Went here
Saw this, and reminded me of somebody
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Maybe the shark just really wants an xG3…
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That looks like an awesome place! I must visit one day!
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It’s OK.
For reference, I have been to over 60 countries, and many, multiple times; I don’t think it would be a stretch to say I am an “experienced” traveller.
I have only been here for a week with another 2 to go, but if it continues to be how it currently is, I would not call it a favourite country and it certainly wouldn’t even make my top 10.
When you are outside of the main tourist locations it is not set up for tourism, which is fine and adds to the authenticity, but even in the main tourist areas, it is often not a very smooth experience.
I go to the typical tourist attractions, but I actually prefer going “off piste” and going only where locals go, I like to get the “real experience” and see everyday things, and you can do this here.
but
Hiring a car is difficult when its not a return to the same location, had I known this before hand I would have planned for this, but that’s on me, because thats what happens when you ASS-U-ME.
The country is a little tired looking in places, with faded signs, broken things left aside, and rubbish piles—giving off a vibe of rapid development that hasn’t quite kept up with maintenance.
Limited english is spoken, which is absolutely fine.
It is Korea and they speak Korean.
As an example of not being set up for tourism
I have been to a 4 museums so far.
The most recent was the Michelangelo Museum and the DiVinci museum (I have been fortunate enough to go to DiVinci exhibits in 3 different countries including Italy which were great)
I dont expect english, but its nice and appreciated.
There was an Audio tour but only in Korean
There was english translations on most exhibits at the start, even though some were wrong, but at about ⅔ of the way through, english transitioned to italian…
Google translate helps a lot.
One bonus was, there were lots of hands on and interactive exhibits of working replicas of DiVinci inventions.
I’m all for Korea for Koreans, and Japan for the Japanese, thats what makes it a great country; they let people visit, but they dont want you living there. Fair enough, they have created their own little paradise of high trust societies and they dont want outsiders not willing to respect their country and destroying their culture.
I can appreciate that.
To book “a thing” here is not as simple as it should be, there are lots of dead links, which I thought was odd, and too many to be a coincidence, so I worked out, because I am using an eSim, Korea blocks access to their .kr tourist websites, but there are a few simple fixes.
VPN, local Sim, or local Wifi.
Success, I could now access these sites, which need translating, as there is no site language options, but simple enough, its a function on most browsers, and it works…well kind of, it only translates ~50% of the page content, and zero pop ups, but using my Mrs phone scanning my screen with another translate app that worked as another work around … success, for now…, once you finally get all the way through to check out, You need a Korean Credit card, even using my travel credit card with Korean Won on it doesnt work…
This is not a single experience, this happens everywhere
But there is a solution, you have go to the actual attraction and purchase tickets in person, not ideal nor is it efficient.
Especially when you want to book a specific day / time and in a small country of approximately 52 million people you dont know if you will even get a ticket.
The people are very mixed in their reactions to myself and my Mrs.
As you would expect, most people just dont care and are just living their lives.
Some clearly just dont want us here and there are some very rude people (I am aware of cultural differences and these examples are not those), but whatever…fuck 'em
I’m not sure if there is some friction toward certain Western nationalities, but not all, as an example I can give you:
We arrived at our accommodation at ~1100 to see if we could drop our bags off since we knew our check in wasn’t until 3. He was OK with it, but as soon as he realised we were Kiwis, he let us check in 4 hours early, gave us the full tour of the facilities and offered tourist advice and maps etc.
(Another pro for Korea, is they do not like or accept tips)
At the other end of the scale of the rude people, there are some very genuinely lovely people.
a couple of examples:
-
I was minding my own business stuffing my face with a pastry out the front of a shop, and a delivery driver stopped to deliver milk, and he offered me a carton of milk to wash down my pastry, I politely refused and thanked him, he was very insistent, I again politely refused (I dont really drink milk straight, but do love a milk shake) he wasn’t taking no for an answer, so I reluctantly accepted with many thanks and a bow of respect and he was happy.
-
I was waiting in a queue for a train , and in front of me was an elderly gentleman, with a slight bend / hunch and probably in his late 70’s or early 80’s, when the train arrived, he allowed my Mrs, who was also behind him, go on the train in front of him, which was fine as he was a being a gentleman, but also insisted that I go on before him, I wasnt having a bar of it, and I equally insisted he went first by gesturing and with a slight bow / nod as not only was he there first, but as a respect of elders, he wasn’t going to let that happen, and in broken english “please, you are guest”, the train wasn’t waiting for either of us, so very reluctantly (it felt very wrong) I stepped onboard first, but just inside the door, I let him past to ensure he got a seat.
-
Quick one - Uber to Ferry terminal (To book, not to travel then) - chose location for ferry on app, Uber driver asked why there, I explained, He said that closed down and has moved, He took us to the correct location, and waited until he knew we could get our tickets incase we needed a hand booking ( The counter was closed, We just pretended we were good, thanked him and waved him off, we went back the next day, early, when the ticket office was open so we could actually get tickets)
this example is just 2 more of what we have experienced
- helpful person
- outdated info on the internet, which happens A LOT
(Also no tips on Uber, not even an option)
I’m sure I’ll see more of these sorts of examples over the next 2 weeks and I’ll enjoy my time and experiences whilst I am here, but I won’t be back, but “Korea” is probably happy with that…or just don’t care.
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This directly implies a defacto “ Pilgrimaster’s Top 10 Countries List”.
We want the list. Give us the list.
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Did you give plasma big screen another go? 6.7 dropped. Should be available on kde neon
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I totally forgot!
I shall 
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Do you have any details?
If you provide them, @tac0s can reach out an maybe add them to the biohacking map
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has lots of work to get done today at the airport, but is currently hiding
Damn bear was banging on my camper door while I was in the middle of changing clothes today, lol… Giving him some time to wander off. Pretty sure this is the same one that knocked over my BBQ grill the other week.
Boss gave me the thumbs-up to expense bear spray on my next Amazon order, lol.
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… sigh now i got to clean up the house again. Sheriffs said this was 3rd report today, it fucked up somebody’s car this morning too, so they out searching for it.
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I’ve been going through a rough patch… Caused by someone else’s negligence…
Anyways, I’m ok. But FFS, humans suck!
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you have been a bit quiet recently.
Glad all is good.
When are you moving to Portugal?
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Why the difference?
Is it paid out on time as a customer commodity?
Anyway, the BIG question.
What are you going to spend your payout on?
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Well, fortunately, your privacy payout will subsidise your purchase, so it’ll only cost you $12.69
That’s only $1.06 per bottle
Winning
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I except a tasting video to grace the dt club in the coming days 
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