Dear Sal,
Would you believe it's almost been a whole year since I have been in Korea, yet it feels like I have always been here. 2014 has probably been one of the most definitive years of life. Everything about it has changed, I moved to the other side of the world, I ended a nearly seven year relationship and I learned how to be independent. Living alone has taught some very valuable life lessons, self control, financial responsibility and proper food portioning.
I'm not going to lie to you, this year hasn't been easy. Moving to Korea was hard enough, but the emotional consequences of bad decisions, cheap alcohol and a lack of family and friends only added to it. The first three months was more of a blur of booze infused nights out, as I struggled to come to terms with what I was doing and more importantly, what I wanted. But as hard as it was, it was what I needed at that point in my life. And what ever mistakes I may have made in the end I made the right decisions.
As the new year beings I feel optimistic for the future and what it brings. I am beyond excited to here the joyous news that, come this February, you will be joining the expat community over here in Korea. I know you will love it, and it will be nice to finally get a chance to see you face to face. Happy new year, Sal.
Love, Hugs and see you soon.
Samuel James.
Wednesday, 31 December 2014
Tuesday, 30 December 2014
Malaysia, Part Three... (Tuesday 30th Dec 2014)
Dear Sal,
Another day another journey. We made our way back to KK on a coach which was some kind of night club on wheels, with flashing neon lights and thumping music. They did eventually turned these things off after a few hours on the road, to allow some piece and quite. After sleeping rough in the jungle for the last few days, I can not begin to express the joy of the air conditioning the filled the coach. I differed off into a peaceful sleep.
Sleeping on a bumpy coach ride is something I had never been able to do before, but in Malaysia I found I could nap anywhere. A stone bench, a bus seat that only reclines about ten degrees and even a hundred year old shaky train that seems like it will fall apart at any moment. I feel myself getting older, but I don't mind.
Just off the coats of the city of KK, is a nature reserve spread over five islands, called Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park. These beautiful destinations are popular with tourists and local alike. Across the islands there are plenty of beaches, places to hike, eat and even some resorts on the largest island, Manukan. All these are a short boat ride across the waves away for the small fee of the boat ticket and a handling fee, oh and the island entry fee. There is almost nothing you can do here without having to pay.
I was determined to spend my last day relaxing or at least doing something that didn't require much effort. After all I only have one week off work for a whole year and so far I have yet to spend a day winding down. My return flight was departing KK at one AM Sunday morning, giving us plenty of time for exploration and resting on these exotic islands.
Off the shore of these nature reserves are coral reefs, which are ideal for snorkeling and diving, for an additional fee. However the water isn't really that clear, being so close to a developing city and also I ran out of money. It was clear enough for me to look down and see a group of fish swimming in between me and Jason as we swam. I say swan, but most of the time we were just throwing rocks at each other and seeing who could hold their breath the longest. After a year of smoking in Korea I of course lost this battle.
Before I knew it we where back on the boat to the city and soon I was off to the airport, back to Korea and back to work. I hate saying goodbye to Jason, but I will see him again soon enough when February roles around and my first year comes to an end, but until then....
Love, Hugs and why can I have another week off?
Samuel James.
Another day another journey. We made our way back to KK on a coach which was some kind of night club on wheels, with flashing neon lights and thumping music. They did eventually turned these things off after a few hours on the road, to allow some piece and quite. After sleeping rough in the jungle for the last few days, I can not begin to express the joy of the air conditioning the filled the coach. I differed off into a peaceful sleep.
Sleeping on a bumpy coach ride is something I had never been able to do before, but in Malaysia I found I could nap anywhere. A stone bench, a bus seat that only reclines about ten degrees and even a hundred year old shaky train that seems like it will fall apart at any moment. I feel myself getting older, but I don't mind.
Just off the coats of the city of KK, is a nature reserve spread over five islands, called Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park. These beautiful destinations are popular with tourists and local alike. Across the islands there are plenty of beaches, places to hike, eat and even some resorts on the largest island, Manukan. All these are a short boat ride across the waves away for the small fee of the boat ticket and a handling fee, oh and the island entry fee. There is almost nothing you can do here without having to pay.
