South Korea goes absolutely chuffing mental for Isabella Head.

Oh, they so do. They really do. Read on, dear reader. Photos will be uploaded in due course (possibly by the time you've read this) to demonstrate just a little of the love Seoul has given to Isabella.

So rewind a couple of days. Last night in Adelaide, we have another large family and friends dinner at the Woodville Hotel. Tony, Kevin and family, Ally and Tess were all present and reasonably correct, as were a few of Tony's friends who lived locally. Much food, drink and tobacco were consumed, drunk and inhaled to give us a fine send off and excellent lasting memories of the great time we've had here. Tears were shed aplenty, including saying goodbye to Tony and Ally at the airport the next morning as we depart for Sydney. Twelve days in Adelaide, and they were all rather marvellous.

One spare evening in Sydney, so we arrange to meet up one more time with Mr Richard Curtis Esquire, in the bar of a ludicrously posh hotel. The kind of hotel where the deferential waiting staff have a good chuckle at tourists in shorts, whilst simultaneously pointing out the restaurant and bar section with the utmost politeness. Then Saturday morning, we head into international departures for our exit from Oz, and into the big blue skies on our way home.

Our way home takes in a night in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. Shuttle bus takes us down-town to a ridiculously posh hotel, that we are allowed to stay in for free. Very nice, the kind of posh hotel where the deferential waiting staff have a good chuckle at tourists in shorts, whilst simultaneously pointing out the restaurant and bar section with the utmost politeness.
Hmm, we've done this before. Anyway, how many of you have used a toilet that has a control panel? Hands up, anyone? Just your hands will be fine...

Okay, none of you. Right this toilet has the following features - heated seat with changeable temperature to suit the warming needs of your posterior; in-built bidet facility; a wash and blow dry facility (oh yes!) with adjustable temperature control of the washing water jets, controllable pressures of the water jets for the sheer convenience of changing how much water gets fired at your arse; adjustable temperature for the blow-dry (thus minimising the unpleasant requirement to actually touch your backside with your hands), and the height and angle of all nozzles and jets can be re-aligned for your personal pleasures.

Great stuff! Turns going for a poo into a technological extravaganza.

So having both 'had a go' in the bathroom, as it were, we venture outside into the vibrant and bustling streets of downtown Seoul. Now, we've written previously about how the airport staff loved Isabella and coo-ed constantly at her. Turn the coo-ometer up to max, then a bit more and blow the bulb. It seems that fair-haired and blue-eyed western babies are loved to the extreme out here...

She was absolutely beseiged by the locals, completely mobbed by joyous Koreans (of both sexes and all ages). It was seriously like Isabella was a major celebrity and we were untrained incompetent minders. Crowds literally gathered, taking pictures of her. They even took pictures of each other next to her. We then took pictures of them taking pictures of each other next to her. Pics will be available! At their peak, we had 30-40 people gathered round, staring and using the word "cuuute". Isabella loved it - she was grinning at anyone and everyone, which only encouraged them! There was even an informal queue forming at one point, which the crowd measured in rows. We struggled to make headway up the streets, and actually had to curtail our jaunt around town and return to the hotel. A bloke on a motorbike wearing the full bike leathers stopped to add his doting words too (how many European bikers stop to say cootchy-cootchy-coo to Oriental children?). If only we spoke a bit more Korean, then there was money to be made here.

We are writing this from Seoul airport on Sunday lunchtime (our time here, you're still in bed you lazy tykes, get up and do something with your day, come on). A mammoth 13 hour flight awaits us before landing at Heathrow in about 4 hours time (4 hours your time, we go through any number of time-zones on this journey).

Concluding blog to follow soon, as long as the baying delighted hordes allow us to make it to gate 45 and board this Asiana Airlines flight to London Heathrow. We have an hour and a half to make it 600 metres up the terminal. Will we make it? Tune in to find out.

Fact of the day - Isabella is popular here. Gentlement prefer blondes. So do all Koreans...