More travels in Korea

We took a bus from Busan to Sacheon to see Jo and Andy Hay. Jo teaches new entrants at an International School and Andy gets English teaching jobs. We met Jo and Andy in Blenheim in 1986 when we first arrived there and while they are “old friends”, we haven’t seen them for 35 years. Still, it was good to catch up and spend 3 nights with them, see how they lived and visit some sites. We took in the Aeronautical museum which showed off Korea’s growing aeroplane industry and also took a local bus to the Jinju lantern festival. A spectacular array of lights on the river and parks which runs for two weeks.

From Sacheon we fast trained to Seoul, the capital, for 4 nights. On arriving we checked in to our hotel and discovered once again that they had an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) machine in a small suitcase in the room. Every hotel room we have stayed in seems to have one so closer inspection was required. Argh, not so. It was a length of rope for letting oneself down the outside of the building in times of emergency. And emergencies are regular. We have had 8 so far. They come in on our phone at all hours, state EMERGENCY ALERT, then have a paragraph of hieroglyphics. Very handy at 3.00am with a tsunami warning, us on the 9^th floor with a piece of rope, a body weighing 85kgs and biceps that have a maximum tare weight of 70kgs! I could see a very broken body with rope burned fingers lying on the pavement below every window in the street.

In Seoul we had a lady from the Auckland office of the company that I do some work for in Blenheim. She has fluent English and took us places where the company paid all our fees and bought us meals, very generous bonus we thought. We visited Seoul’s sky tower, a cultural village 600 years old, the war museum where we saw that 6000 kiwi soldiers fought in 1950-53 and 45 lives were lost.  Quite bloody though with thousands of Koreans and Americans getting killed in the name of peace. There is still a “cold war” attitude with North Korea and we visited the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) about 35kms north of the city. Looking across the DMZ which includes a river we could see people walking about on dusty roads living in small rural houses while on the south side there are skyscraper apartment buildings (50% of people in Seoul live in apartments) and tarseal 4 lane highways with flash Hyundai and Kia cars by the thousand.

Food in Korea has been surprisingly delicious. Just about everything has been really tasty. One of their main dishes is Kimchi…preserved cabbage. My first taste didn’t go well but after continual bombasting of my taste buds I found it edible. I wouldn’t walk across the road to get it mind you. One evening we stopped off at a Cat café for hot chocolate before bedtime. There were about 50 cats, of all species, colours and sizes. They walked wherever they wished, on tables, on the till and generally lay about wherever they pleased just like cats do really.

For a day trip we crossed the peninsula to the east, a two lanes each way road, 35 tunnels and 58 viaducts so the road is almost flat.  These guys seem to love digging tunnels, the average self-respecting mole would be embarrassed. One tunnel was 11kms long and throughout it has noises and surface changes to make different noises as you drive over. So, we hear police sirens, whistling, ambulance sound and rumble strips. Lighting also changes as you move through with rainbow colours around the inside and flood lights and spot lights. A Korean voice also says to slow down no matter what speed you are doing. But the roads are in very good condition, safe it seems and speed limit is mostly 100k/hr.

Our last night out was with one of the chiefs from the company I work for and we were treated to a 6 course meal in a very nice restaurant with a fine bottle of Italian red wine. No NZ wine to be seen in any of the places we looked, and these guys drink plenty. 

Our visit to Korea ends today Friday (Happy Birthday Rodger) and we fly on to Fukuoka in the south of Japan hoping to avoid the approaching typhoon but that will be more good luck than good management. 

PS We really enjoyed our hotel in Seoul. The room was minute but we have had no time to spend in it and the bed was comfy. The highlight is the Myeongdong area it was situated in. It is a hive of shopping, market activity and street food every day and night till late. We have always felt completely safe in Korea and the people are incredibly polite and helpful. The trendy fashion shops are numerous but even if I was interested I’m sure they would not have my size!! The food is an experience in itself. You order one dish and it comes accompanied by 6 side dishes and soup. The amount of washing up must be ridiculous. D

Busan, South Korea

Our journey started with a fairly hectic flight schedule to South Korea. First 13 hours to Hong Kong, a few hours wait, then 4hrs to Busan, another wait, then a 45 minute flight to Jeju Island. It was long but we survived and pleased to get ourselves horizontal in the Orange Tree Hotel. We were only pleased for a few minutes as we then discovered that they haven’t discovered innersprung or foam mattresses on Jeju and instead of down pillows they opt for mortar filled pillows. It is little wonder they work so hard over here, the less time they suffer in bed the better. 