Off the shore of these nature reserves are coral reefs, which are ideal for snorkeling and diving, for an additional fee. However the water isn't really that clear, being so close to a developing city and also I ran out of money. It was clear enough for me to look down and see a group of fish swimming in between me and Jason as we swam. I say swan, but most of the time we were just throwing rocks at each other and seeing who could hold their breath the longest. After a year of smoking in Korea I of course lost this battle.
Before I knew it we where back on the boat to the city and soon I was off to the airport, back to Korea and back to work. I hate saying goodbye to Jason, but I will see him again soon enough when February roles around and my first year comes to an end, but until then....
Love, Hugs and why can I have another week off?
Samuel James.
Wednesday, 24 December 2014
Malaysia, Part Two... (Tuesday 24th Dec 2014)
Dear Sal,
Have you ever seen an orangutan in the wild? Didn't think so. Our tour group was lucky enough to catch the rare sight of these elusive primates on the way to the camp we would be spending the next three days in. He was perch high in the tree top observing his domain, and he was massive. Borneo is one of only two places in the world you have the chance to witness this endangered species in it's natural habit. It was defiantly a highlight of the trip.
After being stranded on a train platform in the middle of nowhere for what seemed like forever, we missed the bus taking us on our next days excursion of diving. This came as a blessing in disuse as I was exhausted from the traveling and the day before activities. We explored the city of KK further, visiting the near by wet lands, the city's mosque and of course the local food establishments once again. It was nice to get a chance to relax before our three day jungle stay at Uncle Tan Wildlife Adventure.
The next morning saw another early start to another long journey across Sabah. This time on a coach, a nice coach with air conditioning, a toilet, that was for "only pee!", and even a movie to watch. The movie in question was not in English. Roughly five hours after leaving KK we had arrived at are destination, almost. Just a short half an hour walk down the road, in the sweltering heat, carrying all our luggage. With not much time to catch our breath we were off yet again, driving for about an hour, from the concrete paved roads of civilization to the bumpy dirt roads of the jungle. We arrived in a small village and made our way to the dock, or the closets thing the village had to a dock. It was pretty much just a ladder that run down a slope to where the boat was.
The boat ride felt wonderful, the refreshing cool air blowing in your face and only the occasional bug in your mouth. It was shortly in to this journey to the camp that we saw the glimpse of the orangutan. Just the first of many animals and birds we would see over the next few days.
The website described the accommodation as spartan, whatever that meant. Within a moment of arriving any questions I may have had been answered. A cabin with no doors no windows awaited us. No bed, just a mat on the floor with a mosquito net. Surprisingly there was a light, but the generator only ran from six PM to twelve AM. Next to the hanging sign that greeted us a spider sat menacingly. As the group approached it scurried away. It was so big, but what made it worse was how fast it was. The sound of the spider running up the wall was like the sound of nails taping on wood. The bathroom facilitates consisted of a real toilet but with a bucket of river water which you had to carry in with you as the flush. And the shower was not that dissimilar, a bucket of cold rain water. After dinner of the first evening the eight people on the tour made a group decision that no one would shower and we would all be in the same smelly boat.
The next morning we woke at six, and by now I had adjusted to the early mornings. Surprisingly I found sleep not impossible despite the constant sound of the 'what-what' frogs and the Bites that covered my body causing uncontrollable bouts of itching. In the city I had managed to avoid the mosquitoes bite but not out here in the jungle, the mosquito was king and I his whore.
The next two days we went on many trips up and down the river, exploring the rich and exotic flora and the fauna who inhabit it. we saw crocodiles, spiders and snakes. A family of otters was a surprise as I had no idea that they lived in this region. Countless birds, or a variety of colour and size, from tiny kingfishers to large eagles, we even saw our guide rescue one from a tangled fishing line.
There was so much to see and do crammed into such a short amount of time. I even went fishing for the first time in my entire life. I caught four fish in all, and while they may not have been the largest of fish, for a first attempt I was pretty please with myself. I felt a real scene of accomplishment as I sat down and ate my catch.
Love, hugs and damn these bugs!
Samuel James.
