New Zealand Wine Festival Last year I was invited by the Kiwi Chamber of Commerce to attend their prestigious New Zealand Wine Festival. Held annually in Seoul and in Busan, it’s a great opportunity to get out and meet other local wine enthusiasts. The crowd was a little bit older (and considerably more mature) than…
Category: Best Korean Trips
Summertime Seoul Escapes: Hotel Regent Marine The Blue Jeju
Since ex Co-Pilot wasn’t supposed to leave the peninsula before departing for good in October, we decided to spend the 4th of July weekend in Korea. Jeju Island is said to be the “Hawaii of South Korea”, so we hoped for blue skies and plenty of sun. Ex Co-P decided to head out to…
Weekend Warriors: Daedun Cloud Bridge and Chateau Mani Winery
On a Friday night in February, I hopped on a bus from the WinK Taphouse and headed down to the middle of Korea. WinK has definitely stepped up their food menu game. I really enjoyed the spicy mac and cheese, which had a real kick to it and plenty of bacon. The ooey-gooey cheese is…
Hanbok in a Hanok: 학인당 Hakindang Guesthouse
Hakindang Hanok Guesthouse in Beautiful Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do! View this post on Instagram Super duper Korean cuteness! What do you think the guy on the left is supposed to be? // #travel • • • • • • • • • • • • #ig_travel #travelphotography #travelpics #travelsnaps #travelphotos #instapassport #passportready #travelingram #travelblog #travelblogger #solotravel #globalnomad…
Seoul Secrets: Trick-Eye Museum 서울 트릭아이미술관
The Trick-Eye Museum Seoul (서울 트릭아이미술관) is a great place to spend an afternoon. We checked it out on a Sunday, but it would be the perfect place to have a little fun before dinner, drinks, and party-time any day in Seoul. We went to The Trick-Eye Museum in Seoul before venturing over to Pakito Taberna Espanola and had…
Seoul Secrets: Nami Island
Our Romantic Nami Island (남이섬 종합휴양지) Getaway! Just a couple of hours outside the city center of Seoul sits Nami Island. This small, half-moon shaped island in Chuncheon, South Korea is a great place for friends, families, and couples to visit year-round. It was even a magical day in the rain! We got up around 8 AM and…
…and they’re off (-track Horse Racing at Walkerhill)
Let’s Run: A case where going “Off Track” is a good thing.
The new facilities at the Sheraton Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul, which opened Friday June 3rd, 2016, are clean and quiet. This is a far cry from what I would have imagined having been to some of the casinos throughout Asia. A few juicy details to note before jumping into the nitty-gritty.
The Bucket List: Round II
On Saturday I participated in a press tour organized by the municipality of Seoul in collaboration with the Korean Food Foundation. Seoul Bloggers and Photographers went for a meet, greet, walking tour of the old city, and lunch. I’m so incredibly honoured to have been invited. We had a wonderful day with a great tour guide and I managed to cross off even more places I had been hoping to visit. Having lived in Korea for a year, I’d like to present Round II of my Bucket List, this edition being all Seoul. As I’ve already managed to visit many of the places on my initial list, I’ll give a little information and/or an opinion on each, and then list the remainder at the end. One thing’s for sure – it’s never a dull time living in Seoul!
Jogyesa Temple – Lotus Lantern Weekend Part ii
Korean couples love to get dressed up and wander around the old, traditional towns, as well as the Palaces and the Temples. All this was amplified by the hoopla of Buddha’s Birthday Weekend which has been celebrated as a festival since the Unified Silla era over 1,300 years ago. Yep – he gets the whole weekend, the festival, the parade, and all the beautiful lantern displays at nearly every temple the month leading up to his birthday and for for many, the weeks beyond (at Jogyesa they’ll be around until May 22nd). I guess it’s like leaving your Christmas lights up on your front porch all year long, just a lot less honky-tonk and a lot more beautiful!
Jindo: Puppies, Pink Cherry Blossoms, and the Parting of the Sea
We had seen the sea parting once, not knowing it would part two more times again by sundown. Some of us (self included) were a little worried about getting seasick on the boat out to Modo Island, so instead of braving the sea we actually ended up having a leisurely morning getting ready (after a well-deserved, post-parting nap!) before heading down the cherry-blossom lined paths and street over to the festival.
How to get to Seokbulsa Temple
I’ve heard about a number of people getting lost en route to Seokbulsa, a temple in Busan, South Korea. Here are directions and some footage on getting there from Mandeok Station. I think this is the most straightforward route (as you can also hike from Hwamyeong or Oncheonjang). [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti5oGJ-yxZU&w=640&h=360] Most directions to this temple…
Gyeongju – fit for a Queen
This past Saturday I had the opportunity to travel to Gyeongju with some passionate history students from Dong-A University in Busan. They’re our friend Joe’s students (from G’s birthday yachting experience) who wanted to share their Korean pride, culture, and history with Koreans and foreigners alike. This trip was an absolute steal at KRW 50,000…