Dateline March 17th 2011: The Mission – Bend Arms around the World - The European Ones.
Time to hit the road, and when you add up the distances it is some heavy hitting indeed. Trip planning this time took on epic proportions as this trip will be my biggest/busiest/longest so far. The Rough stats before I head to the airport, 22 Seminar days, 20 Flights, 5 long distance trains, 11 hotels and 9 countries. Flight #1 Singapore Airlines SQ232 (Boeing 777-200) Sydney to Singapore and a quick 8 hours later I am enjoying Changi Airport. *Voted #1 Airport in the world this year.
I have a 6 hour layover in Singapore so I head to the Singapore Airlines lounge, the best I have ever visit in my opinion. Time to login on the laptop and get to work setting up the trip report… Just want you don’t want to see, an unknown error message on boot up, it offers to run a repair, I run it and wait the 45mins for it to complete, the laptop now works. Bad omens right there for my poor laptop. The 6 hours pass and I head for Flight #2 Singapore Airlines SQ324 Singapore to Amsterdam which takes just over 13 hours. As normal the inflight service is awesome and the flight goes smoothly. Amsterdam is cold and I grab a jacket from my luggage and head for a coffee shop to pass the 2 hours until my high speed train right to Brussels, Belgium.
There is a free Wi-Fi in Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam so I set up the laptop… It seems it now doesn’t want to work again, a little coercion and I am connected. Bad Omen #2. I grab the Thalys (Fast train – 300kmh) from the airport straight into Brussels, it is almost like flying including an in transit meal, breakfast. I notice the sign that describes how to exit if there is an accident and think that 8 steps is a few too many to go through if the train is on fire, etc…
The way out in an emergency, please do not JUST break glass!
Sydney – Singapore – Amsterdam - Brussels
FT – 20 Hours
TT – 31.5 Hours
*Side Note* Travelling can be fun, but with the World Tour the logistics are a major part, so I thought I would give you an idea of the sheer amount of items that needed to be packed for the European part of this trip alone: 10 Black Belts & 10 Black Belt Certificates, 10 Instructor Certificates, 250 Seminar Certificates, 30 IHA Badges, 21 Dan Bongs, 10 sets of the Dan Bong DVD, 6 sets of the Complete DVD series, 10 ITS display books, Pens, Seals, Ink for Certificates, Black Belt Passports, 2 Doboks + Belt, Laptop + Laptop Charger, Phone + Charger, Camera + Stand + Charger, Adapters for the above to cover 3 different power outlets, 2 weeks of general clothing, 2 sets shoes, 2 jackets, Toiletries, Personal Passport, Trip documents including tickets, hotel reservations, etc.
My trip to Brussels is to catch up with a friend before the seminars start and after heading back to his apartment I find out that my laptop is DOA (Dead on Arrival) we try a number of things to resurrect the machine and eventually pronounce it dead. We do rescue the hard drive and we safely install it in an external cradle so at least the data is protected. Now comes the mission to find a replacement and quickly. Buying one in Brussels is out as firstly the keyboard layout is different, they use AZERTY vs. our QWERTY layout, and secondly as there is a 20% VAT which makes it prohibitively expensive. The UK is out as well as it also uses a modified keyboard (similar to ours but still different) so it is onto Ebay and the US to source one. That of course opened other problems, but the first step was to find a laptop that could do the work I needed and be affordable. Luckily enough I managed to track down a manufacturer refurbished laptop with full warranty for almost 50% off that would ship in the US in 1 Day, of course due to Net scams they would only ship to the US, so the order was placed and the laptop was to be shipped to SBN Mike in Lancaster.
Amdeo’s – Rib Central in Brussels!
Amdeo’s – Inside.
Amdeo’s – Almost worth the trip to Brussels alone.
Back onto the laptop saga and estimates were that if the laptop made it to SBN Mike’s quick enough we could get it sent UPS to the Netherlands while I am there. First hiccup, the UPS truck that was due to deliver the laptop, broke down (1 day delay), SBN Mike then missed the UPS truck (2 Days delay). At this stage I leave Belgium and head for Eindhoven in The Netherlands to meet up with BSBN Ron.
Brussels – Amsterdam
FT – 20 Hours
TT – 33 Hours
I meet up with BSBN Ron and the next day we head out for some sightseeing with 2 other local masters from the Yusinkwan Master Ceulen and Master Rijke, the Yusinkwan has hosted seminars the last 2 years and are doing so again. BSBN Ron and I meet up with them near Rotterdam and then head to a nearby Martial Arts supplier to check out the local equipment. Of course I get to test out my kicking power out the front on one of the nearby steel poles.
