Don’t Skip: Jeju Island, South Korea
Intro to Jeju Island Jeju is marketed as the “honeymoon island,” popular with couples who take the opportunity to visit Love Land and the Museum of Sex after their walks on the beach. Get past the tourist promotion though, and volcanic, subtropical, Jeju will surely reward you with its unique history, culture and charm. Jeju is best known […]
Don’t Skip: Gyeongju, South Korea
Intro to Gyeongju Once the capital of the ancient Silla Kingdown, which ruled most of the Korean peninsula from the 7th to 9th century, Gyeongju maintains a concentration of temple and palace remains, Buddhist art, statues, pagodas and other historical sites is unparalleled elsewhere in the country. We spent our time in Gyeongju wandering among […]
Travel Budget South Korea: ₩on Pinching in the Land of the Morning Calm
Planning to visit South Korea? Have it on your RTW itinerary? Just curious? Here is what we spent, and what we spent it on during the 23 days we were in there in June of 2011.
Reflection: South Korea
Photo highlights from South Korea: June, 2011!
2011 Photo Roundup
South Korea Knowing less about South Korea than either Japan or China made for some wonderful surprises. A rich, colorful culture and curious, helpful people made our visit here one of true discovery. China Size and numbers, that’s China. Too big to possibly ever know then whole country and more people than imaginable. With thousands […]
Bike Sokcho
Our lodging, The House Hostel offers free bikes to guests, so an afternoon of cycling was a must. The port serves as the terminal for Russian ferries (the only one in S. Korea), and the signs in this area are in Russian and Korean. One friendly local kept trying to welcome us and (unsuccessfully) strike […]
Abai, Autumn in My Heart, and Squid
Eating has been an ongoing challenge for us in Korea, not because of any lack of tasty options, but because of our inability at times to access them. The biggest issue, of course, is language. After a month in Japan, where language was essentially no problem ( even though it’s rusty, I can make myself […]
Seoraksan National Park
The mountains had been calling, and it was time for a hike. Designated a Biosphere Protection site by Unesco, the area of Seoraksan National Park is only about 20 minutes away from Sokcho by bus. It is filled with trails leading through forests, past waterfalls, jagged peaks, massive boulders, temples, a fortress, and all kinds […]
Naksan Temple
The sometimes lush and green, sometimes bare and craggy Taebek Mountains meet the pounding Eastern Sea in South Korea’s northeastern Gangwon Province. To the north is North Korea, to which originally part of the region originally belonged. (Kim Il Sung’s former villa is nearby). Seoul is a few hours southwest by bus, and everything east […]
Daejeon and Gongju
The central area of Korea is rugged mountains interspersed with rice paddies and fields. We stayed in a larger city, known for being a center for science as well as a transporation hub. It was rainy, so we had a relaxing couple days of museums and eating. In the nearby town of Gongju we visited […]