21 Apr 2010, Posted by Matt in Best of DK.com, Buddhist Temples, Historic Korea, Jeolla, Nature, 1 Comments

Saseongam: The Four Sages Hermitage

Saseongam is a small Buddhist temple set dramatically into a wall of exposed granite on a foothill of Korea’s sacred mountain, Jirisan.

13 Mar 2010, Posted by Matt in Chungcheong, Festivals & Holidays, Gyeongsang, Jeju, Jeolla, Nature, Seoul, 13 Comments

Spring 2010 Flower Festivals

Korea’s first spring flower festivals are underway! It’s time to check out some of the many festivals celebrating the sansuyu (cornus flower), maehwa (flowering apricot) and, of course, the beotkkeot (cherry blossom).

21 Oct 2009, Posted by Matt in Buddhist Temples, Gyeonggi, Historic Korea, Nature, Seoul, 4 Comments

Fall Color at Mt. Gwanaksan

Although I’m completely unqualified to do so, here’s a quick Korean language lesson.

The word “san” (산) in Korean more or less means mountain. That’s why every mountain in Korea has the “-san” suffix, e.g. Seoraksan, Bukhansan, Jirisan, etc. Trouble is, living here I’ve become familiar calling Korea’s peaks by their Korean names (fancy that!), so calling Jirisan “Mount Jiri” just doesn’t feel right. When translating to English, however, it’s unclear that it’s a mountain without the obligatory “Mt.” title. So what’s my awkward compromise? Mount (Mountain Name)-mountain… something tells me my opinion on this will change shortly.

Anyhow, given that autumn color has started here in Seoul, I wanted to put up some photos from a quick trip last year to, ahem, Mt. Gwanaksan (관악산), located in Southern Seoul.

(more…)

15 Mar 2009, Posted by Matt in Chungcheong, Festivals & Holidays, Gyeonggi, Gyeongsang, Jeju, Jeolla, Nature, Seoul, 3 Comments

Spring 2009 Flower Festivals Calendar

03 Dec 2008, Posted by Matt in Festivals & Holidays, Food & Drink, Historic Korea, Hotels & Resorts, Jeolla, Nature, 12 Comments

Boseong’s Green Tea Fields

Boseong’s Daehan Tea Plantation welcomes thousands of visitors annually.

(A version of this text aired on KBS World Radio on May 24, 2008.)

Tea was first cultivated in China over 2,500 years ago. But shortly thereafter, green tea was introduced to Korea, and the country has a long history of producing excellent tea (link to Korean tea ceremony).

The earliest mention of tea in Korea dates to the 7th century and Queen Seondeok (선덕) of the Silla Kingdom. And two hundred years later, tea seeds from China were planted at the foot of Mt. Jiri near the village of Hadong.

(more…)

25 Oct 2008, Posted by Matt in Buddhist Temples, Festivals & Holidays, Gangwon, Gyeongsang, Hotels & Resorts, Jeolla, Nature, Seoul, 8 Comments

Where to See Autumn 2008 Color

A snapshot from Bukhan Mountain, just north of Seoul. The bright yellow leaves are from an old Gingko Tree.

(A version of this text aired on KBS World Radio on October 25, 2008.)

The French existentialist and philosopher Albert Camus once said, “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” That famous line reminds me why this is my favorite time of the year, and Korea is a great place to see autumn in all its colorful glory. Korea’s climate has four distinct seasons, and fall is when the mild climate and limited rainfall make traveling especially comfortable.

The Korean word for autumn leaves is danpoong (단풍), … and come to think of it, it’s funny that English doesn’t have its own word, at least to my knowledge. Maybe the leaves here are just more spectacular?

(more…)