Korea is Enjoyble Part 2

In addition to really good food, Korea has interesting places to visit.  I wouldn't go so far to say it is a tourist place, but if you live here there are really interesting places one must visit.  If you wanted to buy touristy things such as T-shirts and things, it isn't a good country to visit--although you can find these items for purchase in Seoul.
If you are into new culture, good food, and a country that is unashamedly themselves then you're visiting the right place.


Some of our favorite cities to visit are as follows.  No particular order; just as they come to my head.

Sockcho--on the north east side of Korea.  This is a really pretty area of Korea.  The beaches are lovely and look more like a Florida beach.  The water is COLD so try not to make the mistake of running full speed into the sea.  We had a lovely experience here and there are a lot of things to do there from an expat perspective.

Jeju--it takes a full day to get there and back but if you have the time it is worth a visit.  Going during the summer it can be expensive, but if you go any other time the prices are great as it is off season.  Hiking Hallasan mountain is a must--as the tallest mountain in Korea--but the views are fabulous and not to be missed. Renting a car is also a must.  The local busses take a long time and can be confusing.  There is not a subway and taxis can be expensive as it take an hour or so to go to another part of the island.  All you need is an International drivers license to rent a car. Rentals are cheap including the insurance.

Seoul--overrated but worth it to find the special neighborhoods.  If you only go to the foreign places you'll miss out on truly special experiences.  The French neighborhood is lovely as well as Pongyo and the COEX area of Gangnam.  It depends on what you want to experience.  The Han river near Yueoido (the financial district) has a lot to offer.  This is the location of the cherry blossom festival and there is a great "central park" feel to it.  If you Google, "unique Seoul neighborhoods" then you will have a better idea of what will work for you.

If you live in Korea versus just visiting then the following cities can be helpful for foreign food or foreign shopping.

Chungju--has Old Navy and larger H&M (as well as Gwangju) plus a few decent English bookstores and foreign food selections-all in the same area.

Gogje Island--south east coastal area of Korea.  Great to rent a car and drive around.  Good for a weekend away and feel as if you have left Korea.  Only 2.5 hours away from Daejeon.  Korean food is everywhere but the views and prices are good. There's not a lot to do but what is there is quality and well done.

Busan--highly over rated BUT worth it to eat foreign food and have foreign cocktails.  You can also have a really good time at the fish market.  Like Seoul but a little rough around the edges.  A car is a good idea to get around if you will do a lot of sightseeing away from the city center.  This is also where you can find the Buddhist temple on the sea.  It is gorgeous and worth the taxi ride.

Muju--an easy car ride away and has excellent powder during ski season.  The rest of the year is easy peasy and there are a few national parks to explore.  An easy day trip to enjoy nature.  There's really good Korean food as well.

Gyeongju--lovely in Fall or Winter.  Has a beautiful temple, grotto, and pond to check out.  The food is delicious. Easy drive from Daejeon (approx 2.5 hours).  A nice day trip or a lovely weekend.  Slow and easy.

Korean cities are *kind of* similar.  Not exactly the same, but you can generally find the same things at each city.  The cities above have more character in that they offer more than other cities.  If you have a couple of weeks to visit, I'd recommend Gyeongju, Busan, and Sokcho (in addition to Seoul).  You will have enough variety while still viewing all that Korea has to offer.
If you only have a week I'd visit Busan and Gyeongju (in addition to Seoul). 
If you'll be in Korea for a few months but with limited time I would recommend Gyeongju, Busan, and Sokcho (as well as Seoul). These cities encompass most of what Korea has to offer while still experiencing true Korea.  You can spend one or two days in each city (3 or 4 in Seoul) and experience the main points.  You should feel that you have experienced what you wanted to.

Korea is a changing place.  Hurry and experience true Korea while it is still here. 

Daedunsan Mountain --September 2013

A lovely day for a hike.

Joseph and I along with 2 more couples took on Daedunsan Mountain and lived to tell the tale.  It is a lovely mountain and a very steep climb both up and back down the mountain.

the bridge with the stairs barely visible in the top right of the photo

If you are interested in going there from Daejeon, you can take a city bus.  You need to go to Seobu Bus Terminal.  You can use the subway and go to Seodaejeon Neggori then hop on bus 701 and it will end at Seobu, or you can go to Dongbu Bus Terminal and catch bus 701 there--or find an appropriate stop near your location.

