As a peninsula, Korea has countless beachside towns and cities that offer the perfect escape from the busier areas of Seoul and Incheon. One of my favorites is the city of Busan. Busan is just a quick three hour train ride away and offers the opportunity for the perfect weekend getaway. It still has all of the conveniences of city life with countless cozy cafés and western restaurants, however, it sits right along a beautiful coastline housing various beaches to relax.
In addition to the coastal vibes, there are also cultural attractions that bring people to this part of the country. One of the areas on the top of the list for many is the beautiful Gamcheon Cultural Village. Gamcheon is a picturesque little setting of hundreds of brightly painted homes complete with small alleyways to explore and countless painted murals to admire.
After grabbing brunch at a local restaurant, some friends and I decided to make our way up to the village for an adventure and the ultimate Busan photo-op. We bused up the curving mountain until we reached the top and could admire the spectacular view. Throughout the village there are dozens of roadside stops offering coffee, ice cream, snacks on a stick, and just about anything else you could imagine. Even a small boutique specializing in socks. We took hours to wind our way through myriad of alleyways; stopping to take pictures of the view and artwork along the way.
This sweet village offers such a juxtaposition to the traditional setting of Korea which is, for the most part, filled with tall office and apartment buildings and generally follows a gray color scheme with hints of green roofs. We couldn’t have been happier to experience this pop of color for a weekend and explore an entirely new part of the city we love in the country that has been home for nearly two years.
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After our busy 
A three-day weekend in Korea called for a quick getaway across the East China Sea where we landed in Honk Kong. It only took about 24 hours for this country to captivate my mind and soul. Hong Kong is the ultimate combination of eastern culture and western convenience. It reminded me of being in New York, but then we would simply turn a corner and be in the middle of a night market. I was hooked.
A cable car took us to the top of the mountain where we walked along a shop and restaurant lined street on our way to the stairway up to the Buddha which is where we discovered the Po Lin Monastery also sits atop the mountain. We wandered our way to the Buddha and slowly made it up 268 stairs to the top where we stayed for nearly an hour soaking in the view from the peak of the mountain and snapping countless photos of the Buddha and the surrounding statues.
Once we were back at sea level we took a long yet relaxing train ride to the Tsim Sha Tsui part of Hong Kong which would be home for the long weekend. We spent the rest of the day sightseeing and exploring the city until late into the night. We ended our day at the famous Temple Street Night Market which lived up to all of the reviews of good shopping and great street food.
Every few weekends or so I find myself wanting to get away from bustling streets of Seoul and Incheon and explore new parts of Korea. That said, the recent start of the warm summer months has really amped-up those feelings and has had me reminiscing of past getaways. One of my favorites from last spring was the day trip some friends and I took to Ganghwado Island in search of azaleas on Goryeosan Mountain.
Once we had made it further inward on the island we realized we were definitely lost and actually traveling away from our destination. At that point, we decided to hop off the bus and trust our luck to catch another bus returning in the direction of the mountain we were so desperate to find. Forty-five minutes, two peeled oranges, one snack sized bag of peanut M&Ms, and a few pictures later we managed to hail a lone taxi that seemed destined to pick us up. After a brief drive we were dropped at an azalea festival which we wandered for a bit before starting our hike up Goryeosan Mountain.
Finally reaching the peak late in the afternoon we were able to take in the sun and the spectacular views of the island. Being from the midwest where even a good sledding hill is rare, seeing the lush mountains that cover Korea is always a breathtaking experience.
Anyone who knows me knows that I’m obsessed with cherry blossoms and have been since I was very young. I remember visiting my grandmother’s house growing up and staring out the window into her backyard each spring admiring the beauty of the blossoming trees in bursts of pink and white wishing they could stay that way all year round.
The following day we went straight to Nishiki Market to pick up some souvenirs and a little breakfast, and then we were on our way to the Fushimi Inari Shrine. While the shrine didn’t have many cherry blossoms it was definitely a priority of the weekend.
Just about a year ago a group of friends and I headed south for a weekend of festivals. We spent Saturday in Jinhae for the 
We woke up Sunday morning in Busan which was incredible enough on its own. Busan is a seaside city and always makes me feel like I’m in California rather Korea. It has a much more laid-back vibe than up north were we live.
Once everyone in our group picked up their color packets we ventured into the mass of people celebrating. Indian music was blasting, people were dancing, and color was everywhere. There were hundreds of people, some tourists, some fellow expats, and many transplants from India who were more than happy to share their culture with us; pulling anyone into the circle that seemed to be drifting away.
{Day Three}
On my last day in HCM I decided to take advantage of the hotel’s rooftop pool and spent the morning swimming and relaxing before taking to the streets to explore the side of the city I hadn’t yet been to.
There happened to be a little street fair on one of the side streets next to the post office which was the perfect place to waste an hour while I was waiting for the Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica to open. I took some time to enjoy the beautiful church before it was time to grab a little caffeine and head to the airport and back to Korea. While it was a brief trip, it was an excellent way to spend a few days off from work and see an entirely new country.
After a wonderful
The hour or so journey there was actually pretty cool. As we traveled along we passed by small houses and tons of fishing boats. It was interesting to see the rural side of the country even if it was just for a brief moment. I found myself wondering what it would be like to live in one of the tiny riverside homes we passed.
As signs of spring are starting to appear in Korea, I’ve been reflecting on weekend trips taken last year and starting to plan what I hope to do this spring. I’ve been revisiting photos of various getaways and one in particular that stands out was the weekend spent in a southern city of Korea, called Jinhae, for their famous cherry blossom festival.
Once we had finished eating and walked through all of the tent lined streets, we started exploring to find the river we’d all spent the week dreaming about via Pinterest and Instagram. Seeing as there really were thousands of people at this festival it wasn’t terribly difficult to find. All we had to do was follow the masses in hopes of making our way to the front of the line to take a photo of the brightly colored river umbrellaed by blossoming pink and white trees.
We spent hours walking along the river and eventually made it to a coffee shop around dusk for a quick rest and caffeine fix. As the sun set we ventured back out into the crowds and found that the paths had been lit up by arches wrapped in white lights making the small town seem just a bit more magical.
Just weeks after beginning the new semester at school Chuseok weekend was upon us, and that meant the perfect reason to travel. Chuseok is essentially Korean Thanksgiving, and it allowed us a full five days off of work. While 
The morning started with a walk alongside the Saigon River and a shopping trip to the Binh Tay Market. I’d done a lot of research on the various markets in HCMC as markets tend to be my favorite travel experiences regardless of the city. I’d heard a lot about the Ben Thanh market and that it could be a bit touristy where as Binh Tay was where the locals shopped. I had plans to visit both, but Binh Tay would be first.
Once I made it inside the market I was greeted by two floors of a seemingly endless number of stalls with floor to ceiling merchandise including almost anything you could imagine. I spent hours walking from end to end and in between the countless stalls.
I toured this unexpected pagoda for another hour and then ventured back out to the street where I found a little side street market. Up until finding this street I’d been somewhat surprised about what Ho Chi Minh looked like. Of course, I’d seen pictures of the European style buildings, but being in Vietnam I still expected to see hundreds of older women wearing conical hats which seemed to be non-existent. Until I found this market that is.
bbm travels 