They just don’t build things as tough anymore!
Pink speed cameras to make you feel better about getting a ticket
Back on the road and I had to grab a photo of the Pink speed camera, they are far more common around here than in Sydney, even with roads that you couldn’t really speed on anyway with the round abouts, round a speed bump abouts (Dutch thing), etc. Next stop the Kinderdijk which is an area with some of the oldest windmills where they were mainly used to pump water to help reclaim land. The weather is clear and the view of the many old style windmills was good, apparently when they were all working they would pump as much as 1.5 million litres a day.
Old Style Dutch Windmill @ the Kinderdijk
After the visit to the Kinderdijk we head into downtown Rotterdam and of course as the Dutch are known as Engineers we see some interesting designs in the buildings and bridges. I grab a couple of photos of the local Bridge as it is a known Rotterdam landmark with high tension wires only on one side, and as we are in the area for dinner I get the chance to grab both day and night shots. Apart from finding out we can’t drive on a pedestrian walkway (it was an accident, officer) I get to see most of Rotterdam before we find a restaurant for dinner. Over dinner we talk about the state of Hapkido in The Netherlands and start discussions on the possibility of the local groups working closer with the IHA, more news there shortly!
Now people here do really live in a Box
Bridge into Rotterdam - Day
Bridge into Rotterdam - Night
Now what happened in the meantime to that laptop? SBN Mike finally gets the laptop and messages from his phone don’t get to my mobile (3 Days delay). It is now Friday in the US and UPS still say that they can get it to me by Monday in The Netherlands, I leave Tuesday. So the decision is made to express it through UPS. Through the online tracking option UPS offers it seems the Laptop makes it to Eindhoven the next day – Saturday. (5 mins from BSBN Ron’s house) of course UPS aren’t open until Monday. However over the weekend the laptop seems to leave Eindhoven, fly to Cologne, then Amsterdam and then back to Eindhoven over the weekend and they a message appears about it being ‘Held’ need a customs deferment number, which of course we don’t have. BSBN Ron teaches at 2 locations, firstly in Best which we visit briefly so he can show me how the Dojang has come together from last visit and secondly Tilburg where the seminar will be held. The seminar in Tilburg will be the last one in that location as its closing down and BSBN Ron already has a great new location lined up which we drive past as well. Or course being in Holland, I have to grab a photo of some signage that seems a little excessive, I hope you didn’t forget the ‘Frog’ or ‘Wild Rooster’ signs from last year’s travels.
The Dojang in Best
Hmm, maybe we should slow down?
The new Tilburg location, classes start here next week
The first seminar in the Netherlands is on Saturday with BSBN Ron’s students in Tilburg and we work through how to use the basic concepts, showing how they adapt to attacks from pushing, pulling, hook punch, and from the ground. We cover S Lock, V Lock, and Arm Bars before going onto miscellaneous material, everyone as normal works hard and we make sure that the last seminar in this location is a good one! At the end of the seminar I take great pleasure in presenting BSBN Ron with his IHA Certification for Chief Instructor, Congratulations! I overheard one of the local students make this comment after the seminar ended and thought it amusing in a Hapkido way – “I had a Nice Painful Day!”
The Dutch hit the ground!
IHA Certified Chief Instructor – Ron van Beukering
Sunday and it is time to head back onto the road as we drive to Rotterdam (nearby Hoogvliet) for the seminar with the Yusinkwan group. Topics for today include Hand Attacks, Knife Defence, Arresting Techniques and Sword for the Black Belts. Master Ceulen warms up the group which includes visiting instructors not only from his group but also from another 3 organisations in the Netherlands. The day goes quickly and everyone has a good time, I of course get the chance to test all the techniques on some of the smaller students, 3 of the local senior belts are all well over 2m tall, its worked out that the group of 3 and I weigh in over 500kg, now that would be handy in a street fight. Henk one of the local giants has made plans to join us for the ITS later in the year and has booked flights. After the days training we head to the now traditional dinner at the nearby Wok restaurant where I sit with the local Black Belts and discuss the possibilities of them working with the IHA.
Master Ceulen warms them up
Group shot - Rotterdam
Some of the smaller local lads!
