-
Dongrimsa Temple in Gimhae, South Korea
Sitting just 400 meters away from the more popularย Eunhasa Templeย on Sineosan Mountain, or Fish of the Gods Mountain, is Dongrimsa Temple (๋๋ฆผ์ฌ). As it is smaller and was quieter without the people milling around on Lunar New Year, it felt as if weโd arrived to a shop afterhours. Also said to be from the time of King Suro in the Gaya Kingdom, it was supposedly established by King Suroโs wifeโs, Heo Hwangok, brother, monk Jangyuhwasang. It features a tall statue of Jijang-bosal, the God of the Afterlife, in the courtyard surrounded by six smaller statues of Jijang-bosal that are the most telling feature of the temple. The statue is rather…
-
Eunhasa Temple in Gimhae, South Korea
If you’re in Gimhae, Korea and looking for a beautiful quaint temple to visit, look no further than Eunhasa Temple. Enjoy a walk in the woods, hike up a mountain if you want, or take a drive up and come upon this beautiful Buddhist temple. Eunhasa Temple isn’t huge, but when I go hiking in Korea, I tend to enjoy having temples to stop off at or as a goal for the walk. There’s always a beautiful one to sit and enjoy on every mountain in Korea. (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking at no cost…
-
Memories of Our Wedding
I can’t believe one year has already gone by. It feels like this happened just yesterday. Oh the memories of that beautiful day with wonderful people, delicious food, joyous music and such happiness surrounding us all. A poem by Khalil Gibran, read at our ceremony and introduced to me by my grandmother when I wasย in high school. ~On Marriage~ You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore. You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days. Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God. But let there be spaces in your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance…
-
A Korean in an American Wedding Ceremony
Back in October of 2011 when Jae-oo and I were first wed, we were in Busan, South Korea and had opted for a very traditional styled Korean wedding with hanboks and lots of bowing. Iย blogged about it at the time, as my blog is all about my adventures here in Korea, but neglected to blog about my American wedding ceremony some months later in Ohio. Blogging about something that seemed so normal and uninteresting culturally didnโt strike my fancy. Recently, however, Jae-oo and I celebrated our one year anniversary and talked about that American wedding ceremony, as that was the date we opted to go with for our anniversary. Many…
-
A Korean’s First American Christmas
A Christmas tree decorated from top to bottom with white lights and ornaments collected over the years, old stockings hung over the fireplace, gifts wrapped carefully in beautiful paper with Christmas patterns and topped with perfect red and green bows, lights hung from the eaves and boxes and boxes of other decorations scattered throughout the house and lining the shelves. This was the scene when I grew up when the โthanksโ of Thanksgiving would end and the Christmas season would go into full affect in our house. It had been at least five years since I had last been home to celebrate this holiday with my family and this year…
-
A Korean Deals with Sarcasm
The second time he came home with me, it was summer and everyone was more comfortable. Jae-oo knew where things were in the house and could get them on his own, though he still wanted me to help him find things in the kitchen, and my family was now comfortable enough to wear pajamas in front of him in the morning. With guards let down, it was inevitable that this would be the first time to really see if there was any discomfort between people without the fake โnice to meet youโ smiles on. The novelty of dating a foreigner had somewhat rubbed off and people were starting to act…
-
An American Family and a Korean Husband
The first trip home with Jae-oo was a lot of introductions. Not only was he meeting friends heโd heard stories of but just as, or maybe more, importantly he was meeting my family. Heโd met my mother on her visit to Korea but was now meeting my sisters and then aunts and uncles and grandparents. That may sound like the whole family, but that is just the beginning. My family is large and large in the sense that my motherโs generation has remained very close to their cousins which made the โauntsโ and the โunclesโ of my generation nearly triple and which meant we grew up with just as many…
-
Halloween with a Korean
This week, I got back to Korea from a month long trip home that I manage to get away for once a year. This year, we were home for Thanksgiving and it dawned on me that for the past four years I have taken Jae-oo home to celebrate a different American holiday each time. And each time I realize it is his first time celebrating such and such a holiday American style. I now have this urge to make a babyโs โJae-ooโs Firstโ album of the events that transpire. Seeing these holidays through his eyes and answering questions that seem so obvious to me as I grew up celebrating a…
