My favorite top 10 winter destinations on Jeju Island

Jeju Island is the only tropical winter wonderland in Korea! Who says you can't go to Jeju when its cold! Skip the packed summer months and you won't be surrounded by a million photo hungry tourists. You can easily get your close up next to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak without 10,000 people in your picture. Amidst all the tropical palm trees and clear blue waters in the southernmost part of Korea, you might find yourself on a beach covered with snow!

Here are my 10 favorite destinations on Jeju Island during the winter time:

Walking along the Jeju Olle path will give you spectacular views of the coastline. There is 200 KM of walking path to cover if you are interested in a walking tour of the island.

A truly peaceful destination, Sanbangsa Temple is build into the side of a mountain. The steep walk up to the cave is definitely worth the sweat. Make sure to light an incense and take a sip of the fresh mountain water.

Seongeub folk village will take you back in time to traditional Korean living. You can walk through a neighborhood of old thatched roof and stone houses which is idyllic during the winter seasons.

Jongbang Waterfall is only steps from the sand making it a beautiful seaside waterfall. This waterfall is truly unique because of its close location to the beach and the fact that Jeju Island has no rivers or lakes.

One of the 4 Jeju green tea farms is a great place to stop on a winter day and warm up. Inside the tea house you can help yourself to a warm fireplace and some cups of green tea. They also have green tea honey, soap, powder or anything else green tea that you could imagine. If your looking for an authentic Korean tea set, this is the place.

Ancient lava estuary is a part of the area designated by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve. Most of the estuary is dried up, but you may rent a clear kayak and paddle around the clear water of the lower half of the estuary. 

Jungmun beach is just below the Hyatt Regency Jeju hotel. During the summer this is Jeju's most popular beach. In the winter months its beautiful to take a stroll and see the snow-covered sand.

Walking along the cliff sides of Yongmeori Beach will take you through what I think of as the Jeju Grand Canyon. The cliff sides have been eroded overtime leaving horizontal formations as the tides rise and fall. If your hungry you can stop at one of the many women divers set ups and grab some fresh seafood.

Eat some of the best food Jeju has to offer at  안거리밖거리 in Seogwipo. This set meal costs only 7,000 won per person and you get a chance to try Okdom the famous red fish of Jeju . This restaurant is famous for its traditional Korean food.

A view from the back side of Oeodolgae rock. The crystal clear waters along the Olle Path is what make this location so special.

 If you have any questions or comments about "My favorite top 10 winter destinations on Jeju Island " please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

  Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

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Korea is already one step ahead of Starbucks

Photo courtesy of Caffe Bene and JoongAng Daily.

     A recent article in the L.A. Times reported that Starbucks will be adding beer and wine to menus at select coffee shops. To test out the new alcoholic beverages to the store menus Starbucks has already offered drinks such as a Prosecco from Italy to the a few menus in Oregon. This is so old school right? Local Korean coffee shops have been offering alcohol on their 메뉴 (menus) for years. Although their larger chains such as Hollys Coffee and Tom N Toms have a non alcoholic menu, they are thriving on a Korean coffee and tea phenomenon that made carrying around a used paper Starbucks cup full of water cool.
      According to the JoongAng Daily, ever since its foray into Seoul in 1999, Starbucks has enjoyed its status as Korea’s first foreign take-out coffee chain. But its long-standing hold on the market began to slip last year as two homegrown competitors - Caffe Bene and Angel-in-us - began outpacing it in terms of number of branches nationwide as a result of aggressive expansion efforts.
     
Check out some of my favorite local Korean coffee shops in Seoul that offer alcoholic beverages.

Coffee Factory – Located in  Samcheong-dong this coffee shop is well known throughout Seoul. Hi Expat review

Cafe Beatles- This is a cafe owned by an old student of mine Yong Jun Lee. He has collected tons of beatles music that you may listen to in the cafe while you are enjoying your coffee or beer! (02) 2232-9980 Cafe Beatles Website

Sanmotoonge (Corner of the mountain)- This coffee shop is in the most beautiful setting in Seoul on the corner of a mountain overlooking the city and with views of the Seoul Fortress Wall.
Sanmotoonge Website

Lime Tree Coffee & Deli- Located in Insadong this coffee shop is among my favorites in Jongno! Lime Tree Facebook Page


If you have any questions or comments about "Korea is already one step ahead of Starbucks" please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

  Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

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Gone Seoul Searching selected as a Worldwide Korea Blogger

The Korea Blog recently approved its second batch of Worldwide Korea Bloggers and www.goneseoulsearching.com has been selected! To see the recently announced list of World Wide Korea Bloggers (WKBs) visit the link here.

