Nepal - Namaste Sahara

Kathmandu has a strict curfew on its bars and clubs - they all shut down, by law, at 11pm every night. The whole city suddenly becomes incredibly dark and quiet. So why is it, that the first night I have a hangover, the whole city seems to be ignoring the curfew and pumping out house music? Even with my earplugs the whole room seems to be vibrating to Lady Gaga. Its four minutes past midnight! I have a right mind to go round to Funky Buddha next door and remind them of their law-breaking. But then they might remind me of my drunken antics last night so perhaps I'll let this one slide.

So I've been in Nepal for two days. And so far so good. In two days I've managed to see a lot of monkeys, be robbed by said monkeys, drive scooters around in the dark, get locked out of the guesthouse all night, make friends and generally soak up the vibrancy that Kathmandu has to offer.

Today, I also jumped on the back of Shankar Sapkota's bike and did the bumpy ride out of the city into a small village, where Sahara Organisation Nepal (SON) is situated. SON is a small orphanage which homes twelve children, with another three soon to join the Sahara Family. Shankar, and his brother Mani, set up the home two years ago, after growing up in an orphanage themselves in Kathmandu and wanting to help children with backgrounds similar to theirs.

The home is very basic and has just the simplest facilities, but the children all seem very happy together and all gave me a big 'Namaste!' when I walked in. Shankar explained his upbringing, and the difficult life of children living in rural areas of Nepal, without education, suffering abuse, and often working from the age they can walk. Shankar is very dedicated to these children and clearly does a wonderful job in creating a family for them.  

I want to voluneer with the Sahara for the next few weeks while I'm here, and Shankar has offered me a room to stay for my time here. I am hoping that I can help with school work, play games, and organise some fun days out. The charity is also severely lacking in resources for the children - no toys, games or crafts....so hopefully I can spend some time in the markets stocking up!

My concern is that I have only two weeks to offer, and I realise that this is a very short amount of time. They seem very eager to have me stay, already saying that I am part of the family, but I would only like to stay if I can be of help and not a hindrance. Perhaps a donation is much more needed, or a fun day out organised for the kids.....either way, I have put this to Shankar and it is up to him to decide what is best. If he stays with his current mindset that even a little time is good time, then this time tomorrow I will be in my new home with my new family- Sahara.

Monsoon Days in Gyeongi

While Korea gets battered with the heaviest monsoon in over a century (lucky us), all we can really do is cling on to our cheap umbrellas, ignore the sweat dripping down our backs, and keep an eagle eye on the weather forecasts for a break in the storms.  Typhoons have hit, Seoul is a swimming pool, and landslides are claiming lives around the country. Oh dear.

So all big plans for July's travels were postponed until the rain stops....'any day now'. Which it didn't. Neverthless, as soon as the rain breaks, it's so hot that rainwater disappears in minutes and we have time to jump up and get on out. So the last few weeks have been a quest to find more exciting things that the Gyeongi Province has got to offer. As it turns out, there's a lot.

We'd heard great things about Seoul Flea Market - a huge indoor and (weather permitting) outdoor market where you can buy anything from stuffed crocodiles to camera lenses. The indoor market is divided into sections, the most intruiging being the antique section where you can peruse through traditional (and pretty dusty) Korean antiques, jewellery and artwork. It smells like your grandma's attic, but I quite like that. So get your haggling skills at the ready and be prepared to come back with nothing you actually need and lots of stuff that you will probably never use. Like a big turtle. The market closes at 7pm, but just make sure to get there early, as stalls start closing up nearer 6pm....and there's a lot to look around.

The next week, Bucheon was hosting it's annual International Film Festival: Pifan. Pifan clearly means 'death' because almost every film is based around people dying in slow and horrific ways. Excellent! So of course we decided to go one step further and bought 3D tickets for the next day. Nice. Or it would have been if I hadn't got ragingly drunk that night, had to drag myself to the cinema in time for the film, then had to leave after ten minutes to be sick. Turns out 3D blood squirting out at you doesn't mix well with a soju hangover.

To make matters worse, I decided to find a sauna next door while I waited for the others, and instead got locked in a building for the duration of the film. One would have thought that the security guard could have told me that the sauna had closed down and that the doors were on automatic lock. The old rascal.