Have you ever seen an orangutan in the wild? Didn't think so. Our tour group was lucky enough to catch the rare sight of these elusive primates on the way to the camp we would be spending the next three days in. He was perch high in the tree top observing his domain, and he was massive. Borneo is one of only two places in the world you have the chance to witness this endangered species in it's natural habit. It was defiantly a highlight of the trip.
After being stranded on a train platform in the middle of nowhere for what seemed like forever, we missed the bus taking us on our next days excursion of diving. This came as a blessing in disuse as I was exhausted from the traveling and the day before activities. We explored the city of KK further, visiting the near by wet lands, the city's mosque and of course the local food establishments once again. It was nice to get a chance to relax before our three day jungle stay at Uncle Tan Wildlife Adventure.
The next morning saw another early start to another long journey across Sabah. This time on a coach, a nice coach with air conditioning, a toilet, that was for "only pee!", and even a movie to watch. The movie in question was not in English. Roughly five hours after leaving KK we had arrived at are destination, almost. Just a short half an hour walk down the road, in the sweltering heat, carrying all our luggage. With not much time to catch our breath we were off yet again, driving for about an hour, from the concrete paved roads of civilization to the bumpy dirt roads of the jungle. We arrived in a small village and made our way to the dock, or the closets thing the village had to a dock. It was pretty much just a ladder that run down a slope to where the boat was.
The boat ride felt wonderful, the refreshing cool air blowing in your face and only the occasional bug in your mouth. It was shortly in to this journey to the camp that we saw the glimpse of the orangutan. Just the first of many animals and birds we would see over the next few days.
The website described the accommodation as spartan, whatever that meant. Within a moment of arriving any questions I may have had been answered. A cabin with no doors no windows awaited us. No bed, just a mat on the floor with a mosquito net. Surprisingly there was a light, but the generator only ran from six PM to twelve AM. Next to the hanging sign that greeted us a spider sat menacingly. As the group approached it scurried away. It was so big, but what made it worse was how fast it was. The sound of the spider running up the wall was like the sound of nails taping on wood. The bathroom facilitates consisted of a real toilet but with a bucket of river water which you had to carry in with you as the flush. And the shower was not that dissimilar, a bucket of cold rain water. After dinner of the first evening the eight people on the tour made a group decision that no one would shower and we would all be in the same smelly boat.
The next morning we woke at six, and by now I had adjusted to the early mornings. Surprisingly I found sleep not impossible despite the constant sound of the 'what-what' frogs and the Bites that covered my body causing uncontrollable bouts of itching. In the city I had managed to avoid the mosquitoes bite but not out here in the jungle, the mosquito was king and I his whore.
The next two days we went on many trips up and down the river, exploring the rich and exotic flora and the fauna who inhabit it. we saw crocodiles, spiders and snakes. A family of otters was a surprise as I had no idea that they lived in this region. Countless birds, or a variety of colour and size, from tiny kingfishers to large eagles, we even saw our guide rescue one from a tangled fishing line.
There was so much to see and do crammed into such a short amount of time. I even went fishing for the first time in my entire life. I caught four fish in all, and while they may not have been the largest of fish, for a first attempt I was pretty please with myself. I felt a real scene of accomplishment as I sat down and ate my catch.
Love, hugs and damn these bugs!
Samuel James.
Merry Christmas... (Wednesday 24th Dec 2014)
Dear Sal,
Love, hugs and a merry Ludachristmas to you.
Samuel James
Its' beginning to look at lot like... well, not Christmas. Sure it's freezing cold out, the ground is blanketed in snow, there are lights and decorations in every shop, subway and restaurant. You can't escape the bombardment of the festive season in Korea as the sounds of Mariah Carey, proclaiming her short Christmas wish list, fills the air. But somehow it just doesn't really feel like Christmas.
There was a warmth to Christmas in England, not a literal temperature, but a feeling. An excitement, the anticipation as the days dwindle until down until it arrived. And while most of the time I was always disappointed by the anticlimax, which was normally brought on by a hangover, it was still wonderful to feel like that. Like a child might. But in Korea, that feeling is lost. Maybe it's the fact that this will be my first Christmas without family, maybe because I have not decorated my apartment, or maybe it's because I will have to work six hours on Christmas day.
What ever the reason could be I am determined to make the most of the day and enjoy myself with my close friends eating the traditional Christmas dinner of, Korean barbecue.
