How to visit Haedong Yonggungsa Temple (Busan)
Haedong Yonggungsa Temple may be the most beautiful temple in South Korea, unusual because it is right on the coast instead of on a mountain.
South Korea
South Korea is a fascinating and relatively easy travel destination. It has plenty of historical sites to visit, and at the same time the influence of modern South Korean culture – think K-Pop, for example – makes it a popular place for young people to visit as well. With modern and well-organized public transit and a population that speaks English on a range from basic to fluent, South Korea is a great place for independent travel.
Hongik University Street: 6 best things to see
Note: This article is a guest post by Jimmy and Tah from Divert Living. Hongik University Street, also known as Hongdae, is one of the most famous streets in Seoul. It’s a neighborhood that is known for its amazing youthful atmosphere and underground cultures that appeal to a huge footfall of tourists from every nook…
A Tourist to the DMZ
I’d read about visiting the DMZ a number of times before I arrived in Seoul. DMZ stands for the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea, which is anything but demilitarized. It’s a wide strip of no-man’s-land that embodies the tension between these two countries, still officially in a state of war. Outside of that…
Two Seoul Neighborhoods: Ikseon-dong & Bukchon Hanok Village
Two Seoul Neighborhoods: Buckchon Hanok Village contains many hanoks, but it has a completely different feel to it than Ikseon-dong Hanok Area.
Suwon’s Palace and Fortress
Suwon, South Korea, a city with more than a million inhabitants, is a separate city from Seoul, but it’s been swallowed up in the post-Korean War urban sprawl, so that it’s in the same metro system. Getting to Suwon from the center of Seoul involves a very long metro ride: more than an hour, and…
Seoul Tower Without a Date
Seoul Tower, perched on Namsan Mountain above Seoul, is visible everywhere, looking like some sort of 70’s version of the future. Built back in the 70’s for radio and television, it was and still is a communication tower. However, it’s also a destination for tourists and locals: a thing to do on a free weekend afternoon….
Physical Therapy, Korean-style!
On my recent trip to South Korea, my left arm began to hurt. I dismissed it as a muscle ache, probably from carrying my luggage up and down metro stairs. Little by little, though, it got worse. I couldn’t sleep because I couldn’t find a position in which my arm didn’t hurt. When my arm started…
Six (!) Seoul Palaces
Seoul is home to six different royal palaces, each built by or for a different king. Beautifully crafted and opulent, some are more intact and authentic than others. Authentic? The five older ones all include at least one tale of complete or partial destruction. All were burnt to the ground during the Japanese Invasion in the last decade…
Mr. Toilet House? A Toilet Museum in Suwon, South Korea
The big gold-colored statue of a turd right next to the entrance was enough to tell me that Mr. Toilet House, the toilet museum in Suwon, South Korea, wasn’t going to be a disappointment! Mr. Toilet House Believe it or not, “Mr. Toilet House” is the popular name for the Toilet Culture Museum in Suwon,…