Asia
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Day 77 – Chuncheon
Today was one of the worst days in regards to weather since we arrived in South Korea with temperatures of only 11 degrees Celsius and constant rain. While having breakfast we realised we lost our red snoopy umbrella in Kyoto Japan so we had to buy a new one. At Chuncheon Station we got a […]
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Day 76 – Seoul to Chuncheon
Today after breakfast we left our hotel in Yeongdeungpo and caught two trains to Chuncheon. We used the Naver Maps App (better than Google Maps in South Korea). The journey took just over 2 hours and felt very efficient like in Japan. Naver Map shows two different trains ITX (express trains) and Korail service. The […]
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Day 75 – Seoul
Today we did laundry which was well overdue. When we first asked our hotel they mentioned that there is a free washing machine / dryer in the kitchen that we can use. We were thinking “score!” Since all the controls were in Korean and the staff didn’t speak too much English, we used a combination […]
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Day 74 – Seoul
Today we walked down the beautiful streets (thanks to the autumn colours) towards the Hangang River. The river has extensive walking and cycling paths that were full of locals, from joggers to the elderly. It was cool to walk along the river. The contrast of the massive bridges against the trees is quite stunning. The […]
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Day 73 – Seoul
Today we travelled by train to the infamous Seodaemun Prison History Hall which was built around 1910 and is where the Japanese held Korean prisoners (Korea was colonised/occupied by the Japanese from 1910 until 1945). The Prison has been converted into a museum, with explanations of how the Japanese ruled. The cells and even the […]
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Day 72 – Seoul
Today we started the day at the Seoul City Hall, which is a very cool looking building. We could hear a lot of commotion close by, so we walked around the building and stubbled upon the 5th Seoul Kim Chi Festival (where else!). The festival was decorated nicely using cabbages and had a massive area […]
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Day 71 – Seoul
Today we decided to finish what we started yesterday, so we went back to the Korean War Memorial. What we saw today, were the upper levels that were dedicated to the recent Korean War. It was once again very powerful and thought provoking. There was even a brief exhibit on the Vietnam War, which was […]
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Day 70 – Seoul
Today we ended up struggling to get out of bed opting to stay in the warm dorm rooms of That House Itaewon. After planning our stay in Seoul for the next few days we decided to go to the Korean War Memorial. The War Memorial is a very large complex with large exhibits which are […]
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Day 69 – Part 2 – Seoul, SOUTH KOREA
We landed in Incheon Airport in South Korea full of excitement after an amazing 3 weeks in Japan. After clearing customs we were glad to see that all signs and forms were translated into English which made life easier. The tourist info centre in the airport helped us work out the best way to get […]
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Day 69 – Part 1 – Osaka
Today we had to wake up with minimal sleep to catch our flight from Osaka. We were easily able to check out and then use the extensive rail network to go to Kansai International Airport for our next flight. One thing I forgot to mention yesterday, was the fact that the capsule hotel has a […]
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Day 68 – Osaka
Today we met up with our Canadian stalker friend, who had arrived in Osaka a few days before us. We met up outside Hotel J Ship and went for a walk around town. Our first stop was Namba Yasaka Shrine, which is known for the Lion Head Shrine. There is a conventional shrine there also, […]
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Day 67 – Yunomine Onsen to Osaka
Today we woke up less sore than we expected and we managed to walk to the bus stop in Yunomine Onsen. We caught the bus around 8am to Tanabe. At Tanabe, we had some time to kill until our next bus, so we walked down to the beach and had a nice lunch from the […]
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Day 66 – Chikatsuyu to Yunomine Onsen
I don’t think my legs work any more! We hiked a total of 25km in 11 hours, from Minshuku Nakano (yesterday’s accommodation) leaving at 5:40am and arriving at the main shrine, Hongu Taisha, at 5:00pm. It was a crazy long day and the bags felt heavier with every step. Unfortunately J had pulled a muscle […]
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Day 65 – Tanabe to Chikatsuyu
Today was an exhausting 7 hours of hiking on the first leg of the Kumano Kodo a.k.a Nakahechi (The Imperial Route to Kumano). The hike was around 14km. We left our accommodation Guesthouse TAKAO in Tanabe, around 7:30am and bused to the starting point of the hike, Takijiri. We left around half of our luggage […]
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Day 64 – Hiroshima to Tanabe
Today we left Hiroshima by bus towards the town of Tanabe. The town was around 500 km away and took half a day including the stops. We actually first got on the Willer bus which dropped us off in Osaka. From Osaka we bought a return ticket to Tanabe with JR buses, which was really […]
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