Pretty Cupcakes

Hanbok

Now I have my very own Hanbok! (Hanbok = traditional Korean clothing) I picked it up at a charity shop for around 2 pounds. (Price of a new Hanbok would be around 300+ pounds) I don't know when I will wear it, I just wanted one!

Flea Market

We found a flea market in Sinsildong. It was really cool as we hadn't seen anything like it in Korea before. I bought a very cool ex-Korean-air suitcase and a strange cute little geisha doll. David bought a Ferrari shaped phone. We are both extremely excited to visit the market again soon. What treasures will we find next time?

Cherry Blossoms

It's that time of year and the Cherry Blossoms are here! I love love love this season. Korea is extremely beautiful. There are cherry blossoms trees EVERY WHERE. The arrival of the blossoms means that the tortirous winter is over!

Road Trip

A few of us from work took a road trip to Nami Island, in Chuncheon. It was nice to explore somewhere new. It took around two hours to get to the island. The scenery was nice to look at as everything is starting to change colour now. Yipppeee ... finally I think spring is here. When we arrived at Chuncheon we got a boat to Nami Island. We all hired tandem bicycles and rode around the island. The island was extremely small but beautiful. After going on a little peddle air car ride, drinking hot chocolate, exploring and taking photographs, we headed back to the mainland. After some ice cream Harry and I decided to do a bungee jump! It was both of our first time. We were both excited and terrified. After paying our money, we headed to the top of the 43 meter tower that over looked a lake. I was the first one up. (Or should I say down!) As I approached the edge I was sooooooo scared but sooooooo excited at the same time. Overall it was a fantastic experience and I can't wait to do a bigger jump! After this activity we headed to our hostel. In the evening we had a lot of galbi, Soju, mekju and some locals introduced us to a new drink. (I have forgotten the name) Overall it was a good night.

Birthday Gifts

Fabulous birthday gifts from David. GEISHA GEISHA GEISHA, I HEART GEISHA!!!

Birthday Gifts

I got these wonderful geisha's from some girls at work. I love love love them. Thank you Mary, Caitlin and Andrea! :)

Cherry Tree

On Sunday 4th April we planted our very own Cherry tree in the grounds of Gyeongbokgung Palace. Everything was free because it was Arbor Day. Arbor Day is very important in Korea because the first spring after the end of the Korean War, the whole country had a huge celebration of Arbor Day to begin the reforestation of the war ravaged country. We even got a photograph of ourselves planting cherry tree no.28! It was an extremely fun activity. I can't wait to go back to the palace in a few months to see how it is growing.

My Birthday Weekend!

(*Click on the title to see more pics!)

On Friday morning I opened my birthday presents from home. I also opened many presents from David. After work David and I headed straight to Seoul train station and got on a train to Busan. We had beers, snacks and more beers. Before I knew it we arrived at Busan. We headed to Haeundae beach at around 1.30am and set off a few fireworks as it was officially my birthday. After the fireworks we went to a motel. It was a nice room as it had a sea view.

On Saturday 10th April MY BIRTHDAY we woke up and went for a walk on the beach. The beach was lovely. We also came across many cherry blossom trees. This was significant as it meant the spring was officially on its way. After our walk we went on a boat ride. This was fun but I felt slightly sick (like always). In the evening we went for my birthday dinner! The meal was gorgeous and the drinks were fabulous!

On Sunday SHARK DIVING DAY we woke up extremely early as we had to be at the aquarium for 9.30am.We had an introductory lesson about diving and then had a look around the aquarium. This made me very excited because we could see the shark tank in which we were going to dive in. The sharks and the other creatures were huge! Some sharks were six foot long. In the tank there were black tip sharks, tiger sharks, sand sharks, lemon sharks and other creatures such as a huge turtle that weighed 200kg. There were also giant groupers. Some of these were bigger than the sharks! We had training in a small pool (which had two sting ray swimming around) to learn how to use our equipment. After this, off we went. It was surreal being in the tank with all of these creatures. It was so cool. I couldn't believe I was finally doing it. I was soooo happy. I enjoyed every second of it. After our session was finished we had another walk along the beach and then headed back to Seoul. I had the best birthday ever!

Moxon's visit Korea!

(*Click on the title to see the pics!)

Day 1: 26th March

David's parents came to Korea on Friday 26th March. When they arrived at the airport David had a Union Jack flag waiting for them with a message on it..cute! After picking up Jill and Keith from the airport we headed straight back to English Village to let them freshen up. Then we started the adventure! First we set off to Imjingak. From here we took a tour into the DMZ which comprises the 3rd Infiltration tunnel, Dorasan Observatory and Dorasan train station. After the tour we went back to Imjingak and looked around the peace park. Here it started to snow. It was extremely cold. In the evening we took Jill and Keith to the local kimbapchungu. (Korean restaurant) Jill and Keith tried a variety of Korean delicacies. After dinner we all went back to our apartment and had some tea and biscuits. Then we took Jill and Keith to their motel.

Day 2:27th March*Jill's Birthday

David picked up Jill and Keith and brought them back to our apartment. We ate marmite on toast for breakfast. After breakfast Jill open some of her birthday presents. Next we went to Ilsan and took the subway into Seoul and went to Cheongdeokgung Palace. After looking around the palace we went to lunch at a local Korean restaurant. After lunch we went to our favourite traditional tea shop which has canaries flying around. After Insadong we returned to Ilsan and had dinner in Western Dome. We tried a new restaurant which was great. We had makali and delicious food. We gave Jill her secret birthday cake and decorations. The waitress even gave Jill a present! We dropped David's parents back at their hotel before retiring for the evening.

