After two years, my Korean teaching contract came to an end, marking the end of an era and the start of a two-month journey across Asia and Europe. Our trip started in Beijing, where we spent a few days before hopping on a train for Mongolia.
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After my brief but awesome jaunt in Siem Reap, I hopped over to Thailand to do a little exploring. Since this was my first adventure by myself, I was a bit intimidated. To my surprise, everything was incredibly easy and after everything was said and done, I was really happy that I decided to go it alone. I met so many amazing people from all over the place, and I know that I wouldn’t have if I’d had the safety net of a familiar face.
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August 6-12, 2016
Cambodia, you’re wonderful. My whirlwind trip to Siem Reap lasted seven days, but I wish it had been seven longer. At the end of every day, my boyfriend and I were extremely tired from constant exploration (and maybe a bit of heat exhaustion), but we always wanted to see more. My trip felt ridiculously full, but I know there’s so much there that I didn’t get to see. I’ll use that as an excuse to go back someday. I’ll see ya again, Cambodia. I know it.
The Korean peninsula is split into two countries along a dividing line referred to as the 38th parallel. This 155-mile division is padded by an area called the DMZ (Korean Demilitarized Zone). Neither North nor South Koreans are able to cross this line, unless they’re officials meeting in the JSA (Joint Security Area). This area was planned specifically to bring about talks between the two Koreas, and is still seen as a symbol of hope for reunification. Read More
Bijindo Island is an island (actually two) just a short ferry ride off the coast of Tongyeong. Bijindo isn’t as famous as some of the other islands in Korea, but that just adds to the appeal. There aren’t any souvenir shops, no ridiculous traffic and honking horns, no sky-high apartment buildings, and best of all, there aren’t tons of tourists. Then again, maybe we were those tourists. But I digress…
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Samgwangsa Temple in Busan is most famous for having a beautifully elaborate lantern display for Buddha’s birthday. The temple is illuminated by thousands of lanterns, giving the hilltop location an ethereal feel. There’s definitely a reason CNN put it on their list of 50 beautiful places to visit in Korea.
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