Spring festivals in Korea: the Jindo Sea Parting and Butterflies
Last weekend, I walked across a parted sea wearing thigh-high rubber boots, chewed on wiggling octopus tentacles, and saw a baby wild boar poop on a guy’s t-shirt–all within 24 hours. With Adventure Korea, a budget travel company catered to foreigners, I traveled to Jeollanam-do, Korea’s southwestern province, to attend two annual spring festivals. On...
Biking around Upo Wetland, strawberry picking, and experiencing my own funeral
Last Saturday, I embarked on a weekend trip to the southeast province of Gyeongsangnam-do to bike around a famous wetland, mingle with other travelers and teachers, pick fresh strawberries and visit a festival celebrating the Daegaya Kingdom. Once again, I traveled with Adventure Korea, a well-established tour company catered to foreigners and travelers in Korea....
Stinky Tofu and Sweet and Sour Soup: dinner in a Taiwanese night market
“Sarah must be used to living in Korea; she’s taking pictures of her food,” Olivia’s dad commented as we were eating snacks in the night market in Taichung. Olivia, a Taiwanese friend that I met in college, translated for me, and I laughed, setting my camera down and admitting that he was 100% correct. Ever...
![A traditional Taiwanese market in Taichung [pics]](http://www.mappingwords.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/market1-290x290.jpg "A traditional Taiwanese market in Taichung [pics]")
A traditional Taiwanese market in Taichung [pics]
I stayed with my friend Olivia and her family for five days in Taichung. One day, Olivia, her mom, and I strolled through a traditional market, where her mom would buy some ingredients for dinner. I love visiting markets and grocery stores throughout the world, because I am constantly intrigued by varying atmospheres and types...
Skipping along Daxi Old Street
Okay, I didn’t really skip–since my backpack, seemingly filled with bricks, was weighing me down, but my friend Alicia and I did stroll along the street. A few weeks ago, on spur of the moment, I booked a flight to Taiwan, taking advantage of some free time between ending my job and relocating to a...
Guest Post: Jace eats Osaka
Thanks to Jace from Lost in the ROK, Mapping Words is publishing its first guest post! Today, Jace exposes an array of Japanese food porn from his trip to Osaka and Kobe with the intention of making us all really hungry. Should we all travel to Japan with the mere intention of stuffing our faces?...
Tasting Central Asian flavors in downtown Seoul
As I walked along the narrow alleyways and side streets near Dongdaemun History and Culture Park station, I noticed more Cyrillic writing than Hangeul. I passed by small shops and cozy restaurants, and the faces began to change. Rather than the usual Korean crowd, the area was mostly populated by Russians, Mongolians, Uzbeks, Kazakhs, and Kyrgyz. This...
Asia / Destination Articles / Festivals / Food and Beverages / Hiking + Climbing / Korea / Photography / Reviews
Hiking, Gochujang and Buddhists with swords
With the vibrant fall foliage currently dotting the Korean countryside in shades of gold, crimson and burnt orange, I embarked on a weekend getaway with Adventure Korea to the county of Sunchang, located in North Jeolla province. A number of traditional Korean foods originated in North Jeolla province, including bibimbap, mixed vegetables with rice, and...
Asia / Destination Articles / Festivals / Food and Beverages / Hiking + Climbing / Korea / Photography / Reviews
Famous for a day: the Heongseong Hanwoo Beef Festival
This past weekend, I was invited on a weekend trip to the Heongseong Hanwoo Beef Festival by Adventure Korea, with the impression that I would eat some delicious beef, hike a mountain, and drink a lot of soju. And that’s exactly what I did–in addition to catching a trout with my bare hands, eating it raw,...
Follow Mapping Words