Chungju… dam(n)!

Sometimes people decide to do something spontaneous and often it leads to either disasters or amazing experiences.
That’s what happened when Jay and I visited his family in Chungju in summer. We had spent the weekend at his grandfather’s place and we were driving back to Chungju to take the bus back to Seoul. Instead of taking the highway, we took some smaller roads and drove along the Han river.

Checking out some flowers. Don’t worry, I didn’t pick them 🙂

The weather was so hot and there hadn’t been much rain for weeks in a row. Still the nature was so beautiful and along the river banks so many different flowers were growing! At one point we decided to just park the car next to the road. After a while we found a tiny path leading us down and after carefully pushing aside some branches… we discovered a paradise.
Chungju Dam was blocking the river from flowing freely just a few kilometers further up, so the water level was very low. Therefore we kicked off our shoes and we could wade the river.

This would have never happened if we had simply followed our initial plans. And although we had to run to catch the bus later on, I never regretted that we got out of the car over there. It was one of the most stunning, beautiful and peaceful places I’ve ever seen, even though there wasn’t anything extraordinary or uncommon about it.

Video for talk talk Korea

In the summer of 2015, I participated to the annual Talk Talk Korea competition of KBS World. I had to make a video in which I promote Korean culture. I didn’t just want to show some pictures from the palaces or other famous attractions, because there already exist loads of videos about it.

So I tried to look at it from another point of view… If I think about why I personally would want to visit another country then the reasons would be…

• Good food, super important haha
• Beautiful nature, but also interesting buildings (this could mean anything: ancient temples or churches, old marketplaces, or new and modern infrastructure)
• Interesting culture
• Lots of new things to try out: having the opportunity to do things that I wouldn’t normally do at home
• Outdoor and indoor activities (after all, we cannot controle the weather)

So I thought about Korea and tried to mix these elements and put them in a video with a romantic theme where I also give a lot of explanation. Too bad that there was a time limit 😀 Else I would have added many more elements.
I got 4th place (together with some other participants) and I was really happy about it! Making the video was so much fun!!!!! (and lots of stress because – as I had my final exams – I only had a few days to make the video)
Whoo so exited to see the official KBS label on my video (ah ah, I’m so silly)

 

Biking @ Han River

A lovely activity to do as a couple, with some friends or just alone – enjoy the view, get some fresh air and stay healthy!

The Han River (Or Han Gang) has a very special meaning to Koreans. Before flowing into the Yellow Sea, it crosses the whole country and is therefore one of the most important rivers of the peninsula.

If you don’t have a bicycle, you can rent one (or a tricycle!) at many places throughout the city. Alhough it’s a bit crowded during summer, I really like the area around Yeoido Park. On Friday and Saturday evening there are usually a lot of students playing music or showing off other talents, but unlike neighborhoods like Hongdae, it’s not ONLY young people. You can see families in their little tents, kids playing in the water, old people taking a stroll… Anyway, I really like the atmosphere.