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To the East

May 2023 - May 2024
Korea, Mongolia, Thailand and Bhutan Read more
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  • Rita YeeTo the East
    Day 11

    Jeju - West Course

    May 12, 2023 in South Korea

    First of 3 day trips here on Jeju. You can rent a car and drive around the island yourself, but otherwise these are good options. I booked with Yeha Tours via Klook and had a really great guide, Elin, for the 1st two days. She made the days fun and not only gave us snacks to sample along with grandpa stones as gifts. The stones are a Jeju thing for protection and some originals still dot the island.

    We started off the day by stopping at Hyuphaie Beach before going to Hallim Park which is a botanical garden. The loop started with a walk by palm trees, before visiting 2 lava caves and a bonsai & stone garden. There were so many cute trees it was hard to take photos of each one. Next up was a folk village and there was also several peacocks displaying their feathers.

    After lunch, we made a stop at Ossuloc Green Tea Fields, a great instagram spot. Innisfree is also right next door, so it's a bit of a shopping stop as well. We had to be quick though as time was limited. Our next activity was a Mt Sangang Cruise so we had to catch the boat.

    The cruise itself was quite nice as we saw interested rock formations. The commentary was all in Korean though and the crowd was a lively bunch. Our last stop of the day, the entire group chose to go to Cheonjeyeon Falls. We only made it to 2 of 3 waterfalls, but the 2nd (or officially known as the 1st) was pretty much dry as it hadn't rained inawhile. Luckily the other falls was beautiful and we got to see the Seven Nymphs bridge as well.

    With the itinerary at it's end, some travellers opted to leave the tour as they were staying in Seogwipo city which was close to our location. After that, the bus wound it's way back to downtown Jeju, making the dropoff rounds.

    I tried to go to a seafood place back out towards the cafe from yesterday, but when I arrived, I discovered it wasn't open =( A bit of a hangry struggle trying to get a bus back to town. A lot of places were closed so I ended up at McDonald's out of desperation. I did get a bulgogi burger though, but it was only ok.    Read more

  • Rita YeeTo the East
    Day 12

    Jeju - East Coast

    May 13, 2023 in South Korea ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Another day another coast, there are similar items on the itinerary but different of course. First up is Jeolmul Natural Forest for a short but beautiful walk through the cedar trees. Quintessentially Jeju. We then went to Seonguep Folk Village before stopping for lunch. After lunch, a quick visit to Fantastic Forest for another short walk, this one was a location for a BTS music video, to the delight of some of the younger guests.

    Beach visit to Gwangchigi Beach before heading to the Woman Diver Show. These women divers are tough old women who free dive into the sea to pick abalone and other shellfish. Because of the hard work, not many young people are taking this up. The ladies entertained us with some songs about how hard they work while their husbands spent the money, before diving into the water. To be honest, the whole experience felt very staged. We weren't sure if we were to wait for them to return to shore with their findings or if it was the end of the show.

    I waited a bit before ascending the stairs to climb Seongsam Ilchul-Bong, this is a great sunset spot, but we were climbing it for the views. It's a bit steep but definitely doable with the given time, and very rewarding as well. After a hike like that, hallabong ice cream was a sweet reward.

    We began to head back to Jeju via the Jongdalri Shore Road, a beautiful stretch of road that invites to gaze out the whole time (for those of us who didn't fall asleep) and made our final stop at Manjang-gul Cave, which is more of a lava tunnel and has the largest lava column in the world.

    Dinner tonight, tried another restaurant, this one close to the airport. Another bus trip, another discovery that it was closed. Luckily I didn't have to wait as long for a bus this time, and ended up back at the night market to grab something small.    Read more

  • Rita YeeTo the East
    Day 13

    Jeju - South

    May 14, 2023 in South Korea ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    The south coast tour only runs on Sunday which was part of the reason I tried to include a Sunday in my Jeju itinerary. It's more of an active tour but yet another chance to see more of Jeju. Some of the area does overlap with the West Coast so it's interesting how they split it up.

    Elin was off today so we had another guide who with our agreement flipped our itinerary. Now we start our day at Jeongbang Waterfalls, a really pretty waterfall that is the only one in Korea that spills into the sea. We're able to get up close and personal for photos and views.

    Next a small hike to check out Oedolgae aka Lonely Rock. Legend has it that a grandmother turned into a rock while awaiting her husband to return from fishing. Our next stop would've been Jusangjeolli Hexagon Lava Cliffs which looked really cool, but it was under restoration so we couldn't go. Instead it was replaced by a temple visit.

