The Sincheon river that runs north to south thru downtown has a biking trail on both sides popular with local bikers and city residents out for a stroll with families, or walking their dog. I've always avoided it expecting it to be busy, which it normally is. However, towards the south end of the trail I discovered an interesting Temple more reminiscent of Thailand providing a unique experience in the heart of the city.This was my first time biking south down the...

Coming to a maritime country like Korea surrounded by ocean on three sides I was excited I was going to eat a variety of fish cooked different ways. However after arriving I was surprised to learn that fish is hardly eaten except for raw fish and most seafood dishes are a preference for squid, octopus, and shrimp (haemul). After much searching and asking friends I did recently discover a fried fish restaurant at Jungangno easy to reach that serves fresh fried fis...

Trying to discover the more unique temples I'd seen a couple of people post pictures of Beopjusa Temple. It caught my eye due to a giant standing gold Buddha outdoors. At first I was confusing this with Seoraksan which has a similar bronze Buddha. Beopjusa was in fact not as far from Daegu as I thought and an easy day trip if you have the right directions.Beopjusa Temple is located in Songnisan National Park northwest of Daejeon. The closest town is called Boeun ...

I have been selected for a third year as a contributing writer for TheKoreaBlog run by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Sports--------------------------------------- -----------------Congratulations!We had such a difficult time in deliberating the finalists.Each and every applicant has different experiences and motivations of joining this team. Some are fine-tuned expert bloggers, some are hobby bloggers and there are even some very young beginners. However ...

Korea is riddled with so many mountains and hiking trails it is a popular pastime and part of the national culture. However, I'm not a big hiking fan and have tried to avoid it where I can. Gyeongju's Mt Namsan is a worthwhile exception due to the abundance of Buddhist carvings and sacred sites and is a rewarding experience for even a novice hiker.Biking along Mt Namsan in Gyeongju (see previous entry) I was passing many signs for the hiking trail on Mt Namsan. M...