March 21, 2007
A New Direction
GIMHAE, SOUTH KOREA - I've been waiting all this time for a new passport so that I could go back to China; Beijing specifically, in order to get on the Trans-Siberian train to Moscow. Now that everything is in order and I'm once again free to travel wherever I like. I've set my eyes on a different destination.
The lure of Japan is proving too strong for me to resist. It started a few weeks ago when I watched, and supremely enjoyed the film, Lost In Translation. The other big pull is that it's only a three hour ferry ride from where I am now - I know, Japan is technically in the wrong direction, but I'll probably never be this close again.
So tomorrow morning I'll be shouldering my packs once again for a week (or two) exploring Japan. My plans beyond Japan involve me catching the two-day ferry from Osaka to Shanghai in China - Giant city I missed on my first trip North through China from Vietnam. A Russian tourist visa is meant to be easiest get in Shanghai than in Beijing. From Shanghai it's a short 12-hour train ride back to Beijing where I should be able to finally board the Trans-Siberian train; the one that will propel me across the rest of Asia to the doorstep of Europe.
These plans, of course, are fragile at best. For now I'll find comfort in the fact that I have a passport, I have a ferry ticket and I have a 7-day rail pass good for anywhere in Japan.
Near Tokyo, I plan to also meet up with Caroline, a travelling buddy from my Central American days, and one time guest writer on this very website is living in Nagoya.
I leave tomorrow morning. First stop the Southern city of Fukuoka on the island of Kyūshū. My mind is already filled with Bullet Trains, Sushi, Cellphones and Samarai.
I'll miss Korea. I was very lucky to have a brother here to stay with while I waited out the entire passport bit. I'm headed out in a few minutes for my last night out. I'll have to buy him a drink.
March 16, 2007
Happy St. Patricks Day
GIMHAE, SOUTH KOREA - Over on this side of the planet, in the future, it's already St. Patricks day. For reasons that I can't even explain myself, I've been hording this ratty old green t-shirt (pictured) for a full year now. I'm pretty sure I bought this gem at a thrift store in Guatemala for less than $1USD.
Usually anything that isn't in my regular rotation gets the axe, often without hesitation. This strategy has allowed me to keep my backpack as a relative featherweight (12-13kgs). This shirt however, is a survivor. The last time I wore it out in public was 365 days ago in Bocas Del Toro, Panama. Even while I was tossing perfectly good jeans, sweaters and better shirts, it hung on.
Apparently the U.S. Military base in the next town over is catering an all-you-can-eat Mexican buffet at a nearby Irish Pub. It will of course be attended by mostly Canadian expat teachers. The funny thing is that this doesn't seem that strange in Korea.
5 Nationalities. I mentioned 5 in the last paragraph and I'm proud of it. A truly international St. Pats day awaits...
March 15, 2007
My New Passport
GIMHAE, SOUTH KOREA - My new passport arrived at the door unexpectedly early. The shackles are off. I'm once again free to travel wherever I like (pending visas). I've emerged from my slumber and the last 48 hours have been a flurry of activity. Suddenly there's so much to do. I've now got China, Mongolia, Russia and even Japan on my radar. The next couple days will we be consumed with a balanced mix of daydreaming, logistics and green beer. I expect to have a firm plan and to be back on the road within the week.
I don't know who exactly to thank for this early and completely unexpected gift. It may have been, Brent St. Denis, the Federal MP of my home riding who was eager to try to help, it could have been the friendly staff at the Consulate here in Pusan, or maybe it was that receptionist I kept phoning at the embassy in Seoul. Whoever it was, thank-you, you've added to my karma debt.
March 13, 2007
Boredom
GIMHAE, SOUTH KOREA -
Your true traveller finds boredom rather agreeable than painful. It is the symbol of his liberty - his excessive freedom. He accepts his boredom, when it comes, not merely philosophically, but almost with pleasure.
-Aldous Huxley
March 09, 2007
Home Sweet Home - For The Time Being
GIMHAE, SOUTH KOREA - Took an hour or so to hike up to this vantage point. Can you guess which one I'm living in?
March 02, 2007
A Day in the Life of a Teacher Clown
GIMHAE, SOUTH KOREA - I always knew a trip around the world would place me in situations I never would have dreamed up. It's all part of the game; the chance for new life experiences, both good and bad. Korea hasn't been a derailment of my goal so much as a hiccup along the road. I must say though, I never would have imagined my life would take this turn.
Not in my wildest dreams, would I have imagined that I'd be lying on a floor in Korea, while a small but aggressive gang of children try to force me into an imaginary oven after making me into a human pizza. (pictured)
It's all part of an elaborate game where I give up every shred of dignity and trade torture for 30,000 Won twice a week. It's not all bad The other 10 or so hours I spend teaching each week are far more civilized and actually quite enjoyable.
English is the holy grail of languages for Koreans. They'll fork out twice what they pay regular qualified local teachers to foreign strangers with no training whatsoever and I'm not one to complain.
On the ever-so-exciting passport front; I've now managed to round up all the necessary documentation and have actually applied for the passport. This is the latest from Passport Canada:
Passport Canada is experiencing a sharp volume increase in passport applications in all of its offices, by mail and through its receiving agents. Due to this increase in volume, it may take up to 45 business days [9 weeks] before you receive your new passport.
I've done my best to be proactive about it all. I've used all conventional means to have it expedited short of lying about a dying family member. I've even been in contact with my local federal MP back home. The waiting continues...
February 18, 2007
The Road is Working for a Living
GIMHAE, SOUTH KOREA - I just realized it's been a full week since I last posted. Time flies when nothing exciting happens. The difficulty of course is that I'm completely stalled here while I wait for a new passport. I'm simply not doing exciting things.
The good news, for my bank account, is that I'm no longer wasting both time and money. With the help of my brother, I've managed to secure 12 hours/week teaching private English lessons. The pay is shockingly high for the amount of work required but I won't complain. This 'work' now means that I can live comfortably without digging into my dwindling (read: non-existent) travel budget. If I'm stuck here long enough I may actually save money!
Aside from the fact that my forward progress on this journey has hit a wall, I have little reason to complain. I'm happy to be sleeping in the same bed for more than 3-days at a time; even if it is an air mattress on the floor of my brothers studio apartment. I'm happy to have a stable, unchanging group of friends (by association of my brother) and I'm happy to be living a 'normal' life, mixing work with play, although the emphasis is still on play.
February 11, 2007
Hunkering Down in S. Korea
BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA - So the slow boat from China turned out to be far more civilized than my booking agent had led me to believe. The bamboo matt was in fact a plush, curtained berth and the (185m) ship was full of places to wander and get stared at by school children and adults alike.
For nearly two days, I was at sea as a lone English speaker surrounded my more than a thousand ethnic Asians. I was certainly the most conspicuous person on board. Most passengers were anything but subtle about my status as 'freak of nature' aboard the ferry.
The entire trip went without conversation and while very lonesome, was actually quite pleasant. Aside from the occasional child who braved up enough courage to noisily peak into my berth for a look at 'the foreigner', I managed to arrive in Seoul rested and ready.
The 300km/hr KTX Train from Seoul to Busan on the other side of the country was the fastest overland travel so far on this trip.
Now that I've arrived, I think I might have to settle in for the long haul. There still seems to be no quick way to get myself onto that Trans-Siberian train. This news is especially dis-heartening.
I'm trying to make the best of it though and after recovering from the shock of finding myself signing loudly (and badly) in a private karaoke room at 5am with my brother and his friends on my first night here, I've started to look for some work to help me bide my time. 3 weeks. 5 weeks. Who knows how long It'll be before my paperwork is set for the next leg...