    After lunch, we stopped by the Alive Musume to take fun trick eye photos. It was really cool to finally experience this but it definitely is more fun when you go with friends and can take all the photos you want without asking for help from strangers. Even though we were encouraged to help each other, it still felt a little shy to ask.

    One of the highlights of the day was hiking in Mt Halla National Park. We took the Eoseungsaenak Trail to one of the peaks. It was harder that yesterday's hike and the clouds were moving in fast so we only had quick glimpses of the scenery and other peaks. The last 'activity' of the day was the Mysterious Road which is an optical location where it looks like a vehicle is rolling up instead of down. I'm still not quite sure how it works as we were on the bus for this with the driver rolling in neutral.

    Dinner - finally a restaurant that was open. The guide recommended a local place Memeal Naeng Myeon as I was craving cold buckwheat noodles. It's right next to the Jeju Isaac Toast in old Jeju. There's no English menu, but it's easy enough to point.

    One last drink to farewell Jeju - a blue/purple magic-ade - absolutely delicious.    Read more

  • Rita YeeTo the East
    Day 14

    Seoul Round 2

    May 15, 2023 in South Korea ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    Flew back to Seoul for Round 2 on this trip. What was originally scheduled as Sokcho became Seoul as I was concerned with the overall travel for the day as well as activities within Sokcho. While part of the reason of going to Sokcho was to stay in a hotel overlooking the sea a hottub, it no longer quite make sense timewise.

    One of the things I'd wanted to do in Sokcho was visit Mt Seorak, but there were no tours that I could find. Little that I knew later was that I could've taken a bus. But as always, things happen for a reason and you'll see why later on.

    Anyhows, back to Seoul, I took a mid-morning flight and still got a full afternoon in before meeting my friend for dinner. Since it was sunny this go around, it was off to the Lotte Tower, measuring 555m to check out the views. It is absolutely stunning to see the sprawl of Seoul and marvel at what the Koreans in history would have to say to the view. Yes, they'd reunited the peninsula in the dynasties, but seeing the land covered with buildings instead of just green is quite something. I'd wanted to do the Bridge Tour as well where they clip you and you can actually walk outside, but it was a 2 hour wait. They do have terraces outside though on a lower floor so that is an option as well.

    Coming down from the tower, I took a quick jaunt around the lake, which was beautiful and peaceful. Part of it borders Lotte World the amusement park. Next stop, back to one my favorite Korea activities - cafe hopping.

    This time we're off to Grandpa Factory, featured in the K-drama Vincenzo. It's quite non-descript from the outside as the building and many others in the neighborhood, had a facelift from the original industrial uses. There's a treehouse on the property as well and you can climb into it from the 2nd floor of the cafe. They also serve meals here so you're not limited to drinks/desserts.

    Next it was off to Seoul Forest Park, a nice city park to walk around amongst the locals, and close by my friend's workplace. We ended up going to a Korean Japanese fusion restaurant called Ioro Bistro, before one last dessert at Cafe Marly.    Read more

  • Rita YeeTo the East
    Day 15

    Daytrip - Incheon

    May 16, 2023 in South Korea ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    A partial day trip today to check out Incheon Chinatown and Fairy Tale World. After a slight mishap with the wrong train, I arrived. Chinatown isn't very big but it's nice to wander around to check out if you have time. To the west, there's the old port area with historic buildings and some cool cafes. To the east is Fairy Tale World where part of the neighborhood has murals and other installations depicting a young playful environment. This was a pleasant stroll around and something less usual.

    From there, I decided to take the monorail to Wolmi Island. While the amusement park wasn't open, it was still cool to see from above. The line itself is just over 6km making it the longest in South Korea.

    A little hungry at this point, I made my way to Greem Cafe in Hongdae. It's a 2D cafe that looked really cool, but unfortunately it was closed today. Oh well. I then hoofed it over to Nodeul Island, an artificial island in the middle of the Han River. While I'd intended to find the "I Seoul You" sign, I had a nice walk around half the island before finding out perhaps I was in the wrong spot and headed to Hangang Park instead.

    Locals were milling about relaxing but after some searching I still hadn't found the sign. I read it would be super obvious but no luck. Finally another google search showed that there was not only 1 sign but 27! However, they had all been taken down this February past as the city was looking for a new slogan.

    Still haven't eaten yet, but I rushed over to Ossulloc to buy some green tea. I'd missed my chance in Jeju, but fortunately Seoul had my second chances. I made it just in the knick of time and had an ice cream to boot before checking out Teddy Beure House, a cafe well known for its croissants. The place was packed though so I ended up getting it to go (and it would become breakfast tomorrow).