What ever the reason could be I am determined to make the most of the day and enjoy myself with my close friends eating the traditional Christmas dinner of, Korean barbecue.
Love, hugs and a merry Ludachristmas to you.
Samuel James
Tuesday, 23 December 2014
Malaysia, Part One... (Tuesday 23rd Dec 2014)
Dear Sal,
I am not the biggest fan of flying and my flight from Seoul to Kota Kinabalu did nothing to help this. It's not that I'm scared of flying, it's just that I am so incredibly inpatient. I just want to get their already. The twenty minute subway ride downtown is agonizing enough, but the thought of having to sit in one seat for six hours bored me to tears.
I was the only westerner on the plane, I sat in seat one D, which of course is the one right at front, so I was the first thing you saw when you board the plan. To make matters worse, I was surrounded by several mothers and their screaming babies. I tried my best to distract myself, I watched movies and attempted to sleep, but was constantly knocked by someone on route to the bathroom or a children who couldn't stay in their seat for more then two bloody minutes. The mother did apologized to me and gave me some candy, which was very nice, the candy however was not.
Stepping off the plan I was immediately hit by the dramatic change in temperature. When I left Korea the weather was freezing, meaning I was wrapped up for the next ice age. I attempted to remove as many layers as possible as I made my way through the terminal to pick up my baggage, but still felt like the jeans I wore suffocated me with every step I took.
Kota kinabalu, or KK as everyone refers to it as, was smaller then I had expected it would be and does not look like the pictures you will find online at all. For a relatively new city it felt old to me, a little grubby but thats not to say it didn't have it's charm. The city was easy to maneuver, the people were helpful and friendly and the food, oh my word, the food was amazing. With multiple markets to pick up everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to seafood, where you can select your fish and they cook it for you right then and there. I also believe I had the best soup I ever tasted in my life in this city, in fact I am certain of it. The tragedy is I have no idea what it was called, but the taste of ginger and lemon grass will linger in mind until I find it again.
After spending a day exploring the city we woke up at the crack of dawn to be picked up and taken white water rafting. I have never been before and Jason kept informing me of them impending dangers I was about to throw myself into. After a nearly two hour ride in a mini van we caught a train, the only train in Borneo, for a further two hours until we reach our destination. All the while I was thinking of the viscous rapids that awaited me.
I needn't have worried. We did have to sign a consent form but I don't see why, the rapids where fun, but tame from what I had been lead to believe. I wanted more of them and bigger, I wanted to have been thrown from the boat and swept down the river, but alas I was not. It was hard work physically, and the next day I felt the full effect.
.
After a filling lunch we made our back to the station to get our train back to KK. It was two thirty and the train was supposed to leave at three so we waited, and waited, but it didn't come. The only train in Borneo had broken down. After nearly two hours of standing, sitting, even lying down at one point, in the drizzling rain a train finally arrived. The only problem was it was heading in the wrong direction. This meant we had to take the train to the end of the line and back again to return to are original location. This added yet another additional two hours to our already long journey.
When we finally made it back we had to check back in to the hostel we had left over 15 hours before, exhausted I crawled into bed and past out.
Love, hugs and oh god, why does my whole body hurt?
Samuel James.
I am not the biggest fan of flying and my flight from Seoul to Kota Kinabalu did nothing to help this. It's not that I'm scared of flying, it's just that I am so incredibly inpatient. I just want to get their already. The twenty minute subway ride downtown is agonizing enough, but the thought of having to sit in one seat for six hours bored me to tears.
I was the only westerner on the plane, I sat in seat one D, which of course is the one right at front, so I was the first thing you saw when you board the plan. To make matters worse, I was surrounded by several mothers and their screaming babies. I tried my best to distract myself, I watched movies and attempted to sleep, but was constantly knocked by someone on route to the bathroom or a children who couldn't stay in their seat for more then two bloody minutes. The mother did apologized to me and gave me some candy, which was very nice, the candy however was not.
Stepping off the plan I was immediately hit by the dramatic change in temperature. When I left Korea the weather was freezing, meaning I was wrapped up for the next ice age. I attempted to remove as many layers as possible as I made my way through the terminal to pick up my baggage, but still felt like the jeans I wore suffocated me with every step I took.
