• September in Seoul (Day 7, 2023)

    Last full day in Seoul. Logistically, I moved from one location to another, did laundry, and packed most of my luggage in preparation for my travels. After dropping my luggage, I headed out for some coffee and art viewing. Aside from the extensive permanent showing of ceramics at Leeum Museum of Art, there were two…

  • September in Seoul (Day 6, 2023)

    Today was a slow day; I spent most of it walking around, sitting, wandering thoughts. There was a shift of some kind, maybe now that I’m on the mental track of returning home? At any rate, no art – just experiencing the city smells and sensations. I spent quiet a bit of time by Cheonggyecheon…

  • September in Seoul (Day 5, 2023)

    To prepare for another sunny day, I began today’s adventure by securing a UV umbrella from a tourist trap. Although it doesn’t dissipate heat, it did help me avoid the sun! I used Papago (a translation app) to successfully order some dumplings for breakfast, then headed out to Gangnam to visit some galleries. First stop,…

  • September in Seoul (Day 4, 2023)

    Firmly in the grips of continued jet lag, I woke up quite early. I drank tea and read, until a reasonable hour and then caught a bus to the base of the mountains for a hike into Inwangsan (san = mountain). This was not an aimless hike, I was headed to the Forest Rest area…

  • September in Seoul (Day 3, 2023)

    Third day, I spent most of the day inside – I have several hikes planned for later this week, so I’m enjoying the comfort of my dry, cool stay. As such, I visited two huge malls south of the Han river – the Hyundai Seoul and COEX. The Hyundai Seoul was more luxury oriented than…

  • September in Seoul (Day 2, 2023)

    Woke up well before the sun – not shocking considering I broke the first rule of international travel, which is going to bed super early. Ah well, it is a vacation! I did get to watch the sky slowly brighten, and risked dropping my phone for an unobstructed snap of this Namsan view: Full of…

  • September in Seoul (Day 1, 2023)

    Made it! Arrived at Incheon Airport very early – so early that most of the airport was still asleep. Luckily, the convenience store was open so I began by having a burdock tea with a tuna-mayo triangle gimbap. The last leg of my travel was an 11 hour flight – which I shockingly slept 8…

  • Seoul, 2023 (Day 10)

    Today was spent packing up and traveling from Busan to Seoul. In other words, all business. I finished a book and enjoyed the view from the KTX. I parted ways with my travel companions, then checked into my final stay. Spare, but sufficient for the task of a bed until my departure tomorrow morning. I…

  • Busan, 2022 (Day 9)

    Busan, 2022 (Day 9)

    We began the day with some gimbap and broth for breakfast, meeting the tour bus for our all day, rescheduled tour of Gyeongju around midmorning. As my first full meal since being ill, I kept it simple with the egg variety. I need to take notes from the rolls we had: thin rice! Abundant filling!…

  • Busan, 2022 (Day 8)

    First off, I know you’re wondering: what happened to Days 6 & 7? Well, Day 6 was spent relaxing at the hotel, giving my feet some rest and ended with a scrumptious meal…which gave me severe food poisoning. So, I spent all of Day 7 recovering. Thankfully I felt mostly recovered on Day 8, so…