-
Korean Ceramics Shopping in Yeoju, Korea
Korean Ceramics Two weeks ago I had a fun day ogling and purchasing a few pieces of lovely and practical Korean Ceramics in the City of Yeoju, a 90-minute drive east of Seoul. Welcome to week 325 (4/27/2017) of Travel Photo Thursday. Come in and see the pieces that will be making their way back to Canada and my new condo later this year. If you are in Seoul and you want to purchase Korean ceramics or pottery, avoid the touristy shops in Itaewon or Insadong. Instead, grab a public bus or find a tour going to Yeosu. The city has been producing quality ceramics and pottery for centuries. Here you will pay a quarter of the price for the same vase or dish-set you may have eyed in downtown Seoul. Our first stop didn’t look like much, but once inside there was lots to choose from. My first purchase was this stunning white-on-white celadon short vase with cranes for a mere $20.00. I priced a similar piece in Itaewon a few days later, less than half the size and the shopkeeper quoted me $40.00. Our next stop was a shop with loads of gorgeous tableware in a rainbow of colors. I love tea, and could not pass up this stunning teapot ($25.00). This was a fab bargain as we found them sporting much higher price tags in other shops. I can’t wait to brew my first pot! The bamboo handle is perfectly heat resistant. This stunning piece had my name written all over it for a mere $25.00. This was my absolute favorite piece of the day. I...
Read More -
A Traditional Craft Workshop in Seoul: Kum Baek Yeon
Entering the small hanok workshop in Seoul’s Bukchon’s Hanok Village, we were eager to try our hand at creating Kum Baek Yeon (gold leaf imprinting on silk). Welcome to week 314 ( 2/2/2017) of Travel Photo Thursday. Join us as we learn the Korean tradition of gold leaf imprinting on silk. We’re pretty easy going here at BTS, but please remember to follow a few guidelines. To join in the Travel Photo Thursday fun simply post a photo on your blog. Return here and place your link in the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post. Please post a link to a post featuring a travel photo, not simply a link to your blog. Leave a comment before you go. I do read each and every one, and always try to respond. Kum Baek Yeon is a technique originating from Korea’s Joseon dynasty (around 1849) and was used only on clothes stitched for and worn by the royal family. The first master craftsman was Kim Wanhyeong and now the fifth generation, Kim Gi – Ho, continues the tradition. Our first task was to choose the stamps we wanted to use, and under Mr. Kim’s guidance, we practiced our imprinting skills on a fabric swatch before being “let loose” on the real thing. Kum Baek Yeon After choosing our stamps, we all got down to preparing for the embossing. The technique is quite easy, but believe me, it takes time and dedication to produce high-quality gold imprinting. The first thing you do is cover the seal with just the right amount of glue and hold it over the heat for 5 seconds. Next, you take a wooden stick with a...
Read More -
Seoul: Insadong Street Food
Insadong Street Food From Gwangjang Market ( last weeks post) we headed off to find the Insadong Street food scene. Welcome to week 298 (10/20/2016) of Travel Photo Thursday. First, we trekked along Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon Stream what seemed like forever for about twenty minutes. Returning to street level, we came face to face with a piece of the Berlin Wall located in an outdoor plaza dubbed “Berlin Square.” A piece of the Berlin Wall in downtown Seoul took me completely by surprise! The city is home to three cement slabs from the Wall, along with a Berlin Street light, and benches and trees gifted to the city by Germany. The plaza symbolizes the future reunification of the two Koreas and Berlin provides financial support for the plaza. In fact, the last time I saw the Berlin Wall, it was standing, and I was on the verge of being arrested for not having the correct train ticket to travel between East and West Berlin. What a day that was! We’re pretty easy going here at BTS, but please remember to follow a few guidelines… To join in the Travel Photo Thursday fun simply post a photo on your blog. Return here and place your link in the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post. Please post a link to a post featuring a travel photo, not simply a link to your blog. Leave a comment before you go. I do read each and every one, and always try to respond. How to get to the Berlin Wall Seoul: Located along the Cheonggyecheon stream adjacent to Samilgyo Bridge. There are three subway stations nearby: Line 1 Jonggak Station exit 5 Line...