Kota kinabalu, or KK as everyone refers to it as, was smaller then I had expected it would be and does not look like the pictures you will find online at all. For a relatively new city it felt old to me, a little grubby but thats not to say it didn't have it's charm. The city was easy to maneuver, the people were helpful and friendly and the food, oh my word, the food was amazing. With multiple markets to pick up everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to seafood, where you can select your fish and they cook it for you right then and there. I also believe I had the best soup I ever tasted in my life in this city, in fact I am certain of it. The tragedy is I have no idea what it was called, but the taste of ginger and lemon grass will linger in mind until I find it again.
After spending a day exploring the city we woke up at the crack of dawn to be picked up and taken white water rafting. I have never been before and Jason kept informing me of them impending dangers I was about to throw myself into. After a nearly two hour ride in a mini van we caught a train, the only train in Borneo, for a further two hours until we reach our destination. All the while I was thinking of the viscous rapids that awaited me.
I needn't have worried. We did have to sign a consent form but I don't see why, the rapids where fun, but tame from what I had been lead to believe. I wanted more of them and bigger, I wanted to have been thrown from the boat and swept down the river, but alas I was not. It was hard work physically, and the next day I felt the full effect.
.
After a filling lunch we made our back to the station to get our train back to KK. It was two thirty and the train was supposed to leave at three so we waited, and waited, but it didn't come. The only train in Borneo had broken down. After nearly two hours of standing, sitting, even lying down at one point, in the drizzling rain a train finally arrived. The only problem was it was heading in the wrong direction. This meant we had to take the train to the end of the line and back again to return to are original location. This added yet another additional two hours to our already long journey.
When we finally made it back we had to check back in to the hostel we had left over 15 hours before, exhausted I crawled into bed and past out.
Love, hugs and oh god, why does my whole body hurt?
Samuel James.
Saturday, 20 December 2014
Gyenongju, Love Castle... (Saturday 20th Nov 2014)
Dear Sal,
Last month I found myself with a group of friends on a weekend excursion to Gyeongju, which was the capital city of the ancient kingdom of Korea. The city is littered with beautiful old buildings, temples and tombs that pop out of the ground all over place like domes covered in grass. The city has a much more traditional feel then that of Daegu and a much smaller population, which means a much smaller number of foreigners milling around, making a nice change.
Here in Korea there seems to be some unspoken rule that if one place is good at doing something then that's the only place it can be done. It's true of every city throughput the country in Jeonju it's their bibibap, and in Gyeongiu it's their bread. It's not really bread, it's more of a pastry, filled with red bean paste. Needless to say I didn't try one. Even after all these months of living here, every time I bite into something to find the surprise of red bean paste I still get angry.
For lunch we went to a very popular and well known traditional Korean restaurant in the area, which was in a wonderful old wooden building, only to be told we would have to wait over an hour to be seated. It didn't take the group long to decide if we would wait on or not. Less then five minutes later we where sat down and ordering in newer, but still traditional, place just round the corner. I will never get over the dizzying number of side dishes which accompany your meals here, and all completely for free.
This beautiful and tranquil city is lovely place to escape the busy and bustling metropolis of Daegu. It's the kind of place you would take a relaxing day trip with friends and family. It feels like how I imaged a Korean city would be prior to coming. Upholding a traditional air of their culture and history, it is not however the kind of place you expect to find a sex museum.
For a country that seems to be some what sexual repressed, there are a surprising number of these places spread through out the county. Gyenongju's offering is called 'Love Castle', but the walls and grounds where not adorned with art and sculptures that showed love, but sex and lots of it. Going with friends made the whole experience one of the funnest and most ridiculous things I have done since coming to Korea. Laughing, pointing and posing with an assortment of provocative and inappropriate objects as Korean couples dressed in matching outfits awkwardly wandered round the exhibits. I couldn't recommend it enough.
Love, hugs and oh my word.
Samuel James
Last month I found myself with a group of friends on a weekend excursion to Gyeongju, which was the capital city of the ancient kingdom of Korea. The city is littered with beautiful old buildings, temples and tombs that pop out of the ground all over place like domes covered in grass. The city has a much more traditional feel then that of Daegu and a much smaller population, which means a much smaller number of foreigners milling around, making a nice change.
