The end… Another start

I can’t believe that this will be my last blog post of the year. Freshmen year flew by and many things happened. After all, I can say that I have learned so many valuable lessons and ways to live better life. Nothing was easy and fluent. I was vulnerable to many obstacles, yet I was able to overcome those with always staying optimistic and praying. I think writing this passion blog throughout my first year in college helped me to write better and also stay positive. Because I wrote about inspiring quotes and places I want to visit for my life, I was able to live through the hardships.

So, for my last post, I want to write about a place I already visited where I want to revisit. In my mind, Hawaii remains the most memorable place. I can assume that many people have already visited Hawaii once in their life. However, this place presented me with the most precious memories. First of all, my parents met in Hawaii. They both came to United States in 1992 for exchange students from different colleges and met in University of Hawaii, Manoa. I heard that they first talked to each other when group of koreans went to Waikiki beach.

Waikiki beach is speciality of Waikiki city of Honolulu, now the nucleus of Hawaii’s tourist industry. It is the first beach that comes to mind when most people think of Hawaii. It is very crowded and sometimes it looks like people are just thrown onto the white sand. Many people learn to surf when the sun is up, and watch sunset on the beach after. Also, if you get a chance to experience submarines, you definitely should. Everyday, submarine tours off the coast of Waikiki to get close up to marine life, coral reefs, and many other things underwater. It is so romantic that my parents first got to know each other at one of the very special places in the world. To celebrate tenth and twentieth marriage anniversaries, our family visited Hawaii and now it has become valuable place for our entire family.

After you spend your time at the beach and take many pictures, it’s time to eat some food. I recommend going to kahuku shrimp truck for dinner. It may sound bad because truck can be portrayed to be unsanitary. However, truck is just a theme for restaurant and it is really famous so it gets crowded easily. You will never forget the taste of this shrimp because I couldn’t.

When our family visited last time, we went to the polynesian culture center. PCC is a polynesian theme park located on the northern shore of Oahu. Its located about one hour away from the beach so it is one of the top paid Hawaiian attraction. The purpose of this center is to give chance to many visitors to experience seven native villages and participate in the daily adventures of Hawaiian cultures. It is a good way to learn more about Hawaiian history and get hands-on experience of traditional attractions.

I am glad that I had a chance to explain shortly about Hawaii to you guys. It is very special place for our family and it could be your own too. I think dreaming about what to do in the future and drawing your ways are important to many college students. Sometimes, you need time to take a break and imagine yourself in a place where you have dreamed to end up at. Thank you for reading my posts for two semesters. I hope everyone will end up at the dreamed place.

 

Santorini, Greece

Last week was hell week for me. Actually, my days until finals are over will be busy. I bought total of five energy drinks and spend over 30 dollars on Starbucks for coffee. This explains how much I suffered last week doesn’t it? So I decided to look over places that will heal my tired mentality. Fortunately, my friend in Greece facebook messaged me this weekend and asked about my recent status and I told her how much stressful the school work was. After talking to her about my life, she suggested to come to Greece during summer and leave everything behind. I looked up where she lived, and she lived in Santorini, which is a volcanic island in the Greek islands. For this week, I will take a look at where my friend lives and the place I might visit in the future.

Santorini is known for its dramatic view and as sunset town. Since it is island, it is surrounded by beautiful beaches. Its got everything so every year, this place attracts millions of travellers around the world. I could see why my friend strongly suggested me to visit her. The atmosphere at Santorini was generally peaceful and quiet, perfect place to think worry about nothing. In Santorini Island, there are several villages and towns that are perched along the top cliff of the caldera. The main town is called Fira, which is located on the top of a cliff of a caldera.