Once at Seobu, you do not need to go inside the terminal.  Just turn left and follow the line of the green buses.  You will cross a small side street and see a city bus stop.  You need bus 34.  It only comes every 40 minutes or so, so you will need to look at the bus stop sign saying when it will arrive next.  The first few times are 6:30am, 9:00am and 9:45am.  The other times are listed on the bus stop time table.

Once you are on bus 34, you will stay on until it reaches the end of the line.  You will be at a Zipline/gas station/small park area.  You will see a large sign over the road.  You will need to go under this sign and walk 1km until you reach the mountain.  Follow the road up and you will reach the cable car or you can walk straight up the mountain.

If you are unsure, just ask any of the people around how to get to the cable car and you will be able to find your way from there.

Beware, it is a steep hike and not a beginner level.  Wear hiking shoes or sneakers with good tread.  Take your own water or buy some before you go up as there are no natural streams to refill your water bottles.

Depending upon the season, there are restaurants that may or may not be open on the mountain so plan to bring some snacks just in case.

If you are an experienced hiker the hike should take about 2-3 hours up and about an hour back down.  If you do not take the cable car add about 1.5 hours.

Enjoy the photos.

left to right: Nicole, Chris, Krystal and John

the stairs

at the top of the stairs you can see the bridge below

the dreaded staircase. narrow and super high. the bottom is
over 650m down in a ravine. there are no safety nets.

paths up and down the mountain

the summit

there is Daejeon, a 40 minute bus ride away and the
mountain is so high you see most of Daejeon in the valley

at the summit

waiting for the cable car (leaves every 20 minutes)

Cable car housing

Bus 34 drops you off in the middle of the photo. Just follow that road to the mountain.

For more information on Daedunsan Mountain and National Park go here and here.

Beach Weekend: Busan 9/14-16/2012

Our weekend in Busan was exactly what we wanted: stress free and fun.

It doesn't take a lot to make us happy.

We wanted the beach, The Wolfhound, and a few beverages.

We walked around Busan and the beach area of Haeundae Beach and enjoyed ourselves.  Nothing touristy unless you count The Wolfhound, but honestly you wouldn't know it was there unless you lived here.

a walking trail hugging the shore

We will come another weekend for the Cave Bar (good eats in a bomb shelter) and we will explore the Fish Market, Russia Town/China Town more closely.

Enjoy the pictures. 
This is just a photo blog post.

our delicious and amazing breakfast

Haeuendae Beach, Busan

more walkway hugging the coastline

Princess/Mermaid?

our view from the Wolfhound

our comic friend: outside the Wolfhound.
He was there about an hour alternating between this and staggering around
it is about noon

we took a long walk

the Wolfhound entrance (2nd floor)

a rainy weekend when we went, there was some kind of foreigner scavenger hunt that
Joseph helped out and later I did as well

Empty Haeuande Beach

Lovely

Insert appropriate "aww" here

Korean Markets 8-18-12

Joseph and I go to Korean markets often for fresh produce, meat and poultry in addition to small gifts for our friends and family back home.

They are loud, sometimes smelly, busy, and full of people jabbering away haggling for a bargain.

We absolutely love going to them.  




Today Joseph and I joined Kate, Amy and Lee Ann at Daejeon's largest market: Ojeong Wholesale Market.  This market has several buildings each one housing a different food group of fruits, veggies, fish and seafood in addition to meat and poultry.  As far as we know it is one of the 2 largest markets in Daejeon (the other is near the Soccer Stadium).

The vendors are here and the auctioneers are at the far end.

All of the people waiting to buy or sell their fruits and veggies at auction.
The auctioneer is to the right of the picture. Notice the large screen notifying people of current prices.
The entire warehouse is filled with people and items to sell.

The auctioneer.  See the sweat-marks on his shirt?  It is about 80% humidity.

We have been a couple of times but today we were there to shop around.  To give you an idea of how large this place is there are over 20,000 vendors each day offering their goods to restauranteurs, businesses, families and foreigners.  This market is open to everyone.

To give you another idea of how large this market is, these pictures are only of the produce warehouse.  There are still 2 more large warehouses housing meat and poultry and seafood respectively (those pictures at a later date).
 

Organized chaos

An ice cream cone filled with larvae.  Don't mind if I do!
(tastes like dirt-literally)