*Side Note* An interesting fact I picked up while in The Netherlands, the drink age here is 16 for Beer and Wine, for Spirits and other liqueur it is at 18, when you compare countries there is up to a 5 year gap, for example the US is 21 for drinking. It makes you wonder who has it right.
Hmm is there a laptop in the house? 5 phone calls on Monday and finally I get UPS to agree to let me pay the Netherlands VAT and collect the laptop… Talk about a mission, regardless I collect the laptop on my way to the train station and all is finally back on track. Well I thought everything was back on track until one of my bags decides to give up as I get onto the train. The zipper on my larger bag retires and the contents join me on the steps of the train, talk about fast packing to get out of the way of the people getting on board. The train heads into Amsterdam on my way to get Flight #3 Scandinavian Airlines SK552 (McDonnell Douglas MD-80) Amsterdam to Copenhagen. The Copenhagen stop is a personal one to tick an item off my experience (or commonly called bucket) list. 3-4 months before leaving for the tour I managed to make a reservation at what is regarded as the world’s best restaurant so I planned into a stopover for the experience. Of course the SAS flight is running late and leaves me 30 minutes to collect my bag, get a taxi to hotel, check in and get to the restaurant, I get there 5 minutes late to be greeted by name as I walk in the front door, I must have been the last one in.
*Side Karma Note* SAS have huge adverts all over the airports as well as in their Inflight magazine about how they have recently been named the most on-time in Europe, and of course my flight was late.
Amsterdam - Copenhagen
FT – 22 Hours
TT – 36 Hours
Windmills in Copenhagen’s Harbour
Aussie Reference #1 Not politically correct though!
The Entrance to Noma, the World’s Best
The meal was most definitely amazing, and some of the stats make it even more so, 46 staff (Chefs, waiters, etc.) to serve 42 seats, 20 courses for lunch, and 2 Australians on staff, 1 Maître D, and 1 Chef. In my opinion I would put Noma into the top 5 restaurants I have eaten at, but would probably still rate Tetsuya’s in Sydney above it. The meal was also enough food that I didn’t miss out on not having Breakfast beforehand and didn’t need Dinner afterwards. I didn’t get to see much of Copenhagen but what I did resembled Helsinki in architecture as well as signage, people, etc. The next day and I take Flight #4 Blue1 SK6454 (Boeing 717) Copenhagen to Helsinki. It’s a quick one and I am met by KSN Janne for the ride into town and my Hotel, on the way I am presented with the visits agenda which will go down in History as ‘The Agenda’. It looks like every minute of my visit to Finland is planned, structured and will be regimentally implemented. After Checking in I am met by KSN Daniel and KSN Markus for dinner and a catch up, both are planning on not only attending the ITS later this year but also testing for 3rd Degree.
Copenhagen - Helsinki
FT – 24 Hours
TT – 39.5 Hours
Aussie Reference #2 – Blue1 Inflight magazine
This trip to Finland marks the 10th Anniversary of Kwan Nyom Hapkido and my visits, along with that special achievement it is also our largest with 55+ students registered for the first 2 days and almost 90 for the Saturday. Day 1 is at SBN Tapio’s Dojang and we work on some different locking concepts, including on the ground, the ABC’s of locking, Hook punch defence, Kick defence, and some Dan Bong training for the Black Belts straight after the seminar I head with BSBN Juha out to Jarvenpaa to grab dinner with the local Black Belts before taking a class at their Dojang, after dinner we work on grading preparation for KSN Kim (testing for 3rd Degree here) and BSBN Juha (testing for 4th Degree at the ITS).
Day 1 Group in Finland ready to rumble
End of Day group shot, an excellent start to the visit
The view outside SBN Tapio’s Dojang
The view from the Restaurant at Jarvenpaa
Now apparently its Spring here in Finland, but the -8c to 2c days doesn’t seem to agree and there is still plenty of snow around to make sure you can still think of Winter. Day 2 comes around way to quickly and its back to HMAC (SBN Tapio’s Dojang) to work on Striking combinations, Pressure points, Ground locking, TC Punch Defence, TC Reversals, TC Rear Grabs, and TC Takedowns. Before wrapping the day I also get the chance to talk with Team Finland about the up and coming ITS, and it looks like a record group of Finns will be joining us! Tonight it is Dinner with the Dan Collegium, the group created to work on the Quality of Hapkido here in Finland, SBN Tapio, BSBN Juha and KSN Kim. We head out to look for food but the first 2 restaurants are full and we end up at Grill It which funnily enough is having an ‘Aussie’ themed week. The 3 locals have
ostrich pie (hmm where is the emu?) and Kangaroo, I stick with a steak, it’s a long way to come to Finland to eat Kangaroo.
