Eating And Traveling
One Sunday, we got moving too late for the beach, so we headed to an island north of Incheon at the headwaters of Seoul’s Han River, adjacent to North Korea, Ganghwado (강화도). Continue reading “Ganghwado ~ Korea’s Muddy West Sea”
We exited the subway, squinting in the June sun, onto the busy streets of Jongno, with old ladies hustling and old men playing Chinese checkers. Everybody’s shoes seemed to be half on and their hats half off. Also, people are still pissed about Park Geun-hye, except these folks were pissed that she was arrested. Loud and repetitive it was. Continue reading “Seoul ~ Julio’s Mexican & a Saturday Walkabout in Jongno”
Descending the winding roads, ears popping, the blue sea comes into view after a long tunnel through Korea’s highest mountain, Seoraksan. The precipitous Dragon Ridge is visible to your right among the scattered foliage, and beyond the road’s horizon, a small town spreads out before you, Sokcho. Continue reading “Sokcho ~ Seaside Beauty”
Sometimes, you need a hot bath. Since there are few bathtubs in Korean apartments, we are given the public sauna–that mutually nude tradition from Roman antiquity. Continue reading “Siloam Sauna ~ A Day at a Korean Jjimjilbang”
“Little France” outside of Seoul, in Gapyeong, could also be called “Gauche France” or “Faux France.” It’s a ridiculous caricature of the world’s most visited country. We saw tiny alleyways made of hollow plaster, fake wooden framed cottages, cute cafes that sell ddeokboki for 7$, lame replicas of Parisian iconography, broken fountains in manicured cobblestoned plazas and generic ideas of France as imagined by someone who believes French culture to be epitomized by puppets, mimes and berets. Continue reading “Petite France ~ A Place for Selfies and Romance (if you can ignore the ridiculousness)”
For a three day weekend, we loaded up the car and headed south in the brutal Saturday traffic of Korean highways. Weekend traffic in Korea is like Tony Romo in December, Kiss cover bands, or cold McDonald’s fries, i.e. reliably terrible. Nevertheless, hungover and filled with coffee, we put on dark sunglasses and drove. Continue reading “South South Korea ~ Jeollanamdo Road Trip to Jangheung”
Scraping the last bits out of summer before the Korean fall arrives with chilly mornings and crunchy leaves underfoot, we dashed down to Boryeong. At Daechon beach, we find (as far as I know) one of the only beaches on the West Sea that isn’t just a large tide-pool. Continue reading “Boryeong Beach ~ Swimming in October, Noraebang and Seafood”
A few weeks ago, South Korea accidentally ran headfirst, like a drunken idiot toward an unseen sign post, into MERS. Schools closed, hospitals prepped for the worst, residents freaked out; however, the three people who actually HAD the disease decided to take a flight to Hong Kong, go drinking at a pub or hit the golf course! Continue reading “Hiking Bukhansan Amid the MERS Scare”
Begun in the late 1920’s as an idea from John Rockefeller’s wife, Abby, it is one of the most famous modern art museums in the world. Walking through the museum can be exhilarating and sometimes frustrating. While art is always subjective beauty, some modern art is just confusing. The randomness and varied styles mixed with creative self-expression makes modern art so intriguing. Here were some of my favorites. Continue reading “New York ~ Museum of Modern Art”
E.A.T. 