     Dear readers,
I'm very happy to announce that my blog has been chosen by The Korea Blog to have the opportunity to share more about Korean culture with the world. I have gained so many opportunities and insights into the world through this blog and I hope to continue posting actively from my home town in San Diego, California. Please continue to share your thoughts with me and other readers and if you are interested in a guest post don't hesitate to send me an e-mail.

     -Marie Webb

Successful candidates will:
o have their blog posts introduced on the Korea Blog. We post a new story every day, publishing stories from Worldwide Korea Bloggers about three times a week or 12-15 times a month.
o receive an icon for their own homepage indicating their affiliation
o receive invitations to cultural center events as a Korea.net partner (for bloggers not in Korea)
o receive invitations to various cultural events like concerts and plays (for bloggers in Korea)
o receive gifts and a total of about five of the most active bloggers will be invited on a press tour of Korea for 3-4 days and continue blogging for the Korea Blog.

Here is a list of bloggers — both who will continue from the first group and the newly selected bloggers. We will notify successful candidates by email in the first week of January 2012.
(in alphabetical order by first name)

NAME (RESIDING COUNTRY)	PERSONAL BLOG ADDRESS	NOTE
Alexandra DeMaria (Korea)	www.chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.com	1ST
Asif Quadri (Korea)	www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/londone7/1/tpod.html	1ST
Cindy Zimmer (Canada)	http://lifesanadventure2.wordpress.com/	1ST
David Teszar (Hungary)	http://namhanman.blog.hu	1ST
Eleonora Ibragimova (Korea)	http://ellacino.blogspot.com	1ST
Esaulova Daria (Russia)	http://darika-korea.blogspot.com	1ST
Jen Pace (Korea)	http://teflorbust.wordpress.com/	1ST
Jo-Anna Lynch (Korea)	http://smileyjkl.blogspot.com	1ST
Jordi Sánchez Teruel (Korea)	http://bitsandbeats.blogspot.com/	1ST
Jun Duong (Australia)	http://octotini.tumblr.com/	1ST
Kimberly Hiller (Korea)	http://www.kimberlyinkorea.com	1ST
Lauren Kilberg (Korea)	http://laurenkilberg.tumblr.com/	1ST
Magdalena Sieminska (Poland)	http://sliceofseoul.wordpress.com	1ST
Maria Margareta (Indonesia)	http://mymariamargareta.blogspot.com	1ST
Nana Cuellar (Brazil)	http://littlecraziness.tumblr.com	1ST
Niki Lake (U.S.)	http://morningcalmadness.blogspot.com/	1ST
Paul Matthews (Korea)	http://ajosshi.blogspot.com	1ST
Roger Tyers (Korea)	http://www.rogertyers.blogspot.com	1ST
Somchandra Nahakpam (India)	http://nahakpam.blogspot.com/	1ST
Yaisana Huidrom (India)	http://mystickorea.blogspot.com/	1ST
Ana Park (Korea)	http://www.buhaykorea.com	2ST
Andy St. Louis (Korea)	www.seoulartfiend.com	2ND
Angeliki Katsika (Greece)	www.lollikpop.gr	2ND
Chris Mitchell (Korea)	http://travelingmitch.blogspot.com/	2ND
Cristina and Daniela (U.S.)	www.posterous.com/nuttynomads	2ND
Crystal Anderson (U.S.)	www.highyellow.me	2ND
Dale Quarrington (Korea)	http://daleskoreantempleadventures.blogspot.com/	2ND
Dita Wulandari Utomo (Korea)	www.ditautomo.blogspot.com	2ND
Dorothea Suh (Germany)	http://novemberbeetle.tumblr.com/tagged/Korea	2ND
Gisela Verdin (Mexico)	http://thejuliejuliagiselaproject.blogspot.com/	2ND
Greg Sandford (Korea)	www.electrickimchi.blogspot.com	2ND
Hallie Bradley (Korea)	http://thesoulofseoul.tumblr.com/	2ND
James Cheney (Korea)	www.tripologist.com	2ND
Jessica Steele (Korea)	http://www.thejessicasteele.blogspot.com/	2ND
Joanna Darnley (England)	http://funkystar25.blogspot.com/	2ND
Johanne Miller (Korea)	http://johannemiller.com	2ND
Jonathan Wung (France)	www.hope-inablog.com	2ND
Klarisse Gepilano (U.S.)	http://blog.lovestylefree.com	2ND
Korean Class Massive (England)	http://koreanclassmassive.blogspot.com	2ND
Marcus Maltempo (U.S.)	http://kdramaratings.blogspot.com	2ND
Marie Webb (U.S.)	www.goneseoulsearching.com	2ND
Mathew Burnett (Korea)	http://outsideview.podbean.com/	2ND
Melinda Szappanyos (Korea)	http://melimennikorea.blogspot.com	2ND
Michelle Correa (Philippines)	www.organicgeek.wordpress.com	2ND
Miguel Estela (Korea)	http://jmsupercuteinkorea.blogspot.com	2ND
Nicole Lace (Korea)	http://rossandnicole.wordpress.com	2ND
Rahul Prabhakar (Korea)	http://2brahulprabhakar.blogspot.com/	2ND
Robert Dunning (Korea)	http://annyeong.blog.com	2ND
Tey-Marie Astudillo (Korea)	http://teymarieastudillo.wordpress.com/	2ND
Thomas Walsh (Korea)	http://www.TomEatsJenCooks.com	2ND

