Why do Koreans have such luminous and flawless skin?
For a country fixed on skin-deep aesthetics, plastic surgeons, immaculate dress styles, pinpoint-fluffed hair and healthy diets, it stands to consistent logic that Koreans would know how to ‘create’ great-looking skin!
Back in the U.S., I used to spend hours in Sephora, dropping anywhere from $40-$70 on various bottles of moisturizer and spot lightening (more…)
The vibe in the Indo-Himalayan air of Dharamsala was electric.
Walking back from the Dalai Lama’s temple, a large crowd was gathered around a local shop. Cellphone cameras were out clicking, digital cameras flashing… people were jumping up up to tip-toes to get a better view.
Could it be… the Dalai Lama?
A white VIP truck whizzed past me followed by excited admirers chasing after it. (more…)
What Koreans will go through for hair-raising feats… and beauty!
When my dad visited Korea last spring, he was seriously distraught. In the crowd of Koreans, young and old, he found he was the only “white-haired” senior in the population.
How can that be? Does Korea do away with all their old people or do they hide them away?
Korea, to him, was beginning to feel like a scary Twilight Zone episode.
Yulpo Seawater Green Tea Spa
Yulpo Beach is 10-minute bus ride south of the Boesang Tea plantations and an excellent stopover after a day of trodding around tea farms, but today the weather was a dreary, overcast and the sleepy town didn’t rouse much life. It is fall and summer resort season in Yulpo has ended and the nearby water park looked as dry as the town’s streets. An eerie calm prevailed over a light scent of rotting fish corpses. Quiet seaside towns make me nervous when they get this quiet.
Fortunately, the Yulpo Seawater Green Tea Spa was inviting and warm, defying the town’s ghost town demeanor. A relaxing soak in a rejuvenating bath of green tea was just what my friend, Chance and I needed! We wanted pampering and needed time to figure out our next move. Dare we find a minbak (Korean guesthouse) in this ghost town? I don’t think so… Bed down in Boseong? Or cut our losses and head out to Suncheon to makeup for sightseeing at the crack of dawn tomorrow?… This took meditative measure.
Boesang, South Korea
Raining. I waited the summer to see Boseong Tea Fields’ tea-inspired glory, rode 5+ hours by bus (and 3 transfers) and what happened when I finally got there?… It rained. Not saying this didn’t lend to magical moments but it did put a damper on my plans to spend an entire afternoon exploring the fields or at a tea cafe with some prime grade nokcha (aka Korean green tea). Still, I’m glad I got to see it and I didn’t walk away completely empty-handed. I rattled off some quick shots before the (more…)
As a traveler trekking all around on foot, there are times you get to feeling like a bit of a rag doll Cinderella. If you’re like me and possess backpacker-explorer mentality, you’re on your tootsies from sunrise to midnight. Your feet probably wears some serious Grrr and looks like it to!
Full Story »Souvenir gifting is often “a hit or miss” practice.
When a friend brings back a travel souvenir for me (and it’s not edible or chosen with my personality in mind), it can sometimes feel like, well,… junk! Likewise, I know there are times that I can be a “souvenir junk” gifter too! Perhaps I might occasionally nail a person’s personality with a souvenir; but most often, my gift souvenirs are flawed upon purchase. The reason?
I’m going to talk about something I have a passion for and I still consider it travel… DANCE! Sometimes, I wonder if dancers don’t make the best travelers… Their home is the stage, the bar or the body… there is no color or country…
Full Story »In lieu of Valentine’s Day, today’s post is about the language of Sarang-he (Korean for “Love”) and what better way to do it, than through the typical Korean soap drama! K-dramas have been the recent rage that’s been spreading across the globe with Asian countries and places like Hawaii.
Full Story »
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