When you first arrive at Fira, you need to hit the black sand beaches. The sand is literally black, isn’t it cool? Next up, check to see if the Ancient Akrotiri is open to people. Akrotiri is another village in Santorini and it offers a great view of the caldera and volcano. It became famous because it is known for settlement of Akrotiri and it contains the ancient history as well as modern civilization. If this village is not open to visitors, I would head to the Island of Thirassia to climb the ancient stairs that lead to the city of Manolas. As you may recognized, there are so many historical places at Santorini so the appearance can be little old but it contains the beauty of ancient. When you climb up the stairs, you will reach a viewpoint where you can capture the entire view of Santorini.

However, the most impressive and attractive fact about Santorini is the fascinating beaches. There are so many beaches, such as red beach, perissa beach, kamari beach, perivolos beach, agios georgios beach, cape columbo beach, monolithos beach, and finally vlychada beach. I always wanted to live near beaches because I love the sound of the waves that hits sand and rocks.

All about Santorini makes me want to leave everything behind and buy the flight ticket to Greece. If I get a chance to visit my friend, I will definitely want to go, especially with someone special. I know that Santorini is known for a place for a romantic getaway in Greece. Santorini is special because you can enjoy clear waters while perched on the rim of a massive active volcano in the middle of the sea.

 

Last Unreached Treasure in East Asia

I can’t believe this is my seventh blog post already. We are almost at the end of our second semester and our first year as college students. It has been a tough year for me because making transition from high school to college was not as easy as I expected.

Last week, I called my mom after my second statistics exam and we talked about what we are going to do during summer my break, which is about 110 days long. This was the moment when I forgot that I had ruined my exam and began to look forward for the end of the year. She told me that our family will be going to visit Boracay, Philippines for two weeks. I never heard about Boracay before but it sounded so interesting because my little sister’s korean name is Bora (what a coincidence). So for this week’s passion blog, I looked up where Boracay is.

Bora means wind and cay means wall, and altogether means preventing wind. It is one of the 7,000 islands of philippines and in around 1974, germans and swiss travelers founded Boracay. It is really small so you can’t even identify it on the world map. Afterwards, Boracay became secret paradise for small group of people.

When I searched for Boracay, it was known for marine leisure sports. I will talk about the top five, which are sunset sailing, hopping tour, helmet diving, bug car, and massage.

  1. Sunset sailing

    It is also called paraw sailing and paraw is a local sailboat with two outriggers and two sails in Philippines. You can explore the entire island and the beach at once with fantastic sunset on top of it just by sunset sailing. It is a calm ride so many people can enjoy and you are allowed to bring food and drinks so it is just perfect for our family.

  1. Hopping tour

    Hopping tour is similar to sunset sailing but its focus is solely on visiting various islands and beaches in Boracay . It is a whole day event which every hotel offers and usually it comes with lunch. While you are on a boat, you get to experience snorkeling and swimming  in any particular sites. The most popular visiting places during hopping tour are Crocodile Island, Crystal cove Island, and Puka shell beach.

  1. Helmet Diving

    Helmet Diving? Huh? When I first heard about this activity, I imagined myself with an helmet and swimming in the ocean but it was actually walking on the ocean floor. You literally wear a helmet and walk around on the bottom of the ocean. This activity is good for everyone because not everyone can swim but everyone can walk. While you are underwater, you can check out cool fish and reefs. Also, you can take pictures underwater with people. Don’t worry about running out of breath because air is pumped into the helmet! Surprisingly, the helmet weighs 22 kilograms but I am assuming that you won’t feel the actual weight under water.

  1. Bug Car

    At the peak of Mountain Luho, you ride bug car and view the entire island in one sight. Also, on the way to the peak, there is small zoo that features wildlife reserve. If you want to experience the wildlife and the beautiful views of Boracay, I would recommend bug car!

  1. Massage

    Last but not least, after all those sports you might be doing, I think you should take a break and have a rest. I think the highlight of traveling is spending at least one day in hotel and utilize the extravagant services that are provided. Most hotels in Boracay present spa and massage services to recover from dynamic entertainment.