Thankfully I survived, and decided that the next weekend should be more productive than getting drunk, hungover, and locked in empty buildings. A spot of volunteering would be much more wholesome. So we jumped in the car early Saturday morning and headed down to Asan Animal Shelter. With well over a hundred dogs, and almost as many cats, the self-funded shelter needs lots of help with the feeding, walking, and distribution of medicine to the animals. Most of the dogs are in good condition, although some bear the scars of the life from which they were rescued. This happy chappy managed to pull himself free from the wire tying it to the dog restaurant where he was going to be dinner.

Thankfully, the shelter rescued him and even raised funds to send him for some doggy cosmetic surgery, and now he has a new nose. But really, these dogs just desperately want a chance to be walked and given a bit of attention. Or even better, adopted to a good home. As it turns out, our friends were planning on adopting a dog and so we took home a beautiful little pup. Even if you can't adopt, helping out for a few hours is much appreciated, and a really enjoyable, rewarding (and smelly) day.

The final wet July weekend turned out to be not so wet, so we headed to Seoul for some cycling beside the Han River. A real effort has been made to make the mighty river banks a clean and accessible public space, so dotted along the river are open air swimming pools, music stages, fountains, BBQ spots, bike rentals, water sports, and shops selling food, booze and fireworks to get the juices flowing. Summer days and nights are happily spent by the Han River. We rented out bikes - 7000W (£3.50) for 3 hours, went out on a speed boat and enjoyed free live music. Happy days on the Han.

So it turns out that monsoon's not all that bad! But who am I kidding, it's time for the rain to do one and give us some more sunshine. I think It's time to escape to Jeju Island.

Getting the Hang of Anyang

So much to do, so little time! I can't seem to fit it all in. There is so much of Korea I still need to see, and too many festivals I don't want to miss. But being on a shoestring budget (as always), you have to know when to say no....and how to find the cheap and free things around this country. And everyone knows that the best things in life are free. So! What new and free things can we find around us this week?

Just a hop, skip and a 30 minute bus ride away from Siheung is Anyang Art Park. And this is no ordinary park. It's a bloomin wonderful park! It's like a trip to the sea-side, with a hike up a mountain and lots of art thrown in. 

'The Dancing Buddha'

The park is a huge public art space, where artists display their pieces amidst the forest and paths leading up to Samseong Mountain. So it's like an extra exciting hike. You never know whats going to be around the next tree.

The small river Samseongcheon also flows through the park, with a few tributaries running to it from the mountain. The river is fast flowing, crystal clear, and on a hot day.....dear lord you just want to jump in the water. And that's exactly what the Koreans do. Grab an inflatable dolphin and jump in. There are families eating lunch sat mid-stream, old couples floating in the shallows, kids wearing life-jackets in 3-feet of water, and of course, people knocking back soju in every direction. Ah the joys.

The nice thing about it, is if you fancy getting away from the crowds, you can just trace a tributary up through the forest until you find a nice quiet bit to sit in the water with a big contented sigh. Aaaaaah. And there are loads of small shops and restaurants down by the river to stock you up with drinks and food.

The final attraction to the park, and the first reason we heard about it, is the Alvaro Siza Hall. The hall shows different exhibitions throughout the year, but today 'A Revolutionary Lens, KORDA - Che Guevara and Cuba' was on display. The photographer had followed Che Guevara throughout Cuba after the revolution in 1959, and these were snapshots of his work. Despite having seeing the exhibition advertised in full English, there were no English texts once we got there (should have seen that one coming) - but heyho, even just viewing the photographs was worth it anyway. And I got a nice postcard. Well worth it then.

Where, How, What... Hmmmmm?

Transport - Gwanak Subway Station (line 1 exit 2), 10 minutes walk following sign posts.
Cost - Anyang Art Park is free. Alvaro Siza Hall 3,000 won.

We Know What's Best

Here we are, right in the middle of monsoon season. The rain plonks itself right in the midst of summer and throws in a few typhoons for good measure. And that's where we are right now. Wet wet wet. And still hot hot hot. How very confusing. How can we plan Korea adventures now? When the country is teetering between typhoon alert and blazing sunshine, all you can do is make plans in good faith, keep an eye on the weather reports, and be willing to make or break plans at midnight on a Friday night.

