The Weekend That Was...

It's now April. I can't believe it. We are approaching the one year mark in Korea. Where did the time get to? Of course, this also means it's time for people to either start a new contract, or pack their bags and head for home.

As most of my closest friends here in Korea are the ones who were with me in my original orientation group... and only 4 of the original 12 are re-signing, this means that it is time to say good-bye to some of the greatest people I've met since arriving in Korea.

:(

I decided that we should all have a get together to say one last good-bye in the same fashion as we first met... having fun in Gwangju. So I invited all the original crew into town for a weekend of eating, drinking and merry-making.

On Friday night, Brent, Steph, Virginia, Nicola, Max and I met at the Windmill hotel. A wonderful love hotel, where the rooms are cheap, clean and HUGE! We've all come to know this place well over the last year. From here we went to the Outback Restaurant. An Aussie themed restaurant that is totally American owned. But they do have some of the best steaks and western food in Gwangju. It was a great meal. After this, we went on to my favourite bar in Korea. Mike and Dave's Speakeasy. While we were here, we were joined by Steve Jr and a few of his friends.

There was nothing special on that night, but with the great company, the plentiful flow of alcohol and the friendly atmosphere, we were able to share stories and reminisce well into the wee hours of the morning.

Of course, this meant that the next day, we were all felling a little worse for wear and with the weather very bleak and wet, it turned into a very lazy day. We ventured out of the hotel at about midday and got as far as an Italian restaurant before having a massive feast and returning back to the hotel. In the afternoon, we lost a few of our crew, but were joined by Steve Sr.

Again, we went out and had a feast that night. This time it was at the other western restaurant, TGI Friday's. Again great food, followed by some more fun at Speakeasy. This time there was a band from Mokpo playing, and of course many of our friends from the Mokpo crew joined us. Yet another great night, although, not as big as the one before.

On Sunday, most of the original crew had left, but Virginia, Steve and I decided to visit a temple that we went to in the first week of our stay in Korea. This temple is set up in the mountains and is surrounded by forest. It was a misty day and the fog just added to the atmosphere. It's now Cherry Blossom season, and the trees had burst forth in amazing splendour. We hiked up the mountain to a grotto that Virginia and Nicola found the first time they were there. It's a very beautiful and serene place and made for a very relaxing end to the weekend.

Thanks everyone for making the effort to come along. You have all made my stay in this country an amazing adventure and I'll miss you all. Good luck where ever you may be in the future.

Now for the pics:

The Crew:


Steph and Brent (also known as "The Beautiful People") & Max



Virginia



Handsome Steve



Nicola and Steph



Steve and Kristin



The Band:


Lead



Bass



Drummer


The Temple hike:


Cherry Blossom and Pagoda



The Bridge



Mountain Trail



Buddha's Grotto



Cherry Blossom