Rant-let

I'm getting a teensy bit irritable with the Koreans.

Woah, stop! Actually, that's shocking. What I've done there is generalised the foibles of a couple of the Korean girls on the trip to all five, based on nationality. Scary how easy that can happen – and clearly I'm not the only one who's done it. It's a couple of the girls travelling together. Maybe it's a language thing, but they just don't seem very self-aware. For instance, I'll be busy helping people down with their bags from the overhead racks, and the girls will shuffle their way through, oblivious to what others are doing, with the sole aim of getting themselves sorted out. I should add that, unlike the rest of us, who have large rucksacks and travelpacks, they both have wheeled suitcases. It's quite funny to see them wheeling these through the sand of the campsite. We had more hassles just now, when they held us up at the 'Adventure Centre', trying to make some incredibly complex bookings which involved some of the others having to change their times. On it's own, it wouldn't be so bad, but hey, just throw in a couple of apologetic 'what can you do?' smiles, a thanks and an apology or two. I can only hope it's a language thing, since I'd certainly struggle on a 'Korean' tour. Then again, I wouldn't be daft enough to book myself on one in the first place.

Having said all that – and this is why I felt quite so bad about the above generalisation – I've been talking more wth 'K' (he has a name, but tells everyone it's easier to call him 'K'). He's Korean, and he and his wife are on the trip, and didn't know the others beforehand. I was talking to him today, and he was telling me that it was quite difficult and they were quite shy at the start of the trip, but now people are more friendly. He was happy to be passing the time of day with me, and it dawned on me they must have felt a tad isolated. I pointed out that no-one was talking much at the start, so it wasn't just them. He told me he was retired. He must be somewhere one side of thirty, so I thought I must have an internet millionaire in front of me until we deduced he actually meant he'd had to chuck in his job since they don't let you have long holidays in South Korea. He's a nice guy, and I must make more of an effort, I decided as I walked back to my tent with his plug adaptor.