Heart and Seoul

Once more diving into the hustle and bustle of city sightseeing, we left Malaysia for South Korea - a place about which we knew very little and had no idea what to expect. Our first impressions, on the long bus journey from the airport, were of a mega-metropolis of concrete, neon, and 16-lane main streets thronging with traffic at all hours of the day and night, though it didn't take long to discover the historic and cultural heart of the country visible in its imposing palaces, sprawling parks and wonderful people.

Just this mix of the hyper-modern and the ancient was the basis for the glittering glass and marble archaeological museum, which contained a fascinating history of Korea from the prehistoric right through to the present - with a special exhibition about the Korean language and its unique script.

We were amazed at the grandeur of the UNESCO world heritage-status, Joseon-period palaces (Changdeokgung 창덕궁, Changyeonggung 창경궁, Gyeongbokgung 경복궁, Deoksugung 덕수궁 to name a few...) though we were also permanently confused by their similar names, which was rather compounded by seeing them all one after another all in the space of a couple of days! The changing of the guard, done to traditional music and in historic uniforms, was particularly interesting.

More than all the sights, though, the lasting impression of Seoul will be of the people. Unfalteringly polite and friendly and helpful: a non-profit cultural group in traditional outfits gave us books for free - we actually had to refuse some because we couldn't carry any more - and took time talk about their culture and ask about Scotland. On top of that, we were approached more than once by a smiling person offering to help us decipher the complex metro map and Korean signs!

We saw a hints of a different side to the Korean people though - with the death of the president there were almost immediately tens of thousands of police in buses and on the streets with riot gear ready for the expected civil unrest/political protest in its wake... though the queues for the condolence books were as polite and ordered as ever. And, to top off a great few days, we've managed to escape just before the funeral and the recent escalation of tensions with the north - perfect timing.

From Shangri-La to Heaven

After visiting three cities, it was time to hit the beach – and what a place to do it! The Malaysian island of Langkawi is a tropical nirvana of unspoilt rainforest filled with wildlife, enhanced by the fact that the place where we were staying (I’m typing this in the airport) is, in our opinion at any rate, the best hotel in the world: The Datai.

Every morning, after having breakfast delivered to our private and luxurious villa (on stilts, in the rainforest – yes, not your average beach hotel, we know) we had our morning walk along the long and beautiful beach of Datai Bay. After that, some time lazing by the pool before a leisurely lunch at the beach club bar. Perhaps another stroll to follow before some more relaxing… a hard life, but someone’s got to do it, and it might as well be us! In the evening we had three fabulous restaurants to choose from (I’m quickly running out of adjectives, the place is so good).

We managed to drag ourselves away from all this for a couple of half-day jaunts around the island and to the main town, Kuah, for a bit of shopping (I went a bit native and bought myself some traditional Malaysian clothes, amongst other things) and to visit the yacht club for a drink (we’ve been to Langkawi a few times before so we’ve already seen most of the sights: the cable car up the mountain, waterfalls, museums, cultural centres and jungle walks, to name a few).

All in all, a very good week – and a good way to recharge the batteries before heading onto the next busy period visiting South Korea and Japan.

Response to comments

Hi,

Thanks to everyone who has posted a comment on Chris's blog. I'm glad you have been able to follow our progress...and Chris's purple prose. To Hugh and Lorraine, special commiserations on the performance of your (our) team. I have some friends who will be ambivalent about the ultimate outcome this season since they may feel it will hasten the exodus of the manager! It's amazing how the outcome seems less important the further away you are. Anyway, we're nearly at the end of our stay in Langkawi and so the next episode will be hitting your screens soon. Hope to hear from you again.

Brian

Where the old meets the new

Beyond the Bosphorus, we travel further to South-east Asia - the region with perhaps the world's best hotels, friendlist people and most spectacular scenery (though watch this space, no doubt there'll be some superlatives left for the other stops on our travels)!

Singapore, unlike our previous two places on this tour of ours, is somewhere to which we've already been, so we had always intended to devote the time more to relaxation than adventure... we just hadn't quite realised how much more, since we were met at the hotel (itself a glittering modern marvel with miles of marble and cascades of crystal) and with a complimentary upgrade not just to the next class of room but a whole classier wing! Thus the Boyds got to spend 4 days being waited upon hand and foot in Shangri-La Valley-Wing comfort; lounging either by the pool or in our massive room (with its own view over the city, dressing room and butler service), scoffing free snacks and sandwiches, and imbibing free (and free-flowing) cocktails, mocktails and Moët et Chandon champagne!

