Koalas and Turtles are wondering who reads this blog

We have just added the Bravenet Guestmap Feature to our blog. You will find it on the lefthand side under the Counter. We have been wondering who looks at our blog and where you are, so please take the time and put a pin on our map. Its easy and will keep us, especially TURTLE, motivated to keep going with this blog. Lets see which country has the most pins. Thanks from the very slow bloggers Koala and Turtle.

Check this out, will make you cry with laughter

My childhood buddy and a fellow South African, Ryan Mac posted this tear jerkingly funny story about Curry. a must read Hows the Serenity: June 2007

Koalas in Korea

Kim returns to Japan via Korea August　23rd to 29th, 2006

In order to save some money on my airfare to Oz from Japan I flew Korea airlines. Since I have been in Japan, which is going on 3yrs now, I haven't done any travelling. So considering my old Nova buddy Jon was living and working in Korea at the time, I took advantage of paying 100 Aussie dollars extra to stay in Korea for a week on my way back from Oz. I was pretty nervous about travelling on my own ,but decided hey if I was gonna be making the plunge into marriage ,then going to Korea on me own shd be a piece of cake.

It was great.. Although it wasn't until I was on the plane from Brissie that I realised I didn't have a hotel booked for my first night, no guide book and didn't know a word of Korean. The woman sitting next to me, through broken English, suggested I catch a bus from Incheon airport to Itaewon, where I would be able to find a cheap hotel for the night and then could catch a bus easily the next day to meet Jon who lived in Jinju.

I managed to book a motel through airport info, and when I finally arrived at the motel, I think they were really surprised to see that I was an Aussie Kim and not a Korean Kim. My room was tiny and stinking hot, so I decided to go in search of food while the air con cooled down the room.

Itaewon is like the Roppongi of Japan with a bit more of a stench. Man this place was filthy and it stank. Also maybe it was the jet lag, lack of sleep and food, or maybe it was the fact that I was in a foreign country by myself, but I felt quite vunerable as I walked the main drag in search of food. After 15 minutes of walking past very spicy smelling food joints and the usual fast food chains, the only other places to eat at... looked like bars. Now normally I would have no probs going into a bar by myself. ,especially in Japan. Give me a drink and I can feel at home anywhere, but common sense told me that there were way too many scary drunk westerners for me to handle, in my fragile state, that night.
Without realising it I found myself back in front of my hotel, which just happened to be right above a MacDonald's. Now anyone who knows me well, knows that my 2 years of working at the Golden Arches, while I was a vego, has turned me off Maccas for good...altho I do very occasionally give in to their thick shakes. Well sorry to shock you all... but on my first night in Korea, out of extreme fatigue and hopelessness, I gave in and entered the golden arches of hell. That night I had nightmares...no, seriously, I did.

The next morning when I woke up I decided that as I was in Seoul and my accommodation was pretty cheap, I might as well stay another night so I could spend a full day exploring the city. After calling Jon I ventured out and hopped on the Seoul City Tour Bus. It was great and I paid the 10,000 won or a bit less than 10bucks and could get on and off as I pleased. Plus I got discounted entry into attractions. Also they had headphones with commentary in 5 diff languages. The air conditioned bus was awesome and I was surprised at how nice some parts of the city of Seoul is. Great architecture.

My first stop was Namsangol Traditional Village. Really interesting and very beautiful. I spent quite a bit of time here. I don't know much about Korean history, so it was really interesting to see the traditional architecture. The traditional garden was really beautiful too.

As I was walking around I came across Seoul's Thousand Year Time Capsule which was was established to store 600 relics, which represent the lifestyles of the average person living in Seoul; to commemorate Seoul’s 600Th anniversary. The opening date is November 29, 2394. Pity I wont be around to see it. After checking out the traditional handicrafts I decided it was way to hot and humid, so headed back to the bus stop.

I decided to avoid heat exhaustion and to try and fend off the migraine that was starting to set in, it would be wise just to stay on the bus for a while. We drove past the National Theatre of Korea, went up past Seoul Tower and the Dongdaemun Markets.

I passed a few palaces and finally hopped off at Jongmyo Shrine, which is dedicated to the spirits of Korea's royal ancestors and was registered on UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage List in 1995. It was awesome. I just walked around for ages. they were setting up for some kind of event. The whole works, red carpets, lanterns loads of waiters in tuxedos. I was lucky enough to see some dancers rehearsing traditional Korean dancing.

Finally I headed back towards the bus stop and was contemplating doing the night tour after some dinner. Once I got back to the motel, showered and went in search of food again I was pretty buggered. I figured to avoid spice, I should just stick to Fast food so I hit burger King and ordered a plain whopper. I headed back to the motel got back into air conditioning and settled down for my feed. Oh My God it was the spiciest burger I have ever had. I drank about 3 litres of water in one gulp after the first bite. I was so shitty and felt sick so ended up getting into bed and breaking into the Cheezels and Timtams that I had bought as a present for someone back in Japan. Sorry..... I think eventually the fumes from my burger knocked me out.

