Guide to UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Sado Island is one of those locations that you have probably never heard of, but won’t regret visiting. While the beaches are not intended for swimming, no one is stopping you so go ahead, kick off those sandals and run in the water because it doesn’t get much cleaner than this. However, you might find yourself as the only one splashing about…
wait a minute… did you read that correctly? Read more
Location: Gochang, Hwasun, and Ganghwa, South Korea (3 locations)
Visited: June, 2012 and Sept, 2013
Site Type: Cultural
Inscribed: 2000
Opinion and Background:
I know what you are thinking… what the heck is a dolmen?
Location: Near Andong and Gyeongju, South Korea
Visited: Sept, 2010, Oct, 2013
Site Type: Cultural
Inscribed: 2010
Opinion and Background:
Historic, average, gorgeous, bland, amazing, underwhelming, overwhelming! There are so many conflicting words that come to mind when I want to describe these two folk villages. How do you evaluate two places as a single entity when they give you completely different feelings? While Yangdong made me wonder why this was even considered “World Heritage Site” worthy, Hahoe is officially, my new favorite place in Korea. Read more
Korean festivals and I have a long history that I must admit, hasn’t always been a happy one. While I love the idea of festivals and am glad that Korea has SOOO many of them, I approach them with caution. From time to time, I find myself in a place that is too crowded (Fireworks Festival), too overrated (Boryeong Mud Festival), and end up too disappointed (Yeosu Expo). I was pleasantly surprised that the Andong International Mask Festival not only lived up to my expectations, but surpassed them in every way!
For starters, this festival Read more
Officially: Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes
Taken: July, 2011
Place: Jeju Island, South Korea
“Yeah yeah yeah, just take us here,” we continued to tell the cab driver, pointing at a wrinkled map (yeah, we still used physical maps). My friend and I felt a little impatient as we knew we had to start this hike early in the morning to get to the top. The volcano that sits in the middle of Jeju Island, Mt. Halla (or “Hallasan”), stands at 1950 meters. It is no behemoth, but nothing to scoff at. The cab driver continued in his vain attempt to dissuade us from taking our chosen trail, but we thought he just wanted to drop us off farther to charge more.
We began our climb at around 9 am and continued for about 4 hours. The trails were awfully empty for such a popular mountain in Korea. Something seemed off. As we edged towards the top, we realized why. This trail Read more