Destination: Songnimsa – a weird hell temple (Daegu vicinity, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea)

AUTHOR’S note: this post is rated PG-13 — put the kids away and keep scrolling if you’re squeamish =) Yes, I enjoy Buddhist temples, although I’ve found a lot of them look quite similar in many ways. No, I don’t have an intimate scholarly knowledge of the religion, so...

Destination: Chuncheon Animation Museum (Chuncheon, Gangwon-do, South Korea)

The country’s first museum dedicated to animation makes for an interesting day trip, as my girlfriend and I found out not too long ago. Unlike Seoul’s own cartoon and animation museum, the Chuncheon museum focuses on the history of animation. With a broader worldview,...

Destination: Love Castle (Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea) (NSFW)

GYEONGJU is known for having plenty of touristy things to see within a bus ride’s distance. Bulguksa, Seokguram Grotto, and plenty of tombs make the area a worthy destination for as long as you have to visit. Not mentioned on most of the area maps, I only heard about...

Destination: Suwon Toilet Museum (AKA Hae-woo-jae, AKA Mr. Toilet’s House) — UPDATED

Author’s note: I read a story about how this place had ‘opened’ in July, and thus made it a point to revisit. The new pictures sweeten the pot, perhaps, and round out the exhibits inside with some additional exhibits outside. Since when did an off-the-beaten-path...

Destination: Jupil Spider Museum (Namyangju, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea)

Claiming to be the only spider museum in the world, the Jupil Spider Museum (주필거미박물관) in Namyangju features a lot more than just spiders. First started in May 2004, the spider museum is a small part of the larger Arachnopia Eco Forest. The name Jupil comes from the...

Destination: the abandoned Songdo Bible Park (Incheon, South Korea)

[UPDATE: I’m led to believe this site was cleaned up some years ago. Consider this a remnant of what was. Alas, this was but a temporary site…] Let’s call this one NSFC — Not Safe For Christians. And now, for something completely different — the abandoned site someone...

Destination: Wolmi-do Amusement Park — at night (Incheon)

Myrtle Beach, eat your heart out. I’ve already covered Wolmi-do by day, an island in Incheon city at the end of the subway line, and there’s plenty to see. I’ve come back here after dark to specifically check out the closest thing Seoul has to an...

Destination: lava tubes, trick art, a volcanic crater, a Buddhist temple, and a sex park — a weekend around Jeju-do (South Korea) (SFW)

Jeju-do. Korea’s pleasure / getaway island. A chance to get away from it all. While the oft-repeated title of ‘honeymoon island’ is true, there’s far more to see than newlyweds — or anyone else, for that matter — can see in a week. Korea’s largest island manages...

Destination: the Garden of Morning Calm (Cheongpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea))

Sometimes, the pictures don’t do a place justice. This was the verdict of the Garden of Morning Calm (아침고요수목원 — a-chim go-yo su-mok-won) — a beautiful place on a beautiful day had more awesome than my camera could handle. Professor Han Sang-kyung at Sahmyook...

Destination: Juknokwon Bamboo Forest (Damyang, Jeollanam-do, South Korea)

The bamboo forest at Juknokwon (죽녹원) is one of the main attractions in Damyang county. Since it’s a mere half-hour from Gwangju, I thought it was time to check it out. Quite a few smaller towns and areas have become known for one thing or another — Boryeong / Daecheon...