Joel: It's nearly a week since Neal and Lyndsey left and I feel almost back to full health. After our final action-packed pack weekend with them I really needed to spend a week doing NOTHING (apart from working) in order to give my weary bones a rest. I think they coped pretty well with the unexpected trials and general bizarreness that make up everyday life in Seoul. I haven't actually been on a holiday with my brother since we were kids and soon discovered that very little had has changed. With his purchase of a "Keroro" (a Korean cartoon alien) watch and set of giraffe ears, his desperation to beat me at pool and "A Question of Sport" and his excitement at meeting his spongy hero it was like being transported back to a 1980's family holiday! Only I'm begining to feel like the older brother.

Apart, of course, from the times I'm still prone to make apaulling judgements, like deciding to wake my dad up on April 1st and tell him I'm in a Korean jail and don't know how I got there. When Jokes Backfire! indeed. I think he's forgiven me, regardless of the fact it was clearly a pretty horrible thing to do. I'm going to have to be on the ball next year though. I can't help but think he'll be out for revenge.

The trip to "Everland" was well worth it. I'd say it's the best of the three theme parks here, closely pipping "Seoulland" at the post but blowing the pathetic "Lotteworld" out of the water. Neal and Lynds seemed to be well up for the safari zone and all the rides we went on were top - particularly the hanging "Eagle's Fortress" rollarcoaster which was without loops but incredibly fast and meandering for the whole run.




The DMZ trip was also incredible. We've now actually been to North Korea! Only for a couple of minutes, but I don't know many people who can say that. Rakhi wasn't the only one in our party to step out of line, although her misdemeanor was by far the most obvious. One guy on the coach turned up in camouflage pants (doh!) and I saw one guy accosted for trying to take photos of the North over the wall outside the observatory building. Rakhi was a bit shaken after nearly being sliced in two by a Taekwando black-belt in shades and full military attire - the whole visit was a pretty tense experience. Pretty funny looking back though.

It was great to have Neal and Lyndsey here with us after so long. It will probably be Christmas before we see them again so I'll have to borrow Neal's trick and buy an "A Question of Sport" interactive DVD, learn all the answers and then take him on with no chance of defeat. Ha ha!

This weekend brought about the reunion between Rakhi and my co-teacher Seon-Yeong, their only previous meeting being last week when she turned up at our apartment after I'd phoned in sick demanding to take us to the hospital. She only came on orders from the principal, but I'm pretty sure it came from them wanting to take care of us, not check up on us. She expressed her regret at the whole saga - it's all under the bridge now - and we had a fun afternoon with her and her family. The show, "JUMP", was best show at the Edinburgh festival in 2005 and has been a big hit on the west-end. It's a slapstick martial arts comedy that's been superbly choreographed and acted out by fantastically skilled performers. A couple of audience members were pulled up onto the stage to be part of the mayhem and I kind of wished it had been me. It was a really impressive production.

I now only have ten school days left here before we fly out. My school still hasn't found a replacement and tried again today to get me to conder resigning. It's nice to feel wanted but I know it's partly because, if they don't find a replacement, they're in a spot of bother having already charged parents for a term of extra classes with a native teacher. Occasionally, the last-minute-ness really comes back and bites them in the ass.

So we really are approaching the end here. We've only four more free days. For our last Saturday, we've booked places on a wine and cheese cruise up the river with Shano and Sammy. I'm hoping it will be a good send-off for us. The cheese board Neal and Lyndsey brought over for us was devoured in a frenzy on Friday night leaving us both unable to move at any speed and it served as a catalyst for some very trippy dreams. I'm hoping the cruise brings about similar feelings. I reckon (apart from friends and family) cheese is the thing I've missed here most. After Thailand, it's going to have to be northern France I reckon, to play catch-up!