Gimhae, South Korea

These photos were from a couple years ago, but I never had a chance to post them. Daehwan was the first Korean friend Markus and I made in Korea and because of that he will always be special. Through him, we made so many other great friends and we experienced the "real" Korea. One weekend in November, he invited Markus and I to go to his hometown, Gimhae. He wanted us to see where he grew up and experience something very special to him.

Hanok

Gimhae is about an hour outside of Busan by subway. When we arrived, Daehwan picked us up and took us toward the center of Gimhae. We walked toward the more historical area. Of course we saw a temple and even a hanok, which is a Korean traditional home. I've always wanted to stay in one. They're so beautiful and quintessentially Korean. We basically wandered around the city and Daehwan showed us his school and the places he used to play. I really enjoyed seeing where he grew up.

Toward the end of the day, we found a line of brass soldiers. Apparently, there was a fierce battle that was fought there. So we come across this lonely horse without a warrior. Daehwan said it would be awesome if I climbed it. I didn’t want to because I imagined myself falling over and cracking my skull open. It doesn’t look like it in the photos, but this thing was massive, like six feet high. Markus had to come over and push me up, from my bottom. That wasn’t embarrassing in front of Daehwan, or anything. I was quite frantic as I was up there and didn’t know what to do.

After, I was finished Markus hopped on as well and he really owned it. That horse was HIS horse. He was like an ancient warrior. We told Daehwan to jump on, but he refused. He said, “You’re foreigner. I know people here.” As we walked down the rest of the way, there was a sign in Korean that said, “Don’t Climb Statues” and a baby horse with a stand that you could climb on for pictures. We couldn’t stop laughing and we were glad there were no people around. I’m happy that I conquered the big horse and not the lame baby horse.

Most people don't like Gimhae because it's doesn't have any special attractions and it's a small town. For me, it's one of my favorite cities in Korea. I think it's because of the memories that we made there, but Gimhae will always be special to me because it's the home of my first Korean friend Daehwan. 

Hello Kitty Cafe | Seoul, South Korea

One of the greatest things about Korea is the overwhelming amount of cafes. They are everywhere. You can walk down any street or alley and you can bet there will be some kind of coffee shop or cafe. Not only are there popular chains, but there is also a great variety of diffenent types of cafes. love themed places and when I heard there was a Hello Kitty Cafe in Seoul, I knew that we had to go.

I've always been a fan of Hello Kitty. What can I say? I'm a girl and I'm Asian. It's almost a guarantee that you owned something Hello Kitty. When I was in middle school, I went through a ridiculous Sanrio phase. It was so bad that every birthday or Christmas all my presents were somehow Sanrio themed. I will admit that I was a bit of a tomboy in middle school and Hello Kitty was too cutesy for me. She was too much of a girl and I couldn't handle all the pink. I think I was too insecure to be able to connect with her. I felt much more comfortable witih the other less cutesy characters.

Even though Hello Kitty wasn't my favorite Sanrio character, I always had a fondness for her. Just seeing her little white face and red bow brings back so much memories. My childhood is forever intertwined with hers. The Hello Kitty Cafe was a nice way to relive those memories and was purely nostalgic for me. It wasn't my favorite cafe and it was actually a bit disappointing. The place looks a bit rundown and it's pink overload. The entire place looks like it was coated with Pepto-Bismol. The food and drinks are overpriced and taste pretty awful too. If you're passing through Seoul, I definitely recommend visiting the cafe, but just to take a few pictures and walk around. It's way too busy and overpriced to be anything more than a photo opportunity.

Busan eFM 90.5 Radio Interview

Back in February, Markus and were asked to do a radio interview on Midnight Rider. It's an amazing program on Busan's only English radio station. The radio station is really popular amongst Busanites and almost all of them know DJ Chad Kirton and Midnight Rider. I was really surprised that they asked us to do the interview, but it was really exciting. I've already been on Korean TV and in the newspaper, so the next natural step was radio. I still can't believe that I was even featured on all those things. It's so funny how things work out.

Before our interview, I was really nervous. I was worried that I was going to sound idiotic or repetitive. Markus and I practiced our answers so many times. I had everything down to a science. I knew exactly what I would say. I kept saying my answers over and over. When we got to the station, I forgot everything. It all just disappeared and my nerves took over. Then, I started to get really anxious. When we finally met Chad and talked for a bit, he kept reassuring me. He kept saying, "No worries. It's cool."

When we finally started the interview, I was still nervous, but the more we talked with Chad, the worries just disappeared. Chad is incredibly awesome and really easy to talk to. I felt like I knew him for ages and he really is an awesome radio DJ. Chad is such an awesome guy. He's really knowledgeable and so personable. He's really great at his job and made the experience much more amazing.

Being on the radio was definitely one of the highlights of our life in Korea. It was an incredible experience and I can't believe that it happened. I'm so thankful that Markus and I were both able to do it and that we met Chad. It will be an experience that I will always remember and one that I will always cherish.

Banteay Srei | Angkor Wat, Cambodia

On our second day in Cambodia, MJ, our tuk-tuk driver, took us to Banteay Srei. It's the farthest temple in the Angkor complex, so it took us about an hour or so to get there. The drive there was amazing and so relaxing. We passed through countryside and little villages. It was nice to see the "real" Cambodia and not just the temples. It was a bit surreal sitting in a tuk-tuk driving through rice fields, but I really enjoyed it. 

Banteay Srei is very popular and known for being constructed with red sandstone. It was built in the 10th century as a tribute to the Hindu god, Shiva. When we arrived, it was packed full of tourists. They filled every inch of the place and I'm surprised I was able to get as many photos as I did. I have to be honest, I wasn't a fan of this temple. Yes, it was nice to see something made of red sandstone, but I just wasn't blown away. If MJ didn't take us there, I don't think I would've felt like I missed anything. It was very underwhelming and we went through the whole area in about 20-30 minutes. Of all the temples we saw in Angkor Wat, I would easily have passed on Banteay Srei.

Buddha's Birthday | Samgwangsa Temple 삼광사 | Nighttime

Last week, I posted the photos from Samgwangsa Temple during the day. It's definitely beautiful during the day, but at night it's stunning. The lights illuminate the temple and it's a brilliant sight. You can see the temple from the street. It sits high up on a hill and the colorful lights pop out amongst the darkness. I've really never seen anything like it before. It's almost like something out of a movie. It really is a must see and I'm glad we were able to see Samgwangsa in all it's glory.