A waste of bits and bandwidth

Having an amazing time here is Seoul. I’ve done more and seen more in the past 2 days than I can relate in a simple blog entry.

We went to the electronics district yesterday and I got an SD card for the camera. Same price as Canada so I should have bought it at home but I neeeded an excuse to go there.

Today we took a tour of the DMZ. Very interesting to learn about it and go down into the infiltration tunnels. I have cave water on my neck as I type this. We also had to wear the little Korean helmuts which I initially scoffed at. After I hit my head for the 27th time on the cave ceiling, I started to feel better about it…

We’re in downtown Seoul right now and if you could take Robson street on a summer night and multply it by 12, you’d be getting close. The best part is that it’s normal to ride your motorcycle down the sidewalks. I’m not talking scooters either… full sizes bikes and if you’re in their way, they’ll just glare at you.

We have a tres swanky suite smack in the middle of Seoul. it’s small but very nice. We’re close to a major subway hub so we use it a lot to get around. Nothing like the skytrain, that’s for sure. With some time, I could get around here without too much trouble.

I also noted that I have only seen one beggar in 2 days. At home I see 2 or 3 per block… And no matter how bad the driver, they all use their signals.

Biggest lesson learned… people are people no matter where you are…

Had a great visit with Ayako last night. We went for dinner at the hotel and got caught up a little. I really wish I had more time to spend here as there is so much more to see. The hotel room is much larger than I expected… certainly not the 53 sq feet that I saw on their site. Thanks Nicol!

If I didnt have that interview on Friday, I would try to at least stay for the weekend. I might still look into that… The hotel is near the airport and kinda in the middle of nowhere so there isnt much to see. Last night I was so tired that I wouldnt have had the energy anyway…

Im feeling good though obviously I woke up at an ungodly hour and have been sitting around doing nothing for a few hours. Just about 6AM and the restaurant will be opening soon so I can get breakfast. I have to take the 7:30 bus to the airport and then my flight to Seoul leaves at 9 or something.

You can buy anything in a vendig machine here; its crazy! I had known that I wouldnt have brought underware… just run down to the lobby and grab a pair from the machine. Much fun!

The flight was great and didnt seem that long. Excuse the characters as this is a Japanese keyboard!

I was waiting to go in at YVR and was outside having a smoke when a bus of JAL flight attendents double parked a Securiguard truck. The guy gets on his PA and says If you want me to move your truck , I will. He then does an 8 point turn and gets on it again and goes thanks jerk!

The trip was off to a great start! The plane was busy but not too full and I was suprised that I didnt freak out after sitting for 9.5 hours.

I had a nice lady next to me tho we didnt really talk until we got to Narita. She was off to Tiawan. I got bus to the hotel, which is pretty nice and have had a shower.

Ayako should be here anytime for dinner! its almost midnight and yet I dont feel tired.

Japan is fantastic and I wish I could stay here longer but no such luck.

Well, time to go. Im not sure but I think I just paid a lot of money to do this post! Tomorrow, Seoul!!

See you then!

Congrats to Dad on his official retirement! Among the many benefits he is now legally entitled to include putting the car in reverse without looking and starting any sentence with “back in my day…”. Way to go Dad, you’ve earned it!

I actually played some GTA this weekend. It was interesting to see that I hadn’t saved a game in over a month. I didn’t know that I only had one more mission to do before I unlocked Staunton Island.

For those of you that don’t play GTA, Liberty City is made up of three neighbourhoods and as you complete more missions, more of the city is unlocked. It’s like getting a new game, so I’ve been spending time getting to know the new areas.

So this might be the last entry before I depart for Turkey to marry Rachel… Wait, that doesn’t sound right. Whatever, for the first time I’ll be leaving on a real vacation that will take me to Japan and Korea. It’s my first time outside of North America so it’s quite the thing for me.

I’ll be updating from internet cafes as I move about so check in to see what I’m up to. I’ll be gone for ten days and already have great plans for places to visit. I’m really excited about this trip as it’s the first proper holiday that I’ve ever taken. Too bad that I don’t feel in need of a vacation…

I have Yen and Won at the ready and I think I have everything in place. I’m sure that the moment I get on the plane, I’ll remember something that I’ve forgotten. Like you care…

I have been decidedly lacking in anything to say lately. Given that, I figured the best thing to do would be to blog about how I have nothing to say. Then ‘the game’ came on. Man the ‘Nucks were stinking up the ice. The only reason I even I bothered to watch beyond the first was the likelihood that there would be fights; and there were fights…

I had a good time on Tuesday at dinner with Andrea and Paul. Andrea had come up with the idea of going out to dinner before my trip so we decided on a Japanese place on Robson.

The food was great and we spent much time staring at the girls! It was busy and very lively in there and the sake flowed like water.

Other than that, there’s nothing to speak of. Getting ready for the trip and even had a call for an interview. Hopefully it can be done before I go but I’m running out of time for that to happen.

OMG, this has been painful to write… I’ll be back when I have something to say.