    Overall, Boracay sounds like an island full of fun and adventure. I am so excited for this upcoming trip!

Flower ,flower, flower! Spring is near us :)

Nagano, home town for cherry blossom

Spring has finally came to State College! Now, it’s time to pack our winter clothes and bring out our lovely dresses. When I think about spring, I imagine flowers right away, especially cherry blossom. My favorite type of bath and body works lotion is cherry blossom since I first used its product.

    Sometimes, I wonder where cherry blossom originated and today I will introduce the city Nagano from Japan, where cherry blossom came from. In Japan, cherry blossoms are called sakura.

    Nagano has almost every kind of spring blossoms and flowers. In Nagano, known as Takato Castle Ruins Park, many people visit to witness the showering of flower petals. Takato Castle Ruins Park is located on the southeastern Nagano Prefecture and almost 1500 cherry trees are planted. This place became extremely popular site for view cherry blossom to many visitors and today, it is crowded with thousands of people strolling around. Usually, cherry blossoms are illuminated in the evenings from April through early May.

    Not all cherry trees are the same. They slightly have different colors of petals, some are redder than the others. With every gust of wind, the blossoms begin to fall and create flower blizzards.

    Even though my focus for this week’s passion blog is about flowers, Nagano has so many other places to go for preparing spring. Matsumoto Castle is one place I would recommend visiting because it is one of the most complete and beautiful Japanese original castles. Also, there are about 300 cherry trees planted around the castle grounds so you won’t miss the flowers.

    Next places I would go are Alps Park and Shiroyama Park. They are both located on the hills overlooking Matsumoto castle and there are about 1800 cherry trees planted. Both parks contain barbecue areas and several walking paths that lead through cherry groves.

    After touring Nagano city, or any cities around the world, we need to eat delicious local foods. In Nagano, oyaki is the one food you must try out. Oyaki is Japanese Tacos and it is favorite home dish of Nagano and you can make your own variations.

    Nagano is also known for its Shinano soba. Many people think of ramen as Japanese’s traditional noodle dish but many asians prefer soba because it is made up of more healthy products.

    I think Nagano is the perfect place to go for food, views, flowers, history, etc. Everywhere, this city is surrounded by cherry trees and people from different countries to appreciate the distinct culture. It is sad that I never had a chance to visit Japan even though it is located right next to Korea. It is true that we miss out places that are close to us. Now it is far away from where I live, but I would love to visit Japan next time when I visit Korea.

My mother country, South Korea

Introducing Jeju Island

 

I hope everyone had a restful spring break. It was really short but somehow it felt longer than one week break. Anyways, I was wondering where I should visit this week and I decided to go to Jeju Island. Jeju Island is one of the nine provinces of South Korea and when I was eleven, I visited Jeju for my first time and last time until now. In my memory, Jeju Island had the most beautiful beach, peaceful fields, delicious foods, and so many attractions. Certainly, travelers cannot keep away from Jeju Island.

 

Many people call Jeju Island “the Hawaii of Korea.” There are so many reasons why it is called like that, but I will reduce it to 10 reasons.

 

1. Hallasan

It is the highest mountain in South Korea, and is designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2002 and a World Heritage Site in 2007. I remember that I rode a horse around the trail when I visited back in the days. Its view is amazing and it feels like all the stress is getting relieved. Many hiking clubs come to Hallasan to take the slopes containing Crater Lake, alpine plants, woodpeckers, chipmunks, butterflies, and beetles. Some people call it Mountain Yeongjusan, which means “mountain high enough to pull the galaxy.”

 

2. Lava tubes

It is another UNESCO Geopark; the Manjang cave is more than 8 km long. This is one of the longest lava tube and many people choose to visit because it definitely offers a great unique experience.

 

3. Grandfather stones

Jeju is a volcanic island so due to an outpouring of lava, Jeju has plenty rocks. Grandfather stones, referred to dolharubang in Korean, are statues that are considered to be gods who offer protection and fertility to Jeju. Around 1750, people carved rocks to scare invaders off. Only 45 still exist and they remain a symbol of a distinct ancient culture.