We did, however, manage to drag ourselves away and visit perhaps the most important and oldest sight in this modern city-state: Raffles hotel. Not only colonial masterpiece with its signature cocktail, the Singapore Sling, but defininitely the only place in this sparklingly clean metropolis where littering is not only permitted but encouraged! (It's a tradition to throw the husks of the peanuts you've eated onto the floor by your feet - and who are we, tidy though we usually are, to argue?)

Where Europe meets Asia

With Frankfurt being such a success, and the weather there resolutely defying the reports and refusing to rain, there was always the possibility of Istanbul bringing us crashing back down to earth... but thankfully just the opposite! Not only has the weather been so good (again, entirely contradicting the considered opinions of the meteorologists) that we've had our shorts on, but the architecture is stunning, the history is fascinating and the food is lovely.

As in Rome where even the basic local churches are more grand than our cathedrals, almost every mosque here looms over the surrounding shops and houses with minarets that can be seen far in the distance... and heard in the distance too (a feature which, at 5am prayer-time, light sleepers definitely wouldn't enjoy). A particularly impressive example, which from our rooftop breakfast room looks close enough to touch, is the famous blue mosque, covered inside by the tens of thousands of colourful İznik tiles that give it its name.

Next on the list to visit - being a stone's throw from the mosque and a particularly grand Archaeological museum stuffed with Byzantine sarcophagi, Trojan pottery and Hittite legal tablets - was the Ottoman Topkapı Palace, while across the Golden Horn at the mouth of the Bosphorous, moving from the opulently Ottoman to the extravagantly European, is the Dolmahaçe Palace which was designed to outdo the grandeur of the European palaces from which its style was copied... but almost bankrupted the empire!

Upon wandering past the İstanbul Üniversitesi (and no prizes for translating that one, though in general Turkish isn't the easiest language to pronounce from the written word) we noticed crowds of people being dropped off by cars or walking with determination, standing around nervously, and hugging each other... you guessed it, we'd stumbled straight into the middle of the students' exams. (On a Sunday too, how cruel these universities can be!)

Right behind the university is Süleymaniye Mosque which was unfortunately closed for renovations. While standing around working that out we were approached by a Turkish boy my own age with a few younger teenagers in tow - it turned out he was their tutor and they were all down from Ankara for the day and hadn't realised the mosque was closed either - and we had a very interesting chat, in impressively good English, about European (mis)conceptions about Turkey and Islam.

To top off the trip we took a chance (knowing how these things can so easily be tacky beyond belief) and went to a Sufi Music Concert & Whirling Dervish display, which turned out to be tastefully done, breathtakingly impressive and addictively photogenic (though don't worry, I'll limit which ones I post here)!

1st stop - Frankfurt

The holiday is off to a flying start (and not just literally). We're enjoying the friendly, beautiful and very cosmopolitan (though rather Edinburgh-esque in that is has rather windy weather) city of Frankfurt am Main. Our hotel is full of friendly staff and is within walking distance of all the sights. Everything is an exciting mix of the very traditional (think huge tankards of weissbier which we can tell you are very good indeed, and reams of German sausages, which as pesco-vegetarians we'll just have to assume are good) and the very modern (think the European central bank, huge spires of glass and metal, and an international food market which was impressive in its scope, freshness and friendliness).

Indeed friendliness seems to be at the heart of Frankfurt culture - even the bmw drivers stop to let you cross the road! Another part of the culture which we've enjoyed in the odd burst of sunshine is the cafe culture - every bar and restaurant has some kind of outdoor space, and some even have just ourside space... which the native frankenfurters seem to take advantage of despite the rather dreich weather. [I'm inside in the warm, though, typing this...]

Perhaps the most interesting sight is the Goethe-Haus which, as you can gues from the name, is not only the place where the giant of German literature grew up but also a museum dedicated to his life, works and followers. [Now, this is the first substantive post to this blog so apologies if the photo upload doesn't work, but I'll try adding a few photos of the haus and the other sights to give you an impression of this good city.]

Chris

"I should like nothing better"

"Heaven preserve me! But I would wager four thousand pounds that such a journey, made under these conditions, is impossible."

"Quite possible, on the contrary," returned Mr. Fogg.

"Well, make it, then!"

"The journey round the world in eighty
days?"

"Yes."

"I should like nothing better."

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/103/103-h/103-h.htm

This is the first post of the brand-new boyd-family blog, on the night before we begin our journey. There's no need to introduce ourselves, as if you've found this little page on the vastness of the internet it has clearly not been by accident, so I'll just introduce the blog itself. Here is where we (though given technology is involved, probably I) will update you all on our travels through a mix of text, photography and video.

Hope you enjoy it.

Chris