Here in Korea there seems to be some unspoken rule that if one place is good at doing something then that's the only place it can be done. It's true of every city throughput the country in Jeonju it's their bibibap, and in Gyeongiu it's their bread. It's not really bread, it's more of a pastry, filled with red bean paste. Needless to say I didn't try one. Even after all these months of living here, every time I bite into something to find the surprise of red bean paste I still get angry.
For lunch we went to a very popular and well known traditional Korean restaurant in the area, which was in a wonderful old wooden building, only to be told we would have to wait over an hour to be seated. It didn't take the group long to decide if we would wait on or not. Less then five minutes later we where sat down and ordering in newer, but still traditional, place just round the corner. I will never get over the dizzying number of side dishes which accompany your meals here, and all completely for free.
This beautiful and tranquil city is lovely place to escape the busy and bustling metropolis of Daegu. It's the kind of place you would take a relaxing day trip with friends and family. It feels like how I imaged a Korean city would be prior to coming. Upholding a traditional air of their culture and history, it is not however the kind of place you expect to find a sex museum.
For a country that seems to be some what sexual repressed, there are a surprising number of these places spread through out the county. Gyenongju's offering is called 'Love Castle', but the walls and grounds where not adorned with art and sculptures that showed love, but sex and lots of it. Going with friends made the whole experience one of the funnest and most ridiculous things I have done since coming to Korea. Laughing, pointing and posing with an assortment of provocative and inappropriate objects as Korean couples dressed in matching outfits awkwardly wandered round the exhibits. I couldn't recommend it enough.
Love, hugs and oh my word.
Samuel James
Wednesday, 17 December 2014
Five days Paid Hoilday a Year... (Wednesday 17th Dec 2014)
Dear Sal,
After working for nine months straight, with only one day off, it was finally time for me to take my holiday. One of the scariest things about signing the contract that brought me to Korea, was seeing the mere five days paid vacation that I would receive. While some hangwons offer two weeks paid vacation with additional days off, I am only gifted with one. One week, for a whole years worth of work teaching, fives days a week, every week, with no extra days off. I sound bitter, but it hasn't been too bad really.
My destination was Malaysia, more precisely the island of Borneo and the city of Kota Kinabalu. My trip began early Saturday morning as I made my way to Incheon airport via a four hour bus ride from Dong Daegu station. One of the great things about living in Korea is being only a hope, skip and jump away from some of the most exotic locations in the world. Places that would have cost a small future to visit when living in England, but are relevantly cheap when you reside within Asia.
I will be completely honest with you, the days building up to my departure I felt oddly nervous. I didn't realise at first but it wasn't until this moment in my life, at the ripe old age of twenty nine, I had ever traveled on my own. Through out my lift I always seemed to have had a helping hand from someone, My parents, a teacher, a partner. The night before I hardly slept, running over and over things in my mind. Had I forgotten anything? What if I am late? Or what if I read the wrong departure time? After several checks, double checks and a couple of cigarettes I finally drifted off to sleep. Only to awake a few hours later, well before my alarm was due to ring.
I don't know what all the fuss was about, the whole thing was piss easy. I spend most of my Saturday reading, watching movies and wishing the seemingly never ending journey would hurry up and be over so I could see Jason. The time soon past and before I knew it and so had my whole Holiday. It went by far too quickly.
In the space of only six days me and Jason managed to squeeze a lot in. White water rafting, a three day river safari, spending two nights sleeping in the jungle with only a mosquito neck to protect us against the elements and insects. Getting to see the rare sight of a orangutan in the wild and the not so rare sight of seeing one in a sanctuary. Island hoping, hiking, swimming and exploring the countries rich culture and history. Apart form the actual museum, that sucked.
I had a wonderful time in the glorious hot weather. Just as the final day came my body had finally adjusted to extreme heat and early morning wake up calls of Borneo, only to return to plummeting temperatures and late night work scheduled of Korea.
There is far too much for me to go in too much detail now but I will write again soon and tell some of the more about it. Right now I have a lot of work that I need to catch up on and student reports to write.
Love, hugs and I could do with another week off.
