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!
