Tag: South Korea
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Gyeongju: A Trip Back to the Silla Era
AFTER AN HOUR’S WORTH OF BUS RIDE FROM BUSAN, I arrive in Gyeongju. It’s hard for me to see the historical heft of this city when the first things that catch my attention are the neon lights from the numerous love hotels in the city center at the dead of the night. And the technicolored…
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Busan: Saeng-il Chukha
THE NEXT MORNING Justin and I bid farewell to the rest of the guys in our hostel room, including Wille from Finland and a guy from Malaysia whose name I can’t remember. We head on to the Seoul Central Station to catch the train to Busan. It’s just a little past 1 in the afternoon when…
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Seoul: Hallyu from the Other Side
IT’S FIVE IN THE AFTERNOON, and I’m standing in front of the futuristic Dongdaemun Design Plaza. The temperature hovers around the negative teens and chilly winds further aggravate the cold – a further test of my resolve. I’m looking at the structure’s beautiful yet weird architecture – something like a spaceship that landed in the middle…
The Tourist Gaze 