I hate ATMs....

In Zarubino we met a Korean girl called Heaven, who told us not to use the high speed trains in Korea as they are cramped and expensive. The buses however, are cheap and excellent. So we took her advice and boarded a 'Limo' bus to Seoul. Reclining seats and air conditioning are a far cry from buses in England.
Neither of us had planned to visit Korea, so didn't know what to expect. The mountains and lush green valleys made for the most picturesque bus journey I've ever had. Not that I've had many...
Crowds of people camped by large fast flowing rocky rivers, and even some heavy showers didn't dampen their enthusiasm. After about a three hour journey, we hunted for a guide map at the bus terminal. No luck anywhere. An expensive hotel directed us to the local tourist hotel, which at this time, rapidly turning in to apartments. The Dong Seoul hotel was the only choice and reasonable, so we booked three nights, planning to stay in the Mapo-Gu area afterwards, near to where Wendy Choi's ferry office is. We could pay her for shipping the bikes to Seattle for us. She had taken care of everything from arranging the trucks, crating, and was the only person who offered us LCL (less than container load) whereas the Russians expected us to pay for a 20ft container.
Not all plans work out, we couldn't find a motel anywhere with a twin room in the Mapo-Gu area, all had double beds. I'm sure I'd be the luckiest guy alive if that did it for me but definitely not my idea of fun! So we went back to Dong Seoul hotel again. At least it has free use of their two computers so I can catch up on my blog while Geoff makes use of the free Wi FI.

Both of us unsuccessfully tried several ATMs, so I asked in a bank if I could use my card to withdraw cash. They said yes and changed their cashpoint to English for me but still no luck. They recommended a cashpoint underneath a huge electronics shopping plaza called Techno Mart. I got caught up in a noisy protest march surrounded my dozens of riot police. I had no idea what the protest was for, and they had no idea I was in a hurry to resolve my stressful predicament.
I tried one and no luck. I asked in the bank there and nobody could give me an answer. Eventually a security guard came out and directed me to a global cashpoint. Success! Foreign cards wont work in Korean ATMs. Now they tell me....
Ever since my card was stopped in the middle of Russia, I've been a tad apprehensive every time I have to use one.

The Seoul metro looks confusing but actually is very simple and very cheap. All the stations are numbered, so you only have to remember a number not a place name. About 50 pence a trip on a fast, modern air conditioned train. Much wider Trains and nicer than the old London underground! We had a wander around the Jongmyo Royal Ancestral Shrine, almost deafened by thousands of cicada beetles in the trees. They are everywhere in Korea but here must be their favorite spot, bless their little Seouls....