So there we were, midnight on a Friday night sat outside the 7/11, knockng back beers, when we suddenly decided - the rain had held off for long enough for us to risk it! We were going to Gangwan-do in the morning - the north-east province, which boasts beaches and mountains, borders North Korea, and best all...is home to an old friend who was well over-due a visit.

After two hours sleep (ouch) we were en route...and blazing sunshine was all around! And a mere eight hours later (ouch again) it was mid afternoon and we were stepping into the little seaside town of Bu-Gu and being reunited with fresh air and old friends.

I realised that us city dwellers get a totally different experience in Korea to those out in the countryside. To begin with, my entire apartment would have fitted on their balcony. Wheras I have a view of the apartment block next to mine, they have a view of the sea. Of course it would be a lot more isolated, but isolation in beautiiful surroundings could be much easier beared I think.  And oh my, how good it was to see the sea.

After a small walk through land filled with brightly coloured frogs, we were there......at the twelve foot barbed wire fence between us and the beach. The north-east beaches are not public. Because of their proximty to North Korea, it is feared that a swimming or submarine attack may take place, so look-out stations and huge barbed-wire fences defend the shores. So we did what anyone would do, found a nice human sized hole to squeeze through, and set up camp at an old look-out stationon the beach.

The water was so clear and it was so hot, a jolly good swim was had. In hindsight, that could have been a dangerous thing to do given where we were. But at this point, we weren't aware that South Korean soldiers were watching us. So instead we played music, drank soju, ate BBQ, and started a big bonfire when it got dark. This was going to be good!

We were all coming back from our wood collecting efforts (we had a ton), when we became aware that we were being watched. Whilst out gathering wood, a soldier had come out of his post to tell our friend that we were under surveillance, out of public land, and that we must leave or they would open fire. Crikey! That said, we hugely doubted they would shoot a group of tourists, and we were so comfortable, we thought we could stay put a while longer.  Our friend, who had just finished his two years military service in Korea, assured us that they had every right to shoot, and wasn't thrilled at our intention to stay. Given the fact that the South Korean military recently opened fire on a commercial passenger jet flying into Seoul, mistaking it for a North Korean attack, perhaps we shouldn't have been so laid back. But neverthless, we know what's best, and we had a fire roaring and were too comfortable to move. It really makes you wonder what's going on when you feel too 'comfortable' to move out of the way of potential gunfire.

We shouldn't have got comfortable. Out of the darkness, and suddenly lit up by floodlights, a heavily armed soldier walked straight towards us, gun in hand. Flippin 'Eck. Surrender! We mean no harm! All of us jumped up and started kicking out the fire and putting our things away. There's nothing like an armed man threatening to shoot you to make you work quickly.

I don't know what could have happened, or what the soldier was thinking at our unexplained presence on this high-alert beach, and the flood lights meant we could not see his face. I very much doubt he would have shot. Infact, I'm guessing that he was grinning under his helmet, thinking how amazing it was that he'd just seen us collect fire wood for an hour, get really comfortable, openly ignore the military warnings, and then jump around like rabbits in headlights once he came out holding a gun. Yes, yes, We Know What's Best. 

Zero to Hot in 5 Seconds

It takes a brave person to drive in Seoul. And it turns out, I am that brave. Sort of. Well, not really. Last weekend we donned helmets, took the wheel and raced the track at Kart Racing go-karts in Seoul.

It was a particularly hot and hungover Saturday. Seriously hot. And seriously hungover. So I was beginning to wonder why I'd agreed to go go-karting, when instead I could be in my fully-aircon apartment sipping cold coke, with an ice-cream on the side and my head in the freezer. Maybe my over-heated self was starting to get delirious.

One thing was certain though - in the heat and the hang, I was starting to get really scared about driving. I don't drive at home, but that's not stopped me driving scooters all over India, Asia and Europe....so why should I care about a go-kart in Korea? God knows. All I know is that there were free Krispy Kreme donuts and I couldn't eat one of them. I must be feeling rough.

Two hours of waiting later, I was starting to wonder how I'd ever get through it without being seriously sick. In a helmet. Eurgh. So when our names were finally called, and we were able to burst forth through the start line, I found myself going as fast as I could possibly manage without sending myself over the edge - which turned out to be a little less than walking speed. After the first lap, and having been lapped by everyone esle at least twice, I went past the karting technicians who were all frantically waving at me. 'I don't know what you're saving!' I attempted shouting inside the helmet. But I knew what they were saying. It didn't matter. I wasn't going to speed up for them, I was feeling ropey enough as it was.

