[Weekender] Five wonders of Jindo Island

Jindo Island is rich not only in historical and cultural traditions, but also gastronomy, according to locals and tourists who have visited the island over the years. Jindo residents claim that the best seafood in Korea is found on their island thanks to the strong sunlight and powerful sea currents. The region’s specialties ― laver, seaweed, abalone and green onion ― are often known, along with the Jindo dog, as the “Five Wonders of Jindo” due to their superior quality and taste.In fact, the fi

Aug. 22, 2014

[Weekender] Timeless beauty of Jindo

JINDO, South Jeolla Province ― A grueling 5-hour drive from Seoul seems to be a small price to pay for the chance to become immersed in this island’s majestic scenery of mist-shrouded cliffs hovering above a picturesque coastline.Jindo Island of South Jeolla Province is South Korea’s third-largest island. Despite being raised in the public consciousness for the recent Sewol ferry tragedy that left more than 300 dead or missing, its natural beauty remains vibrant, with the scenery consisting of r

Aug. 22, 2014

[Weekender] Treasure house of history and art awaits tourists

Just off the southwest corner of the Korean Peninsula, Jindo Island is a treasure house of ancient shamanism and folk culture, brimming with stories to tell.In the words of an old proverb, don’t boast your talent in calligraphy, painting, dancing and singing when you visit Jindo. The collection of some 230 small islets is full of rich cultural heritage. “Jindo used to be a land of exile for scholars during the Joseon Era. The scholars suppressed their tears and regret with art. That’s how folk c

Aug. 22, 2014

Last colony standing

When I told people I was going to Macau over a long weekend, I got some strange looks. To explain myself, I said I was a fan of Portuguese egg tarts, but they weren’t convinced. I could tell that they suspected me of being a compulsive gambler.In truth, I was intrigued by the fact that Macau had been the last remaining colony in Asia, only being taken over officially from Portugal in 1999. Currently, it fits into the megalithic Chinese state as one of two SARS ― Special Administrative Regions. T

Aug. 22, 2014

Museum of Gasoline Pumps an homage to a father

BUELLTON, California ― He may not self-identify as a philosopher, being a proud gearhead and gas-station grease monkey at heart, but Mark Mendenhall was nothing if not profound when he looked around and took stock of all he surveyed.“You can have 4,000 signs,” he said, a quick head nod left and right to walls covered floor-to-ceiling with what collectors call petroliana, “but if you don’t got a place to display ’em, you just gotta garage full of junk.”Junk? At the Mendenhall Museum, freeway clos

Aug. 22, 2014

[Weekender] In search of the roots of Korean Catholicism

DANGJIN, South Chungcheong Province ― Excitement over the pope’s visit prevails in South Chungcheong Province, with welcome placards hung at entrances of rural towns. Nestled in South Korea’s central region along the west coast, the province is usually not the most-visited tourist destination for Korean or foreign tourists. “We’ve never had a VIP guest like Pope Francis visit the region and I don’t think we ever will in the future,” said Kim Jeong-gyum, director of the culture and tourism divisi

Aug. 8, 2014

Craving peace on the DMZ train

As the train pulls out of Seoul Station and begins moving down the tracks, the scenery seems all wrong. Instead of crossing the Hangang River, we’re passing the Severance Hospital. It’s a strange sensation, after years of departing on southbound trains for Daejeon or Busan, to be heading northward now to the DMZ.Launched in May, the DMZ Peace Train runs twice a day to Dorasan Station, across from the North Korean city of Gaeseong. Now South Korea’s northernmost train station, the $40 million fac

Aug. 8, 2014

Greek isles: Views, beaches, sunsets and crowds

SANTORINI, Greece (AP) ― Whitewashed houses stacked like sugar cubes on the cliffs. Colorful sunsets and black-sand beaches. Donkeys, windmills and a local winemaking tradition that goes back to ancient times. These are some of the things that stood out on a visit to the Cyclades, a Greek island chain in the Aegean Sea. Little wonder the place draws gaggles of visitors ― enough to make even crowd-loving extroverts long for a peaceful island paradise. Oh, wait ― that’s why we were there. And that

Aug. 8, 2014

Around the hotels

Seafood Night at Conrad Seoul Conrad Seoul’s buffet restaurant Zest is holding a seafood night every Tuesday during the month of August. Zest’s open kitchen and live cooking stations will showcase seafood dishes from around the world. Highlights include marinated chili crab in the Korean section, a tuna-carving table at the Japanese corner, and fresh seafood ingredients cooked to order at the Teppanyaki station. In addition, guests can sample steamed snow crab and grilled scallops, to name just

Aug. 8, 2014

Oakwood Premier Coex makes Expedia Insiders’ Select list

Park Yong-soon (left), general manager of Oakwood Premier COEX, poses with Denny Jeon, the director of Expedia’s Korea office, at the Insiders’ Select Award conferral ceremony. (Oakwood Premier COEX Center)Oakwood Premier Coex has made Expedia’s Insiders’ Select list, becoming one of 650 hotels and resorts worldwide to earn this title in 2014. Expedia, one of the world’s leading online travel agencies, founded the Insiders’ Select Award to recognize outstanding hotels and resorts around the worl

Aug. 4, 2014

Lake of Woods wilderness wows for less

With the exorbitant prices often associated with a north woods adventure outside of the continental United States, those interested in exploring a truly remote wilderness might feel it’s out of their financial reach. Private bush plane charters, expedition level supply stocking and monthlong excursions just aren’t in most travel budgets.An affordable and awe-inspiring alternative exists in Lake of the Woods, a massive body of water bordering the state of Minnesota as well as the Canadian provinc

Aug. 1, 2014

Italy opens theme park hailing film industry

ROME (AP) ― A new amusement park outside Rome celebrates the world of cinema, taking visitors back to the golden age of Italian film production when the Rome-based Cinecitta Studios ― still in operation ― were known as the “Hollywood on the Tiber.” “Here, the idea is that people will also enter not only sets, but the confusion of a place where we are shooting a movie. Everything will be illusion,” said Emmanuel Gout, president of Cinecitta Parks. “The visitor will become a protagonist for a day,

Aug. 1, 2014

To the end of the line

On a recent Friday evening at Seoul Station, tickets for almost every train, including standing tickets, were sold out. At the Express Bus Terminal, meanwhile, tickets had been gobbled up for buses to the coast. Such is the urge to get out of the city, and the helplessness of the transportation system to cope with the huge numbers of recreational travelers, that it’s become necessary these days to purchase tickets a week or more in advance.But ticket sellouts need not be cause for despair as a s

July 25, 2014