There are more photos of my Korean adventure here.

There's no doubt that Spring is the best time to visit China and Korea - and two Springs in a row, I have been in this part of the world. Actually I'm lucky as I manage Spring in Australia too.

At the moment the Azaleas are blooming all over the place - pinks, red, whites - making spectacular displays. There are hillsides covered in these exotic flowers, but I have not seen them myself.

Flower shops are interesting too - sure, bunches of flowers are sold, but I see many more flowering plants on sale.

These photos were taking in Jeonju, April 2009.

One thing I WILL do when I return to Australia is seek out some Korean restaurants. I've come to really appreciate the food - even the Kimchi.

Koreans eat a lot of vegetables and they like their meals 'spicy' - lots of chili. It's been funny as they look at me in a restaurant and discuss weather I will cope with the hot spicy food - and I must say even when the food initially is a hot surprise, I've managed it all. In fact better than some fo the locals.  Maybe it was that practice with the chili on potatoes before I came!

I've been to so many restaurants - never have I been to so many in so short a time.  Even when I have been travelling in the past, I have not spent so much time in great food halls.

Last night's "snack" was deep fried chili filled octopus - calamari.  Yum.  I've enjoyed the acorn paste, I've enjoyed the chili chicken and vegetables and the pork and vegetables at the restaurants - where the food is cooked in front of you - at the table.

Now there is one restaurant that I want to attend.  It is called the Outback Restaurant, which I initially thought must be Australian, but I was told later it was American.  More recently I have been assured that it is Australian - so I am looking forward to going there to check for myself.

That's what it is called and it celebrates a famous Korean love story.  The story goes that a nobleman - the son of the local magistrate, saw a beautiful maiden swinging on a huge swing. He could see her swinging high through the treetops.  When he later met her, they fell in love.

However, his father was transferred to Seoul, and he had to go too as he was still studying, and while they were away, the new magistrate caused trouble in the city of Namwon.  The new magistrate visited brothels, and later fell in love with the lovely maiden who was in love with the young man.  Despite being tortured she refused his advances, and he was so angry he set out to kill her.

Just in time the nobleman returned from Seoul, and when he heard what had happened to the maiden, he discuised himself as a beggar and went to the treacherous magistrate and saved the girl.  They later married and lived happily every after.

The city of Namwon celebrates this love story with a festival of love every year, and near the city centre is a park that is famous for telling the story.

I visited there yesterday - and share some of my photos with you.

In a way I am solo - I live in Korea alone, and have few foreign contacts. There is an Australian/Korean guy who is "head of the department" and some Korean collagues, who do keep an eye on me - in fact are very generous, take me out, and drive me where I need to go etc, but for the most part it is me.

Now, I am comfortable with my own company, but when one doesn't understand the language and any journey away from my small apartment is an adventure. Luckly I manage to get around and I go shopping - using my now increasing abilities in sign langauge - and helpful Koreans whose English skills are limited.

One of the things that occurs is that there is no information sharing. If I had a colleague here - a family member or similar, we'd manage to understand our new world a little bit more. We'd converse about life here.

When I read the little booklet with rules for foreigners that I was given at the Tourist Information office I smiled.

I learn by trial and error. I found out that rubbish is left at the corner of my street - in special plastic bags that I eventually found out where they can be purchased. I also learn that the locals are not as caring with their rubbish removal as the rules state in my book. What suprised me is the high fines for not doing the right thing with rubbish. The book does say that you must put the rubbish out "after 8 pm" and though not everyone does, I do. You see there are fines for people who don't do it properly - so I am keen not to get caught - as perhaps the lack of language might not be good enough defence.

I don't know how to use the washing machine - of course it is all in Korean, but I have worked out a way to get one of the cycles going, and my washing is being done.

I hear messages on the PA system in the supermarket - and have to watch the other people. If there was an emergency message, I would not understand.

Most of course must be sales messages, or other not so important stuff.

If something happened to me, I do have a phone number to call - though I have great challenges using my Korean cell phone.  It does have English, but prefers to communicate with me in Korean.

