All posts tagged: korea tourism

Jalgachi | fish market

Do you feel that? That’s  that mean girl winter FINALLY getting the hell out of here. The sun is out and we only have a scant amount of time before the weather turns on us again here in Seoul and becomes an abhorrent shade of humidity and heat. So let’s enjoy the spring! The best season in Korea. And let’s break in the season with some raw fish! Last year my friend, Phil and I headed down to the the southern tip of Korea, Busan. We headed straight to a spot for lunch at the  Jalgachi Fish Market. Downstairs is a wonderland of fish and seafood…with a pungent smell and wetness just, everywhere. Upstairs is a restaurant where we parked ourselves for a giant raw lunch. There were some definite good things: the steamed lobster, the flatfish, the abalone, the boiled potatoes, the kimchi. There were also some let downs: the raw lobster tail and the raw moving squid come to mind. Overall, I was happy with what was set down in front of us. I believe it …

Daytripping | Chinatown

  The only official “Chinatown” in Korea is located in Incheon and takes a long, boring ride on the subway to get out there. It’s a full on tourist destination and it has a quintessential selfie tourist trap, the barf-worthy Fairytale Village. But, as much as those things irk me, and they do, don’t let it stop you from heading out there just once. It’s an interesting and quirky place. There is a different feel to the area, in no small part due to the different smells and different building styles. There are many restaurants and spots to buy a snack. We found a dim sum restaurant that squelched some cravings I’d been having for weeks. It’s also the birthplace of the ridiculously popular Chinese-Korean dish, Jjajangmyeong. After eating, you can wander around and find a beautiful cafe, like one we found that doubled as a gallery. TLDR: A Brief History The history of the area is…interesting. When Incheon Port opened in 1883 a small settlement of Chinese people grew.  The population has remained small for …