Travel

The Military Demarcation Line or 38th Parallel between North and South Korea is that bit of concrete curbing at the end of the blue huts. It would not be a good idea to try to cross it. Note the North Korean soldier at top. We were in a high security military zone...no signs or provocative T shirt messages allowed.

Since getting married in London in 1969, we have visited 27 countries together. Highlights have been Antarctica, South Korea and Cappadocia. From London we had an "East Only" Qantas ticket but we could get off anywhere as long as we kept going east to Australia.

Antarctica

We took a small ship the Sea Spirit (90 passengers) from Ushuaia at the bottom of Argentina to the Antarctic Peninsula, a sea trip across Drakes Passage of about 800km or two days sailing. This can be a very rough trip with 12m swells which is about 6 times a normal house ceiling. Antarctica is shaped like a stingray with the long Antarctic Peninsula, extending up towards Ushuaia . Antarctica is huge. With the ice and snow it is twice the size of Australia but when you get away from the coast with its prolific wildlife there is absolutely nothing except ice and snow no water nothing! The remoteness is daunting. Visitors need $100k extraction insurance in case of emergency.

Asia

We have visited four Asian countries....Korea, Japan (twice), China and Thailand.

South Korea

Seoul is only 8okm from the North Korean border (which we visited. See above). What must it do to your head living so close to a nuclear armed weird dictatorship fixed in the 1950s? All the historic buildings were destroyed during the Korean war and have been replicated with a vaguely Hollywood feel. The National War Museum has one whole gallery geared to childrens' entertainment including jumping castles. Unimaginable in the Australian War Memorial. There is a Toilet Theme Park and a house built like a toilet!

China

We visited 5 Chinese cities on a 12 day tour. The people were friendly and took no notice of us in the street. I thought they might have taken us for Americans. The primary school children clearly learn English because they were always asking "Where are you from?". I tried to learn some Mandarin but it is a phonetic language so I used my phone translator instead on local advice. Our hotel was running a conference on China's Belt and Road initiative so the government shut down a large shopping centre next door for security reasons (??). Wonder how Westfield would have reacted? In a Beijing shopping centre we had a chance meeting with Jude's niece "L" from Tweed Heads. Amazing! The city of Zhengzhou is the site of the Peoples' Liberation Army Hacker School. We didn't get a tour.

UK & Ireland

The Irish Republic (South)

We went orienteering in the Republic of Ireland in1994 near Cork before moving onto the Scottish highlands for more embarrassment.

Northern Island 2011

We did a broad circular road trip from Kilkenny to Belfast via Derry in 2011 to attend our daughter's Civil Union (marriage) in Belfast City Hall. One Sunday morning in Belfast we walked down the Catholic Falls Rd through the "Peace Wall" and back down the Protestant Shankill Rd. After the ceremony we all gathered near The Giant's causeway in the far north. We had a very special dinner on the way with many young farmers at our daughter-in-law's farm near Durrow. Real "Pride and Prejudice" stuff. The farm is only 2km from Attanagh where my great grandfather and 7 children left for Brisbane in 1870. The murals from "The Troubles" in Derry were very moving.