Travel around Korea
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Old Korea: Gyeongju and Yangdong Folk Village
One of the most rewarding aspects of living in South Korea this year has been the opportunity to explore some very old historical sites. Maybe because we’re from a relatively young country by world standards, we get pretty excited to see really old stuff! Although lots of emphasis is placed on the very influential Joseon Dynasty of Korea (1392–1910), there is even older history to be explored here. The promise of ancient history prompted our travel to one of South Korea’s oldest cities, Gyeongju. Of course, the Joseon Dynasty is never far away around here, so while in Gyeongju we also visited South Korea’s largest Joseon-era folk village, Gyeongju Yangdong…
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Korea Winter Trekking in a Nutshell: Outside Seoul
“Oh, South Korea should be beautiful this time of year, with all that snow.” “Well, must be wonderful in South Korea this time of the year. All that underwear!” So sums up our frigid, snowy South Korean winter, though I might have paraphrased a bit… (Extra props to those who can identify this set of wintry quotable quotes!) We hiked so much over the winter that we’re not trying to post separately about each hike. Instead, this post will be a “photo album” representative of our favorite chilly treks outside of Seoul, with brief information about where to find each trail for those who may find themselves hiking in future…
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What is Seollal? How We Spent Our Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year, the first day of the year on the lunar calendar, is celebrated in many Asian countries. The date usually falls in January or February, this year falling in mid-February. In Korea, the day is called Seollal (설날). Although Seollal itself is just one day, in Korea typically the day before and the day after also are public holidays. This is one of the most important holidays of the year, and traditionally families travel to their hometown to be together for this day. As with all holidays over the past year, Seollal traditions were disrupted in 2021 due to COVID-19 concerns. Many fewer Koreans traveled to be with…
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Walking Through the Woods on a Snowy Morning: Odaesan National Park
PyeongChang may be winter sports country, but it’s also remarkable hiking country. After our trial run the previous day in the cold and snow of PyeongChang’s skiing mountaintops, we were prepared for our wintry hike of Odaesan’s Birobong Peak. This 7km course offers an elevation gain of about 1,100 meters. We easily found a taxi to drive us to the trailhead at Sangwonsa, the first of three temples along this route. In order to reach the trailhead, we drove past Woljeongsa Temple, famous for its fir tree forest, which looked worth a visit if you have time. We were anxious about transportation and timing, so for this visit we kept…
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PyeongChang: A Winter Olympics Adventure
South Korea had one of its coldest winters on record this year, including a January day that was its coldest in 35 years (minus 18.6 degrees Celsius/minus 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit). It was also unusually snowy, providing us with lots of opportunities for winter hiking. Though we don’t ski, we decided we couldn’t miss visiting PyeongChang, Gangwon-do, the site of the 2018 Winter Olympics. Besides, what better place to spend a cold, winter weekend than in South Korea’s premier ski country? Getting there and staying Getting to and around PyeongChang was probably the easiest trip we’ve yet experienced in South Korea. The KTX train travels directly from Seoul Station to Jinbu…
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Tragedy and Resilience: The Many Faces of Jeju Island
In our last several posts, we’ve shared some of Jeju’s beautiful and often startling geography. The island can indeed be a restful place to spend a vacation, whether strolling on a sandy beach or climbing a rocky cliff. Jeju is such a busy tourist destination that the flight path between Seoul and Jeju City is the busiest in the world, with as many as 250 flights per day connecting the two cities. However, tourism is only one element of Jeju and does not begin to describe the scope of the region’s troubled history and resilient people. It would be unfair to Jeju’s people to pretend that the island is all…
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Jeju Island: Cliffs and Camellias on Christmas Day
This was a year for many to re-think their Christmas traditions, and we were no exception. Instead of a Christmas tree, a fireplace, and family, we set out to see more of Jeju’s dramatic sights along the southwest coast of the island. Although we hope next year will be a little more traditional, this year’s driving tour of Jeju Island certainly made for a Christmas Day we will never forget. Suwolbong Geo Trail We began at the Suwolbong Geo Trail, offering a paved pathway along several kilometers of Jeju’s rocky west coastline. Our walk started at the small fishing village of Gosan-ri, known for its locally sourced dried squid. The…
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Jeju Island: Christmas Eve on the South Coast
Jeju Island’s unique geography and fascinating history will take several posts to cover. In this post, discover the beauty of the island’s south coast with volcanic cliffs and waterfalls. We filled our Christmas Eve day with visits to some of Jeju’s most famous sites. Since we couldn’t be home for Christmas, Jeju was a wonderfully soothing place to spend the holiday. As a bonus, we even put an international spin on an Italian Christmas Eve tradition: The Feast of the Seven Fishes. In our Japanese-insired Korean version, it became the Feast of the Fourteen Fishes! First, though, we had some walking and exploring to do. Jusangjelloi Cliffs This volcanic rock…
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Jeju Island: The Northeast Coast and the Diving Women
These posts easily could have been called “How Jeju Island Saved Christmas” because that’s exactly what it did. Knowing that we would be away from home at Christmas for the first time, we planned a trip to the place we were most excited to visit outside of Seoul: Jeju Island. Lying just south of the Korean peninsula, Jeju is a volcanic island often called the “Hawaii of Korea.” Although it is not tropical, the climate is moderate, the water is aquamarine, and there are plenty of palm trees. Our time there was a perfect way to refocus on making a new tradition rather than focusing all our energy on what…
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The Great Wall of… South Korea? Hwaseong Fortress
This is essentially one post in two parts. In this post: Hwaseong. In the last post: Namhansanseong. The Korean Peninsula’s strategic position between China and Japan has increased its risk of military invasion for centuries. Vestiges of this history remain in the form of protective fortress walls in Seoul and beyond, many of which are now maintained and utilized as hiking trails. The ease of accessing these trails, as well as their tendency to be well-maintained, have made them a go-to for our hiking adventures since we arrived in Seoul. In addition to trekking the Seoul city walls, we have visited Namhansanseong Fortress just outside of Seoul, and Hwaseong Fortress…