This is the first time I've ever felt simultaneously bored and terrified. By the time we finished, I was so unbelievably happy that it was over I almost managed to convince myself that I'd enjoyed it. Or....Did I? It did help that the owners greeted us off the track with free cold beers. That's more like it. And seeing as the track is conveniently situated on the bank of Seoul's Han River, we decided to get a few drinks and enjoy the view.

 Actually, the view wasn't enough for everyone. The water was just too tempting. One of our friends stripped off and went for a good old swim in the huge city river. The Korean's were delighted to watch and waved from the sidelines.

But is it clean? Well, I hope so. Not just for my friend, but for the 700 elementary school students who are required to swim the river every year. Either way, it's a nice change from England where last time I saw someone go for a dip, everyone shouted 'speedo' at him until he was out of hearing. Yes, it felt good to be in Korea today.

Going for the Go-Karting?

If you like Go-Karts, you're not hungover, and you don't go midday in mid-June.....you would probably really enjoy the go-karting. So here's a little info:

Place:      Kart Racing (Korean only website). 
Where:    A 10 minute walk from Jamsil Sports Complex subway station exit 5/6. 
Cost:       15,000 won per 15 min session. Or you can take Pro Karts (super speedy ones) for 35,000 won per session.

Korea Au Naturale

Wow, Korea is hot. Really hot. The annual parade of stepping outside to be hit by a wall of heat, only to step inside to be hit by a wall of aircon has begun. And what do you wear? It's a balance between baring your skin to stay cool versus covering it up to avoid getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. And I'm losing - eighteen bites and counting.

But I promise you, I'm not moaning. It's amazing. There is nothing like the sticky, sweaty humidity of Asian summer to laze away your days. You just have to be in the right place. Somewhere outdoors, out of a city, out of the mainland, out in a sea breeze.....somewhere Au Naturale. With nature and wildlife and stars. Deokjeokdo Island was awaiting. And it had some surprises up it's sleeve.

The weekend was a national holiday, meaning we had four days to explore. Unfortunately, Korea Au Naturale wanted to greet us with a lot of rolling mist. It was warm...but the mist covered...well, everything. Very atmospheric. But the chances of spotting any nature or wildlife or stars were pretty minimal, and anyway, it seemed like every English teacher in South Korea had had the same idea on where to party this weekend. So we did what anyone else would do.... started drinking at 9:30am and dug an 8 foot hole. Actually, some dug the hole while others (cough) sat around drinking, but I'd like to say it was a team effort.

That night, a huge bonfire was set up on the beach for everyone to party around, but that's not where we wanted to be, oh no.... in the darkness and the mist was Korea Au Naturale's first surprise.

The seawater in Deokjeokdo is phosphorus. We walked out into the mist, to the water's edge, and even before reaching the sea could see our footsteps lighting up with each step. It was working! At the sea edge it was even more spectacular - the waves crashing caused the phosphorus algae to light up like a chemical reaction, and the whole wave would glow bright blue across the sea. Combine this with atmospheric mist and a whole day's drinking, and you have a truly euphoric moment. At least, that's how I justify the next two hours of gleefully frolicking on a misty beach while shouting 'It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen!' with two grown men.

The next day the sun was shining. Now that's more like it! More friends had come across to the island, and the beach was definitely missing the more larey expats from the day before. Turns out that hangovers can be benefical afterall (heh heh heh). So we got the guitars and the drinks out, swam in the sea, found starfish and seahorses, and got nice and merry.

Well into the afternoon, and well in need of a breeze to cool down, we popped back to our guesthouse to find Mr Kim, the guesthouse owner. Mr Kim is a retired Seoul Man who's got Soul - he locks no doors, offers you everything he owns, calls you his family, and makes jokes the whole time he's around. So when we asked if we could take a couple of his bikes for a cycle up to a secret beach, there was no problem.

The secret beach has no signs and no path to lead you through the forest, so unless one of the locals is enjoying the tranquillity too, you have the beautiful beach to yourself. 'So quiet, you cannot hear footsteps', as our local source once described to us. The reason you can't hear footsteps, we found out, is because most of it's inhabitants don't have feet.

