RAStafford

Today is day we go to Pyeongchang(hometown of Halahbujee, Harmonee and Ann). While most of the Lee and Hwang families are in Canada now, we have a few family members, Pyeongchang Aunt and Uncle, who still live in Pyeongchang so a visit to Korea wouldn't be complete without a trip back home. (Pyeongchang Aunt is cousins with Halmonee. Halmonee's mother and Pyeongchang Aunt's father were brother and sister.) We took subway to Gangbyeon Bus Terminal to purchase tickets early this morning. We didn't account for the long weekend* and tickets were sold out for morning and afternoon buses to Pyeongchang. The last train at 4:30p had a few seats open so we figured better late than never. *Monday Aug 15th is a national holiday in Korea - Gwangbokjoel - known as liberation day, the holiday marks ... read more

Today is last day of bus tour. First stop was Yeongwol where King Danjong was exiled by his Uncle. King Danjong became King at age 12 when his father (son of King Sejong*) died at age 22. *King Sejong or King Sejong the Great is one of the best known figures in Korean history. He created the Korean language, hangul, and during his reign, Korea saw much stability and growth. He is the man on the 10,000 KRW bill. Lunch was good with an assortment of pretty much everything from fish, to meat to vegetables. But you had to sit on the floor again. Not the most comfortable position for those who are used to table and chairs. After lunch there was one last stop, Hanji Museum where we learned about the origins of paper and ... read more

Before we start the day's entry, we should give you a mini lesson on Korean toilets - at least the Ladies' Room. #1 - Almost all restrooms have the standard toilet, but some have both standard and squatting versions. Check before you enter stall if no picture is indicated on the stall door. #2 - Some standard toilets come with fancy buttons. Don't press unless you can figure out what they are. One's a bidet, one's to wipe your butt in lieu of toilet paper and one air dries. For the curious or those who don't mind adventure in the nether regions, go ahead and press away! #3 - Some restrooms have a common area for toilet paper. i.e. Stalls don't come equipped with paper. Check before you enter stall. #4 - Almost all restrooms have ... read more

Left Mokpo and headed to Boseong Green Tea Plantation. We had a taste of the tea grown on this plantation, both in hot tea and ice cream form! The landscape is gorgeous! Our first view took our breath away. After lunch, stop two was Naganeupseong Folk Village. We toured the village which has a town castle. JoSo were disappointed when they didn't see the castle they were used to (aka English style). The village actually has a town castle and traditional Korean style houses ("hanok") where about 100 families actually currently reside. Stop three was Suncheon Wetland. The tour guide took everyone on a 1 km walk through the wetlands. As he spoke only Korean, Halahbujee went with the tour group and RoAnJoSo chose to walk around on their own. It is a beautiful conservation area, ... read more

HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY CATE! Sorry we're not there to celebrate. But we're thinking of you! XOXOXOXO Very early start as we had to be at the Hana Tour (name of tour company) bus pick up location by 7:30a or bus would leave without us - not really, but you never know. Halahbujee arranged for a 7 day/6 night bus tour of South Korea. There may be places where we get the name wrong or mix up order of stops and perhaps not refer to all stops and just the ones that we remember. Please forgive us as the days are very long ( today our day ended at 8p) and bus tour involves sometimes 30 to 1.5 hours of driving and then hopping off and hopping back on to go to next location, and again everything ... read more