the Finns go to Ground
End of Day group shot, the training continues to go well
Aussie Reference #3
Day 3 seems to get here even faster than day 2 (glare at Agenda) and it’s the main day with almost 90 ready for our biggest Kwan Nyom Hapkido seminar in Finland. There is a venue change today as we have too many students for HMAC and after last minute problems in finding a place we could fit in, it is settled we are using Sisu Gym (it’s a MMA School). KSN Kim picks me up for the drive out there and as neither of us have been there before we are surprised when we finally find the place. The entrance apart from being locked so we can’t get in, resembles a US car yard or junk yard and the door is made from Thick steel. A phone call later and we get to entre. At least the inside of the school is a lot better than the outside and with almost 90 on one mat the temperature quickly heats up. The topics today included Arresting, Controlling and Moving opponents and Close Quarter Techniques aimed at street defence. It’s a good day and as a surprise to the local Instructors I end the day with presentations of their IHA Instructor Certifications. Congratulations to our 2 new Chief Instructors, SBN Tapio and BSBN Juha, 3 new Senior Instructors , KSN Teemu, KSN Markus, KSN Jukka and 2 new Instructors, KSN Kim, CGN Hans.
90 Finns = good internal heating
Now that is a end of Day group shot
Newly Certified Instructors
The ‘Agenda’ kicks in and straight after the seminar we head back to HMAC for the evenings first of 3 events, an IHA Black Belt Spirit Test. Tonight there are 5 candidates from 3 Dojangs testing for their 1st Degree, the test is very similar to the Australian one and after lots of hard work, sweat and tears the IHA Black Belt family can welcome Jussi, Elina, Pertti, Antti and Mikko as new 1st Degree Black Belts. A new record was also set during the Grading as Jussi is a spritely 60yr old and the oldest to ever earn an IHA Black Belt. After the grading its onto the second event and it is a celebration sauna in a Wood Fired Sauna sitting on the side of a small lake. Wood Fired is the only true way to Sauna and a group head out to enjoy the sauna while recounting the grading. Once everyone has had a chance to soak in the sauna and dip in the almost frozen lake its onto our final event and that is the 10th Anniversary dinner. It is hard to believe that 10years ago I made my first trip to Finland; still I am very proud of my ‘Finnish’ family and how far they have come. During the Dinner BSBN Juha (current federation president) and SBN Tapio both made speeches, both SBN Tapio and I were presented with a souvenir to celebrate the 10years. Here is to another 10!
20 Black Belts and 5 Candidates = Much Spirit
The Finnish Black Belt Family grows
Wood Fired Sauna, the best kind
After the late evening this morning definitely came around too quickly, still it is a good last seminar day in Helsinki as I head back to HMAC for a Black Belt training day, also today we will be completing testing for a couple of the local Black Belts and a ring in as they aim to earn their next rank. The day starts with the Black Belt Challenge, then onto the Black Belt Technical Review before lunch. After lunch I am pleased to promote KSN Kim to BSBN Kim (3rd Degree), CGNs Albert, Tuukka and Guy (The Ring in) to KSN (2nd Degree). We then work on through some of the Black Belt concepts before wrapping a good Black Belt session. There is no rest for the wicked so I head over to Myllypuro Dojang with KSN Eija and CGN Hans to help with 2 classes before dinner in the city. Another late night to wrap up a very filled Finnish trip, the ‘Agenda’ was tough but the final score between us was a draw.
Welcome 5 new IHA first Degrees
Black Belt promotions
It’s a very early Monday morning when I leave the chilly and raining Helsinki for Flight #5 Lufthansa LH853 (Airbus A321) Helsinki to Frankfurt. Once I arrive into Frankfurt I grab my bags and head to the long distance train station to grab the ICE (high speed train) to Freiburg, even at speeds of 150-300kmh it’s over 2 hours before I get to stop travelling and arrive into Freiburg. I check into the Hotel and KSN Guy drops buy later to catch as we head out to dinner. The mission German regional food and KSN Guy delivered. Asparagus soup (local delicacy), followed by a slab of Pork and finished with real Black Forest Torte (Cake). The Pork looked like a challenge but like all challenges it was one to accept and conquer!
