Redemption in Taejongdae, return to Centum City

On my last visit to Busan, I made the mistake of being too ambitious and ended up with a bit of regret.

Off to Gyeongju & Daegu

Another early morning train ride was scheduled to take us to the nearby city of Gyeongju. 

Back to Busan

Even (or maybe especially so) on holiday, I awaken early. I enjoyed the sunlight streaming through the courtyard into our doors before deciding to get ready.

Living in a hanok

We woke up early to have breakfast at another nearby Sukiya, and then after running back because I left my umbrella, we returned to pack up the rest of our room.

Suwon

We visited Suwon on my first trip to South Korea, but I only briefly covered it in my single post covering the week we spent there. I wrote it about a year and a half after my visit, so I had tried to condense the memories that remained into that post, but over the years, bits and pieces of the day we spent in Suwon came back, and I decided to write about some of the fond details I remembered from that day.

Travelling solo

The first time I traveled by myself was a short trip of 2 days; I decided to take the scenic route to visit my friend in Manchester from Amsterdam, and stopped in two cities for a day each. Unfortunately, I sprained my ankle and made it a lot worse from all the walking-around-because-I-was lost that I did.

Bukhansan

The original plan was to arrive at Bukhansan early in the morning to avoid as much of the crowds as possible... but the unexpected late night led to last minute changes. I grabbed a convenient breakfast yet again, and managed to get to the base around 9am, where I couldn't resist buying more kimbap from the many stalls there.

\

Across the river

I started the day early again, and left for Samcheongdong around 7am. My last visit to Seoul had included Bukchon Hanok Village, but it had been packed with fellow tourists, and I wanted to see if I could come back and catch it at a quieter time.

Ttukseom

I was pretty tired after hiking all morning, so I decided to take it easy for the rest of the day. I showered and headed back out to Book Street again with my camera in hand for some better photos.

Achasan

I started off my second day in Seoul with a visit to Achasan. Truthfully, my goal was to climb Bukhansan, and seeing as I hadn't had a proper hike for awhile, I wanted to ease my way into it.

Return to Seoul

I'm back.

Three and a half years after my first trip here, I found myself back in the bustling city of Seoul. I came with a very different state of mind than previously, and was determined to make the most of my remaining time in South Korea.

Temples, beaches, and bad decisions

My second morning in Busan started early again. Normally an early riser, vacation usually makes me wake up at ungodly hours, and I settled in to enjoy the view from my hostel.

Unwinding in Busan

My visit back to Hong Kong didn't last very long; I was on a plane to South Korea the next morning, for a bit of a solo adventure before the rest of my family arrived in Hong Kong.

Seoul searching

I can't make a post about Seoul without some sort of pun - believe me, I tried.
It's been about a year and a half since my time in South Korea, but I haven't forgot about it and even while I was there I was already awaiting my next visit.

We lived by the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, in a small apartment that barely fit us three, but was modern, clean, and had an accessible rooftop.