I wish I had known what an amazing location this actually was, but in the heavy rain and with the drinking ban due to the election, I was very happy to enjoy a lovely meal, a glass of champagne, and a quiet night in my luxurious hotel room.
Category: Travel
Losing Weight and Keeping it off while Traveling
Before I left Toronto to teach ESL in Korea, many of my friends (some leaner than others) told me that I would drop weight like crazy in Korea since the diet is so healthy and full of fermented dishes. While it is true that the traditional dishes can be quite healthy, they they aren’t always, and the ones that are also lack flavour.
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.
The Miracle Morning at the Jindo Sea Parting Festival
Late last Friday night a mish-mashed group of new and old friends and I boarded a tour bus and took the red-eye nearly 6 hours South of Seoul to spend a weekend in Jindo: the site of “The Miracle Sea Parting” and the accompanying festival. The real miracle was that someone was able to wake me up for our 4 AM briefing and departure from the bus. Once I was up and at ’em, however, I was happy as a clam. We’ll get to those later!
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…
Anapji Pond – Throwback Thursday
Here I am super-duper excited to tell you all about Anapji Pond, and I find out it’s a man-made, artificial pond. Well…uh-oh. Regardless, I’m excited to tell you all about the culmination of our magnificent tour with some wonderful people from Dong-eui University. These students took us on a fantastic tour around Gyeongju. Before making…
Throwback Thursday: Chengdu, China
Back in 2009 I was still at UBC, living in Vancouver and working at a salon and a cupcake shop. I was also part of the University of British Columbia Opera Chorus, and through some miracle ended up being cast in a tour to China. The even bigger miracle? I could actually afford to go!…
I dream in Skyscanner part I
I want to see everything and go everywhere. I’ve traveled pretty extensively throughout Europe, I’ve been fortunate enough to perform in China, England, The United States, and South Africa, and I still feel like I haven’t even started to see the world! Being in Korea just makes me want to jet set each and every week do a…
Nampo-dong and Jagalchi Market
Last Sunday’s start was a bit confusing! Like the picture above (taken outside exit 4 of Nampo Station), there were many directions we could have taken to meet our friends in the “shopping district” of Busan, Nampo-dong. I snapped that photo just as we had exited to street level and was excited to see…
It just keeps getting better!
What a jam-packed, fun-filled week it has been! No complaints whatsoever. Good times with new friends and tasty food in Hwamyeong all week followed by a Friday adventure to Gwangali Beach and Kyungsung University (an area of Busan full of Expats). I’ve seen live music, have tried new foods (who knew I liked grilled radish…
A cross-country endeavour!
Yesterday was a National Holiday (details according to Google: Independence Movement Day (March 1) This day commemorates the Declaration of Independence proclaimed on March 1, 1919, while under Japanese colonization. A reading of the declaration takes place in a special ceremony at Tapgol Park in Seoul, where the document was first read to the public.) so I…
The Bucket List
When I was 9 and Encyclopedia Britannica was still a thing, my Mom was living in California and my Dad was traveling a lot for work and the only thing I really could look forward to were our trips. When we had visited Disneyland enough (in my Mom’s eyes – there will never be enough public…