WOW KOREA! (PART-VII)

Mid-summers can be fun in Korea especially if you are a beach-bum! :) A country that is surrounded by oceans on three sides leaves no room for complaining as a tourist can indulge in a lot of exciting beach activities! From lazing on the sands,sun bathing, swimming, sea-surfing, beach games, water sports to beach festivals - there are many ways you as a tourist can enjoy the sultry months of July and August in Korea where temperatures peak up to 30 degrees Celsius and above.

And today in this post I shall take you on an e-tour of the beaches in this picturesque country the world knows as Korea! 

Before I begin,let's first understand in brief the geography of the region vis-a-vis the coastline before I discuss the different beaches you can visit in Korea. Korea is surrounded by the East Sea, West Sea and South Sea.

1.East Sea: With the sunrise over the horizon of the ocean,the East Sea has a simple coastline of clear waters,large beaches and white sands.This is just the right place for you to enjoy a good leisure time activity and indulge in some good photography,you could click some award winning photographs as you get a spectacular view of the break of dawn at the East Sea.In fact,most beaches in this area even hold a Haemaji (sunrise greeting) festival every year on New Year's Day where the sight of the sun emerging over the ocean skyline is one to behold! 

WOW KOREA! (PART-VI)

Museums are safe havens of a nations rich cultural heritage.They are bearers and custodians of our glorious past.They preserve our identity throughout generations as we continue to evolve.They tell us who we are and where we belong and that knowledge in itself is wealth.Thus those  memorabilia,artifacts,relics and mementos are priceless tokens of our past, present and the future.

Thus,aside from sight-seeing in Korea,museums are another place to get a peek into the history of this fascinating country.And today I shall take you on an e-journey of five such museums that are ranked among the top ten where you could explore different facets of their culture,tradition,history and legacy as you trace this country right from their roots. 

1. National Folk Museum of Korea: With a collection of over 98,000 artifacts and stretched in three main exhibition halls, this museum that is located on the grounds of Gyeongbokgung Palace is the only national museum dedicated to the history of traditional life in Korea.

The first exhibition hall of the museum includes the "History of Korean People" which houses artifacts of the everyday life of Korean people dating back right from the prehistoric times to 1910.

The second exhibition hall of the museum includes the "Korean Way Of Life" depicts on what the life of a Korean villager was in the ancient times.

The third exhibition hall of the museum titled,"Life Cycle Of The Koreans" showcases the Confucianism roots and ideology ingrained in Korean culture and the impact it has had throughout generations and to this day which is evident in their customs and traditions. Besides,the museum also has an open gallery featuring replicas of stone piles for worship, posts where villagers prayed to spirits,grinding mills,rice storage shelter,pits for kimchi pots etc.

ASUS ZENFONE 2...SMARTNESS QUOTIENT REDEFINED!

Are you planning on buying a smartphone? 

Are you under a budget? 
Are you looking for a smartphone under 10K? 

Are you also looking for a phone that has the choicest features and the best value that your money can buy today?

Well, then your search ends right here...

Here's introducing the all new Asus ZenFone 2 with vivid 5.5 inch Full HD (1080x1920) IPS display,403ppi pixel density and a remarkable 72% screen-to-body ratio which was launched in January this year. 

Specification-wise,this phone beats out the others because it is a perfect blend of cutting-edge features, sound hardware and attractive pricing.

And here are five reasons that I'm about to share which would go on to transform your whole smartphone experience with the ASUS ZenFone 2...so here we go!

WOW KOREA! (PART-V)

Traveling to foreign shores can be a challenge as well as an adventure...but navigating your way within a city on arrival so as to discover its personality vis-a-vis the historical and cultural heritage sites like museums,palaces,architecture to the favorite hot-spots,local joints,popular cuisines, shopping arcades and booming night life can be one tough job indeed! It can often be frustrating for a wandering tourist to mandatorily carry a ubiquitous hand-guide (without which he/she would seemingly find themselves lost) or to keep asking locals on how to get from A to B. 

In Part-V of the Wow Korea! series,I shall do all the research for you when I share the different ways you can travel within Seoul by shuttle and the many interesting places you would unravel during your visit.

Themed Itinerary Trolley Bus Tours: This themed trolley bus service allows the tourist to opt for a guided shuttle tour as they decide for themselves on which aspect of Seoul they wish to see and explore. There are five such themed itinerary buses that take you on one roller-coaster ride as it introduces you to an all new facet of Korea.

In these bus tours,the visitor/tourist is presented with a pamphlet detailing the tour and destination together with the option of a multi-lingual audio tour guide that's available on each seat for different languages such as -English,Korean,Japanese and Chinese.French is available for those who opt for the Traditional Market tour. An LCD monitor is installed on the back of each seat which allows the tourist to learn more about the attractions before they arrive en route to the stop/destination.In addition,a foreign language interpreter in English,Chinese and Japanese is also present on the bus to answer any questions a tourist may have or would want to know about a particular destination.

The five different themed itinerary trolley bus tours are - 

a. Traditional Culture Tour

b. Downtown·Royal Palaces Course

c. Seoul Panorama Course

d. Nighttime Courses

e. Gangnam City Tour Course

WOW KOREA! (PART-IV)

In the last three posts of the Wow Korea! series,I shared with you some interesting facts and trivia about Korea which I bet you didn't know and later I went on to write about Korea's finest cultural heritage sites approved by UNESCO that for a tourist could prove to be useful for sight-seeing purposes or add to our knowledge about Korea's civilization and culture. And just last week I lapped it up with the colorful festivals of Korea! (Click here to read - Part-I, Part-II, Part-III)

Now if you read this quote below...you would get a cue about the topic of this week's post!

“Food is not rational,Food is culture, habit, craving and identity.” ~ Jonathan Safran Foer

If food is your best friend,then as a traveler you will always be in the company of good food wherever you go! The unique spices,flavor and aroma of each country blends with the senses and draws you towards them...as though saying,"Come on you gotta try me once or this journey of yours would be incomplete"! And if you are a true foodie...then there's nothing you can do to resist but give into many of these delicious delights!

As a Wow Korea Supporter of 2015,in this week's e-tour of Korea I am on a journey to discover the cravings for the soul...good,food and just food! And since I am e-stationed in Korea,I dig up some of the finest cuisines,desserts and street foods that Korea has to offer!

Though I may not have had a chance to try out some of these exotic dishes...but the images looked irresistibly tempting and preparations seemed so elaborate and exquisite,that my mouth started watering! Imagine...I am here typing it for you while some of you who are in Korea at the moment or plan to visit sometime soon could actually enjoy some of these delectable cuisines if only you happen to be reading my post at this moment! :)

(Oh and by the way this list is customized and personalized catering to my taste buds since I do not take red meat or pork.Thus I shall mainly be focusing on chicken and sea food based cuisines that Korea has to offer!)