The next day luckily I woke up really early, so I decided that my main priority was to find some edible food. Subway saved the day. I bought 2 chicken Teriyaki subs and headed off to find out the bus info for Jinju. The only bus left in the afternoon so after packing I arranged with the motel to keep my stuff and I headed off to the National Museum of Korea.
This museum was huge, and it was such a shame I had such a short time. When it started pouring outside I decided it was time to hit the gift shop, buy an umbrella and head back to the motel.

I managed to make it back, get my bags and hail a cab. The taxi driver was a crazy but very skilled driver. Korean drivers are crazy, especially in peak hour, but my driver managed to avoid getting hit numerous times and I made it to the bus station in one piece. I was just praying that the bus driver was a bit more of a slow paced kinda guy.

This was my 3rd night with no alcohol, not much food and I was exhausted. I was so grateful for the comfy, roomy seats on the bus and I decided to get a bit of shut eye before meeting Jon. Cos when Jon and I get together there sure to be plenty of the amber liquid flowing. Finally I made it to Jinju about 6 hours later. when I got off and asked in sign language where the phones were the bus driver promptly handed me his mobile, he spoke to Jon in Korean put me in a taxi and I was on my way. Very very helpful and friendly.

When I met Jon outside his apartment Seeing a familiar face was a sight for sore eyes. We dropped off my bags and headed into town with Jon's friend Matt for a feed. After a few beers called hite, I was refuelled and good to go. funny that.

The next few days and nites were filled with lots of drinking, meeting many awesome people, Koreans, Canadians, British, and Aussies.

I got to ride on the back of Jon's scooter, went shopping, went to a disco, drank many strange drinks, watched Jon eat many strange foods. It was awesome. I also visited the Jinjuseong Castle, which has spectacular views of the Namgang River. This castle is where some 70,000 army soldiers and civilians died trying to defend the castle from Japanese invaders in one of the three major battles of the Imjinwaeran (Jinjuuseong Castle battle of 1592) The grounds were absolutely beautiful.

Finally my stay came to an end, and I had to head back to Incheon Airport but I had an awesome time in Korea. Thank to all the kind people in Korea who helped me, all of Jon's Friends and especially to you Jon, it was wicked mate.

Turtles and Koalas last days Downunder

12　August　－　22　August, 2006 PART 3

Well needless to say everyone was fairly tired and hung over after the Engagement party. Kerrie, John, Dad, Kame and I were the troopers and stayed up till about 2am drinking gin and joking on the deck. There were a few sore heads the next morning, except for Kame who miraculously never gets hangovers. This really impressed Mum and Dad who battle to get any of us up before noon especially to help clear up after parties. I knew I had made the right decision in accepting Kames marriage proposal, when, by the time I dragged myself out of bed, he had not only finished helping clean up everything but also promptly made me a huge cup of coffee. Sooo spoilt.

That night Christian came and picked us up and we went to The Fox hotel for Kerrie's 29th birthday. After that Chris and I took Kame to The Beat, where Chris and I used to hangout at in our youth when we were into techno. Kame got to experience his first gay club and also the ordeal of trying to catch a cab home in Brisbane on a Sat night.



We finally arrived back at Ferny Hills just in time to see Kev and Rachael off as they headed to Cairns. Mum and Dad should have had their own personal express lane to Bris Airport, as the next morning Leanne was off to Europe. Followed by Kame who headed back to Japan on the Tuesday and myself back to Japan via Korea on the Wednesday. Kame spent his last 2 days doing some last minute shopping and seeing the sites of Brisbane. He definitely had a great time and keeps talking about going back to live in Ferny Hills with Mum and Dad someday. Hmmm ...no offence Mum and Dad but I might have to get my own pad a bit closer to the city. I promise you guys and Kame can visit sometimes.

Turtles work too much and Koalas too little

Hi,
Well if you have been wondering why we have been so slow going with our blog..its because I have been waiting for Kame to update the Japanese version as we tell our story. Due his hardworking Japanese work ethic and very busy schedule he barely has time to fart.... Where as I have plenty of time at the moment while waiting to start Japanese school in July.
Yes, that's right, I am going back to school..Yuck. 3months, 5days a week, 5hours a day. I will be a student at KAI Japanese Language School in Shin-Okubo near Shinjuku. My mates Blair and Agatha from Hello house were students at there and both highly recommended it. Gotta start getting all that Kanji and polite Japanese grammar under my belt, instead of all that beer I seem to have been drinking. Being a housewife is very thirsty work I tell ya.

Recently we bought a new computer desk and comfy chair from Ikea so I have no excuse not to update our blog.
So please be patient and I will continue with the wedding update etc (without Japanese-Sorry to all our Japanese friends)over the next week or so.
I promise.