    Last item of the day - Seoul Tower. It's now evening but I think a good contrast to the day views from Lotte during the day. Taking the advice of other travellers and the fact that it was hot, I took the cable car instead of walking up. While there was a wait, I'm definitely glad I did that. The tower itself was another ticket, but I think this time it would've been better to save the money and just walk around the top of the hill.

    A quick stop at the night market for egg bread and dumplings before heading back to the hotel for the night.    Read more

  • Rita YeeTo the East
    Day 16

    Day trip - Mt Seorak, Nami Island & More

    May 17, 2023 in South Korea ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Day trip! This time a minivan to Mt Seorak, Nami Island and Garden of Morning Calm. While you only get a limited visit to each site instead of the full days you can devote to each, it's a great taste of several cool places.

    At Mt Seorak, we had 3 hiking options to choose from. I chose the trail to see the yellow rocks which is one of the most recognizable spots in the park. There's 2 parts to the trail and the 2nd will actually take you right to the rock, however we were advised against it giving the time restraint and it's actually quite steep. Another choice had pretty waterfalls along the way, but those that took it said there wasn't much water.

    Nami Island was recommended by my sister, and it's quite cute to walk around and have lunch there. Or you can have the famous BBQ chicken in the area before boarding the boat to Nami. Fans of Winter Sonata will note the filming locations. You can even overnight on the island.

    Our last stop, Garden of Morning Calm is quite tranquil. While not all the flowers were in bloom, it was still pretty to visit. There were great photo spots as well and a great end to the end.

    Dinner - I finally made it to a restaurant. This one close to the hotel for beef bone soup. Yum!    Read more

  • Rita YeeTo the East
    Day 17

    Shopping Day

    May 18, 2023 in South Korea

    A day with no sights, just chilling and shopping. First stop, breakfast! At long last, a proper breakfast returns to my itinerary. This morning I finally made my way to Gwangjang market for hand cut noodles from that Netflix street food show. The owner was there of course and she was so nice, even taking photos with us. The stand is easy to identify and while there's a line, it moves fairly quickly.

    If you're super hungry, you can also try other foods in the market like pancakes, live octopus and beef tartare. Part of the market is known as pancake alley and you can see the stone grinders working mung bean into a paste. There were more pancakes than people!

    Next stop - jimjilbang time! It's the traditional Korean baths, taken in your birthday suit. While saunas are "dressed" (robes/other spa provided clothes), for men and women, the bath itself is segregated. I checked out a women's only spa that was recommended and it was definitely a local experience. They didn't speak English but thanks to some lovely locals, I was able to muddle through and got heartily scrubbed to end up with super soft skin.

    Next a little shopping at Innisfree Duty Free - had a bit of an adventure with this one. Starting with one duty free, only to find a counter, to checking out regular stores to see which was the best deal, to another duty free where I ended up buying way more masks than planned. There was a free gift after all. One thing to note is that the prices were in US dollars.

    As for lunch? Well, that turned into dessert at Cheese Industry in Ikseongdong. A return trip to this area that I loved from my first visit. They make their own cheese and I ended up with a brie cheesecake that was wrapped in gauze, quite yummy and I nearly finished it.

    Back to the pampering, time for a facial at Line Esthetics in Myeongdong. I found this place on Google earlier by searching facials near me. While I thought I'd just do a regular moisturizing facial, I ended up with a package that combined a few of the facials, which was one of the most popular offerings they had. They even made a paper mache like mask from during a mask and decorated it as well.

    Dinner - another real meal - this time chicken ginseng soup at a Michelin place which surprise was also right by my hotel. I stumbled across this by accident the other night, but had missed last call. The broth was very flavorful and there's an entire chicken in the pot. Super hearty and check off another foods to eat in Korea.    Read more

  • Rita YeeTo the East
    Day 19

    DMZ

    May 20, 2023 in South Korea ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    My last day in Korea, and it's time for the DMZ, aka the demilitarized zone before North and South Korea. It's a very informative tour and you have to leave early as tickets can only be secured on location and there's a limited number. Once you cross the checkpoint, you literally have 3 hours to make the stops and exit. Time is of the essence.

    We spent some time at the park where we were to purchase our tickets. It's a place Koreans visit regularly as well, usually those who've had to leave relatives in North Korea. While the elders look across the border, the children can play in the nearby amusement park. It's feels strange to have that difference and certainly had us wondering when we saw the rides in the near distance.