If you have any questions or comments about "Gone Seoul Searching selected as a Worldwide Korea Blogger" please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

  Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

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The Korea Grand Sale Survey

I'm skeptical about the Korea Grand Sale. How much money are people really saving? Answer a survey here or use the form below. The read more about the Korea Grand Sale see my previous published article The Korea Grand Sale: Are foreigners really getting the hook up?





If you have any questions or comments about "The Korea Grand Sale Survey" please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

  Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

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The Korea Grand Sale: Are foreigners really getting the hook up?

  

The Hyatt Regency Jeju is offering one free night after booking 3.

  Korea is always friendly to foreigners but this year there is an entire sale just for international visitors. The Korea Grand Sale has been running since January 9th and ends February 29th. By printing out one coupon foreigners in Korea can get access to discounted prices for retail, food and beverages, culture, and health and beauty. The Sale is part of 2010-2012 Visit Korea Year.
      Major stores in Seoul such as Lotte Department Store and Hyundai Department store are offering discounts between 10% and 40%. Sounds great right? I have to be a little suspicious about the discounts because there is a small note stating that certain brands are excluded. I can't imagine asking about every single item and if it is available for the discount or not. In Korea, I have learned to be wary of discounts and sales because the stores may simply charge more for the item and you don't really get the discount.
      This actually happened to me in a restaurant in Insadong. I had eaten there a couple of times with Korean friends and remembered the price of my meal at 8,000 won. However, when I went back with my American friends the price was 10,000 won because the prices on the English menu were higher. I know this is a rare occurrence in Korea, but like any country shop owners try to take advantage of foreigners.
    Although I am weary of the shopping discounts being offered by The Korea Grand Sale I am more supportive of the hotels and entertainment. The beautiful Courtyard by Marriott Seoul Times Square in Yeongdeungpo and the exquisite Ritz Carlton Seoul are offering 1 extra night free when booking over 3 nights. Major chain hotels in Korea are known for their lavish amenities and high prices. When deals like this come around foreigners should definitely take advantage.

Take my survey The Korea Grand Sale Survey to share your experience with the sale.


If you have any questions or comments about "The Korea Grand Sale: Are foreigners really getting the hook up?" please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

  Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.
     

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Whats Happening in February 2012: Discount tickets at Seouland and The Annual Jeju Island Fire Festival

Photo taken on Jeju Island at a Buddhist Temple, Sanbanggulsa in Korea. Visit Jeju in January!

Feb 2- Feb 4 Jeongwol Daeboreum Fire Festival: Last year this was cancelled so take advantage! An entire hilltop is set on fire in an important ritual to pray for health and a good harvest in the coming year. A truly stunning sight steeped in traditional, this is a MUST-SEE event! Visit the Korea Tourism Organization's website for more information on this event here.

