End of Japan, beginning of Korea

So, after enjoying the calm of Nagasaki we also learnt a few lessons in seeing things from the other point of view. We had a walking tour with a local (a free service provided by our hostel). It was interesting to talk to and meet a man whose family had been affected by the Atom bomb. His summary "We did a lot but did we really deserve that bomb?"

We also met some great folk at our hostel, including Clara and Kat. Fresh out of school before heading to uni, they were a few weeks in to their great tour. They're heading to China next...we felt very old as we told them to take care and stick together (the exact words Kara's mother always uses!).



The love that dare not speak its name
The time had come for the grand reunion of the greatest love a man can have. Yes, we did a 30 minute frantic walk (we couldn't find the right bus stop), a 30 minute bus ride, a 3 hour ferry journey, another bus ride, a sprint through a train station (thank you Kara's dad for sending us Korean money or we'd have never made our train) and then a 5 hour train journey...all for love.

Well, okay, all so that Martin could meet up with his childhood friend, our best man, and the chap generally known as Matt.

So, Matt and his partner Sophia moved back to her native S.Korea in October. We HAD to come visit being so close in the country-we-don't-mention-over-here.

It's been great. We've been out for a different type of Korean food everynight. We've had spicy chicken (Dak Galbi)cooked in a big pan in front of you on your table, another cook it on your table affair where you have plates of smoked meat to devour, another restaurant where the food was so fresh it was practically still in the ground (Kara had Bip Im Bap and Mart had Gukiguksu - Jeuju Island speciality) and some kind of roll with rice thing for lunch. DELICIOUS!

We've also seen the Unesco World Heritage Site Wall at Su Won (where Matt and Sophia live) and been to Seoul for a day (heading back there next week as it's too big to see in one day!). Today we're heading off to Anmyon Island for a night away.

More on views and impressions of Korea in the next blog... (whatever you do, don't compare it to the-place-we've-just-come-from).

Street in Seoul

Err... we got called over by a guy with a loud speaker sayiong "You can come have your photo taken". So we did. It's a changing of the guard.








One of our meals with Matt and Sophia.