This morning checked out of the hotel in Jeju city and decided to go first to Loveland. From my map it was easy directions to get to from my hotel but a bit of a walk. Turned out its a 3km walk. I tried to take a bus but I couldnt figure it out. The road was on an incline as the centre of the island is a volcano and we were heading inland from the coast. It became a country road with fast traffic and no pavements. After a while they were doing construction and th...

May has two public holidays, Thursday May 5 is Childrens Day, Tues May 10 is Buddhas Birthday. This means a double long weekend. Some people get the Friday off as well, some get the Monday off as well, some get both, some get none. Lucky for me I get the Monday off so have a four day weekend. I thought this would be the perfect time to goto Jeju, Koreas largest island in the south and a popular tourist destination.I thought it would be a good idea to fly one way ...

Here is my interview with 'InDaegu' (formerly 'Daegu Pockets') a monthly english publication, in their May Issue.... I have also been asked to write an article 'Muslim in Korea' for their next issue.--------------------------------------- -------------Daegu Blogger Invited to the Blue HouseWritten by Alexandra PetriTranslation by Emily CashwellAsif was checking his e-mails at an Internet café in Tokyo back in February when he received the news: Asif learned ...

The Daegu Herb Medicine Market has been operating for three hundred and fifty years. It is a truly an international market as visitors here will find medicines and merchants from countries such as China, Manchuria, Russia, and Europe.This herb medicine festival displays medicinal herbs that are found in Korea’s mountains and visitors can experience a wide range of relaxing and curative traditional Oriental medicinal procedures. The Daegu Yangyeongsi Herb Me...

Sunday morning I left the hostel and walked over to the Jongmyo Shrine about 20 mins away. Today was the main event that I came for this weekend. The Jongmyo Daeje ceremony is held once a year on the first Sunday in May. It is to honour the spirits of the dead kings.The ceremony dates back several centuries to the Joseon Dynasty but was banned during the Japanese occupation. In recent years they have restarted the annual ritual. Here is a good summary, click the ...