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Donghae Mureung Health Forest: Heat Therapy & A Sauna In Gangwon-do
Looking for a relaxing escape from Seoul, Korea? Discover the serene Donghae Mureung Health Forest (๋ํด๋ฌด๋ฆ๊ฑด๊ฐ์ฒ) in Gangwon-do. Nestled in picturesque mountains, this health facility offers a rejuvenating experience for all visitors that make a trip to the area. Mureung Health Forest promotes wellness for everyone, offering a range of affordable programs and activities like heat therapy, which comes highly recommended. And don’t miss the sauna’s Salt Cave and Oxygen Healing Room, complete with massage chairs and 24-hour oxygen generators. While you’re there, take a scenic 20-minute walk to Mureung Valley, where you can immerse yourself in the refreshing mountain waters or explore the nearby Samhwasa Temple. Whether you’re seeking…
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Chuam Beach: The Best Beach In Donghae On The East Coast Of Korea
Looking for a beach to visit on the east coast of Korea? Come summer in Korea all I do is seek the coast. There are some absolutely beautiful beaches in Korea and not all of them are as busy as say Haeundae in Busan. To be honest, I tend to enjoy the beaches on the east coast of Korea more than the ones on the southern coast. The southern coast has other draws though for sure but today, I want to talk about Chuam Beach (์ถ์ํด์์์ฅ) in Donghae, Korea. Recently, we were out that way to check out the Donghae Mureung Health Forest and the wellness facilities there and after…
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Sansawon Museum & Baesangmyeon Brewery: The Hanok To See & Try Traditional Korean Liquor
Just northeast of Seoul in Pocheon is one of the most beautiful and also traditional Korean liquor breweries you can find in Korea. Sansawon (์ ํต์ ๋ฐ๋ฌผ๊ด ์ฐ์ฌ์) is a museum and tasting room just next to a beautiful brewery called Baesang,yeon (๋ฐฐ์๋ฉด์ฃผ๊ฐ) that features traditional onggi pots, those giant brown earthenware pots you see around Korea, that create a maze to wind through before ending up at a beautiful Hanok building and pavilion where you can laze away the afternoon. I’d heard of Sansawon a few times over the years and was intrigued by the pictures but just never found the time to get up there… until recently. Want to take…
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The Parsley Seed Energy Serum By AwakeAsleep: The Best Anti-Aging Serum I’ve Tried
I CANNOT live without this Parsley Seed Energy Serum by AwakeAsleep. Seriously, it might be the first time I’ve ever fallen in love with a serum. My dry skin has found this extremely hydrating and it is definitely one of the best anti-aging serums I’ve found. If you haven’t heard of parsley serums or AwakeAsleep, you’re probably not alone. I was gifted this product at an event and it was the most intriguing out of the products I received. I mean.. parsley seed in a serum?? What’s that about? While most people think of parsley as a garnish on a dish that they may or may not want to eat,…
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How To Get An FBI Background Check
There are a number of reasons why you would need an FBI background check, also called a criminal record check (CRC) depending on which country you’re coming from. For this post, we’re assuming that you need it for a job. Whether you’re getting a job at home or traveling abroad for work, at some point, you’ll likely have to sign a paper for a company to do a background check on your behalf or you’ll have to get one yourself. One of the most time-involved documents to get for the South Korean E2 teaching visa, besides the apostille, is obtaining a national-level FBI background check. The FBI background check is…
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Where To Stay In Hongdae: From Hotels To Guesthouses & AirBnbs Too!
Hongdae is one of the most popular neighborhoods in Seoul, Korea and it is one of the best areas to stay in Seoul too. There's nightlife, things to do at all hours, plenty of places to eat and fun too. Here are the hotels in Hongdae, guesthouses, and Airbnbs you should check out if you're coming to Seoul.