    There's actually several lines, the one in the ceasefire line in the middle that's not actually really marked, the DMZ lines, 2km in each direction to form the DMZ itself and another line even further out where civilians cannot cross,

    The first official stop once in the zone is the 3rd tunnel. This tunnel was dug by North Koreans to infiltrate the South and was only discovered when one of the men building the tunnels escaped to the South side and reported it. Conditions were bad as they were using dynamite and a number of men died in the process. Once the tunnel was located, South Korea built and intercepting tunnel to halt the progress. It's down this intercepting tunnel that we would traverse and actually be the DMZ itself, albeit underground. No cameras allowed and the journey felt a little surreal. It only takes about 30 minutes round trip.

    Next stop, the observatory. Lined with binoculars, we were able to look into North Korea to see the city. It was called a fake city for reasons I cannot remember now, but it did look beautiful. We could also see the tower bombed by Kim Jong Un's sister, a Hollywood-like sign on a hill and flag towers where North and South Korea were competing to see which would be higher. North Korea would win out as they kept switching back and forth, and I believe it was a Guinness height record as well.

    Last stop was one of the local villages for people living in the area. Farming is the main activity here and ginseng one of the main exports. We tried some soybean ice cream which was interesting before heading back to Seoul.

    One last shopping stop and a quick lunch, then it was off to the airport hotel for me to catch an early morning flight to Mongolia.    Read more

  • Rita YeeTo the East
    Day 19

    Mongolia

    May 20, 2023 in Mongolia ⋅ ☁️ 2 °C

    After 2 1/2 weeks on my own, I was looking forward to joining my Mongolia tour and switching off my brain from logistics. Mongolia's been on my list for some time, and happened this year when I had to change previous plans. I was keeping an eye on the world and was a bit concerned since today was cold and called for snow. So much I considered buying a coat or blanket despite my limited baggage space.

    After landing at the Ulanbaatar airport, I realized I'd given my hotel the wrong flight information. The information desk helped called them and I was advised to take a taxi. Considering the costs as the airport is quite far out, I contemplated the bus before booking a shuttle at the next counter. Luckily for me, it was super inexpensive and dropped me right at my hotel for only $9 instead of the $35 the hotel would've charged.

    I shared the shuttle with 2 other girls, and admittedly was a bit nervous given the low cost, but it seemed legit since they had a counter and I paid by credit card. Fortunately the driver also spoke Korean (I think) and conversed with one of the girls who was in town for work and the other was visiting a friend. I also followed along with Google maps.

    After checking in the hotel, it was a bit of an adventure finding a currency exchange place since it was Saturday and the banks were closed. I finally managed to find a block where there were several changers and ended up in one storefront that had several local women in it. The rates were pretty much what I saw at the airport though so that was good.

    There wasn't much on my itinerary today, so I just wandered around, checking out the Square, The State Department store, bubble tea and food. There's a lot of Soviet influence in Ulanbaatar, from the alphabet to the designs of the buildings. It's a bit odd when you stand in the square to look at the Genghis Khan statue and then turn around to see modern skyscrapers and hotels. The Cyrillic alphabet is also used so signs were hard to understand though one could pick out the odd word or two.

    I came across bubble tea in my travels and it was actually pretty good, the drink seems popular here as I also saw a number of young people with a cup in their hands. My walk would take me to Shangri-la mall where I not only discovered a movie theatre, but also cheap popcorn. Can't say no to that.

    From there I scouted out my hotel for tomorrow, before popping into Mandu House for an early dinner. I ordered steamed dumplings but they did take quite a bit of time which apparently is normal. The dumplings were huge though and I ended up having to pack half.

    An early night given the rain and cold, but it's supposed to be sunny and warmer going forward.    Read more

  • Rita YeeTo the East
    Day 21

    Ulaanbaatar

    May 22, 2023 in Mongolia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    More walking with no set plans today. Check out time was at noon so I took advantage to head over to an area on the map marked as a shopping area. I hadn't seen many souvenir shops in my travels and thought it might be the opportunity to do so. While I made it there, the view down the street looked like a shopping area for locals so I just headed back via another road to see more of the city. I would pass by the Gandan Monastery but didn't go in as I figured I would have a chance the next day (I wouldn't, but that's ok). My path in the northern half of the city showed an older part of the city that still retains Soviet looks and old ger camps in the hill.

    After checking out, I went to Modern Nomads for some local food before heading to the new hotel. This branch is right by my hotel and I'd found the restaurant first from Youtube and then a rare travel page online. It was fairly quiet but good for what I had.

    This afternoon was another walk, this time with my roommate. No particular destinations in mind though we did traverse a few new streets and even discovered the Ulanbaatar sign =) Tonight I met my small group and we checked out another Mongolian nearby in the Shangri La mall where I had fried noodles, checking off another must eat on the list.    Read more

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