Readers may recall that for the last couple of months, we have had an appeal by Mike who was looking for his friend Bob, who was sailing around the South Pacific. Well, the good news is that Bob, Mike's friend did get in touch, so all is well. But here is a quick but fascinating piece on how Mike got to know Bob, and Bob's sailing adventures.

I, as a young engineer fresh from university, first met Bob in 1962. He had done an apprenticeship as a watchmaker and was therefore a “real” engineer in my eyes. After some initial arguments we became good friends and have kept in contact, even when I changed to medicine. About fifteen years ago he decided to sail, and bought an aluminium 40 ft sloop from a Count in Brittany, who had gone bankrupt. It was a bare hull with sails and engine, and Bob moved it to the garden of his bungalow near Chichester, and spent the next twelve years fitting it out.

He did a beautiful job, but did not have the funds to buy electronic navigational equipment; he uses a sextant. He was going to call his yacht Rabia, after my wife, but we thought that would be unwise because Rabia means rabies in Spanish. Two or three years ago, I lose track of time, he set off for Australia with his son. Their main problem was finding experienced crew because neither of them knew much about sailing. Bob's son soon gave up and returned home, and Bob has continued with anyone that he can pick up on the way. Recently he spent five months in the Marquesas looking for crew, and eventually found a treasure hunter searching for fifteen tons of gold in Tuamotu. They found lots of sharks instead. He has reached Pago Pago in Samoa and is wondering what to do after he has landed at Australia, sell the boat and retire, or carry on sailing.

If there's only one trip you do in Seoul, it should be this one. The iron curtain has gone from Germany but is alive and well here. You have to take a tour. ON this occasion, the tour bus was 98% Japanese, just me and an American guy who spoke English, so we got the front seats and a guide to ourselves, and as we listened, we had the Japanese snoring champion behind us!

Panmunjon is the site of the UN base Camp Boniface, named after a UN Soldier murdered by the North Koreans. You are taken to Ballinger Hall, where you get a slide show showing the history and what you are going to be seeing. It's at this point you have to sign a disclaimer form saying you won't blame them if the North Koreans take a pot shot at you while you are on the tour!

The Observation post is next, where you look across to “Propoganda Village” an uninhabited North Korean village that has a 160 metre high flagpole, this dwarfs the 100 metre high one at Freedom village on the South Korean side. You look down also on the 4 huts, 3 blue and one silver where occasional peace talks take place. Then you cross the road and enter blue hut number 2, inside is a table with microphones down the middle.

Outside North Korean guards peer in at you, you are allowed to take photos surprisingly. But the two sets of guards glower at each other through their sunglasses, so they cannot make eye contact. The Southern guards have only half their body showing, so they are less of a target!

Back at Camp Boniface you have an all you can eat “All American” buffet lunch, chicken, sweet corn, potatoes, etc etc. You are then free to buy a T-shirt or other souvenir. By the gate is “The worlds most dangerous golf hole”! If you slice from here you won't get your ball back!

Buzz is in the Beetle's opinion the only decent low cost airline. On board information includes useful hints and tips about your destination, what to do and where to stay, and what's more, you can keep it! Yes, you have to pay for your food, but the service is far superior to a carrier such as Ryan Air. From 27 October 2002, Buzz will be flying up to six flights a day from London Stansted to Amsterdam, the land of Vermeer and Amstel beer. Prices start from just £21 one way – so you've got no excuse not to visit one of the most relaxed, vibrant and cosmopolitan cities in Europe. Buzz are also launching their new winter schedule: from 27 October 2002 until 29 March 2003, you can fly to some great winter destinations – and from 14 December, they are reopening their routes to Chambéry and Geneva – great for planning a cheap skiing holiday. See www.buzz.co.uk