Feb 4 San-jeong lake hike and ice sports(mountain-top lake): Join Seoul Hiking Group for another one of their winter trips. A view of North Korea and a beautiful hike await you. Warren the trip leader will ensure you have a great time and is a very reliable tour guide. I have been on many of Seoul Hiking Groups trips in the past and strongly recommend them! The fee for the day trip is 29,000 won. For more information visit the Seoul Hiking Group Facebook page.

Jan 29-Feb29 The Korea Grand Sale: This sale is specifically for foreigners in Korea! Print out your coupon and use it for any of the registered companies! Visit The Korea Grand Sale website here.

Feb. 11-12 Cupid's Mojo Rising Retreat: Join the Korea Ski and Snowboard Club for an overnight ski trip at High 1 Resort. Base Price is: 150.000 KRW
*this includes transportation from Seoul, motel room, BBQ dinner and all you can drink (Makeoli, Soju, Beer). and one day of skiing (12:30 - 17:00) Join the Facebook page for more information on this trip. 

Feb. 11-12 6th Skiing and Snowboarding Trip with Adv. Korea: Adventure Korea will be taking a group to Pheonix Park in Pyeongchang. The total price for the trip is 124,000 won which is not bad for including transportation (a chartered bus), dorm style accommodation (6-8 people will share a room), and an afternoon lift pass (between 12:00 and 16:30). Skiing in Korea is something you should do before winter is over this 2012. 


Ends Feb. 12 Outdoor Ice Skating in Seoul: Take advantage of the many outdoor ice rinks this 2012 to celebrate the New Year! Korea4Expats has a great breakdown of the different rinks available and their times. I suggest the Grand Hyatt Hotel's Ice Skating Rink even though it is pricey because it will be the least crowded if you are looking for something romantic to do as a couple. 


Ends Feb. 5 Discount Tickets at Seouland: SEOULAND will host travellers and multi-cultural families for a special ticket price of W10,000 (regular price W31,000). This promotional one-day pass includes the sleigh ride, and discounts can be applied up to four people, including accompanying Korean nationals.
REQUIRED: Present your certificate of alien registration to the ticket house, located near gate 2 of Daegongwon station, Subway Line 4.
EXPIRY: Promotion runs from 1 January to 5 February 2012

If you have any questions or comments about "Whats Happening in February 2012: The Annual Fire Festival and a beautiful winter lake hike" please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

  Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

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The Korea Wine Train: A Photo Essay

Here are some of my favorite photos from the Korea Wine Train. If you are living in Korea or are taking a trip this is an excellent all day adventure to experience Korean culture. Remember, the trip is not for the wine but for the trip! See my previous article titled Take the Wine Train in Korea for the journey, not the wine to learn more about this tour.  

If you have any questions or comments about "The Korea Wine Train: A Photo Essay" please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

  Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

A strange assortment of East meets West will be served on the ride back to Seoul.

Some adjumas giving a group massage while soaking their feet in the wine bath.

Catch a glimpse of the famous 63 building in Seoul on the train ride over the Han River.

 

Paul and I enjoyed our early morning arrival on the train by taking photos of the uniquely designed cars.

Everyone received a drum lesson at the at the Nangye Educational Center for Korean Classical Music Instruments.

An unique tunnel takes you into a wine cellar.

Me inside of the wine cellar.

Towards the end of the day you will leave Wine Korea to catch your train home.

A Wine foot bath will warm you up and may be accompanied by an adjuma massage : )

Our wine train car was partying on the ride back to Seoul. 

 

 

Beautiful Korean artwork as seen on a drum outside of the music center.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Visiting the Chiropractor in Seoul: a review of Create Wellness Chiropractic Sports Medicine Center in Itaewon

   

Create Wellness has coupons on their website.