Helsinki – Frankfurt - Freiburg
FT – 26 Hours
TT – 46.5 Hours
Before
After
Tuesday was a free day so I finally finish installing software on the new laptop and start the trip report, having a slow day is always good for the batteries when trips are this packed. KSN Guy meets me in the afternoon and we head to the Karate Dojo where I get to teach 3 seminars, the groups are small but enthusiastic and I cover shopping bag for self-defence for the 2 kids groups and add Dan Bong for the adults. Wednesday and I am back on the road catching the train from Freiburg to Frankfurt airport before grabbing Flight #6 Lufthansa LH910 (Airbus A321) Frankfurt to London.
Freiburg – Frankfurt - London
FT – 28 Hours
TT – 52 Hours
Flying into London
The arrival into London went smoothly and as I was flying from Europe there were no hassles and I cleared customs really quickly. Master Nick met me on the other side and we headed out of Heathrow. I flew into Terminal 1 and I guess it is one of the oldest, the walk from the planes to collect my luggage was easily a 10-15min walk, also the terminal itself was pretty run down. I imagine the much newer Terminal 5 is a lot better. From Heathrow we headed back to Master Nick’s house, he is rather lucky as he has built an excellent Dojang literally in his backyard. Students enter through a side door (key code locked) and walk down to the Dojang. We arrived just in time to say hi to some of the younger students as they left and after a small break got into the action. Master Nick warmed up the local students and then I got a chance to work on Dan Bong with them. It was a good group and everyone worked hard on the different techniques, the Q & A at the end was also good as plenty of the students had different questions to ask.
Moosool Academy Group - London
After class we drove closer to London to drop off my bags at the hotel and headed out for dinner and a good talk about Hapkido in the UK. The next day I met up with Master Nick for a small spot of sightseeing at the National War Museum. Off course I had to get a picture of the Gallipoli section for the trip report. After the museum visit Mater Nick had to head out as he is heading to Korea tomorrow for a training tour, and we both agreed to catch up when I next find myself in the UK.
National War Museum
It should say, Please do not climb into the Guns!
Inside #1
Inside #2
Gallipoli
From London I head out to Gatwick airport for flight #7 British Airways BA2906 (Boeing 737-436) London to Manchester. London has 5 airports with 2 major ones being Heathrow and Gatwick, I thought it might be easier to try Gatwick for this flight as it would be quicker to use, the airport was but the drive made up for the difference, so in future my recommendation if you are staying in London is to use Heathrow. When I get to Gatwick there seems to be no way to personally check in bags, it’s all by a Kiosk and bag drop, of course the line for the bag drop is kilometres long. I try to use a Kiosk and when it goes to print my boarding pass it has a mechanical error, so off I go to find someone to assist. I head to the premium area as I tend to find they are trained to be at least polite and the BA staff member re issues my boarding pass and offers to take my bags, 1 long line skipped! Then I find out the flight is delayed so I get the chance to enjoy a couple of hours at Gatwick. When the flight opens to boarding we are informed it is from gate 55F, it seems rather than use more numbers for gates they just randomly pick a number and add the alphabet…
This numbering system makes sense…
There has been a flight incident in the US that has been making the press here with a Bowing 737 that suddenly acquired a sun roof in the US, so everyone is worried about using the 737 for flights, of course as I take my seat I notice the safety card. The flight goes well though and I arrive safely into Manchester airport.
I wonder if this one has a sunroof?
London – Manchester - Heysham
FT – 29 Hours
TT – 58 Hours
I am met by Master Ward’s wife Caroline and we drive from Manchester back to Heysham. Heysham is a coastal village near Lancaster strangely enough, not the Lancaster where SBN Mike teaches though. After meeting up with Master Ward (5th Degree Kuk Sool Hapkido) we decide to enjoy the warm (20c – warm here) day and go for a walk around the town. There are a couple of things that stand out apart from the norm, one there are some ancient graves on the hillside that are famous for being featured on the cover of a Black Sabbath album (The Best of Black Sabbath) and another one is that Master Wards house sits rather close to a nearby Nuclear Power Plant.
Black Sabbath cover
Nuclear Power anyone?