The next day, after another night of fires, frivolities and guitars, we decided to take our friends to the secret beach. At the part of the mountain where you leave the path and start the steep descent through the forest, you have no choice but to go slowly. Pretty damn lucky, seeing as the leader of the group suddenly swung round mid-step shouting 'Shit, I almost stepped on that thing!'. Right in front of us, blocking our only way, was a six-foot snake.

So...gulp....what do we do now? Step over it? No fookin way am I treading over that thing. Is it poisonous? I've got no bloomin idea. Find another way around? In the density of this forest, this path was the only route. After what seemed like a really long time of discussing snake psyche (as if any of us knew) it effortlessly glided up a tree, only to stay poised at head height, as if uncertain of whether it was retreating or just finding better ground to bite us from. (Those beady eyes said 'bite' to me).

Well, we couldn't stand there all day. It was either go back or risk it. Opinions were mixed. Finally, three of us edged past the snake, while the other five decided not to risk it. On to the beach!

On the beach was a Korean fisherman with his sons. He'd been there the day before, so we waved and then went rock climbing. On our way back, we thought we should warn him about the snake, just incase it was dangerous. After patiently watching my flamboyant mime of the snake escapade, he smiled and said in perfect English 'Oh yeah, you get big snakes here'. Oh. I asked him if it was poisonous. 'Oh sure. One bite and you die' he said cheerfully. Oh well. At least the beach was nice. And seeing as we now had to walk back up the mountain, I'm going to tell myself he was joking too.  

That afternoon, everyone left the island....except Lee and I. We wanted one last night on the beach before heading back to reality. Once the last bus had taken all the expats and the church groups back to the port, the island was quiet and still. The elderly fisherman came out to their sitting posts, the women started gardening, and the only noise were the dogs barking in the distance. It felt like this little island was nicer once the wave of westerners had departed. We took a blanket out to the  wooden pagoda by the sea edge and read our books in the sunset. Flying fish were jumping in the port. This was nice (contented sigh). An elderly man came across and jumped onto his fishing boat. He saw us and started waving. Ahhh, the people here are nicer too. And then we realised he wasn't waving...more like, flinging his arms around. What's that he's saying? 'Go Home'? Oh right, so he prefers the island without the westerners too. The old rascal.

Thankfully, the other islanders are actually nice (there's always one, isn't there?). The next morning, Mr Kim drove us to get our boat. I wondered how he had ever gone from 50 years of Seoul City to the silence and serenity of Deokjeokdo. 'Aaaah, that's easy.' he said. 'I just take my fishing boat out and watch the sea. Next time you come I will take you out on it. You will see.' Well, it looks like we are going to meet again Deokjeokdo. I can't refuse an offer like that.

Jungdo Island

Last week, six of us awoke on a bright Sunday morning in a Chuncheon love motel. The fake tash rash from the previous night's shenanigans had gone (thank god), and it turns out that Chuncheon has more to offer than Dak Galbi and a Mime Festival. Just a small boat ride away is the beautiful forested river island of Jungdo.....

We strolled up to the small ferry crossing and handed over the 5,300 won (£2.60) return ticket price. Blimey that's good, I hear you cry! Well yes, but the crossing takes all of about 15 minutes, and most of that is the boat turning around. Even so, it was enough for a few Koreans to get a full powered, mouth-open, head-jerking, deep sleep in.

The island is extremely small, and designed for relaxing, sunbathing, cycling and picnicing. There aren't many cars on the island (probably because they wouldn't fit), so the best thing to do is hire one of the many bicycles and zip around taking in all the scenery. So that's what we did.

You can stay overnight in wooden cabins by the waterside if you want to make a weekend of it, but even a few hours on the island gives you time to soak it all in and spend enough time risking your life trying to manoeuvre a novelty tandem bike.

We headed back to the ferry, but not before visiting a dusty shop that seemed to sell very few things, yet had a lot of pickled animals in jars. Maybe they were for sale too. Pickled snake, anyone?

The Whats and The Hows

How do I get there?     Take a taxi from Chuncheon Bus Terminal for about 3,000 won. Ferries leave every half hour, 09:00-17:00, and cost 5,300 won return.

What is there to do?    There is an outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, football pitches, and rentable bikes and mini-quad bikes.

More info?                    look at this visit korea page.