Day 3: 28th March

We picked up Jill and Keith at 9.30 in the morning. We had toast and packed our bags before driving to Suwon. There was a Korean car boot sale and a military parade and all of the people that were taking part in the performance were wearing traditional clothing. Next we walked along the city wall and went to a tea shop for drinks. We had a piece of homemade cake that was all the way for England. After this we caught the tourist trolley which was a dragon shaped bus up the hill to a different part of the fort. Then we rang the peace bell. After this we were very tired so we checked in the BMW hotel. After recharging our batteries we went out for some beers and food at Hans Deli. The food was delicious. After dinner a man from Hans Deli came running after us to give us a free note book. Soon after this we went to bed.

Day 4: 29th March

Today we woke up early and had breakfast in Dunkin' Doughnuts. We set of for Daegu. When we arrived we realised the weather was a lot warmer here. David showed his parents his old apartment and the school where he used to work. In the early afternoon we went on a cable car up Apsan Mountain. The view was spectacular. We sat and had a drink at the top. After our mountain adventure we drove into Daegu city and booked into a motel. In the evening we went to Billi Bowls Bar for some drinks and played pool skittles. David won most of the games. After this we went to Mr Pizza and stuffed our faces with too much food. It was delicious. After this we rolled into bed!

Day 5: 30th March

We had McDonalds for breakfast and looked around a few underground shops. Then we set off and started to drive out of Daegu. The scenery was beautiful as it was such a clear day. In the early afternoon we arrived in Gyeongju. We went to Tumuli Park and looked around at the tombs. There were magnolias and cherry blossom trees. They were lovely. Next we went to Anapji pond. Here there were lovely gardens and many bamboos. After this we moved onto Gyeongju museum. We arrived a bit late and everything was closing up so we decided to go back the next day. In the early evening we looked for a hotel. We found a nice one with a Jacuzzi! After having some beers and crisps in our rooms we headed out for dinner.

Day 6: 31st March

We headed back to the museum and had breakfast in the cafe. It was raining so we enjoyed our time in the dry cafe. After a quick look around we headed to a temple at Bulguksa. This was wonderful. For lunch we ate a small traditional Korean restaurant. Jill had Spring onion pancake. Keith and I had Doncas and David had Dolsot Bibbimbap. After lunch we drove to a Buddha's grotto and then drove to the coast and saw an underwater tomb. After this we drove to a lovely hotel in Gampo called dream hotel. We drank a couple of pitches of beer in our room then headed out to dinner. After dinner David and Keith set off some fireworks along the harbour. Then off to bed.

Day 7: 1st April

We left the hotel and walked around the harbour. We saw squid boats and fishermen untangling their nets. We continued to walk around the quirky village and found a bakery and bought some baguettes and other supplies for a picnic. We drove to the coast to a little beach and had our picnic under a little shelter. After our lunch we all went for a paddle in the sea. It was bloody freezing! It was so cold that our feet stung. After our swim we drove to a light house museum. Then we went for a walk and seen two big hand sculptures coming out of the sea. In the afternoon we drove to Pohang. We found a motel right next to the beach. After a quick freshen up we headed to CGV and watch Shutter Island. After this we went to McDonalds. Then we set of more fire works on the beach. Then back to our motel.

Day 8: 2nd April

We left the hotel at 9.30. We went to family mart and bought supplies for a breakfast picnic. We sat on a wall overlooking the beach while we ate it all. After breakfast we walked along the bay to a harbour. The sea was lovely and it wasn't as cold as the day before. We played skimming stones. David won. After writing messages in the sand and jumping up in the air we headed back to our hotel. Then packed our things and set off in the car. We left Pohang and headed back to English Village. The scenery was lovely on the way home as we passed sea views and mountain views. It was beautiful. Just before reaching English Village we stopped off at Han River and had a quick walk and a drink at a seven eleven whilst watching the sun go down under the bridge. Jill and Keith booked into a hotel in Paju Rio. Then after a few hours we went to Shabu for dinner. Then we all had an early night and went to bed around 9.30

Day 9: 3rd April

David picked up Jill and Keith at 9am. They went to the bakery on the way to our apartment and we had marmite on toast. After breakfast David, Jill and Keith went to Odu Observatory and seen a lot of North Korean working on their farms. After this we all left for Seoul on the 2200 bus. When we arrived in Seoul we got the underground to Changgyeonggung Palace. Here we watched the changing of the guard’s ceremony. After this we walked to Insadong and had a late lunch. We then got a taxi to Seoul Tower and took the cable car to the base of Seoul Tower. The views were magnificent. Then we caught the lift to the top of the tower. The views were awesome. After the tower we caught a taxi to Hongdae and walked around the shops. Then we all headed back to the bus stop to take the 2200 back to EV. David and I took Jill and Keith back to their hotel. We had a very busy but fun day!

Day 10:4th April

We took Jill and Keith back to the Airport, after toast and marmite of course! On the way back we decided to revisit one of the palaces to plant a cherry tree, but that's another story!