretty much decided to cross off the months of January and February when it came to exploring and travelling just because it was cold, icy, and just not-cool weather (geez, listen to this Canadian complain) for exploring the country. HOWEVER, when Adventure Korea e-mailed me about an upcoming "ice fishing festival" trip on their website, I just couldn't resist. And boy, did I make the right choice. This past weekend was two fun-filled days of ice, snow, hiking, sancheoneo (mountain trout), bbq, and jet-fueled bonfires. I left Daejeon early Saturday morning to catch the KTX to Seoul in order to meet up with Adventure Korea at the Express Bus Terminal station. I was wired with excitement which resulted in complete lack ... read more

Spring in Gangwon-Do is definately here and while the flowers bloom the insects awaken my smile and mood is elevating daily. The long Korean winter had a huge effect on my motivation and mood in general and I had almost forgotten what it felt like to walk outside without a coat and scarf! I finally opened the box of summer clothes I had been storing under my bed for months and months and swaped those for the scarfs, hats, ear warmers and knee high socks! It felt good to pack away winter - at least for now. I am definately a warm weather creature - I'd much rather be too hot than too cold. Koreans are very interesting to watch when it comes to weather and temperature. During winter they pump the heating 24/7 and the ... read more

When I registered with travelblog about 4 months ago, I had totally convinced myself that I would be writing regularly and that my entries would be interesting and full of my adventures in yet another part of the world. The reality is not that I simply havn't had time to write more that I havnt had much to write about. In August when I arrived I had high expectations of seeing and really settling into a country I would spend the next 12 months. The first 7 days were spent at an orientation in Seoul. The long days that week meant that I saw about 2 blocks of Seoul at 11pm one evening. Then on to my new home for the next year. On the last day my friend and I were told we would be ... read more