Blogs from Gangnam, Seoul, South Korea, Asia

I imagine travel for most people as a well-planned endeavor. Getting the most out of your cherished two weeks off from the daily drudgery is probably some of the most well thought out plans a person makes during the year. Weeks spent searching websites trying to find the perfect hotel, flight and entertainment usually follow months of reading dreamy destination brochures filled with glossy pictures of a glamorous life somewhere on a distant side of the globe. Some seek advice from a travel expert, often a lady behind a desk covered by brochures who seems to have been everywhere and tasted the buffets of every gleaming cruise ship that plies the seven seas. Some attempt to make life simpler by booking a prearranged trip that meets most or all of your travel dreams. Spending more time ... read more

South Korea: On my last trip I didn’t use any of the airline points I had acquired traveling as a consultant. This time I redeemed points for a 1 way to Seoul in business class on Korean Air. I had never flown business class on an intercontinental flight. After the flight I realized why everyone raves about it. I was able to lie down completely vertical and got a good 7 hours of sleep. I also picked up a pair of noise cancelling headphones (not sure if I was allowed to but no one stopped me as I walked off the plane with them in clear sight). I flew on an Airbus A380. This was the same aircraft I took to Asia on my last trip. The entire upstairs was business class. I watched Nixon & ... read more

Robb’s ankle was still hurting from yesterday so we took it a little early today. Headed out later in the morning towards Gangnam. We didn’t see Psy (of Gangnam Style song popularity) but we did see a lot of very rich and expensive stores. It was incredibly hot so we only saw a portion of Gangnam, mainly K-Star Road which is where many K-Pop entertainment management agencies are located. Gangnam is in fact a very trendy part of Seoul and has a vibrant nightlife. But at Noon during 40C weather, we didn’t linger very long. We took some photos and opted to go back to an area near the hotel where there are lots of restaurants and had our first taste of Chimaek(“Chi” for Chicken and “maek” which is Korean for beer). JoSo had some “maek” ... read more

I just had a blast in South Korea where I spent 2 weeks visiting family and friends. I am still a bit jet lagged as I just walked in the door of my house 2 hours ago but I dont want to sleep yet as to not mess up my sleep schedule. I wanted to write while I was there but they were so many things to do that I just didn't get the chance. All I can say is that I must have gained 10 pounds while I was there because it seems that this is all I was doing. Everyone in my family was commenting on how skinny I am and that they must not be feeding me in the US. I even went to a baseball game to see the Doosan Bears play ... read more

I took the subway to Suseo station and came out of exit 6. The start of the trail is a one minute walk away. I spent sometime, looking at the trail map. There was the trail map for the mountain also for the Seoul Trail, which is spread over more than 100 kilometres, over the city, and seems to mainly be on the flat land around the base of the mountains. It looks like the Seoul Trail could be nice. I hope I have time to do a section or two of it. I started up the steps, which marked the start of the trail. the steps weren't too bad and didn't last too long, before giving way to a gentle forest trail. There were a few benches not long after the steps and some friends ... read more