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I've been musing on here for sometime that I was going abroad for a bit and until very recently it has felt like a distant possibility, something that I enjoyed saying was going to happen but was never really, really certain was happening. My friend/landlord/occasional employer was dragging his heels some on the tickets and arrangements, and I was secretly dreading that through some clerical fuck up, I wouldn't have the necessary hours to take my trip. Last week however, I met up with my associate and he flipped me my passport with a shiny new visa.
I've spent so many hours staring at this. It lasts for ten years too, which is pretty awesome, gotta hang onto it for when my current passport expires.
I've checked and confirmed my vacation hour balance and I'll have 112 by the time I take off, meaning that in the last year I've been working at my current job, I've taken roughly a day off. Thus will end the longest spell without a proper vacation that I have ever had. Thus will end five years of the occasional, government mandated 3 day weekend or If I was really ballsy a four or five day with vacation. To be entirely fair, my last job required far more mental health days than my current place of employment.
The stated Itinerary.
I say stated because as it currently stands we are going to be headed to Korea following a brief stint at a trade show in Guangzhou, and some trips down memory lane in my old home town of Zhuhai. So, if you are a resident of either city and want to meet up let me know.
After a few days bumming around Guangdong we are hopping a flight to Seoul. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this coincides with a CJ match in proleague. A nerd can dream. Beyond that I am thinking of renting a car and driving around the coast with my friend to see more than just Seoul, but am very open to suggestions.
My friend is then taking off to Australia for more business/to see some friends which I don't envy given the amount of time on a plane he'll have spent already, but that is neither here nor there. After he leaves, I've got to find my way back to China and to Beijing by the 21st to head back home .
I've yet to determine precisely how I am going to do that, or if I just want to hang out in Korea for as long as possible. I never made it to Beijing when I lived there, and I've a bit of a bad taste in my mouth for capitol cities in general, but I think at least a few days would be prudent to spend a few days there regardless.
Any thoughts or suggestions? I am especially interested in good hotels/hostels for Seoul if anyone has recommendations. Time is moving too damn slow for my taste these days. I want my vacation.
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Weird that you have a handle that looks like a real name, yet your real name is completely different.
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yea who does that.
also your name being Joe Smith, why so cliche
oh and congrats, obviously. I am so envious of you with what a spectacular month you have coming to you.
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I hope that you'll be able to go to a CJ match ^_^
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I stayed for 3 weeks in Seoul Base Camp hostel. Place was cheap, clean, mostly solo travelers and some travelling expats. Two cool and friendly younger Korean guys fluent in English own it, solid. I wasn't afraid to leave my stuff unattended although you can use a locker if you want. There's a cute pig that goes around licking people's shoes which always lifts the mood up if you don't mind that. Good to find ppl to go get dinner with, go clubbing or just chat with. No tax if you pay in cash.
There's a lot to see and do in Seoul, even if you're not the type to spend time clubbing/shopping/sleeping or whatever ppl do. I could've spent the three weeks just hiking. Spent 5 days doing that in Bukhansan and would do it again, nothing like going out into the mountains in the morning and wondering what kinds of temples you'll see. If you want to visit one of the palaces, choose Changdeokgung over Gyeongbokgung and go for the rear garden guide. I loved Gwangjang market best for the sit-and-eat food stalls. Otherwise you can always find indie concerts in Hongdae, go see temples, museums, markets or whatever. I felt like the 3 weeks were just about enough to go see everything I wanted in Seoul and get to taste the feeling of belonging.. finding my favorite coffee shop, visiting the same place again and getting recognized, making some friends etc.
There sure is a lot more to see around in Korea besides Seoul. I probably wouldn't spend more than 3 days in Seoul out of a 3 week trip if I weren't sure I'd be coming back. Have fun 
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On May 13 2015 04:38 Stratos wrote:I stayed for 3 weeks in Seoul Base Camp hostel. Place was cheap, clean, mostly solo travelers and some travelling expats. Two cool and friendly younger Korean guys fluent in English own it, solid. I wasn't afraid to leave my stuff unattended although you can use a locker if you want. There's a cute pig that goes around licking people's shoes which always lifts the mood up if you don't mind that. Good to find ppl to go get dinner with, go clubbing or just chat with. No tax if you pay in cash. There's a lot to see and do in Seoul, even if you're not the type to spend time clubbing/shopping/sleeping or whatever ppl do. I could've spent the three weeks just hiking. Spent 5 days doing that in Bukhansan and would do it again, nothing like going out into the mountains in the morning and wondering what kinds of temples you'll see. If you want to visit one of the palaces, choose Changdeokgung over Gyeongbokgung and go for the rear garden guide. I loved Gwangjang market best for the sit-and-eat food stalls. Otherwise you can always find indie concerts in Hongdae, go see temples, museums, markets or whatever. I felt like the 3 weeks were just about enough to go see everything I wanted in Seoul and get to taste the feeling of belonging.. finding my favorite coffee shop, visiting the same place again and getting recognized, making some friends etc. There sure is a lot more to see around in Korea besides Seoul. I probably wouldn't spend more than 3 days in Seoul out of a 3 week trip if I weren't sure I'd be coming back. Have fun
Thanks for the suggestion, I'll take a look. Definitely not my first hostel rodeo and yours sounds right in line with a good one.
On May 13 2015 03:59 brian wrote:
yea who does that.
also your name being Joe Smith, why so cliche
oh and congrats, obviously. I am so envious of you with what a spectacular month you have coming to you.
Hahaha, ask my brother John or Sam (Not Kidding).
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United States24805 Posts
On May 13 2015 03:59 briangene wrote:
yea who does that.
Haha nice.
Congrats on taking your vacation.
I went from a job where I got a lot of time off to a normal job so it took a bit of adjusting :p
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On May 13 2015 08:44 micronesia wrote:Haha nice.
Congrats on taking your vacation. I went from a job where I got a lot of time off to a normal job so it took a bit of adjusting :p
Mine was the opposite, Target only had two weeks at the start, wouldn't have been half as flexible. Current company lets me go into the red in PTO which is siiiiick.
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EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/L7iLgc8.png?1)
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