Read More -
Korean Traditional Food at Gwangjang Market
Korean Traditional Food This week we’re in downtown Seoul on a quest to discover and sample some of the best Korean traditional food the city has to offer. Welcome to week 297 (14/10/2016) of Travel Photo Thursday. Here we are at Gwangjang Market, exploring the three food alleys with the most popular traditional dishes, namely: Mayak Gimbap Alley, Yukhoe Alley, and Jeon Alley. We’re pretty easy going here at BTS, but please remember to follow a few guidelines… To join in the Travel Photo Thursday fun simply post a photo on your blog. Return here and place your link in the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post. Please post a link to a post featuring a travel photo, not simply a link to your blog. Leave a comment before you go. I do read each and every one, and always try to respond. Gwangjang Market Gwangjang Market, opened in 1905, is Korea’s oldest market, and one of the largest traditional markets on the peninsula. Locals frequent Gwangjang for its quality silk products, kitchenware, hanbok, bedding, and fabric. However, what brings out the hordes of people is the traditional Korean food on offer, and we sampled the three most popular. Here we have bolts of fabric and other dry goods that bring in the local shoppers. Mayak Gimbap Alley Our first tasting was a very popular Korean snack food, Gimbap/Kimbap (김밥). However, this was Kimbap with a twist! Instead of the laver (seaweed) being the outside wrapper, as is the norm, this version has the rice (bap) as the outer layer and has the nicknames Nude Kimbap or Mayak Kimbap. The word mayak in Korean means...
Read More
"Priceless Independent Travel On a Budget"
Your Value Travel Resource
Showing Our Love for Barcelona in Photos
Barcelona Photos
The first thing I read on my news feed this morning was the breaking news of the horrifying terrorist attack in Barcelona. Like most of the world, I am sickened and disgusted by this senseless act of terrorism. My original plan for Travel Photo Thursday had nothing to do Barcelona photos. However, I’ve decided to share some of my photos taken when I visited this vibrant and beautiful city in December 2015, and again in February 2016. Welcome to week 340 of Travel Photo Thursday. Most of my Barcelona shots are on a hard drive packed in a box making its way from Seoul to Nova Scotia. Do enjoy the few that I discovered on my hard drive.
To join in the Travel Photo Thursday fun simply choose a travel post from your blog.
Add a link to Budget Travelers Sandbox in your post. You can also add our Travel Photo Thursday logo.
You’ll find the code in the sidebar. Return here and place your link in the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post.
Each link is shared on Twitter and the Pinterest Travel Photo Thursday board.
Leave a comment before you go.
I do read each one and always try to respond.
Finally, take the time to visit some of the other bloggers in the link-up. Reading, posting, and sharing is what makes the link-up successful, and ultimately brings more traffic to your blog.
All links are DoFollow. That means I am sharing SEO link juice with you; a good thing!
Barceloneta Beach
A short subway ride from Barcelona’s downtown core you’ll find this lovely white sand beach with its pungent ocean smells and people in the mood for fun. You can read all about Barceloneta in an earlier post.
10 Crazy Driving Laws Around the World
Driving abroad: check out these strange driving laws from around the world.
Have you ever wanted to drive around naked? Or perhaps, on the contrary, you dream of a world in which you never had to see another person sitting in their vehicle with no top on? Maybe your dog is always suggesting that you provide them with a seatbelt? Or perhaps you have recently found yourself fuming because a careless driver splattered you with puddle water on a rainy day and you wish that there was some legal outlet for your revenge? No matter what your weird and wonderful (or entirely reasonable) driving tastes and fantasies, there is sure to be a country that caters for them. So sit down, crack open a beer (which you can do at the wheel on one of the countries on this list) and read up on some of the weirdest driving rules in place in the world today. Where are you going to drive to?
10 crazy driving laws around the world!
With driving laws becoming stricter in the UK, you might be refreshed to hear that some of our laws aren’t the most outright ludicrous. From drinking to nudity, here are some of the craziest driving laws from around the world!
- In Japan, driving through puddles and splashing pedestrians is worthy of a hefty fine!
You’re walking to work following the latest rainstorm and the next thing you know it… SPLASH! You’re now soaked. In the UK, the driver’s most probably laughing at your expense, but in Japan, laughing is the last thing they’d be doing!
About Me
I'm a longtime expat and traveler, experiencing the world one country, one photograph, and one chili pepper at a time. I'm an expert on experiencing priceless travel adventures on a budget. Grab Your Travel Photo Thursday Badge
