A little catch up about my week from a coffee shop in Seoul

"This week has been another great one", I think as I sip on a caffe latte in a random little coffee shop in Seoul that is dimly lit and playing some catchy jazz. It is decorated with gorgeous maroon and green sofas with artsty fartsy lights hanging all around! I have decided to make a mission to the "Korean Beverly Hills"area of Seoul, according to my travel guide. This area is called Apujeong, situated south of the Han River. After 20min of walking with my backpack in the beautiful heat, I have given up my mission of finding Dosan Park described as "chic and bustling with beautiful, young people of Seoul". Instead, a quiet cool coffee shop will do for now for this sweaty,tired and satisfied traveller. Anway, some reflection and updates are needed:

Election Day: Wednesday was Election day! (Or eRection day as my one teacher told me-it was difficult not to burst out laughing) Chen and I had had a wonderful day in gangchon! It is the first stop on the bus on the way to Seoul. SO it is just outside of Chuncheon, but it feels like you are in Mpumalanga somewhere. The greenery that Summer has brought is just utterly beautiful. Winter seemed so dull, grey and miserable that having such a contrast now is rejuvenating. Gangchon is where Chen used to teach last year. It is a tiny city with actual rice paddys and farms. Along with the greenery, the change in season has brought out all the bicycles and quad bikes for tourists like myself to enjoy!

First up was a tandem bicycle! Oh boy- it was such fun! My-o-my! I have always wondered what it must be like to cycle together. The best analogy for tandem cycling is probably ballroom dancing. You have to be on the same wave-length, you have to move in time, you have got to trust the one steering (leading) you and most of all, you just have to go with the flow! I haven't laughed so much in a while! We cycled all the way up to the bicycle parking spot and then walked up to a magnificent waterfall. I love people watching at such locations.My particular favourite at this tourist spot was a group of old ladies posing in front of a waterfall with their rather dashing,long-haired young tourist guide. They were giggling like my high school gals!

We dropped off the bicycle and then decided the quad bikes looked like such fun, that we hired one of those too for an hour! The thrill of the engine roaring was exhilarating, as we bounced over dust roads along the Han River and rice fields. YEEEHAAA seemed to be the only appropriate word to scream. Another day I will soon not forget!

Yesterday: Definitely another one to remember! It was the Pre-World Cup South African Braai at the Nanji Camping Ground in Seoul. Maybe it was the Vuvuzelas, the bright SA flags all around, the Mandoza music and SA dancing, the biltong, the braais or the koeksisters, but it felt like we were in South Africa. This event attracted over 600 + South Africans from all over Korea. The rainbow nation was indeed present-whites, blacks, coloureds, Koreans who've married South Africans and even people wanting to be South Africans. After my cultural identity crisis I had a few weeks ago, I felt this event really showed me the unity that South Africans do share- PASSION! Whether it is passion for music, boerewors, dancing, koeksisters, talking about rugby or just chilling out- South Africans have something special and we must be proud of it. Of course, the lamb chops and biltong I bought at an exorbitant price were worth every last scrumptious morsel. YUM! Chen also tried his first piece of African Sausage-boerewors and really enjoyed it! The best part of the day was when everyone got together and sang "Enkosi Sikelela". Dit was regtig 'n lekker dag! AYOBA!!!

And then a mission to Hongdae was in order for MISSION: ASHLEY's SURPRISE BIRTHDAY. Joe-her boyfriend-had been plotting this for weeks and I was second commando in charge of organising all the peeps! It went off swimmingly. She was convinced up until the last moment that they were going to see a play! He led her surreptiously down the stairs to Nolita's -an Italian restaurant and before she could question his motives: Wham Bam: SURPRISE! So endearing. :)

Today: Sunday 6 June, I need to make my way back to Chuncheon before another week of fun! I am doing soccer world cup and construed a crazy soccer field board game for my boys which I hope will go off well! My coffee is now finished... I must go...

Bisous

JO