Destination: Golden Splendors – The Royal Tomb of Silla (National Museum of Korea, Seoul, South Korea)

Once buried under tons of rock and dirt, this exhibition of (mostly) authentic relics from Korea’s Silla Dynasty is given new life – and exhibit space – decades after they were first discovered. Dating back to the 4th and 5th centuries, they tell the...

Destination: Manbulsa – the Buddhist temple of 10,000 Buddhas (Yeongcheon city, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea)

Author’s note: A hat tip to Sherwin at gyeongjublog.com for writing about this temple first. Most Buddhist temples are quiet. Reverent-feeling. Relaxing. Here at Manbulsa, (literally: the temple of 10,000 Buddhas), you get two out of the three. Upon arriving,...

Destination: Tongdosa – a Buddhist temple holding bones of the Buddha (Yangsan city, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea)

Above: 증장천왕 (Jeungjang cheonwang), or the deva of the south gate, guarding with a dragon. Author’s note: a big shout-out and thank you to Sherwin from gyeongjublog.com for showing the Lady in Red and I around. Another shout-out of appreciation goes to Dr. David...

Destination: Petroglyphs in Cheonjeon-ri (Ulju, Ulsan, South Korea)

Author’s note: A big thanks to Sherwin over at gyeongjublog.com for serving as our tour guide! I know what you’re thinking. Petroglyphs, Chris? Yep – proof that Koreans have been around this neck of the woods since the Bronze Age. That some...

Destination: Seoul Design Fair (2010)

The classic color scheme returns – it’s time for the Seoul Design Fair once again. Open until October 7th, this three-week-long festival emphasizes design and creativity at every turn. Called the Seoul Design Olympiad last year, the name changed due to...

Destination: Yangnyeongsi Oriental Medicine Culture Hall – a history of old-school health (Daegu, South Korea)

Not to be confused with the nearby Yangnyeongsi herb market (약령시, 藥令市), the Yangnyeongsi Oriental Medicine Cultural Center (약령시한의약문화관) of the same name celebrates the centuries-long history of the market. Although there is little English to read inside the museum,...

The jimjilbang lifestyle

I was naked, yet I felt no shame. After emerging from a HOT hot tub, I cooled off by jumping into a tub of cold water – it’s great for the circulation. Quick! Jump back into the hot tub to really get your blood moving. Put some clothes on, then head into a...

Destination: the DMZ – with a twist (Gyeonggi-do, South Korea)

The ever-optimistic and politically-correct train sign. Note that no trains actually run to Pyongyang from Seoul, or vice versa. I’ll spare you the history lesson about Korea’s DMZ –  Suffice it to say that the sites you’ll see are designed to...

Destination: Daegu International Body Painting Festival (2010) (NSFW)

Author’s note: this post is rated NSFW (Not Safe For Work) due to some nudity – this IS a body painting festival, people. Please go elsewhere if you’re looking for pornography – this is tasteful and beautiful art. As one might notice at a body...

Destination: Yudalsan International Sculpture Park (Mokpo, Jeollanam-do)

The Lady in Red is both an artist and a lover of sculptures. Thus while in town to see Bigeumdo off the coast of Mokpo, we made it a point to search for this place. Welcome to 조각공원 (Jo-gak-gong-won) — or Yudalsan International Sculpture Park if you prefer the English...