Cast…

Name: Doowon

Nationality: Korean

Age: 28

Journey date: September 2006

Countries covered: The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France

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It’s not every day that you end up in Amsterdam with a man that you met in toilet just a few weeks earlier. Or is it? I’m a bit naive about these things.

Anyway this potentially seedy tale is actually nothing of the sort. Doowon was employed as a cleaner at the gym that I had joined in an half-hearted attempt at getting fit. Rather than chat to my fellow athletes about diet, regimes and bench pressing I decided to offer the hand of friendship to the bored looking chap with the mop. That man was of course Doowon.

International relations…

Before long we were happily teaching one another perfect pronunciation of swear words and slang. And over the weeks our friendship grew as did the length and depth of our conversations. In the end I didn’t even bother taking my gym kit with me, there seemed little point.

Doowon mention that he planned to tour Europe before return to South Korea. I mentioned that I was coming with him. The deal was done.

Our adventure took us from Amsterdam into Belgium and then onward through Luxembourg to Paris. Doowon then travelled onto Germany while I headed south to the heat of Corsica. There is many a tale to tell from our escapade. Most  of which I am unfortunately, or possibly fortunately, restrained from repeating by the Obscene Publications Act.

The end…?

The last time I saw Doowon we were bidding a fond farewell to one another on a cool Parisian evening. We were laughing, trying to catch our breath after successfully managing to outrun a stick wielding Frenchman that Doowon had manage to offend by, well I can’t tell you why…