BootsnAll Travel Network



Reflections

My gamble paid off, got on the 11 am bus to Busan no problem then the subway leaves from the Express Bus Station & 21 stops later get off & only a 10 min walk to the International Ferry Terminal where there were plenty of berths on tonight’s sailing.

So as we are leaving the harbor & South Korea after 5 restful & enlightening days I figured it would be a good time to reflect on my trip so far as it has covered 14 time zones & a lot of diverse country & cultures.

As of now I have in my travels visited 24 countries including last winters trip & only found 1 that I didn’t care for (Costa Rica). Also found my “Paradise” Guatemala (unequaled so far). All were interesting & worth the visit . Naturally some took my fancy more than others, namely Iceland & the ice fjord at Ilulissat Greenland which is absolutely amazing & mustn’t forget Birmingham which took my fancy much to my (& Tall Paul’s surprise). Even though I didn’t care for Amsterdam it was still an interesting part of the adventure.

However what most amazes me is how fate can play such a significant role in enhancing the great times on a trip!! Last year it kept me on the bus when it stopped in David Panama, where I had planned to get off, allowing me to meet Bob & a great group of ex-pats living there. I merely returned to David later in the week.

Now last week fate cancelled the ferry I had planned on taking from Vladivostok to Japan leaving me with the option of coming to Korea, not only that but she delayed the sailing of the Korea ferry by a day so I had time in Vladivostok. How strange is that!!!

I had considered Korea & might have come any way but it is doubtful as I erroneously thought with visiting Japan &  China Korea would likely be much the same. Now I have yet to make it to Japan (2moro morn) or China but I will go out on a limb here & say no, Korea is unique, for one thing it has been divided for over 50 years but my time here has been so different from any thing I have experienced elsewhere that I know it will not be repeated.

Any one coming to the area DO pay a visit, you won’t regret ii!!

I am also starting to like ferry travel which is strange as I never cared for boats but it’s a pretty cool way to travel & saves the cost of a hostel or hotel room. Of course I haven’t experienced any dough weather on one yet so I may well have a change of heart one day.

One thing that I learned last year is that travel changes one not only their outlook on life but their perception of the world. That lesson has been reinforced in spades since leaving the Americas & visiting a small part of Europe 7 Asia. It is unreal how slanted & biased the news reporting is in Canadian media which must take their feed from CNN.

This means that you are really limited as to whom you can have a serious conversation with as most won’t believe what you are saying based on experience as they have only listened to the propaganda & refuse to believe the truth. what is really sad is when someone is so brainwashed about how great a country Canada is they refuse to acknowledge the obvious flaws & just label any one who can see them a pessimist! Oh well that’s their problem.



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3 responses to “Reflections”

  1. Pinamimi says:

    very interesting twist on your trip Dave….i don’t believe in coincidences…..it’s a path that was open for you and you took it!!!! good on you for allowing your awareness to take you to new experiences!
    I did a couple of ferries in Quebec Baie Comeau area…very cool….but i would imagine rough sea waters would be totally different then the fleuve!! lol
    keep up the amazing reporting!

  2. Dave says:

    The path not taken is usually the most enlightening so I grab onto every chance for new experiences.

    Imagine I will find out about rough ferry crossings eventually.

  3. Radster says:

    Good post, and I fully agree with what you say, people are brainwashed here, and its mainly those who have travelled to other continents who seem to have a balanced view on Canada and how it relates to the rest of the world. Canada is great, but not the greatest place on earth, anyone who thinks its the greatest, needs a reality check in the form of international travel (and AI travel does not count!).

    As for ferries, I love them! My dad used to work as an electrician on cargo ships during the communist era when we lived in Poland, so I was initiated to sea travel when I was a kid thanks to the occassional 1-2 month long trip with my dad on his sailings, so I gained a sort of love and respect for sea travel at a young age. During those times we also crossed the Baltic via car-ferries many times from Poland to Sweden as we had some family there. Lately, I enjoyed some ferry travel around the Greek islands, which was lots of fun, as their ferry fleets are being renewed so they have cruise-ship-like facilities, or some are in the form of high speed catamarans, lots of fun! I would rate, in terms of favourite mode of transport, ferries first, then trains, then planes, then bus/car.