-
Jeju Island: Hiking Mount Hallasan by Eorimok Trail
It was definitely a trek, and we were on one of the easier shorter trails. But as the locals say, โJeju is Mount Halla; and Mount Halla is Jeju.โ As the tallest mountain in South Korea, a visit to Jeju Island would not be complete without a hike up to the summit or as far as one can go, of Mount Halla. Rising 1,950 meters above sea level, it can be seen from everywhere on the island, that is when the clouds arenโt surrounding the top. Do you NEED to visit Hallasan Mountain on Jeju Island? Yes, absolutely. And, you should add a whole day to your Jeju itinerary to…
-
Jeongbang Waterfall: The Most Beautiful Place On Jeju Island
Jeju Island has some spectacular sites to see and the Jeongbang Waterfall (์ ๋ฐฉํญํฌ) is most definitely one of the prettiest of them. There are a few waterfalls on Jeju Island, but this was my favorite of them all and it’s actually quite accessible. If you’re headed to Jeju Island, this is definitely a spot I’d check out. There are three popular waterfalls on Jeju Island but this one is one of those Instagrammable spots where you can get right up and personal and walk away with one of those islandy photos to prove it. Feel free to skip around and get all of the details: (This page contains affiliate links.…
-
Jeju Island: Why You Should Visit Yakcheonsa Temple
There are many beautiful sites on Jeju Island to visit and among them is the gorgeous Yakcheonsa Temple (์ฝ์ฒ์ฌ). This beautiful Buddhist temple on Jeju Island is not old in any sense of the word though. Located on the south western coast of Jeju Island, surrounded by other tourist hot spots, it’s an easy addition to any Jeju itinerary and a great place to take a rest. If you’re staying in Seogwipo City, this is a must-see when you visit. Here is all of the information you need to visit Yakcheonsa Temple: (This page contains affiliate links. That means if you click on them and purchase something, I will get…
-
Pyochungsa Temple In The Yeongnam Alps
Pyochungsa Temple has been renamed several times but has not lost its luster. Though the paint was cracking it was pleasant to see a temple that showed its age. The temple is located on Jaeyaksan, a mountain in the Yeongnam Alps range that runs through the districts of Ulsan, Miryang and Cheongdo in Gyeongsangnam-do in the south of the country. This particular mountain offers sights ranging from waterfalls to temples and even has an Ice Valley, though I havenโt seen it. (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking at no cost to you. Thank you for your…
-
A Typhoon Hits Seoul… sort of
This week there was a typhoon warning and schools were cancelled in Seoul, Korea. Looking outside my window I didn’t see much rain or winds and wondered what it looked like down on the Han River. Schools in Korea hardly ever get cancelled and if they were cancelled I imagined the worst, but wasn’t seeing it. A friend and I decided to head to the river and at the first entrance were turned away by some sort of Han River guard on his bike. We decided to go down further and try entering down there. It couldn’t be that dangerous afterall, right? Luckily, there were no guards further up and…
-
Yongchu Temple and the Waterfall To Find There
I had headed down to Geochang, Korea to visit a friend for a few days and while there are plenty of things to do in Geochang, we wanted to take a motorbike ride and explore another area. We hopped on my friend’s motorbike and set our sights on Yongchu Temple (์ฉ์ถ์ฌ) and Yongchu waterfall (์ฉ์ถํญํฌ) just 45 minutes away. (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.) Basic Information Address: 962ย Sangwon-ri Ahnae-myeon Hamyang-gun Gyeongsangnam-do (๊ฒฝ์๋จ๋ ํจ์๊ตฐ ์์๋ฉด ์์๋ฆฌ 962) The Water Falls In Hamyang Set up in the…
-
The Neverending Story Secret In Geochang, Korea: Suseungdae
Geochang, Korea is off the beaten path yet full of hidden gems and Suseungdae is one of them. This is the main tourist spot in Geochang and famous for very historical reasons, but if you grew up watching the Neverending Story like I did, then you’ll love this stop for another reason. With locals, it’s a popular summer spot as it features a large stream where you can splash around in and enjoy natural rock slides. Ready for the fun? Let’s dive in! Ready to go to Suseungdae? (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking at no…
-
Namhansanseong Park and Fortress: Hiking In Seoul
Looking for a great place to go hiking in Korea that’s not so difficult, great hiking for families near Seoul, and fun? Have you heard of Namhansanseong Fortress (๋จํ์ฐ์ฑ๋๋ฆฝ๊ณต์)? While the Seoul Fortress Wall is long and can be rather mountainous in sections, Namhansanseong Fortress Wall is really pretty easy to get around and isn’t nearly as long as Seoul Fortress Wall. It’s a great spot to hike in winter near Seoul and great in the summer too. The wall is worth a visit in any season and even in winter the paths are relatively easy to walk along as there aren’t too many steep inclines. The restaurants inside the…
