All posts tagged: holiday

Taejongdae | a brief guide

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Beautiful views. Cool breezes. The smell of pine and ocean together. Taejongdae offers all these things and is a great little getaway in Busan. I was thoroughly impressed with the beauty and atmosphere offered here. Just like every tourist place in Korea, there were hundreds of people at the base of the mountain in the shops, buying souvenirs and coffee and  waiting to take the trolley up. But, if you walk up on foot, which is a reasonable incline but not taxing (I did it in flip flops), it is wonderfully peaceful (something rare and beautiful in Korea at times) and you can get much better views for a much longer time. The blue ocean views from the cliffs were very calming and we seemed to be the only visitors to the small temple on our way up. It is a charming place altogether. And one I would recommend. Taejongdae To get there: From Busan Station, take Bus 88 or 101 and get off at Taejongdae Cliff Bus Stop. Other buses bound for Taejongdae: No. 8, 13, 30, 88, or 101. …

Chuncheon | The Home of Dak Galbi

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This has been a mean and petty summer. Nearly every day since  July has been blistering and it’s too hot to enjoy getting out of the apartment and brushing off the cabin fever. My school had it’s annual quick summer vacation and I took the time to go on a foodie adventure to Chuncheon, where one of my favorite Korean dishes, dak galbi, is said to have originated and pretend I was one of the castmates of my favorite Korean show, Tasty Guys. My plan was simple: eat too much and ignore the sweat beaming through my shirt. Tasty Guys is a reality eating show where 4 loveable comedians eat more food than you ever thought was humanly possible. It’s just…wow. They can really pack it in. So I visited a city based on food and I pretended to be a host of a Korean TV show. I think that’s totally acceptable, right? Luckily, there are several wonderful things to do in Chuncheon, which I will post about later, so we didn’t just eat all day. But, the food was …

Seochon-dong | Hanoks & Whimsy

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  Situated to the West of Gyeongbokgung, Seochon, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Seoul, is an obvious treasure. It’s name is simply, “west village,” but that doesn’t embody the liveliness and warmth that you can experience here. Seochon hanoks were under threat of massive redevelopment and destruction up until 2008. The concerned took measures to ensure the preservation of the hanoks in this area, like that of Bukchon, the hanok village on the other side of Gyeongbokgung. And we should thank our lucky stars that this beautiful area has been saved and updated so that generations to come can walk through the streets and buy up all the things. Or just look around, that’s okay too. 🙂 In Robert J. Fouser’s book, Hanok, The Korean House, he explains how this area is an example of the neo-traditional style, or the “mixed hanok.” This new genre allows for experimentation and, perhaps more importantly, the expression of the owner’s personality. Like the city of Seoul itself, they appear similar from afar but sparkle with the color of individuality up close. Not to …

Tamun Ayun Temple | Bali Temple Collection

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This gorgeous temple is the first blog in the epic trilogy I will write out the temples I visited while in Bali.  And it’s mainly epic, not because of my braggy writing, but because they are just beautiful without the need for hyperbole. 🙂 The Tamun Ayun is a large temple set upon an even larger, well manicured and lusciously green garden area.  There are pools of water and ponds to create an atmosphere of peace. The name Tamun Ayun translates to beautiful garden, and is so evident walking around and taking in the spectacular (albeit boiling hot) temple of worship. It was built in 1634 for the people of the Mengwi kingdom, so they did not need to travel far to another large, main temple. The temple has towering pagodas for worship inside the main courtyard, which cannot be entered unless it is a special, sacred holiday. But, it’s opened only for worshipers, not visitors. The view of it is enough and makes it all the more special that people can’t tramp all over the …

A Tunnel of Persimmon Wine in Cheongdo

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Let’s just get this out there…the wine tunnel is not what I expected. Let me take you through my dreams of what the wine tunnel would be. There would be staff to greet my friend Phil and I at the  “door” and they would show us to a table in a vast cavern of the tunnel. We would have proper menus and table service. There would be adults in attendance, each quietly enjoying the selection of persimmon wine and it would be glorious. Glorious. You know, more like a vineyard or winery. Now I’ll explain what it was actually like.

Merry and Bright | Wall Design

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This was a bit more work than I expected. Half way into taping the first letter I thought, “Oh Gawd, Crystal..You’re an IDIOT.” I took a few days break and finished up last night. I have to admit that it gets faster the more you do it. Basically the entire sign is covered in piece after piece of adorable, yet tiny, washi tape.  Because its so slim it takes quite a while to cover. You can’t believe how happy I was when it was finished. It was super adorable and I put in all this hard work…just makes you feel accomplished. 😀 You can find details and a how to on Paper & Stitch. It’s not hard.  Get some foamboard and paint a holiday message on it with acrylic paint. Cut that out with a razor and then cover with washi tape.   On Paper & Stitch she actually uses colored scotch tape, which thinking back to all that washi tape, I would have gone ahead and went with the scotch tape. Make it enjoyable. Get …

Thanksgiving | 2014

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Oh, Thanksgiving! The food is good. The company is better.  The drinks are fabulous.  It’s a true holiday and we had a great one in my tiny apartment. I spent the week preparing for the meal and really busted a lot out on Friday after work. I cooked all day Saturday and cleaned and tried to keep the cats off the table.  But, it was a excellent evening, worth all the hard work. And after the bell tolled 12, I dropped like a brick into sleep. I’ll be posting  individual posts with recipes. Anything could be used again for Christmas…ohhh….Christmas!  Time to get started with those decorations. 😀

Dreaming of Jeju |2010|

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In two days I’m heading to Jeju Island for summer vacation. It has been four years since I’ve been and the first visit, while relaxing and fun,  was in December and quite cold, windy and rainy. It was still beautiful and picturesque but I am looking forward to seeing the tropical isle during the warmest days of the year. To get myself into a cleaning/packing mood I decided to have a look at old pictures, dust them off and post them. I am looking forward to seafood, sunshine, touring, beaches and…probably…crazy crowds. |Jeju| A volcanic island off the south coast of Korea has been called the, “Hawaii of South Korea.”  I assume its only called that because more people know of Hawaii than Jeju but it seems like a silly moniker.  Sure they are both volcanic and tropical…but Jeju is still distinct. Jeju sets itself apart from the rest of Korea by culture and language since it has been isolated from the mainland for the most part. One of the most interesting aspects of Jeju is …