Swimming in Sachang

On Friday evening I joined Ben, Russell and Deanna on a trip to Chuncheon. We had a KFC which has just opened in EMart, it made my belly cry. I knew there was a reason I didn’t like eating that stuff. We walked around EMart picking up necessary items for a BBQ that we planned to have on Saturday. This included beer, wine, sausages, burgers, and guns. How we ended up buying BB guns is way over my head. It was Russell’s fascination with the BB shotgun that probably spurred on the spontaneous purchases. He couldn’t wait to get back to the car and open up the box.

So, Saturday rolled around. We waited for Rian and Lanelle to arrive (they live in Hwacheon) and we headed out to the river. Deanna and Russell found us a great spot right on the river bank. There was sand, rocks and water you could swim in. We set up the BBQ’s, we cooked delicious meaty food, we swam in the river, we played Frisbee and we threw a ball, and we had BB gun wars on the beach. It was incredibly pleasant. Swimming in the river was especially pleasant. I really miss swimming; it’s something I used to do at least once a week back home. David and I would head down to the ocean and give ourselves over to its bitterly cold clutches. It was warm in the river and in the end everyone was swimming and having fun. It’s a shame we haven’t done more things like this in the time we’ve been here. There is still time.

However, the weeks are flying by, steadily, and, if I’m honest, not as fast as I might like. Responsibility really sucks. When my alarm clock attempts to wake me up in the morning (more often than not I’m awake and up before it goes off) I know that I have to do something. The something that I have to do is go to school. I like school. I like my kids. I like classes when they go to plan. They are even kind of fun when they don’t. What I don’t like is the fact that I have to do it. I ask myself, would I go to school if I had a choice? The answer is no, I would not. Does that mean I’m not passionate about it? I suppose the reality of it is that yes, it does mean that. That begs the question, what am I passionate about? That question is easily answered. Travel. How do I know I’m passionate about travel? Because I get a fuzzy feeling inside whenever I think about it, most of my free time at work is spent researching and planning it, it makes me feel happy and fulfilled, and it’s what I’ve wanted to do since my trip to America in 2009. This experience has been valuable and I’ve gained some important life skills but I can’t deny that the reason I came here in the first place was for the sake of travel and financing that travel.

It all starts in August. I break up from school on July 20^th. There is a two week period where I’ll either have a camp, or sit at my desk and dream about what is just around the river bend. On August 4^th the two week period in which I still have to go to school ends. I’ll have two weeks of vacation from August 4^th until August 19^th. During this time I will do some travelling around Korea, I’ll tidy my apartment ready for its new occupant and I’ll meet Natalie from the airport. I return to school on August 20^th for one week. It’s the start of term and the new English teacher won’t arrive until the 25^th, I’m sure this last week will fly by and then Natalie and I will be off on the adventure we’ve been planning all year.

It all seems so close yet feels so far. We apply for our visas this weekend. We’ve had to wait this long to apply for them as sorting out visas for a TransMongolian trip across Asia is a bitch. It’s really hard work. Pathetically so. There is no need for these countries to make it this difficult for us to visit them. However, we have no choice but to comply. I’ll be spending Sunday filling out a myriad of paperwork and then it will be out of my hands. My passport will do its tour of the embassies and will in theory land on Natalie’s doorstep just in time for our departure.

In the meantime, I’ll be here in Korea. In exactly two months it will all be over here. That’s only eight more weekends. When I think back to a year ago it feels a lifetime away. It feels like I’ve been here for a lot longer than I have. When I left Heathrow airport I sat in the departure lounge directly opposite the plane that would take me here (it actually took me to Turkey for a layover but whatever), I looked at the plane and had no idea where I was going. I knew I had to meet some EPIK people when I landed, I knew I’d be going to some sort of orientation, I knew I’d be working in a school, but the details were unbeknownst to me. I was throwing myself in at the deep end. I don’t really remember what that uncertainty felt like now. I remember being driven to my new town by my co-teachers, I remember seeing Nathanael walking past the apartment block and feeling relieved that I wasn’t going to be alone, but that feels like it was more than a year ago. I mean, really? That was nearly a year ago? Wow! Everything is so familiar here now, so naturally, I’m excited about the next step.

Now everything is coming together I wanted to leave you with an updated itinerary of the trip. This will probably only be interesting to my family, so feel free to switch off if you’ve made it this far. The reason I’m posting this is because a few dates have changed since the last itinerary I posted and I also wanted to write in a few of the things we’ll be doing in each place so you can at least attempt to picture it a little more.  Bon voyage.

24th August – Last day of school and depart Saching-Ri for Seoul

25^th August – 27^th August – Seoul

28^th August – Depart Seoul for Bangkok, Thailand via Kuala Lumpa (Depart 09:35am – Arrival 19:50pm)

28^th August – 1^st September – Bangkok

1^st September – Depart Bangkok for Krabi, Thailand via overnight train

2^nd September – 4^th September – Krabi Beach, Ko Phi Phi Island

5^th September – 7^th September – Phuket, Karon Beach and Patong

8^th September – Phuket to Chiang Mai, Thailand (Depart 15:25pm – Arrival 16:35pm)

8^th September – 11^th September – Chiang Mai, Elephant Nature Park

12^th September – 15^th September – Chiang Rai, Crossing the bridge into Myanmar (Burma) 

16^th September – Ferry to Huay Xai, Laos

17^th September – 18^th September – Riding a boat down the Mekong River

18^th September – 20^th September – Luang Prabang, Bear Rescue Centre

21^st September – Over night bus to Vang Vieng

22^nd September – 23^rd September - Vang Vieng, tubing down the river

24^th September – 27^th September – Vientiane, Ban Na Tribe and Waterfall Jungle Trek

28^th September – Depart Vientiane, Laos for Hanoi, Vietnam (Depart 15:15pm – Arrival 16:25pm)

28^th September – 30^th September – Hanoi

1^st October – 2^nd October – Ha Long Bay Cruise

3^rd October – Hanoi

4^th October – Overnight train to Hue

5^th October – 6^th October – Hue

7^th October – 8^th October – Danang and Hoi An

9^th October – Overnight train to Nha Trang

10^th October – 11^th October – Nha Trang Beach

12^th October – 13^th October – Ho Chi Minh City

14^th October – Bus to Phnom Penh, Cambodia

14^th October – 16^th October – Phnom Penh, Killing Fields

17^th October – 19^th October – Siem Reap, Angkor Wat

20^th October – Depart Siem Reap for Beijing, China (Depart 11:10am – Arrival 20:05pm)

20^th October – 24^th October – Beijing, Great Wall of China

24^th October – Depart Beijing on TransMongolian Train

25^th October – Arrive in Ulaanbaatar, Monglia

25^th October – 26^th October – Ulaanbaatar

27^th October – 29^th October – Gorkhi Terelj National Park, Staying in Ger Camp, Horse Riding

30^th October – 1^st November – Ulaanbaatar or elsewhere in Mongolia (open ended)

2^nd November – Depart Mongolia on Trans Siberian Railway

2^nd November – 6^th November – Trans Siberian Railway

6^th November – Arrive in Moscow

6^th November – 12^th November – Moscow, staying with family

12^th November – Depart Moscow for Dusseldorf, Germany (Depart 17:00pm – Arrival 17:20pm)

12^th November – 17^th November – Dortmund, Germany, visiting Alex

17^th November – Depart Dortmund for London Luton (Depart 13:30pm – Arrival 13:55pm)

17th November – 18^th November – Home Sweet Home