Jeju Island was recommended to us by my Korean masters (when I am working back in Marlborough). They explained it was like Queenstown is to New Zealand. The island is about the same size as Stewart Island and although we had a good wander around and did take a guided day Tour we think that Queenstown is a far more enviable destination. We walked to the top of a small hill, the whole island is a volcanic remnant, and got some exercise while doing that. Along all the city walking paths there is exercise equipment free to stretch your muscles and generally extend ligaments whenever you wish. I had a go on a few of those, some of which were excellent.

Our Day Tour was to have included a hike on the lower slopes of a volcano. Mt Hallasan is Korea's tallest mountain at 2000 mtrs. However the day before saw torrential rainfall and we were unable to go up the mountain. We couldn’t even see the mountain and had showers all day. Instead we visited two tea farms, a magic house aimed at 10 year olds, a UNESCO Geological Heritage area, a Temple and dined on traditional Korean tucker. All in all the rearranged tour was rather underwhelming and sometimes you just have to miss things, as many people do with Mt Cook when they visit NZ. 

 

However on Jeju we discovered that Korean food is tasty, not too spicy and most enjoyable. We visited an underground shopping centre that had corridors of shops in every direction. How many people down there that have been missing for months is unimaginable. We were careful to keep our bearings and pleased to get out exactly where we wanted to be.

After 3 nights on Jeju we flew back to Busan on the mainland. Unfortunately a typhoon blew in on the morning of our departure and while our flight was delayed, several others delayed or cancelled, we got away for a fairly bumpy 45 minute flight to Busan International. Taxi to our Queens Hotel was easy and even at 11.00am our room was ready. And they have innersprung mattresses! We went walking in the rain and 30 degree heat. Found out that 500mls of beer cost $6.00 as does a packet of cigarettes. We live streamed the All Blacks playing Canada, presumably free because they are a non-rugby playing nation and the IRB want to encourage the game in countries yet see the light.

Our last day in Busan we have spent getting some “Kulchar”. We used local buses to get to Gamcheon Culture Village where 10,000 of the most poor people in Busan live. By opening the village up to tourism they have been able to raise the standard of living for the inhabitants who run a multitude of small businesses…however they do have to put up with thousands of tourists wandering through their backyards.

Using public transport and in fact trying to find anything is a challenge. There are sign boards in most places we have visited with information in four languages…but no English. Mostly hieroglyphics, we can’t even pronounce what or where we want to go. People don’t speak English but they are very patient, very warm and welcoming and understanding of our pointing and posturing. We haven’t been lost or hungry so doing just fine.

Bonnie Scotland

We had an uneventful flight on a Chines airplane from Dublin to Edinburgh. Pleased to be in Scotland but a little worrisome as to why a Chinese carrier should be diverting from the unlikely port of Dublin to somewhere more unlikely in Edinburgh. A Chinese local in the municipal pipe band may one day happen!

Edinburgh we have visited previously but it was nice to be back among some notable land marks. The castle dominates the skyline as we wandered the city just people watching and browsing souvenir shops. I enter these shops with every intention of making a purchase, determined to buy something I want but repeatedly exit without goods. Then I get home and see a small space on the sideboard or a gap on the wall and say to myself ”…I should have bought that wee treasure in Scotland…”.

The city was gearing up for the Edinburgh Festival but sadly we had to move on.

We picked up a rental car and headed to the hills to the south of the city for a couple of hours walking for the good of our health. We got great views on a relatively clear day. Also got up close to one of the bovine locals. We drove north past “The Kelpies” on our way to St Andrews. The Kelpies are a pair of 30 metre high horse heads, a sculpture sort of thing finished in 2013..brand new for this country. Quite impressive and hundreds of visitors there as we passed by. 

