We got up around 5:40-5:45 am. I had slept really well. The temple is quite noisy, as the building is old, and the floors are pretty creaky when people are walking about. I had woken a couple of times during the night, once around 11:30 pm and then again at 2 am. There's nothing nicer than waking up, looking at the clock and then realising that you still have hours left in bed. The room was a little cool and I quickly put on my clothes and we headed towards the meditation room, stopping off at the toilet on the way. Some people were brushing their teeth and washing their faces, far too much effort for so early in the morning. There was a monk at the entrance to the mediation room and she had a ... read more

Seoul Museum of History is not one of the major sights in the city. I only learnt about the place a couple of years ago, and kept meaning to visit, but I also kept forgetting about it. With a couple of free hours, I decided to head there and learn more about this beast of a city. The museum is in a good location. I walked there from the City Hall area by Deoksugung Palace. I had checked the map and the museum's website and it was about a 15 minute walk. The museum is situated next to Gyeonghuigong Palace. Outside of the museum, there is an old streetcar that operated on the city's streets between 1939 and 2964. The first streetcars began operating in 1899 on May 17th between Cheongnyangni and Jongno. They were the ... read more

5th Sept: We had taken the bus down from Seoul overnight and the traffic had been good. We arrived at Tongyeong in the early hours of the morning and slept for a bit longer, until it started to get light. I came out of the bus, to see that we were parked up near the water. The area was a bit ghetto, as there were a few people (I presume to be tramps) sleeping outside. I was dreading to go to the bathroom, but was pleasantly surprised at how clean they were, there was even toilet paper and soap, which can be a rarity in Korea. The sun was rising and the sky was a beautiful pink color. I took a little wander along the front to see the turtle ships. Turtle ships got their name ... read more

Ihwa Mural village is located in Seoul, close to Daehaengno. I visited Gaemi mural village a few months ago, and I had been wanting to visit its more famous sister, Ihwa mural village. Ihwa is a 'moon village' like Gaemi Mauel is, and the murals were painted to gentrify the area. In 2006, a local public art committee carried out what was called the Naksan Project to improve the local area. Around 60 artists participated in this project either by painting murals or installing pieces of art. The mural village is pretty easy to get to. Lots of people have written blogs about visiting it. Sometimes the directions are spot on, however other times they leave a lot to be desired. I took the subway to Hyehwa, and came out of exit two. I walked straight, ... read more

15th Aug: We arrived at around 3 am. It was so peaceful and the air actually felt cool, when we stepped off the bus. It was so nice to be out of the heat and humidity, even if it is only for a bit. We walked up through the small village and then the main road to reach the entrance to the national park. There is so little light pollution and regular pollution, that the sky was a sea of stars. It was truly beautiful. I think I had forgotten what stars looked like. It took us about half an hour to reach the Jungsan-ri entrance. We had to walk as our group leader had been told before that buses aren't allowed up to this entrance, but one bus did come all the way up. Obviously ... read more