Shopping in the supermarket is quite a challenge - there are so many packaged foods that would probably be very tasty, but I can't read what is in them - nor can I read the cooking instructions so I keep to products that I KNOW I cannot go far wrong with.

When the Koreans come shopping with me they want me to pile my trolley with stuff that I will never use.  I have enough soy sauce to last me 6 months at least.  And I'm just here for 10 weeks.  Many products come in huge packs - I'd never use them!

I do laugh to myself often - because I do have things happen that cause me quite a lot of amusement.

I've been here three weeks and had very little time to look around.  One gentleman took me to a Buddhist Temple in the hills overlooking Jeoju, and another day I was taken for a meal in a restaurant in Jeonju's Hanok - old village, now a tourist site.

I wanted to be independent - so chose to go alone today.  One of the guys drove me there - and cautioned me to keep safe.  I find this rather amusing as South Korea is quite a safe place really - and I was going to be in a tourist spot, in daylight.

Anyway he dropped me there and away I went.  Initially I had no map - just wandered from place to place - in part to get my bearings and in part to determine what places I might return to in future weeks.

As it turned out I discovered the Tourist Office and was given a number of brochures in English, and a publications for "Foreigners in Jeonju".  Now there is no stopping me - I have far more information that I will probably need - for my short stay in the country - but at least I can understand a little more of what I see.

I have taken a lot of photos today - run the camera out of battery and memory, so have some "fixing" to do.

After I had finished (for today) in the Hanok village, I walked through the city - until I discovered a taxi rank and caught a taxi home.  Then I took myself to the supermarket to get something for dinner before walking back again.  Just as I opened the front door, my cellphone rang.  People were worried about me.  Had I returned safely?  Nice to know that someone cares.

Now I shall play with the camera and sort out some photos.  Clear the memory.  Recharged the batteries.

It is a strange world in which we live - and a strange life for some of us who dare to be different.  Let me explain.  I am of retirement age according to the Australian government, but I have no wish to stop doing the things I enjoy - teaching, writing, travelling etc., and so it was that I "discovered" English teaching in Asia.

My English language skills were always good - right from primary school, and I enjoyed writing - which I have done for years.  Not giving me great financial rewards but I've done OK.

In some ways I felt my overseas teaching had to wait until my parents departed this world - but I'm glad I didn't wait.  My dad is nearly 90 years old and doing well, and my mother is going on 94 - and if I waited much longer this golden opportunity would have passed me by.  In many countries they don't like teachers past their 60th year, and as I am beyond that I am aware of my diminishing usefulness for some countries.

And so it was that I did my TESOL with Teach International in Brisbane in December 2007/January 2008, and before I had completed my course I was asked to teach in China.  The reality is that excitement welled up inside me - I had never been to China and the opportunity was just begging me - so I packed up and went.

That story has been related elsewhere and after two semesters in China I set out to have a restful 2009 in Australia, before tackling China again in 2010.

But life weaved its magic on me.  A teacher who had been destined for a program in Jeonju Korea pulled out at the last minute, and very much unprepared I hastily made arrangements to fill the gap, and so it was on April Fool's Day, I flew from Brisbane, Queensland, to Incheon International Airport, just out of Seoul, in South Korea.

I might add that I had previously had plans to spend nearly two weeks in Western Australia, and a week in Adelaide (with my parents) and planned to be back in Brisbane by April 7th, so I had to squeeze in a hasty trip to Perth to see my good friend, and one and a bit days in Adelaide to see my parents, before having just 48 hours to prepare for Korea.

During this time - no doubt from lack of sleep, too much air travel, or something I got a 'cold' and when I arrived in Incheon I was not well.

In any case when I stepped off the plane in Incheon - it was somewhat scary.  It was dusk, I was feeling very tired - to the point of exhaustion - and at first did not think the welcoming party was there for me.

I stood in the midst of the arrival hall, in a country I had never been to, where little English is spoken, knowing I would have some challenges to cope with IF my welcome party did not arrive, and waited.

Secretly I was hoping that they would not - and that I could find my way to a luxury hotel in downtown Seoul and slip into a deep warm sleep.

But they did arrive. And so the adventure began!