Slept in for the first time since we left Victoria. Had a nice leisurely breakfast, said goodbye to a couple of our travel companions then up to the room for our final packing of our bags. No problems getting out to the airport so we arrived much earlier than expected. Ate our lunch in the […]

On the road at 7am for our DMZ visit. As we get closer we start to see rows of barbed wire and watch towers, first one strand then two then three strands of wire surrounding the watch towers close together along the river banks. We get to the ticketing plaza where our guide runs in […]

Two observation tower stops today, Busan Tower and North Seoul Tower Observation and cable car. We enjoyed the cable car but skipped the observation towers. Before leaving Busan, we visited Dongbaek Island (site of an APEC meeting) and walked through Yongdusan Park. It was a very lovely walk through the forest and along the ocean […]

Today is a full day of sightseeing starting with Bulguksa Temple, a big temple with many beautifully painted buildings and Buddhas, and stone pagodas. In Busan we see the Jagalchi fish market and Gukjesijang Market. So many live fish, eels, octopi and shellfish. One eel leaps out of the tank in front of us. The […]

Poor sleep on thin mats – up at 4:45. The call to prayer goes off at 5am and we walk up the hill to the meditation hall. Lots of bowing and kneeling with my forehead on the mat. We get a chanting sheet, but can’t figure out where we are on it. We also keep […]

We start the day with a train ride and bus ride to Golgulsa Temple. Here we dress into “temple clothes” – baggy grey pants with cuffs and orange vests. We have to wear this for our whole stay. This is a lovely temple complex up a steep hill with 20 buildings in all. We climb […]

Our tour starts the day off visiting the Blue House, the President’s house ( the current president is not using it, building a new one). There is a beautiful mountain behind it – one of the five surrounding Seoul. Next we visit the largest Royal palace in Seoul, Gyeongbok Palace. It looks a lot like […]

Up early for Narita Airport, flight to Incheon and Subway Train to Hotel Prince. Only 20 minutes late to the meeting. Definitely an older crowd – Chuck is in his 80s but looks much younger. Dinner out for kimchi and rice served with beef boiled in broth, greens and mushrooms cooked at the table in […]

Day 1 – SeoulArrive at any time. Welcome to Seoul! As fellow travelers are arriving throughout the day, there are no planned activities until a group meeting at 6 pm. Check into the hotel Prince and enjoy the city. After the welcome meeting, join your CEO for an orientation walk down Cheonggyecheon Stream to learn […]