St. Andrews was not our destination for golf although with the amount of money I had in my wallet they may have let me play half of the 1^st fairway. No sign of Tiger in the town but I don’t think he strays to far from his osteopath. We were in St Andrews for a Sinclair family wedding. Helen, the brides Mum, is a first cousin of Kathleen, Diana’s Mum, so the relationship is quite close and one that has been strengthened over the last 20 years with the next generations visiting both countries as well. We rented a BnB with 2 of Diana’s cousins, and Grant who was husband to one of them.

They had also all travelled from New Zealand to be at Moira and Alan's wedding. They are McKecknies’ so Scottish and while Grant did wear a kilt to the wedding he wore a family affiliated Gunn clan tartan. Fortunately the sun shone brightly and a wonderful day was had by all including the brides mother. It had been an extremely stressful week leading up to the big day (but when are they not?) as Helen had been hospitalised for a day and had only been released 24 hours prior to the ceremony. We had garden setting vows by a Humanist (that wasn’t someone wearing no clothes!), lots of food, met some amazing people and a “wee dram” for those inclined, then a live band and dancing.

Following the wedding Diana and I travelled further north beyond the Loch Ness monster as far as Wick in Caithness to meet up with more Sinclair family. We stayed with George and Shona Sinclair near Lybster, a cousin twice removed (and twice returned it would seem) and enjoyed 1^st class hospitality. We dined with extended family, walked in the countryside, checked out the Wick Historical Museum and did some family history research.

With George at Lybster Harbour

After 3 nights up there we headed back to Dundee yesterday via the Culloden Field, the scene of a brutal battle in 1746. In the space of one hour 2000 men were dead much of it by way of hand to hand combat. The battle is quite well documented and there are many relics recovered with the use of metal detectors and enthusiastic historians. A cairn is erected on the site and a small cottage, several centuries old remains. 

We wanted to be back by Sunday so that we could attend the Perth Highland Games just an hour away. Alas, the field is soaking wet underfoot and too dangerous for the “tossing of the caber” event, or any other event for the matter, so the Games have been cancelled for 2019.

We have two more days left in Scotland before we begin our journey home. First we fly back to Dublin to catch our Cathay Pacific flight that includes a stopover in Hong Kong. It will be a fairly long day by the time we get back to 88 Alfred Street but as always we have had a wonderful time.

Last days in the Emerald Isle

Limerick wasn’t up to much and we had a couple more nights before heading back to Dublin in readiness to fly to Scotland. So we decided on a couple of nights in Ennis. Not many people have heard of Ennis let alone stayed there but we were surprised to find that Muhammed Ali has been to Ennis and has stayed (probably not at the same B&B as us). He came back, had a monument erected in his honour, because his roots are in this part of Ireland! Not sure who is doing his genealogy work but they must have worked back a few more generations of ancestors than myself.

However, Ennis was interesting. We drove about 30 minutes north to “The Burren” and went walking in the countryside. We walked through fields (no paddocks here) to see the remnants of old villages and settlements of peoples from years ago. Years ago, as it turns out, are pre pyramids days. I didn’t think there was anything in the World pre pyramids in Giza type stuff but there you go, learn something every day. We carried raincoats in the backpack but are pleased to be able to report that they weren’t required. There is no doubt that you wouldn’t go far from the farm house without your wet weather gear. Sales of SP50 in Ireland are nil….in fact they don’t know what it is. But the people are happy although very concerned of how they will fare with Brexit. There is no confidence in Boris as he has very much put the interests of the Irish on the back burner.

After 2 nights in Ennis we headed east, back to Dublin. We had to tidy up our little Duster and deliver back to Avis and then ready ourselves for another international flight, to Scotland. But this gave us a few hours to fill in Dublin and there could be worse tasks one could be presented with. We took a tour of the Rock and Roll Museum. This was about an hour tour with a guide and one could wonder how they could drag rock and roll in Ireland out that far. We focussed in on U2 of course and dragged out Thin Lizzy for a wee while then pulled in Van Morrison and Sinead O’Connor to keep us entertained. Not big rock’n’rollers but decent musicians all the same.  We were taken into a sound studio set up with drums, guitars and a keyboard which we were allowed to have bash at. Unfortunately there wasn’t a soul in our group that could play a chord so we moved on. If only I hadn’t broken that ukulele over my sisters’ head at the age of 9 I might have developed some musical talent.