 

4. Deep diving women

Since Jeju is an island surrounded by ocean, it was hard for rice to grow on wild, windy island. So sew-women called haenyo learned to dive 10-20 meters without breathing for various sea foods. You can easily witness them across the island working and they are usually 65 to 80 years old. Isn’t fascinating?

5. Beaches

One of my favorite reasons why I want to go Jeju again is the beaches. It is crystal clear and the soft sand just enthralls me. You can see everything under water because it is so clean!

6. Loveland

For many Koreans and other foreigners, Jeju is selected for one of the wannabe honeymoon location. It is an outdoor sculpture park and the theme is sex. The visitors need to be at least 18 years old and it has become a sort of crash course in sex education for honeymooners. Does it sound interesting?

The most ordinary picture I could find

 

7. Various therapies

If you are women traveler and is looking for unique therapy, Jeju has it. You can float in the pool with pretty lights out and comfortable music playing. Also, you can lie back in an oxygen room and rest with delicious food on your hand. It is another paradise inside you can experience.

8. Food, food, food

Jeju has so many local specialties such as whole grilled mackerel in sea salt and barbequed pork from Jeju’s black pigs, raw seafood, seaweed and sea urchin soup, and so many delicious foods that you will never have tasted before and won’t forget.

9. Teddy bear museum

Families with young children must visit Teddy Bear Museum in Jeju. You can see various teddy bears from different countries and it also has the smallest teddy bear in the world. Also, the restaurant in the museum has view of the beach so many people enjoy visiting the museum.

 

10. Olle Walking Trails

Olle means narrow path between the street and one’s doorstep. The olle walking paths starts at the east point of the island and ends at the southwest point. When you walk, you can capture the beautiful Blue Ocean, green forests, and charming villages all at once.

Heaven in Earth!?

To Bolivia this week!

“Uyuni, all white in the salt flats where the sky and ground meets”

 

For this weeks blog, I was kind of lost because I couldn’t really come up with a place to explore. So I asked my friend’s dad who actually travels to places for his job. When I asked him where was his favorite place, he did not hesitate. It was the salt flat in Uyuni, Bolivia. When I heard Bolivia, I was like “where is Bolivia?” Bolivia is located in central South America. It is actually bordered around Brazil and Argentina. After I heard about this city called Uyuni, I looked up to see if it was worth writing for.

First of all, the visual representation of Uyuni salt flat just captured my heart. It was beautiful. I never saw anything like this before.

 

How can you not fall in love with this picture… it looks like a person is walking on top of the sky. Now do you want to travel to Uyuni with me? Amazingly, Uyuni salt flat is the largest one in the world.

So, are you wondering how does that kind of picture can be taken? It is simple! Salt flats are desert lakes and it is formed in closed hollows where the rainfall couldn’t drain away after it rained. Usually, for the wet climate, a normal lake would form. However, for desert, the water is heated and evaporates into water vapor faster than it is filled up by rain. As a result, the salt and minerals dissolved in water are left behind as a solid surface.

Also, the reflection occurs where the sky ends and ground begins. The largest salt flat suddenly changes to the largest mirror in the world. You can see that the entire sky is reflected on the ground. People take those kinds of pictures and it makes me want to actually visit the place more than anything. You can never compare the feeling of actually being at the location where you wanted to go unless you are physically there.

Not only the salt flat, but also the cactus island is another place to stop by when you go to salt flat at Uyuni. It is in the middle of the flats with more than five thousand cacti. Most of it is over hundred years old.

 

I think salt flat in Uyuni contains the most beautiful views in the world. Cactus, flower, sky, water, desert, camel, people from different countries, and so many more. I cannot believe I never heard about this hot place ever in my life. I certainly want to go and take my own treasurous pictures and capture all the beautiful views. Want to join me?

