At the elementary school in Korea where I work as an English teacher, we sing songs. Lots of songs. Lots of really crappy textbook songs. One of the most painfully catchy of these songs went something like, “What are you going to do this weekend? I’m going to hike Hallasan.” …
Where I grew up in California, fall is measured mostly by the presence or absence of Pumpkin Spice Lattes. So, finding myself on a side of the Pacific where seasons are determined by factors other than the Starbucks menu, I set out to find the mythical entity that I’d heard …
It’s no wonder that I’ve never met a person who wouldn’t say they like the ocean. The water is mesmerizing, after all—the curl of a breaking wave, white foam and white shells on the sand, that blue line behind your shoulders in a beachy-hair picture. But what most of us …
One of the best things about an island is the fact that it is surrounded completely by water. And, when water meets volcanic rock, you have instant beauty: Beaches. Tidepools. Rocky Coastlines. Estuaries. Hence, we have the inspiration for the Jeju Island Olle trails. The Olle trails go along the …
This Sunday I found myself in the delicious position of having a free day, no plans, a very limited knowledge of bus schedules, and 25 dollars on my transit card. So I did the natural thing: scrambled some eggs, shoved all of my snorkeling gear into a salt-weary backpack, and …
