Jeokdeokdo

A couple of weekends ago we set off to do some offshore exploring among the islands in the West Sea, off the (air)port city of Incheon, where Linda lives. The most famous of these is probably Yeonpyeong-do, up in the north, which was the scene of a North Korean attack last year when we all got a little nervous. We eschewed this option in favour of the more southerly Jeokdeokdo, safely out of North Korean artillery range, but more importantly with nicer beaches.

We took an early ferry out of Incheon port, which at 44,000 won seemed rather expensive, but given that it worked out to 30 pounds return for an hour trip, probably just points to the fact that transport here is usually ridiculously cheap. This gave us the chance to have a look at the new Incheon airport bridge, which really is impressive. As you can see below, it's pretty long and must have been incredibly expensive. No wonder the Korean Highways Agency is tricking people into using it.

We get off the ferry and hang around in the port town for an hour or so, getting a coffee while we waited for a bus. This duly arrived, and we set off for the beach with about 30 other people. At the beach, everyone gets off the bus, and disappears. Linda and I are the only people on a 1km long stretch of beach. We're not really that sure where everyone went, but we assume it was to the pensions (houses you can rent for the weekend) up in the village. Wherever they went, it seems that these Korean people were not big beach goers.

The beach itself was really nice, a long stretch of sand, which turned into mud flats before the sea. There were many of the shells below around, which proved surprisingly mobile. The flats were also inhabited by lots of small fish, and huge crabs like the one below.

OK, so maybe not so huge, but interesting to look at at least. We also went for a paddle, and then just hung out on the beach. I wrote lovey messages to "Rinda" in Korean, and then we went off to get some Kalguksu for lunch. This turned out to be incredibly tasty, so much so that I forgot to photograph it.

After that, it was almost time to go home again, after having a quick beer in the park. There was time while waiting for the ferry to take a photo that shows what a nice day Linda had, and how much I hate photos.

I've just realised that this is a quite horrifically boring blog post. If you get this far I apologise. I will try to write something a little more exciting.

A

UK Trip 2011 - Boating

Hi there,

It's been a couple of weeks since I last posted, but it feels more like a few days. Things are very, very busy here. I'm teaching 25 hours of classes a week, most of which I'm designing the materials for myself (or more accurately, getting my students to design them). I'm also studying pretty hard in the evenings for my MA course, which at the moment is really enjoyable too. Then there's getting myself back into shape in the gym and on the football field, expanding my repetoire of Korean and non-Korean meals and writing on my new blog. Oh yes, and I'm trying to keep up some of my Korean studies too. All this means that I'm becoming a little more creative with using my time. I walk to school listening to Korean podcasts, read linguistics articles on the subway, and get stared at using my laptop on the bumpy local bus journeys to my satelite schools. It's all good fun at the moment, and the harder I seem to be working the more energy I have. This may mean that after a few months I'm a burnt out wreck, but I guess we'll see. I do know that if I can make it to the summer things will be a lot easier as I'll trim a few classes from my schedule, which will make a world of difference.

Anyway, all this working has meant I haven't done much interesting stuff to write about since I got back. I do still have one set of photos to add from my UK trip though. When people ask me what I did on my trip home, I find it a little difficult to answer. The truth is I spent a great deal of time in the pub. Not that this was a bad thing, but it doesn't make for great holiday related conversation, particularly with my students. The one really notable thing that I did on my trip back was a boat trip around the canals and rivers of London on Laura's boat. This was an awesome chance to see a side of London not many people really know about. A chance to meet the lesbians, near vagrants and eccentric poshos who live on London's waterways (I'm not sure which category Laura falls into here), operate endless locks and desperately try to dislodge a sofa cushion which became entangled in the propeller. This really was a great couple of days, and has enchanted the elementary school classes I told about it. Thanks very much Laura!

The skipper

And her vessel, Summer Breeze.

Lock #1 of 475.

Going down.

Towpath wildlife.

The something cut. It's so long ago now I can't remember the name, but it leads to the River Lea.

Emily, Pie & Wine.

The Olympic Stadium

Emily, Laura and Canary Wharf

Canary Wharf again.

The ship's cat, who is actually a very proficient swimmer now.

Bedroom/dining room.

The "lobby".

The prow.

"Look Mum! I'm driving the boat!"

Islington tunnel entrance.

Inside.

Emergence.

Daylight!

That's it for now. Will try to find time to post more soon.

A