Last weekend I was surprised to find myself hiking 20km up a mountain. I mean, I knew that I would be hiking; what was casually omitted by the friend who planned it was the length of the trail and the severity of the incline. Not that knowing in advance would have changed anything. I still… Continue reading The Realities of Hiking in Korea
Category: Adventures
Sunday Sunrise at Jirisan
Ok, so this picture was actually taken about two hours after sunrise. Oops. But after sleeping in a noisy mountain shelter we couldn’t bring ourselves to go outside at the literal crack of dawn. Anyway, because I have an affinity for alliteration, here are some other “S” words that described me and my day: Sunny as… Continue reading Sunday Sunrise at Jirisan
Adventures in Korean Skincare & My Favorite Product
Before Korea, skincare was never on my radar. I know, it’s an absolute blasphemy, but I was lucky enough to have been born with decent skin and words like “maintenance” and “prevention” never really crossed my mind. Then… dun dun dun… the wrinkles came. I’m 28 years old, which is too damn… Continue reading Adventures in Korean Skincare & My Favorite Product
Fall Colors and Lunch in a Cloud at Seoraksan
About a year ago I made a bucket list of the places I wanted to go in Korea and Seoraksan, Korea’s most popular mountain range, had been at the top of the list. Somehow, though, time slipped by and I finally came to accept that it just wasn’t going to happen. It was too far… Continue reading Fall Colors and Lunch in a Cloud at Seoraksan
WWOOFing on the Cutest Little Farm in Korea
My dear friend Emily is what we affectionately call “a total food hippy”. She ferments her own food, her eyes light up at the mention of bacteria, and she could talk for days about seeds and planting fruit trees. So, appropriately, one of the first things she did when she arrived in Korea earlier this… Continue reading WWOOFing on the Cutest Little Farm in Korea
A Road Trip to a Remote Land, Goheung Island
I believe in road trips. I believe in pit stops to frolic in flower fields. I believe in hiking to the top of a mountain. I believe in finding the most remote beach possible. I believe in oceanside cooking. I believe in sunset yoga poses. Last weekend three girlfriends and I decided to get the heck… Continue reading A Road Trip to a Remote Land, Goheung Island
A Goodbye Letter To My Passport
Dear Passport, Do you remember when you arrived almost ten years ago? I was so excited to see you… until I actually saw you. God, you were ugly. Not really all of you, but that photo! What on earth happened to the photo?! I sent in a perfectly decent photo and somehow you came back… Continue reading A Goodbye Letter To My Passport
Adventures in Bako National Park, Borneo
It was my second day of traveling alone in Borneo. I’d spent a few days searching for crocodiles on the Kinabatangan river followed by another four days dodging pirates in Mabul, but those days had been with friends; now, here I was, heading to a small, uninhabited island off the west coast of Borneo to… Continue reading Adventures in Bako National Park, Borneo
10 Things I Learned in My First 10 Days as a “Solo Female Backpacker”
I fought back the tears as I hugged Chelyn goodbye at the airport in Borneo and wished her a safe flight home. Not so much because I would miss her (though I would, of course) but because I now faced 10 days of travel in a third world country– as well as Singapore and peninsular… Continue reading 10 Things I Learned in My First 10 Days as a “Solo Female Backpacker”
Crocodile Diaries: Adventures On the Kinabatangan River in Borneo
Click click. The buzz of the motor muffled the satisfying click of my shutter as we cruised up the Kinabatangan river. The sun beat down on us from a clear azure sky flanked by wispy clouds in the distance, and reflected pictures in the muddy colored water of the lush green trees along the banks.… Continue reading Crocodile Diaries: Adventures On the Kinabatangan River in Borneo
Jungles, Beaches, Monkeys, and My Epic Trip to Borneo
It’s midnight. Eighteen long hours of travel and I’ve finally arrived, sweaty and exhausted, at the hostel in Borneo. We have five hours until we have to be back to the airport to catch our morning flight. I expect some hugs and giggles when I see my friends, some chatting and catching up before getting… Continue reading Jungles, Beaches, Monkeys, and My Epic Trip to Borneo
Weird Korea: Forced to Fake Vote in a Bamboo Theme Park
On my 25th birthday my (awesome) friends hung posters around my house saying the 25 things they loved about me. Along with phrases like, “She’s the only one I’d go to an Indian buffet and then try on spandex with” (because it really happened), one poster read, “You can meet the strangest people on the… Continue reading Weird Korea: Forced to Fake Vote in a Bamboo Theme Park