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A lonely old woman with a bent back standing in a rice field. Water up to her knees, her hands searching under the surface. The rice field is on a slope and there are several terrasses just like the one she is standing on. The fields are bright green and are almost shining in the golden afternoon light from a hazy sky. Above the fields there are some trees and behind the trees are several tall modern apartment buildings. They look unreal, does not go together with rest. The contrast is striking, the traditional agricultur against the modern arcitecture. This was a photo opportunity rarely seen but unfortunately I was sitting on a high speed train when it all passed by.

To plan a trip is for me a big part of the whole experience. I usually check some websites, maybe read books, look at the surroundings on GoogleEarth and talk to people I know have visited the place I am heading to. I like to have some sort of idea of where I am going. Usually you do not have unlimited time at your destination so in order to make the right decisions and get the most out of your time, it is not a bad idea to be prepared. But it is also important not to plan too carefully. The one thing you can be sure of is that it will not go as planned. You will have to make decisions along the way that will have a significant affect on your holiday. This is the charm of travelling though and I am always careful not to have my mind set on what I “have” to do.

Planning gives you the opportunity to enjoy your trip during a long time. If you start reading up on things early you can start dreaming and longing for your departure. Right now I am planning my holiday in Austria in August. The main purpose of the trip is to visit my parents who have a house there and do as much hiking I can possibly take. I have missed the mountains for a long time and am looking very much forward to it. Already a couple of months ago I was reading about the hikes and via ferratas in the area. I have been looking at films on Youtube, pictures and read stories about hiking trips to this particular mountain range. I found the via ferrata I would like to do (weather permitting) and because it is a very demanding one I have also started to train for it. I still have 5 weeks to become just a little stronger and more fit. My brother and I are pushing each other and we have ordered the gear needed for it. The picture is taken on the Bert-Rinesch Via Ferrata on the Gr Priel which is my goal. It was stolen from an Austrian site about hiking (www.bergsteigen.at) where Josef Zwedorn had left it for others to admire. Does it not look fantastic? It almost feels like I am there already.

At least for another 5 weeks this trip will be exactly the way I want it to be. Once I get there, you never know what will happen and that is when it becomes real. It is the moment I long for when I am facing reality and will find out what the trip will really be like. During the preparations I get a feeling about the place where I am going and I am always equally curious to see if it is right. It never is but I keep on trying and I am enjoying it.

The plan today was to go parasailing with Linda and Frank who I met at the hotel in Seoul. Unfortunately what we ended up doing was parawaiting. For a couple of hours we sat around watching where the wind was blowing wishing that we were up in the sky enjoying the views. It never turned the way we wanted so we had to go back without even trying to fly. 🙁

In Korea hiking is popular. The hikers have the latest equipment, the right clothes and they look very professional. Question is how good the hiking is in this country that is not really known for their impressive mountains. Last weekend I decided to find out in the local National Park, Bukhansan, just north of Seoul which is very popular and crowded during the weekends.

I had read on the internet where to go and took the subway to one of the stations close to the park. I did not find the bus I was looking for but a nice enough Korean pointed out another one that would take me in the right direction. On the bus I found two men with all the fancy gear for a day of hiking. I asked if they were going to the same place as me and with their not very impressive english vocabulary they made me understand that they would show me the way.

They started off in a fast pace. I tried to stop at the ranger station to find a map but the guys were stressing me on like I was a race horse. But I figured that I would not get lost if I followed these guys so I did not bother about the map. I kept up with the first guy and realized after a few minutes that we had left the other guy behind us. I asked Mr Fast Guy and he just pointed at his watch and said time, so I guess they had no plan of walking together.

After half an hour or so we reached the first gate of an old fortress that is situated on the ridge in the park. You walk along the wall which was restored after the Korean war. The gates are popular places for picknicks and many seem to have come there mainly for eating and not necessariliy for hiking.

Mr Fast Guy took me almost all the way to Baegundae Peak which is the highest point in the park. This was my goal but not his so we parted just below the peak. The hiking in this national park is more technical than I thought, it is often very steep and in some places it is even easier Via Ferrata hiking. The last bit up to Baegundae Peak is the steepest and hardest part. This however does not scare the Koreans and the path up to the peak is full of people. At the top you have a lovely view of Seoul and the Bukhansan National Park.

On the top of Baegundae I met Nina from Switzerland. We had a rest and enjoyed the view before we started walking back together. It’s always fun to be one Swiss and one Swede, very confusing for everyone. I am still amazed how Swiss people always are accused of being Swedish and the other way around. Where is the logic in that?

If you ever get the chance I can really recommend to go hiking in Bukhansan National Park. It is easy to get there from the city and it offers great hiking and wonderful views.

Samsung does rule this country it seems. Even one the nicer museums is the Samsung Museum of Art, called Leeum. It is situated very close to my hotel and I have wanted to visit it many times but never got around to. Today I did managed to go the 5 min down the hill to see what it is all about (you can see my hotel in the background). From the hotel I have seen some statues on the roof of the museum which look like huge spiders and since I found out it is a museum I have had in my mind to go there.

This Art museum covers both traditional art like ceramics and paintings from 13th to 19th century and modern art, local and foreign.

The artifacts themselves are nice but the best thing about this museum is the building itself. The architecture is superb. The two main buildings have their own style and are very beautiful. Not only what is inside the buildings is interesting. Don’t forget to look out the windows, everything you see is well planned and stylish. Just the staircase in the brick building is worth a visit.

The rooms that show historic art are spatious and dark. The items themselves are lit up individually which creates a calm and relaxing environment. It is a welcome feature compare to other sights like the War Memorial Museum (which is interesting really and very well made) which attracts groups of screaming children that runs around your feet.

Whenever in Seoul, I can really recommend this museum.

Although I do love adventures and often seek them, I can also get lazy. This is easily done when travelling for business. When I go to work in e.g. Korea I stay at a moderately nice hotel during the weeks but at a very nice one during the weekends. When I go on holidays my budget is very different and I often stay at hostels or very cheap hotels in order to be out as long as possible. At those times the goal is to have an adventure and not to rest and save your strenght for the coming week of facing the customer. When I do get the chance to stay longer in a foreign country for work, like now three weeks in Korea, I do want to take the opportunity to see something else than the customer site and the area around the hotel. But staying at these really nice hotels makes me lazy. From my room I have the most beautiful view of the Han river and Gangnam area in Seoul (picture). The hotel is situated on a hill which makes the view absolutely stunning. It has a garden with an outdoor pool and sun deck, a sauna, a gym and a lounge with complimentary snacks and drinks in the evening. Staying in this kind of environment is a treat itself and absolutely necessary for a stay this long in a foreign country that you did not choose yourself. Without these weekends, working in Korea would have been very hard.