     Finding a good chiropractor in Seoul can be stressful. If the doctor hasn't had good training they could seriously injure your body. Luckily, I was relieved when I discovered that Dr. James Lee at Create Wellness in Itaewon studied at Palmer College which is well known in the U.S. as the Harvard of Chiropractor Schools. Dr. Lee has quite a sense of humor and enjoyed fixing up my back, maybe even a little more than I did.
     When I walked into the office I was quite nervous to go to a foreign chiropractor. Especially, because chiropractors are traditionally associated with Western medicine and most Asians are very skeptical about their practices. My English students warned me about going to the chiropractor and told me that I should visit an acupuncture doctor instead. However, with my severe and cronic neck pain I knew that the chiripractor was exactly what I needed. Dr. Lee did a great job with my adjustment and I was very pleased with his care.
     Unfortunately, Korean insurance does not cover Chiropractic care. The fee's at are quite high at Create Wellness are about 50,000 won per adjustment unless you get a 10-12 pack of adjustments which lowers the prices about 30%. However, the price worth it because you can trust them to do their job well. Visit the Korea4Expats website about Create Wellness Chiropractic Center for directions in Korean for an easy taxi ride to the office. The location in Itaewon is very easy to find from the station or by cab.



If you have any questions or comments about "Visiting the Chiropractor in Seoul: a review of Create Wellness Chiropractic Sports Medicine Center in Itaewon" please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

  Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

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What's Happening in January 2012: Overnight Ski Trips in Korea

Winter in Korea is packed with action. Join one of the many groups heading up to the mountains to go snowboarding.

Winter is here and lets hope its not as cold as last year!  Here is a comprehensive list of whats going on this month around Korea.  Be sure to check back for updates throughout the month! I hope everyone enjoys The New Year!

December 10-11 Overnight Ski Trip to Vivaldi: The newly founded Korea Ski and Snowboard Club is setting up skiing trips in Korea all winter! I first found them on Facebook a couple months ago. Call them at 010- 4079- 1820 to reserve your spot and find out how to make a payment and visit their official page: http://koreaskiclub.co.nr/

January 20-24 Jeju Tour Lunar New Year For 4 days (SUBMARINE,horseback,hallasan): Join one of my favorite groups in Korea Seoul Hiking Group coordinated by Warren Seung Il Kim (who is amazing!!) This Jeju Tour will start by taking the fastest ferry over to the Island. Visit the event page here to reserve your spot and ring in the New Year!


January Winter Festivals in Korea: The Korea Tourism Org has  mapped out plenty of winter festivals in Korea. There are tons of light shows and places to celebrate the holiday season. Among the most popular are the New Years Sun Rise Festivals.  If you can't make it of the city just head up to Namsan Mountain like I did to watch the sun rise on New Years Day in Korea.    To learn more visit the Korea Tourism Org.


January 28-29 Taebaek Snow Festival:   There are several groups taking tours such as Adventure Korea. Go Caving at Yongyeon Cave and hiking with the group while taking in the beautiful views of the mountains.

January 30-31 Overnight Ski trip to Muju resort: Join the Seoul International Women's Association on a snowboarding trip in Korea! They have discounts available for those that attend: 30% Discount for Ski lift pass and 50% discount for Ski rental. To learn more about the event visit their event page here.



If you have any questions or comments about "What's Happening in January 2012: Overnight Ski Trips in Korea" please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

  Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

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Kim Jong-il died in the future

Video Courtesy of www.ifokalliance.com. Check out the last 5 seconds of the video to get the joke!

All Hail Kim Jong Il, a photo by giladr on Flickr.

  "I live in Korea, have silver hair, glasses, and I'm mean" my Korean students would always say. This was a typical reenactment of a student pretending to be Kim Jon-il while practicing English descriptions in a Level 1 English class. Fortunately, they will be using the past tense in their new role plays as the death of Kim Jong-il official as of December 19th 2011. He reportedly died two days earlier on December 17th according to Reuters.
      Wait a minute, it's currently Sunday the 18th in America! After a long and confusing conversation with family members over the date of the death I reminded them that Korea is 16 hours ahead of California and technically, is living in the future. I know this very well because when I flew back from Seoul to San Diego I literally had two Fridays. Thus when the news was announced in Korea on Monday morning on December 19th it was Sunday December 18th in America.
    I think it's important to note that Kim Jong-il was known as being a player and he did go down in style at the age of 69! If you aren't familiar with what those two number mean let me enlighten you. A classic definition is provided on Wikipedia nothing that 69 is the also known by its French name soixante-neuf (69), is a group of sex positions in which two people align themselves so that, and I'll stop there!
     Sayonara Kim Jong-il you definitely will not be missed! Fellow video bloggers at Eat Your Kimchi stated that life is going on as normal in Korea as he South Korean National Security Council/National Assembly are currently discussing the matter.

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