Lee Oh Ji, a haeneyo of Seongsang ri on Jeju Island
What do the Lockness Monster, the Yeti and the Korean Mermaids of Jeju Island have in common? Well they’re all legends, with one exception- the Korean Mermaids aren’t myths, but real life people.
In visiting Jeju Island, mermaid spotting was one of my curiosities. Being an island girl myself, my connection to the sea as one giant maternal seductress is unconsciously strong; as a little girl I’d have many mermaid dreams (more…)
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…)
Korea is a pretty safe country to travel if you’re a woman. But being a solo traveler – difficult and delightful can share the same coin. While I thoroughly enjoy relaxing into bonding with fellow EPIKers on group day trips as we weather the inevitable culture shock together; excursions alone while initially dreaded, gives me valuable time to explore, grow and reflect upon my new cultural surroundings at a relaxed pace. Plus, I get to take out the DSLR!
But… I don’t always gave ample time to research my cities. If I’m doing a weekend or day trip, researching accommodations and train times are my only afforded concerns. Why? Take my recent 2-day weekend trip to Busan. I (more…)
Waiting at the airport for my plane... I still feeling a bit numb. Last night, I got all of 1 hour of incomplete sleep -I was freezing because my radiator decided that it only wanted to work at 10A and of course, my upcoming trip had some last minute To-Do’s with it .But in that incomplete hour that my subconscious grasped for time, it gave me a dream reminder of two important things I needed for my trip. Rather than deconstructing lengthy Freudian and Jungian narratives, let me summarize it as this-
Sometimes, the best survival tool for dissolving anticipatory travel fears and worry is to carry humor and re-connect to inspiration. In all my itinerary planning and nerves, I forgot about this. Humor (more…)
by Christine Ka’aloa
The saying, “A stone’s throw in a pond creates a ripple effect…” feels true of the moment. As of recent I have been juggling a lot of weighty decisions about travel, making it more of a lifestyle and what happens when you have no travel partner.
My GRRRL Traveler Challenge #1 : Become a female solo traveler of developing countries.
My GRRRL traveling dreams and the courage required to embark upon them don’t magically create themselves, without some effort on my part to rub two stones together! I rub and I rub and ask myself- Why would I want to travel alone? That little voice inside says- “…because you love to travel…You love to explore new cultures and have adventures . Why WAIT on someone else to allow you to do that? Go for it -or – regret not trying ! And there you have it.
For me, solo travel is an opportunity to continue my travels, without being :
a) at the mercy of friends’ work-vacation schedules or luxury budgets
b) searching for travel buddies to match my wish list of developing countries
c) dealing with others’ fickleness
While twiddling my thumbs waiting, often I feel like I’m standing out in the rain, praying for lightning to strike (more…)
Ocean Rower and Environmentalist, Roz Savage launches second stage of her solo row across the Pacific Ocean. The press launch event took place at the Waikiki Yacht Club, Hawaii. For more information or to follow her voyage and blogs go to www.rozsavage.com.
Full Story »
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