Destination: Ulleungdo (part 3)

Read up on part one and part two before continuing! With a few hours left on the island, it was time to see the falls. My last stop for the trip was the Bongnae waterfall area (봉래폭포). Along the way, you’ll pass a curious natural phenomenon — a natural air conditioner...

Destination: Ulleungdo (part 2)

If you haven’t read part one yet, read it first before continuing! Where we left off, I had gone back to my hotel to relax and freshen up. After awhile, I headed down to the harbor for some dinner (PROTIP: don’t bother — it’s overpriced) and see what sort of night...

Destination: Ulleungdo – Korea’s exotic island destination (part 1) – South Korea

One of Korea’s most distant islands, Ulleungdo retains a certain mystery and exoticness held by few other destinations in Korea. Perhaps it’s because of its distance from the mainland, or perhaps it’s because of the unusual difficulty of actually getting there. From...

Life in Korea: The top sights in Seoul – and some alternatives

Every so often I’m asked a version of the following: “So I’m coming to Seoul but I only have a couple of days (or a few days or one day)… what should I see?” Well, I’m sorry to say you’re not going to like the answer. Where...

Destination: Jeseungdang / Hansan-do (Tongyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea)

Step one: serve your country. Step two: die serving your country. Step three: have almost an entire island dedicated to your memorial. While that’s not an option for most of us, Jeseungdang on Hansan-do (Hansan island) is a chance to see how the Koreans have...

Destination: Jumunjin Beach (Gangneung, Gangwon-do, South Korea)

Not far from the northern border, Jumunjin Beach could be considered one of many beaches along Korea’s east coast. As the peak season hasn’t yet started I’ll refrain from predicting its future popularity, but a Sunday afternoon in mid-June left more...

Destination: Sejong’s tomb (세종대왕릉) (Yeoju, South Korea))

With a little help, the tomb of Korea’s greatest leader could rise to become a great tourist destination. Most of the pieces are already here – good English explanations, interesting things to see – but one issue makes the place less than...

Destination: Danyang – a step back to nature and tradition (Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea)

The first thing to know about Danyang is that it thrives on the river. At almost time of the day people are fishing in it, crossing it, or running their businesses that exist on the road that parallels it. The second thing to know about Danyang is to not confuse it...

Five hours on a Mugunghwa – and four dirty secrets to train traveling in South Korea

This is what I get for not planning ahead. Buddha’s Birthday is one of the few three-day weekends Korea gets to celebrate, and it seems everyone wants to celebrate it by traveling out of town. I can’t blame them – certainly I wasn’t the first...

Destination: Seooreung – a Joseon Dynasty grave of royalty (Goyang, South Korea))

Just across the Seoul border rest some once-royal dead people. UNESCO certified as being significant to world culture, these western (서, or seo) five (오, or o) tombs (릉, reung or neung) are the original remains of Joseon-dynasty royalty. At over 1,600,000 square...