Almost 2013
Time check: 1.04AM in Pusan, South Korea. It was my last day in Pusan, and by 11AM later I will have to check out of this guest house and move north to Seoul. Seoul would be the last leg of this trip, and in another 10 days I will be back to Melbourne.... DREAD! Back to summer, back to work, back to the usual dreary life. I wish I can stay in Korea forever!
Not saying Japan wasn't great. I had a fantastic time in Japan! The whole experience was great, and it was my first time there therefore everything was super interesting. Love the food, the sights, the people, the convenience, the culture.... EVERYTHING. The only thing that set me back was the language barrier. I can only speak very little Japanese, and the Japanese people do not even speak a single word of English! It can be a little frustrating sometimes whilst trying to communicate, but with the universal sign language and the Japanese's helpful nature, I got along fine. However, the menus are all in Japanese, and in fact most of their menu do not even have kanji on them.... That was quite tough for me too, and unless they have photos on them it was difficult to make my order as well....
I was almost mute in Japan unless I met up with friends, or random Westerners who can speak English. Or people at guest houses and homestays because they can all speak English. Most of the time I roam about like a dark shadow, without uttering a word, or simply just muttering under my breath. I was so relieved to arrive in Korea and be able to actually UNDERSTAND what I read and was told, and RESPOND accordingly. Korea is still like home to me... I felt instantly at ease and as I've been to Pusan before I am quite familiar with the places here so I had no trouble getting anywhere, and everywhere. Seoul would be more like home to me I guess.... can't wait to get there!
It was almost 2013... Time really flies. 2012 was a great year for me I would say. Although of course I did have times when I was down and things did not go smoothly, I still had a fruitful year. I celebrate every single learnings and advancements I made, and I am glad that I've had a few celebrations. I am quite content where I am, and I will not mull over things that were kind of 'unfortunate' because there are more unfortunate people out there, and in comparison, my problems and mishaps are probably really minuscule they're not worth penning at all! I am content because I have advanced in my career, live comfortably, fulfil my travelling desires, and simply just having heaps of fun whilst still working really hard. Of course, there is still lots of space for improvement, so meaning I wouldn't stop just because I am contented. I will still seize any opportunities to learn and grow.
Probably need to get to bed very shortly so I can get up fresh and early later on to have breakfast with the host and other guests, do my packing and check out. Dinner plans are already set with my friends in Seoul so I hope I can be awake enough for that too. Will be really really busy in Seoul so probably won't get to blog til I get back to Melbourne. To end off this post (possibly the last post of 2012), I will share just one pic from each city I've been to... Sort of the 'best' pics from each place, but not really because these are from my phone camera, and I have heaps more good ones in my proper camera. I have yet to upload most of my photos unfortunately.
Not saying Japan wasn't great. I had a fantastic time in Japan! The whole experience was great, and it was my first time there therefore everything was super interesting. Love the food, the sights, the people, the convenience, the culture.... EVERYTHING. The only thing that set me back was the language barrier. I can only speak very little Japanese, and the Japanese people do not even speak a single word of English! It can be a little frustrating sometimes whilst trying to communicate, but with the universal sign language and the Japanese's helpful nature, I got along fine. However, the menus are all in Japanese, and in fact most of their menu do not even have kanji on them.... That was quite tough for me too, and unless they have photos on them it was difficult to make my order as well....
I was almost mute in Japan unless I met up with friends, or random Westerners who can speak English. Or people at guest houses and homestays because they can all speak English. Most of the time I roam about like a dark shadow, without uttering a word, or simply just muttering under my breath. I was so relieved to arrive in Korea and be able to actually UNDERSTAND what I read and was told, and RESPOND accordingly. Korea is still like home to me... I felt instantly at ease and as I've been to Pusan before I am quite familiar with the places here so I had no trouble getting anywhere, and everywhere. Seoul would be more like home to me I guess.... can't wait to get there!
It was almost 2013... Time really flies. 2012 was a great year for me I would say. Although of course I did have times when I was down and things did not go smoothly, I still had a fruitful year. I celebrate every single learnings and advancements I made, and I am glad that I've had a few celebrations. I am quite content where I am, and I will not mull over things that were kind of 'unfortunate' because there are more unfortunate people out there, and in comparison, my problems and mishaps are probably really minuscule they're not worth penning at all! I am content because I have advanced in my career, live comfortably, fulfil my travelling desires, and simply just having heaps of fun whilst still working really hard. Of course, there is still lots of space for improvement, so meaning I wouldn't stop just because I am contented. I will still seize any opportunities to learn and grow.
Probably need to get to bed very shortly so I can get up fresh and early later on to have breakfast with the host and other guests, do my packing and check out. Dinner plans are already set with my friends in Seoul so I hope I can be awake enough for that too. Will be really really busy in Seoul so probably won't get to blog til I get back to Melbourne. To end off this post (possibly the last post of 2012), I will share just one pic from each city I've been to... Sort of the 'best' pics from each place, but not really because these are from my phone camera, and I have heaps more good ones in my proper camera. I have yet to upload most of my photos unfortunately.
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| Osaka, Japan The Glico man! People once said that if you go to Osaka you have to take a photo here to show that you have reached Osaka. So I did. :P |
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| Kyoto, Japan This was taken right outside of Gion Shijo Station, in the Gion district itself. Apparently it was a theatre of some sort. Although it is not quite a tourist spot, a lot of people were snapping photos of the place because it is so unique, yet typical Japanese too. |
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| Tokyo, Japan Tokyo Tower stands 333m tall, and the observation deck was at 150m. Really symbolic of Tokyo and glad I made it there! |
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| Pusan, South Korea Gamcheon Cultural Village was a place I didn't even know to start with, until my host at the guest house recommended me to go there. I am so glad I went because the view was SPECTACULAR. This view just totally represents Pusan, and its villages who used to escape to the South during the Korean War and hid here. Over the years they have sort of developed the place into a tourist attraction, but it is kind of 'off the beaten path'. Getting around there needs some physical strength though because the hills and/or stairs are really steep. |
And Seoul....? Of course, no pictures yet, butk I am sure there will be more to come...
2013... I can't wait. Hopefully it will be a better year for me, and for everyone as well.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
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