Dragon Ball time line gap?

I was just watching Dragon Ball (not z) episodes 132 to 133. First off I understand that three years have passed since the four stopped the lava and volcano thing. but wtf?! did they ever go to korin's tower? did goku learn to use his spirit energy? what about piccolo jr? It seems like they just skipped 9 or 10 episodes. I didnt find any "lost episodes." so is this just something they explain later through flashbacks or what...? PLEASE TRY TO ANSWER WITHOUT SPOILING ANYTHING. a simple "yes" or "no" will do :)