Sunday 17 June - I had decided that a visit to the island of Sapsido was recommended, mostly because it was covered in detail in the Lonely Planet (yes I could strike out where no man has gone before but there are risks.... had had enough adventure the previous day). First of all however I had to change my accommodation. As it was Sunday and the pressure is only really on Friday and Saturday accommodation I walked over to the Motel Coconuts which was advertising WiFi. My purpose was to ascertain the price before I wheeled my bag over. When she told me 50,000 I began to walk away, only to get my stuff and check in properly. However this must have been taken as the old market -- walk away price negotiation thing, and she ... read more

It was a late night last night, not really as a result of the raw chestnut/rice wine last night at Nomasaru, more the blogging update! (What I do for you people - or myself). Anyway got myself together and left the motel at about 11:30 AM and got myself a taxi rather than walk across the bridge to the bus terminal. As the buses were more or less every 30 minutes to Buyeo did not even check the times but headed for the local outlet in the terminal of Paris Baguette, an upmarket bakery, which also was at my local Metro station in Seoul at Anguk, but I did not actually try. (Unbelievably there was no 7- 11 type convenience store anywhere near my motel in Gongju - outrage, normally they are about every 200 m, ... read more

I started the last post on the train to Cheosan. Getting to Cheosan could have been on two ways, all actually three ways, if I wanted to spend 2 1/2 hours on the subway/metro going all the way to about the seventh last stop of the incredibly long line 1. Instead it took me an even hour or so on the aforementioned Saemaeul express train. I could also have gone by bus but as there are about four bus stations in Seoul from which buses for various cities leave, I decided it was easier to change one subway station and go to Seoul Central Station. I decided to buy a ticket from the machine, which you can at least persuade to work in English . I discovered then that I could get the really fast KTX ... read more

8 June: decided I would check out the high end Apgujeong shopping area. Although I knew where it was it was further than I thought from the subway station of the same name. I was essentially looking for Rodeo Street (no relation -- much -- to Rodeo Drive in LA/Beverley Hills). Not entirely sure I actually found it but after having wandered through the two rather large buildings of the Galleria - essentially European labels and all that sort of designer gear, I had probably seen enough anyway. Strangely enough I came upon a wine shop and actually bought a half bottle of NZ pinot noir for about $12 as it was slightly reduced (more importantly it had a screw top -- these snobs who still insist on corks for closures are mugs). Anyway wandered around ... read more

real time is actually Sunday night 10 June and I am really behind so must catch up with this blog. I have had an extremely slow day today due to a relatively hard night drinking and eating last night with my American buddy Uday but you will hear about that later. 6 June is actually Memorial Day in Korea but from the couple of Koreans I spoke to they did not seem really clear on what it actually commemorated! I think it is basically the same as Memorial Day in the USA which notionally honours the efforts of their armed forces generally in various conflicts. It is certainly not the same date as that of the start of the Korean war, 25 June 1950 as I recall, nor the "ending" (of full scale hostilities only) of ... read more