We spent the afternoon wandering the Grand Canal and searching for geocaches before heading back to our hotel and readying ourselves for a flight to Edinburgh at 6.00am.

The South East Coast

Travelling south we tried to keep away from the main thoroughfares and drive the back roads towards our destination of Dungarvan. Views of the countryside are patchy as the roads are all sunken into the earth and there are hedgerows either side. Occasionally there is a gap and we see down to the ocean across paddocks edged by stone fences. The sky is grey most days and threatening rain, unless it is already raining! At Dungarvan we hired bikes for the day, electric bikes for the first time. These are the way forward no doubt. The little electric motor flattens out the hills and sends you flying past all the others who are pedalling hard against the wind. No wind on the e-bike, it cuts a path with ease. The bike trail is the longest uninterrupted in Ireland and we had a great day out.

From Dungarvan we headed for the County Kerry, a chunk of land that has fingers poking into the North Atlantic Ocean. Each finger (only 4 of them) (Oliver Cromwell probably chopped off the other one!) has well promoted drives around the coast of each. We started in the south and circled clockwise as instructed around the Beara Peninsula. The coastal road was very narrow in places with little villages dotted along it and seemed a very relaxed place on a good day. “Good days” if referring to the weather are few and far between. While in NZ we can expect 4 seasons in one day sometimes, it occurs here every day from our experience. In saying that, it isn’t cold and we haven’t been caught in a down pour as yet. We walked some short loop tracks, through farmers paddocks and along coastal trails. We saw numerous smashed castles, I think Cromwell is to blame for most of the damage. We came across one church yard with a small building (St. Declans Oratory) that had been renovated in 1716!. It was reroofed at that time and I have a feeling that the long run iron that we will replace on our roof when we get home isn’t going to last quite as long.

 

On to the Ring of Kerry, the main attraction in this corner of Ireland. We toured anticlockwise as instructed and saw great views from some precipitous angles. We drove through little towns where front doors open almost directly onto the carriageway. Interesting too that they have no car sheds, I guess that the houses were built prior to vehicular transport. They are very bold with their house paint as well, seemingly one trying to outdo the other. Far more flamboyant than us kiwis for sure. 

We walked high up a mountain (called a hill in NZ) to find a ring of stones placed here in the olden days. The “olden days” here are anything beyond 2000 years ago. Bit spooky to think humans were wandering about up here then, no merino icebreaker on and no central heating when they got home! Must have been hardy souls. We walked to a very southern point where the Kerry Cliffs fell away 300 metres to the Ocean. We drove past small paddocks fenced with stone fences, no doubt several hundred years old. There are numerous farm houses as many of these farms are under 100 acres and survive through subsidies. There is serious concern that Brexit is going to have a major effect on Irish exports as London is the gateway to the EU for Ireland. Should that gate be closed, and according to Boris it will be, then the Irish are going to face difficulties and taxes, getting their goods to Europe. They are not keen to be at the behest of England nor to have to strike deals or negotiate with them.

Our last day in the south corner we spent on the Dingle Peninsula, another worthwhile circumnavigation of a finger. One attraction on this drive was Cashel Murphy, an iron age settlement consisting of five houses, all adjoined and within a ringed fence (of stone). It looks most striking from the air but we didn’t have a drone to see it from that angle. Murphy is the most common name in Ireland and this could be perhaps one of the first settlements of Murphys in Ireland. Inside the wee settlement there was an underground tunnel and room. Presumably to store food and also to shelter from enemies. I had no need for food nor was I avoiding enemies but decided that I would adventure into the cavity. Easier said than done. While it was dark, damp and very small I was reasonably relaxed. However, being hunched over, developing cramps in a dark damp small space I decided to evacuate. Again, easier said than done. I was a tad anxious as I squeezed my self out the inlet. I won’t look to do that again in a hurry.

