How to get a Traveller’s SIM card South Korea, Busan
Getting our mobile phone to work and online in Korea has been some kind of odyssey for us. This time, our Lonelyplanet didn’t prove very helpful.
Seoul – Goodbye Korea
Visiting Seoul was the perfect end to our trip through South Korea. This city is like a melting pot, where all that we’ve learned and seen while traveling Korea, its history, tradition, nature and modern life come together: You find historical sites, temples, palaces located in the middle of skyscrapers and modern architecture, latest technology, great shopping opportunities… And if you’re getting close to a sensual overload you can find more or less peaceful retreat in the nearby mountains, like on a…
Korean fashion prints gone wrong (English only)
Koreans apparently love to put slogans, words of wisdom or labels on T-Shirts, bags, blouses – basically everything wearable. Especially in English. Sometimes, they seem to get lost in translation though…. The results can be hilarious. We made it a sport to find the funniest examples of these fashion statements while browsing through Seoul’s shopping districts. Here is a selection of our favorites:
Peeking into the other side: Demilitarized Zone
If your looking for a tourist experience that’s a little different, go on a tour into the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. The Demilitarized Zone is a 2.5 miles wide strip of land forming the border between North and South Korea. Don’t get fooled by its name: it’s the most heavily militarized border in the world and dramatically announced by our tour guide as “the most dangerous place on earth”. Makes you wonder, why it’s still open for…
Historic Sites at Buyeo and Gongju
We based ourselves in Daejeon for a history lesson: We went to see some remains of the Baekje Kingdom, around 18 BC to 660 AD one of the three Kingdoms of Korea, in Buyeo and Gongju. In the fortress of Buyeo, Busosanseong, the Baekje Army had somewhat of their own “300”: A Baekje army of 5000 man stood against 50.000 Chinese soldiers in 660 AD, and was only finally defeated in the 5th attack. There is a small shrine in honor of the…
Templestay at Naesosa
Korean Temples allow visitors to get a glimpse of the life of a buddhist monk through the Templestay program. It’s usually a one-night and two-days schedule, but some temples allow you to stay longer, which is what we wanted. I don’t think you can get a real impression in just around 22 hours. Also, we really felt like we could use some rest and take things at a slower pace than the last couple of weeks. After some research about the different…