Seoul to Beijing

Hey Everyone,

I've been gone from Seoul for 3 (or 4?) days now... I don't know where to start.
The plan for this blog is to update every few days (once a week at least). I'm sensing already that I'm not gonna be in keen mode like I was when in Cambodia and India. I managed to write everyday and produced over 18,000 words... enough with the metadiscourse. This firts blog is going to reflect the state of my mind-- scattered.



Things started off right when I left Korea on Tuesday. I had stayed at Morgan's house my last night and she sent me off with a warm breakfast a hug and some chilli for the ferry ride. I was on the ferry by one in the afternoon and arrived in Tianjin, China 28 hours later.

The ferry ride was peacful and restful. I slept a lot, read a John Grisham novel start to finish and ate cheap Korean food. I had expected the ferry ride to get in earlier and the bus to take only two hours. That time table would have me arrive in downtown Beijing by 6. I ended up teaming up with the only other caucasian on the ferry and taking the only bus waiting at the terminal. The traffic was horrible and we were dilivered to a northern suburb which is Little Korea in Bejing (there was a Pizza hut and a Face Shop!!!!) Devon (the white girl) had met some cool korean guys on the ferry who escorted bith of us to the subway station that I she had to go to to meet the friend she was staying with.

One of the guys, Oh Beom, offered to let me spend the night at his apartment. He was afraid of me looking for a hostel at 10 in the evening. I took up the offer and landed in the largest apartment I have seen in Asia. Ever. He shared with two other Korean studnets who all went to a an international business and economics university. We ate more even cheaper korean food. I got a BED to sleep in (I don't know how, but didn't complain). The next day, I set off with the other guy from the ferry, Woo Yeon. Woo yeon didn't speak much English, but he offered to take me to a hostel. He told me that he just finished his military service and was about to restart university.

Woo Yeon and I have been hanging out for the last two days. I've actually wanted to relax a bit, but have foudn myself running around a bit too much. I think I am just wound up from all of the franticness of leaving Korea.

I'll quickly summarize the crazyness of th elast few days

Woo Yeon and I went to tiannimen square saw the forbidden city (well the outer part, you can't go in after 3:30pm. We went shopping in Beijing in two areas that were supposed to be like Myungdong and Apukjeong respectively.




Today (saturday) I went to see the great wall. I had a great time in the first area I went to especially. The first area was actiually undere reconstruction for toursist, but not yet open. There was NO ONE there, and I actually didn't notice any construction. I walked through a peacfull chesnut orcard for about 20 mins and then cllimbed up the side of the hill to one of the towers. I'm petrifide of heights, so I thought I was going to die at times. Sitting a creathing helped me enjoy being on the wall a bit more.




The next section I went to was redeveloed for tourists. I passed on the two cable car services available and bought a simpel entruy ticmet that allowed me to climb the stairs to the wall. The extra stop was nice, becuase I felt safe enough walk across it.



Back at the bus stop to get ot Bejing, I almost got in a fist fight with my taxi driver over a fare misunderstanging. He wanted to charge 90 yuan (30 yuan for each leg of the journey including the stop on the way back as an extra leg) and I thought the fare was 60 (ther and back). I met an austrailian guy who paid 5 to the torusity part of the wall (closer to the bus stop) and 10 back. It made the 30 extra yuan seem even more silly. 90 yuan is only 12 canadian dollars, however, so giving in was probably a good Idea.

Woo Yeon met a different fate today. On his way to meeting another Korean friend, he had his his camera,cell phone and 400 yuan stolen. He was on an crowded bus and had it stolen directly from his camerabag. I didn't know what to say as he doesn't really speak English, and I don't really speak Korean. I decided to buy him dinner and a beer. I forgot to mention earlier that he calls "older brother", a direct translation of what he would call me in Korean. It's cute.

Woo Yoen is off tomorrow (only here for three days) so I'm gonna chill out a bit tomorrow. I'm happy to be travelling, but I have to get into a good grouve so I can enjoy where I am.