After 3 nights in Killarney on the shores of Lake Leane we headed northwards back toward Dublin. Not though before we had visited Muckross House. This is a well maintained Victorian style mansion built for the Herbert family and completed in 1843. In 1861, with the imminent visit by Queen Victoria and her Prince Albert, old man Herbert spent 3 years upgrading, renovating and installing all sorts of lavish furniture and fixings to impress the Queen. Hopeful he was of earning a knighthood, no expense was spared. Unfortunately for him he overspent his budget and his estate began to fall into financial ruin while he had to suck the bitter pill of no knighthood as well. I think old Victoria could smell a social climber before she saw him, poor old Henry Herbert didn’t impress. We drove north with no particular place to go looking for a bed. While it’s a long way to Tipperary we passed within 20 kms but still didn’t get there so it shall remain “…a long way to Tipperary…”. We camped at Limerick, the first place we found that had a bed for us, and planned our last few days in Ireland.

Adventures in the Emerald Isle - Dublin and South to Wicklow

We flew out of Auckland at midnight and landed in Hong Kong at 7.00am. Immediately our senses are bombarded with noises, smells and sights that are so Asian and foreign to us, and we still haven’t left the airport. We booked a nearby hotel on an hourly basis. We booked 10 hours and checked in at 10.00am.  I was a bit apprehensive about booking per hour. Last time we did this was many years ago in Kuala Lumpur. It was great until around 11.00pm, and then banging and bumping noises continued through to daylight. It was only when we checked out that we realised we had booked into a brothel!

Another 11 hour flight ensued as we departed Hong Kong at midnight and landed in Dublin at 7.00am, way to early for check in. So on with the walking gear and we headed out for some culture. We bought an all day pass on the tram car and headed to the Kilmainham Gaol, a place where anybody of political note appeared to have inhabited at some time. It seems that over the past 500 years the Irish have been continually bickering amongst each other and with the English with very little profit to anyone. There were so many political activist groups that no one seemed to hold power for any length of time. The IRA would imprison the IRB (nothing to do with International Rugby) Irish Republic Brotherhood. Someone in the IRA would form a splinter group, release the IRB and imprison the IRA. Add into this the potato famine where a 10 year old boy was imprisoned (2 weeks) for stealing a turnip. Then chuck in Oliver Cromwell from across the Irish Sea, and any number of Englishmen claiming Ireland as theirs and the gaols were fill to busting, with filthy hungry men and women…and children. We were pleased to get out of there without getting 10 lashes.

Back to our lodgings, unpack some gear have a shower and head to Temple Bar for some Irish music and a beer. This is a vibrant corner of Dublin, with numerous bars and ales. We had our fill of both and were pleased to get horizontal as the sun set (at 10.00pm in Dublin presently).

A hearty Irish breakfast got us started for another day on the streets of Dublin. First to the EPIC museum. Every Person Is Counted is what that stands for and it was a modern, self guided setup about Irish emigration. The whole show was well presented and interesting but I think I missed something. Why would a country want to bring to the attention of the World the number of its citizens that have left to set up their lives in foreign lands? There are close to 5 million Irish, living in Ireland. There are 10 times that number living overseas and that seems to be grounds for a celebration of sorts??!! What’s that about. It seems that poverty, famine, starvation, unemployment and political unrest are among some of the reasons given for this situation. We met a fellow who seemed embarrassed that we had come so far to visit his country when there was nothing much to see and very little of interest for its inhabitants nor those that travel so far. He did thank us for coming though, chuffed and humbled…..but why did you bother were his parting thoughts. Interesting land this one.

It was time for a beer and that means Guinness if you’re in Ireland. The Brewery was established in 1759 by Arthur Guinness. He was pretty sure he was on to a good thing and got the powers to be to sign him a 9000 year lease. Looks like he will be sticking around for a while yet. They have a really good tour and information boards, along with tasting, sipping and hard out chucking it down. We had a couple of hours there before heading back to our digs, a quick change and off to “Riverdance”. We had a 2 hour show and learned that it only found fame when it ran as an interlude for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994. Michael Flatley had choreographed that exhibition and got it underway as an international act. It was good fun for the evening.

Yesterday we bussed to the airport and picked up a Dacia Duster and got out into the traffic. We wanted to get a wee way south along the coast, take a walk along a sea side climbing track then find a place to stay and watch the rugby. By 10.00pm we had achieved all of those things so were feeling pretty satisfied with our day. We will now spend a couple of nights on the South coast hoping to knock off a cycle trail if it stops raining!