The Audio Blog of Steven Sirski

Author: Steven Sirski

The daily musings of an expat in Beijing.
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Language: en

Genres: Places & Travel, Society & Culture

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SSAB - May 8, 2026
Friday, 8 May, 2026

Dae ha min guk! Clapclap clapclap clap! Arrived!BARELY got onto the flight! I completely misjudged the time it would take to get to T2 and when we got to the airport the check in was closed. Since I only had carry on, I asked if I could just get the boarding pass. He said no, it closes an hour ahead of departure. The papers have already been sent to immigration. Interesting. Gf chimes in and tells him that my visa expires today he has to leave. I was then ushered through.Now, that could’ve been avoided if we had left earlier AND not purchased cheap airport express tickets on Xianyu.And offered a night out, so we go!A German guy who’s been backpacking for the last month, French girl who’s studying Bahasa Indonesian in Bandung (full scholarship), and. New Zealander doing a search for his roots in China.Windy and cold!How’s the hostel?? Cheap, but… now I’m reminded of how small the rooms are and… gritty.And now… an interview with Morgan and Amos from Australia!Donate to the show! PayPal link below!https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA***Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.comAnd on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.comLanguage vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlogGoogle Stock Tracker Sheethttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharingSafe travels!!00:00 Back in Korea00:59 Cheap Ticket Chaos02:31 Check In Cutoff05:35 Flight and Arrival07:05 Six Month Surprise08:49 Hostel Life Mapo12:28 Logistics and Gym Talk16:37 Meeting Hostel Travelers17:46 Fried Chicken Night29:28 Seoul Versus Beijing34:12 Interview Setup Aussies37:23 Morgan and Amos Intro38:56 Travel Plans and Teaching43:24 Canada Visa Fee Rant44:58 Brexit Visa Headaches45:41 Working Holiday Age Limits46:45 Why He Chose Teaching48:20 Rural Placement Bonuses50:41 How Rural Is Rural51:55 Family Roots Wales to Oz55:29 First Impressions of Seoul56:35 Next Stops Gyeongju Busan58:40 Seoul Highlights and Neighborhoods01:03:22 Why Korea Over Japan01:05:28 Food Expectations and Budget Eats01:09:29 Night Tents Soju Bombs01:10:55 Soju Gets You Fast01:11:41 Next Stops Beyond Seoul01:12:32 Museum Fatigue Ancient Pots01:13:48 Learning Korean Basics01:16:02 Eating Like Locals01:18:48 Planning Routes By Train01:22:08 Monolingual Aussies Abroad01:23:28 Hostel Life Digital Nomads01:26:08 Minimalism After Van Life01:28:19 Korean Beer Cass vs Terra01:33:06 Techno Nights Live Music01:36:19 Next Trip Sri Lanka Debate01:38:40 Wrapping Up The Chat