 

Singapore: In Asia here I go

Singapore is known for its sophisticated, refined places to many travelers. I once heard that if you are a woman, you should definitely visit singapore before you die. Cozy and comfortable atmosphere of spa and art galleries, clean and neat restaurants and cafes, and trendy shopping malls, Singapore has everything that will enthrall many young women.

 

This week, I will fly to Singapore, which is located in Southeast Asia, really close to my motherland Korea, and spend some luxurious times.

 

First of all, I loved the weather in Singapore. All year long, even during December and January, SIngapore’s weather is lovely. It’s sunny and hot, but not too hot for me. I hated State College weather during winter. I never experienced negative fahrenheit ever in my life until I went to Penn State. It was freezing cold and it felt like snowing would never end. Anyways, bright sunrays welcomed me to Singapore and I began my tour. SInce this is all my imagination, I will stay at the hotel called Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

 


 

This hotel is known for its unique design. Moshe Safdie, the designer, built in the form of card decks for the three hotel towers. Inside the hotel includes museum, shopping center, convention centers, and the casino. At the SkyPark, which is located at the top of hotel, many luxurious restaurants, club lounges, and etc are located. What I desired the most to visit was the infinity edge swimming pool in the SkyPark.

The pool is located at the 57th floor, offering the stunning views of Singapore. This pool is the largest and highest pool in the world among hotels, and when you swim up to the edge of pool, it feels like you are about to fall off to the ground.

Just by spending time in this hotel might take you couple of days, but you cannot miss out the fantastic places in Singapore. Sentosa Island is the next place I will go since many people call it the treasured island. At Sentosa, there are numerous attractions and activities to entertain your every interest. Universal Studios Singapore, Songs of the Sea, Jewel Cable Car Ride, The Sentosa Express, Sentosa Boardwalk, Golf Club, Palawan Beach, Tanjong Beach, and so many more attractions that will fulfill every traveler’s expectations. If I were to choose one, I would go to the Songs of the Sea.

With dazzling performances, the waterwork definitely enthralled me. It is designed for adults to enjoy it and kids to love it.

 

One last thing I want to emphasize about Singapore is the shopping mall. The world’s greatest street, Orchard Street in Singapore attracts visitors every year. This boulevard is surrounded by malls and shopping centers. Also, it contains numerous restaurant, cafes, and snack stands to take a break from shopping and walking. (I heard that the ice cream sandwiches are really good.) When you visit Orchard Street during Christmas season, it is known for its amazing christmas lightings.

SIngapore surely impressed me with enthralling attractions and places. Also, it is not that big so you should make the most out of it with no more than three or four days.

 

Welcome Back~!

The next place I wanted to visit is Varanasi in India. India in general is a country I really wanted to visit. The reason why I chose Varanasi out of so many cities in India is because of Ganges River that flows within the city. My life after I came to college has been so busy with many things and I often thought about just peacefully resting, and have no worries.

    I am perfectly ready to leave everything behind and depart to Varanasi, India right now.

    Unanticipated air welcomed me when I got to India. The road of Varanasi was full of cow poops. I heard that people here clean the road once a year, which is on the Diwali of the gods (festival of Kartik Poornima celebrated in Varanasi). At this moment, I will explain what this festival is all about. Diwali is another name for “festival of lights” and this is an ancient Hindu festival celebrated in autumn every year. It’s a five day festival and in order to prepare for the Diwali night, people clean, refurbish, and embellish their homes. Just like how we celebrate the new year, people in India believe that Lakshmi, a Hindu God, will bring wealth and fortune for the year ahead. Surprisingly, the festival does not occur on the same day. The exact day of the festival is chosen by the position of the moon, which is set to be no moon day. Most importantly, Hindu people believe that by lighting candles and having fireworks, all the darkness will be lifted and bring prosperity.