Turtles and Koalas Engagement Party Downunder

12　August　－　22　August, 2006 PART 2

Sorry for the long wait . u know the story life is busy blah blah blah.... Anyway the Down under trip comes to an end....
On Friday August 18th,2006....After a quick day tour of Bris Vegas and some last minute shopping, Kame and I headed back to Ferny Hills. On the train Kame was very nervously trying to finish writing and practice his speech for the party Mum and Dad had organised for that night. Mum and Dad started organising a Hello/Goodbye Party a few weeks before, as it was the first time in a while that they had had all 3 of us kids under one roof even if it was only for a week or so. And soon they would have to say goodbye to the baby of the fam, Leanne, who was venturing on a European trip for 6months. Then Kame and I stole the limelight by deciding to announce our engagement, so it turned out to be quite a party.
And what a great party it was. It was awesome catching up with old school mates, drinking mates, housemates, family friends and new friends. Plus it was the first time for many to see Mum and Dads new place in Ferny Hills. Kame and I wanted to keep things really low key so most people didn't know about the engagement until that night, which really added to the fun atmosphere of the night.
Thank you Mum, Dad, Kevin, Leanne and all our great friends who made out night so special. Here are some photos as a reminder of an awesome night had by all.

Kame Down Under

８月１２日　－　２２日, 2006
PART ONE　
この度、blogを始める事にしました。　Kim & Kame のこれまでの諸々を書いていこうと思います。　まずは、僕（Kame）がAustraliaへKimの家族に初めて会いに行った
時の話から・・・。
僕らが結婚を決意したのは2006年の3月です。　僕はKimの両親に挨拶をするためにAustralia行きを計画し、英会話schoolに通うことを決めました。
普段、僕とKimの会話は僕が日本語、Kimが英語というのが自然なスタイルです。
お互いそれが一番楽なんです。　　しかし、Kimの両親と真面目なお話をするのにそれはマズイので、3ヶ月間Shane English schoolに通いました。　
どうにか３ヶ月学校に通ったものの、自分のレベルが上達したのかどうか・・・？
とても“喋れる様になった！”とは思いません。
とにかく、８月のお盆休みを利用して生まれて初めてAustraliaに行きましたよ！
日本の真夏はAustraliaの真冬なんですけど、全然暖かかったです。Brisbaneは。
それに、緑が沢山あって、綺麗な野鳥が沢山飛んでいて、広くて、空気のいい、そして
みんながとてもfriendly! なところですよ。

ついに、Kimの両親と空港でご対面です。　緊張したのはほんのひと時、すぐにrelaxしました。　ていうか、relaxさせてくれる人達で良かった！
車で３０分走って彼女の実家に到着。　よく整備された綺麗な住宅街の一角に、ありましたよ！Eldridge家が。 裏庭や、テラス、でかいバーベキューグリル、さらにはキャンピングカーまで！　羨ましいぞ！OZ life.

そして家族みんな（Kim,両親、弟＆彼女、妹）でGold Coastへと３日間の旅行に
行きました。　道中は大きな渋滞もなく、道路もきれいで、driverのマナーが良いのにびっくりしました。　だからとても走りやすいところ。
途中、友達のライアンの家によりBBQ partyをやりました。　やっぱり出てくるでかいBBQ stand.　すっかりご馳走になり、ホテルへ向かいました。

Gold coastのKirra beachというところで、冬ということもありそれほど混んではなかったです。　　でも、全然寒くはない、ていうか暑い。
その日の晩は、近くに住むEldridge家の親戚一家と一緒にdinnerです。
その一家になんと日本人がいましたよ！ジュリアスとエルフリーダの息子の　マーカスの奥さんはさちこさんという日本人です。
彼女は大阪出身で、イギリスで仕事をしてる時にマーカスと出会ったそうです。
そうそう、Miaちゃんっていう二人の子供がかわいかったなぁ・・。

Kirra beach の近くのgreen mount beachでサーフィンしましたよ。
レンタルのでかいボードで、パワーのある波に挑戦したけど、揉まれて帰ってきました・・。　その後currumbin wildlife sanctuaryという動物園に行って、コアラを抱っこし、カンガルーと戯れ、クロコダイルを触って、アボリジニーダンスを見て、ダンサーと一緒に写真を撮ったら、「アリガット！」って日本語が返ってきた。

この動物園散策？には僕にとって重要な意味合いがあって、実は彼女のお父さんに例の挨拶（お嬢さんをください！みたいなやつ）をするべく機会をうかがっていたのでありました。　なかなかお父さんと二人きりになれないし、Kimには「まだなの！？」と
急かされるし・・。　緊張し、焦ったひと時でした。
しかし、ついに言いましたよ。“I want ask you for　your daughters hand in marriage”
するとお父さんは、“already”と一言。　僕はその一言が “もうすでにokしてるよ”
という意味だと思って安心し、お父さんも英語で、「君はKimのbest partnerだと思うよ。」といってくれたのです。　まあ、一段落ついて一安心です。

Kirra beachを後にして、僕とKimだけでByron　bayというAustralia大陸で一番東端にある観光地に行きました。　その場所も本当にきれいでロマンチックなところで、海では鯨に、イルカに海亀まで見ましたよ！
その日の夜は、満天の星空、月明かりが照らす海、心地よい波の音。　そこで僕はKimに指輪を渡しました。