The next day it is time to get back on the mats with the first seminar with the local kids; I work through Shopping Bag techniques (or Bag Fu) as well as some Tae Gyeon and wrap up with Q&A. The local kids seem to enjoy themselves and try hard to kill each other with the bags. A break for lunch and my never ending search for the elusive English dish (Toad in the Hole) continues, with no success still I have hope that this trip I will succeed. Toad in the Hole is a traditional dish that uses sausages and Yorkshire pudding. After lunch its back on the mats for the afternoon session with the adults, we start with Bag Fu then move onto Dan Bong where everyone gets to push up their pain meters a notch or 10, after that I go over Lock Flows and again wrap it up with some Q&A. I do have to mention a small incident during the adults seminar though: at one point I ask a local student to give me a “Liverpool Kiss” which in Australia means Head butt, he responded by blowing a kiss and looking surprised, when I tried to explain what I meant (obviously a translation error) he replied “Sorry, but I am Terribly British” I think he was trying to explain that he didn’t know what it was and after some talk we worked out locally it’s called a “Glasgow Kiss”
Kuk Sool Hapkido Kids
Kuk Sool Hapkido Adults
After the seminars were done Master Ward was holding a demonstration and presentation evening to recognise some local students on earning their new belts as well as presenting 4 new Junior Black Belts with theirs. Lots of people turned up with food as it was going to be a “Jacob’s Join” or potluck where everyone brings a different dish and everyone shares, the standout however was a cake that one of Master Wards students had spent 10 hours working on, it was excellent not only in how it looked, but also how it tasted and it was a exact replica of the Junior Black Belt Dobok jacket, complete with belt. Master Ward and his team performed a number of different demonstrations and then the students were presented with their new ranks. It was a good evening for everyone to celebrate and share together the success of the local students.
*Side Note* After hearing of my challenge to find Toad in the Hole, as well as my liking of Yorkshire pudding, 2 of the local parents raise to the challenge and one brings in a couple of Yorkshire puddings and the other brings in a different version of Toad in the Hole. I am thankful for both their efforts, but my journey for the original must continue!
Now that’s a Cake!
The next day I had the chance to have a good talk with Master Ward about his Dojang and his plans for the future. That night it was time for a more relaxed dinner with some of the local families at a nearby Chinese restaurant to again celebrate the new junior 1st Degree’s. In the morning it was time to be back on the road as we headed south to meet up with Master Zak and KJN Clair Woon.
Heysham – Rugby
FT – 29 Hours
TT – 61 Hours
Master Ward leaves me in the hands of Master Zak & KJN Clair and we head back to Rugby, UK. Yes it is called that is it is the birthplace of Rugby, with a statue in the centre of William Web Ellis who apparently was the inventor of Rugby in 1823. We head back to the Woon’s house where I get the chance to work with Master Woon on some S-Locks and pressure points as well as chat about how Kwan Nyom Hapkido works on concepts. Dinner is at a nearby restaurant where a number of the local students and parents join us for a welcome meal. KJN Claire has offered to help with my Toad quest and has found a nearby students mother who will be making one for lunch tomorrow, we will see if the Quest is finished soon.
Toad in the Hole!
KJN Claire picks me up in the morning and we head back to her house where I meet up with BSBN David a local Hapkido instructor who has dropped in to say hi. David and I get to talk about the Hapkido world while KJN Claire helps Sam to solve my Toad quest; basically Sam has come around to cook a Toad in the Hole for the crazy visitor. I get a good chance to talk with David about history as well as a number of organisational and technical ideas before we break for lunch. I am happy to report that the Toad in the Hole quest has been accomplished and I would like to thank KJN Claire and Sam for cooking one for me. The evening is time for my seminar here and I work with the local students of the Wune Tang Academy on Street Weaponry including Bag Fu™ (Shopping Bag) and Penkido™ (Pen). The trademarks are a joke, but you never know maybe I should focus on the Street Weaponry a little more… At the end I also get the chance to do a couple of our Tae Gyeon takedowns as well as the normal Q&A. After the seminar everyone gathers around to enjoy some food that KJN Claire and the local students have arranged as well as a chance to chat. It’s a late night as I get a chance to spend some time with Master Zak and KJN Claire going through some of our systems, hopefully the ideas will help them with their future Dojang plans.
Wune Tang Academy seminar group
A very early morning, and I am back on the road. Today is one of those travel days that you look at and sigh. Master Zak picks me up at 6:15 and we take the 45minute drive to Birmingham airport where I check in for my first of 3 flights today on my way to Master Gordon’s Korean Martial Arts Festival in Florida. Birmingham is a smaller airport so checking in is fast and I am onto Flight #8 Continental Airlines CO27 (Boeing 757-200) Birmingham, UK to Newark, USA.
This wraps up the European Leg of the 2011 World Tour. Stay Tuned for the American Adventures!