While I was waiting for this holiday to come, which will happen during my stay in India for a week, I went to see the Ganges River; the ultimate reason why I chose Varanasi. The river is 2520 km long and it is located between India and Bangladesh. According to what i’ve heard, this river is sacred to Hindus. People worship the river as the goddess Ganga and they believe that the river purifies them. Unfortunately, the river is badly polluted because of many people living near the boundary and being civilized. Visitors usually don’t touch the water since they may get skin cancer. However, the majestic and reverential Ganges River made me to put down all the worries and concerns.

    After healing from Ganges River, my feet walked towards Kashi Vishwanath Temple. It stands on the center of the city and is the one of the most revered pilgrimage sites for Hindus. I walked around the temple and just enjoyed the beautiful building and took pictures.

  

    Then I went to watch the spectacle of life and death at ghats. Ghat is the stair leading to the river. Hindus think it is holy to die in Varanasi, so some ghats are referred to as burning ghats, where the dead bodies are cremated and floated on the river.

    Varanasi really showed me what India looked like. It was the holy city where a boat ride along the Ganges with dead bodies occurred and witnessing the local culture just by walking around.

Bonjour

When I was young, like really young, I thought Europe = Paris. The first place I want to go if I was given the opportunity, I would choose to go to France, Paris. I can imagine myself looking at the Eiffel Tower from my hotel terrace at night, thinking about going to The Louvre museum the next day to see Mona Lisa and my favorite piece called Liberty Leading the People. I will feel glory in front of the Arc de Triomphe that was built to celebrate the victories Napoleon seized after battles.

    Just think about Europe. It’s a place where freedom and romance exist. I am about to travel to a culture center, Paris, right now.

    Paris is the capital of France. Most people in Paris call its city “the city of flowers” or “the city of light.” Here I stand, in the middle of the city where I desperately wanted to come, with guide book on my hand. I look around just to appreciate the fresh air and the vibrancy of lively city. First and foremost, I got to check-in with the hotel I will stay for one week. Luckily, I was able to get the room where I can see the Eiffel Tower straight across.

    After I finished putting away my baggage, I start the actual tour. I am kind of nervous because I don’t have the actual tour guide, but I have the handy guide book and my trusted smartphone to help me out. For my first day, I will start by walking around Paris. I went to see the Arch de Triumph because there isn’t a long line and I was able to get sweeping views of the city.

    The second day, I will spent the whole day visiting the Louvre Museum, perhaps the most famous museum in the world. I bought the ticket in advance since it is also one of the busiest visitor attractions in Paris. The museum is huge and it will literally take me the whole day to just walk around all the galleries, never mind seeing any of the art. My goal was to first see the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. After I saw them, I found the guided tours for the first-time visitors so that I could spend my time and avoid wandering endless galleries needlessly. Then, I went out to get some food to recharge. My second day seems to go by like this.

    For the rest of the week, I decided to visit places where  most of the visitors won’t visit. Places in Paris where there are no traces of people. I’ve used all the search engines to find those places and at the end of my first trip, I’ve went to Tuileries Garden, Palace of Versailles, Sainte Chapelle, and La Conciergerie. Paris was too great to capture everything in my heart in one week.

    I cannot get anything more out from this trip. I learned that foreigners are welcoming more than you expect, and food you encounter is always better to try it out. I suggest those of you who are reading my blog right now to get out of your comfort zone and visit places where you can learn other cultures and their lives.

Hello 2014, Goodbye 2013

Looking back what I’ve written for my passion blog in 2013, I figured that I could find other topics that I am passionate about. After I came back to the campus, I met my friend who went to Europe trip during his winter break. Compared to my winter break full of watching TV and sleeping, his three weeks were comprised with enthusiasm, challenges, fun, and excitement.

 

From listening to his trip stories, I found my old passion for collecting postcards from countries I visited. Even though I haven’t visited any other countries except for Korea and America, I wanted to write my passion blog about the countries I want to visit and why.