Samuel James.
After working for nine months straight, with only one day off, it was finally time for me to take my holiday. One of the scariest things about signing the contract that brought me to Korea, was seeing the mere five days paid vacation that I would receive. While some hangwons offer two weeks paid vacation with additional days off, I am only gifted with one. One week, for a whole years worth of work teaching, fives days a week, every week, with no extra days off. I sound bitter, but it hasn't been too bad really.
My destination was Malaysia, more precisely the island of Borneo and the city of Kota Kinabalu. My trip began early Saturday morning as I made my way to Incheon airport via a four hour bus ride from Dong Daegu station. One of the great things about living in Korea is being only a hope, skip and jump away from some of the most exotic locations in the world. Places that would have cost a small future to visit when living in England, but are relevantly cheap when you reside within Asia.
I will be completely honest with you, the days building up to my departure I felt oddly nervous. I didn't realise at first but it wasn't until this moment in my life, at the ripe old age of twenty nine, I had ever traveled on my own. Through out my lift I always seemed to have had a helping hand from someone, My parents, a teacher, a partner. The night before I hardly slept, running over and over things in my mind. Had I forgotten anything? What if I am late? Or what if I read the wrong departure time? After several checks, double checks and a couple of cigarettes I finally drifted off to sleep. Only to awake a few hours later, well before my alarm was due to ring.
I don't know what all the fuss was about, the whole thing was piss easy. I spend most of my Saturday reading, watching movies and wishing the seemingly never ending journey would hurry up and be over so I could see Jason. The time soon past and before I knew it and so had my whole Holiday. It went by far too quickly.
In the space of only six days me and Jason managed to squeeze a lot in. White water rafting, a three day river safari, spending two nights sleeping in the jungle with only a mosquito neck to protect us against the elements and insects. Getting to see the rare sight of a orangutan in the wild and the not so rare sight of seeing one in a sanctuary. Island hoping, hiking, swimming and exploring the countries rich culture and history. Apart form the actual museum, that sucked.
I had a wonderful time in the glorious hot weather. Just as the final day came my body had finally adjusted to extreme heat and early morning wake up calls of Borneo, only to return to plummeting temperatures and late night work scheduled of Korea.
There is far too much for me to go in too much detail now but I will write again soon and tell some of the more about it. Right now I have a lot of work that I need to catch up on and student reports to write.
Love, hugs and I could do with another week off.
Samuel James.
Tuesday, 16 December 2014
KAPS Dog Walking, Part 2 (Tue 16th Dec 2014)
Dear Sal,
I heard some bad news today. Not like a family member dying bad, but bad enough. The KAPS animal shelters, both for the cats and the dogs, will be closing next week. Those poor animal, being turned out at Christmas time. I'm sure they are not simply being thrown to the street and in fact are being rehoused at another facility. But when my friend told me I couldn't get the image out of my head of all those cats and dogs sitting on a street corner, shivering in the freezing cold winter of Daegu. I am sure they will find them all nice new comfortable homes or maybe they'll just sell them all to a local restaurant, you never know.
This weekend will be the last ever group dog walking event. Unfortunately I have plans and am unable to attend, but a few weeks before I went on my vacation I stopped by with some friends and walked some of the pups.
Love, hugs and see you later...
Samuel James
P.S) Please find enclosed pictures of cute, unwanted and now homeless dogs. Enjoy!
I heard some bad news today. Not like a family member dying bad, but bad enough. The KAPS animal shelters, both for the cats and the dogs, will be closing next week. Those poor animal, being turned out at Christmas time. I'm sure they are not simply being thrown to the street and in fact are being rehoused at another facility. But when my friend told me I couldn't get the image out of my head of all those cats and dogs sitting on a street corner, shivering in the freezing cold winter of Daegu. I am sure they will find them all nice new comfortable homes or maybe they'll just sell them all to a local restaurant, you never know.
This weekend will be the last ever group dog walking event. Unfortunately I have plans and am unable to attend, but a few weeks before I went on my vacation I stopped by with some friends and walked some of the pups.
Love, hugs and see you later...
Samuel James
P.S) Please find enclosed pictures of cute, unwanted and now homeless dogs. Enjoy!
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