Joel: Had a really interesting day yesterday. We wanderered back into Seoul to check out an area called Insadong where we'd read there were lots of galleries, a craft market and a vegetarian restaraunt in a Buddist retreat. Rakhi wanted to take me out to dinner for my birthday but I think is beginning to go off all meat and sea food so it seemed like a perfect choice. The deal included some type of dance performance at 8:15 which added to the appeal. When we found the market it was brilliant; like and a combination of Manchester craft market and the clothes shops of the Northern Quarter housed in an open concrete helix and topped with open-air bars and cafe's. Definately worth another visit when the money sarts to come in. The restaurant proved less easy to find. Roads in Korea aren't named so unless you know the area or have clear directions it can be difficult to find anything. Also, the back streets of Insadong are like a rabbit warren of traditional shops and restaurants and with scant (but improving) knowledge of the language, it's a wonder we found it at all. But find it we did. We were greeted by a friendly monk, asked to remove our shoes and lead through to the seating area. Although all tables were booked Rakhi somehow worked her magic and we were invited to sit down on cushions by a low table at the side of a cetral performance space. There was no menu but our table was soon awash with approximately 30 bowls of Buddist veggie scran - all fashioned from ingredients found in the wooded areas around Seoul (or the we were told). Some of them were lovely - others proved not so - but the atmosphere in the place was fantastic. Part way through our meal the dancing began and we were treated to a series of traditional moves and grooves and a masterclass in Korean drumming. Great stuff. We finished the night speaking with a couple English couple sat at the table next to ours. They had travelled into Seoul with his visiting parents for the weekend and told us they'd been teaching out in the sticks for the last eight months and loved it - which was great to hear.

Today we're just going to relax before the orientation begins tomorrow. I'm going to cook Rakhi a veggie English roast later to help her feel at home. And we're going to work on some Korean. We've now got greetings and numbers and suchlike down but it will make a big difference to be able to deal with basic interactions out in the wacky world of Korea. Annyong hi-gyasseo!!!