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Wish Formula: The Fermented Hydra Ceramide Lotion & Essential Toner Review
I’ve got a few Korean beauty brands that are my go-to for various reasons and Wish Formula is one of them. While I reach for Troiareuke when I want to clean my face, I reach for Wish Formula when I want to nourish and hydrate my skin. Almost everything I’ve tried from Wish Formula has been great but these two products have by far been the best for my dry skin. I’d never heard of fermented skincare products prior to using these but after, I definitely looked into them more. The Wish Formula Fermented Hydra Ceramide Lotion and the Fermented Hydra Essential Toner are currently my essential skincare products producing…
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SlowBox: The CSA To Use In Korea
Slowbox is a service that delivers produce direct from local farmers to consumers throughout the country of Korea. I’m always on the lookout for ethically-sourced produce and I used to always head to local farmers markets like Mangwon Market since we lived so close. However, since moving and only having the large brand grocery stores within walking distance now, Slowbox has been an amazing option for us for more than a year now. Slowbox is a community supported agriculture (CSA) program that sources their produce from small family owned farms around Korea and you can meet their farmers right on their Slowbox Instagram page. Here’s what you’ll find in this…
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My Allbirds Shoe Review: The Tree Skippers & The Wool Runners
In a continuous endeavor to be more sustainable, shop from more eco-friendly brands, and reduce my waste, I was pretty stoked when my mom gifted me a pair of Allbirds two years ago. She gave them to me because they were the most comfortable sneakers she’d ever worn, but I was ecstatic when I learned of their eco-friendliness. From that first wear, I was hooked. I wore that first pair of sustainable footwear almost exclusively for months. My first pair, the Allbirds Tree Skippers, took me through two springs and summer and then when it got chilly this past autumn, I got my second pair, the Allbirds Wool Runners to…
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Daffodils In Korea: Yoogibanggaok In Chungcheongnam-do
Seosan, just a couple hours south of Seoul down in Chungcheongnam-do, is one of the best places to visit in Korea in the spring. There are numerous gorgeous flower spots in the area and one of them is the daffodil covered mountain in Yoogibanggaok (์ ๊ธฐ๋ฐฉ๊ฐ์ฅ). The daffodils, in their sheer number in this one spot, are an absolute must see. In my many years of living in Korea, I haven’t seen this many daffodils anywhere else. There are of course other yellow flowers that bloom each spring like the Japanese dogwood, sansuyu, in Icheon and the rape seed flower fields that are practically everywhere including the hidden island of Ulleung-do,…
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Teach English In Korea: A Guide For Getting A Job
South Korea is one of the top places in Asia to teach English and there are ample reasons from a higher salary to perks and benefits that make it so. The popularity of teaching English can probably also be attributed to the rise of Hallyu, K-dramas, and K-pop, but whatever is drawing you to the Land Of The Morning Calm, you need to know how to get a job teaching English in Korea and the requirements too so let’s get started. Do you want to teach English in Seoul? Teach English in Busan? Or maybe go to the Hawai’i of Korea and teach English in Jeju? Here is a guide…
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Nammireuksa Temple: The Largest Seated Buddha In Asia Is In Jeollanam-do, Korea
I have definitely visited my fair share of Buddhist temples in Korea. I love visiting the temples honestly. They are calming, always quiet, and while many people see a few and think they’ve seen them all, I never think that and have definitely been able to find unique aspects of every one I’ve visited. One such trip to Jeollanam-do had us passing by Nammireuksa Temple (๋จ๋ฏธ๋ฅต์ฌ) and while there really was nothing else in the area to see, I couldn’t resist a stop. This temple in Korea really does stand out from the rest in a few ways for me so I wanted to do a whole post so more…
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The Majang Suspension Bridge & The Cafes To Visit There Too!
There are so many things to do in Paju, an area just northwest of Seoul in the Gyeonggi-do province and visiting Majang Lake is definitely one of them. Majang Lake was probably not on most peoples’ radar until a couple years ago when the longest suspension bridge in Korea was opened. This beautiful suspension bridge spans the water from what forested side to another that features an observatory. There are numerous gorgeous cafes and restaurants to stop into too. It’s a great area to take a day trip from Seoul and it’s pretty easy to get to as well. Looking for something to do this weekend? This is the spot…
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How To Get TEFL Certified In 5 Steps
One day I decided to Google, โhow to make money and travel the world,โ and teaching English abroad popped up as one of many results, but I wasnโt too familiar with the field of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). After searching for information on teaching English abroad, I watched so many videos and searched the internet for every piece of information regarding this potentially new career path. Numerous results suggested obtaining TEFL certification, but where to start? Below, I’ll lay it all out for you. Here is the essential guide for how to get a TEFL certification, what is TEFL, and how long it takes to get TEFL…
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Guide To Korean Teas: What They’re Good For & When To Drink Them
While most of the world views tea as a beverage made by putting hot water on some type of leaf, Koreans seem to make tea with anything and everything they can put hot water on. Hot water on flowers? Why not? Hot water on some roots from the garden? Definitely. Because of this, traditional tea houses can have long rather substantial lists of teas. It can be overwhelming. It took me forever to remember the names of the Korean teas that I enjoyed and go figure, I often forget when it comes to seeing boxes of teas in the market. Since I’ve taken numerous a tourist to a traditional tea…
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B39 In Bucheon: The Art & Culture Space To Check Out
I LOVE checking out how older factories are being given new life as cafes or restaurants and seeing how old military bunkers in Korea are being given new life as culture spaces for local communities. The new art and culture spaces that are being given back to the community are really intriguing and are definitely great places to see in Seoul and its suburbs. This city is always adapting and changing and as factories close, something else must take their place. Recently, we visited Bucheon, a suburb of Seoul in Gyeonggi-do and stopped into the Bucheon Art Bunker B39 (๋ถ์ฒ์ํธ๋ฒ์ปค B39). Just opened in 2018, it took an old garbage…