Musician Spotlight - Sungha Jung (정성하)

Sungha Jung is by far one of the most talented Korean guitarists that I have come across during my never ending YouTube explorations. His style is unique in a way that represents him well, with his uncanny ability to produce amazing finger-style guitar covers and originals. For someone who is so talented at the guitar, it is also impressive that he is so young, only being 20 years old. When I first discovered him, his music brought me peace and relaxation. I used his covers as a way to block out the world as I studied for my exams in university. Now I listen to his music when I go for walks, need to relax, or just want to sway back and forth around my apartment and dance. I especially enjoy his originals. I think his originals really showcase his personality and that he truly puts his emotion into his own work.Through his YouTube channel he makes it quite obvious to viewers that he enjoys playing in his videos. In most, if not all, of his videos on YouTube, you can't help but notice a huge grin spread across his face as he gets really into any song that he plays. It is a look of pure joy in what he does and that, I believe, makes him very admirable as an artist. Without a doubt, my favorite song of his currently would be his original Milky Way. I think that this song not only has a very well produced music video, but that the guitar speaks for itself strongly and as such yields an emotional song even without lyrics.

One of my favorite older arrangements of his, although they are all amazing.... is his arrangement of Dust in the Wind. 

And more recently, his arrangement of Isn't She Lovely.

If you enjoy guitar or are looking for a new artist to fall in love with then Sungha Jung may be for you. I am sure that if you gave his music a chance you would become enchanted with the sounds he is able to produce as a guitarist. 

His Twitter

His Official Website

보성녹차밭 대한다원 - Boseong's Green Tea Plantation

Originally, the trip to Boseong's Daehan Dawon Tea Plantation was supposed to be a simple day trip on a nice Saturday. However, I found that if you live in Jeollanamdo, the buses don't always go to your every desired destination. In my case, there wasn't a bus from my hometown of Naju to Boseong. Since that was the case, my trip turned into a weekend one. First, Friday night it was off to Mokpo to stay with a friend. Then we left from Mokpo's bus terminal for Boseong the following morning and toured for the day, catching the last bus back to Mokpo that evening.

Upon arriving at Boseong's bus terminal, if you want to get to the tea fields first you should go up to the ticket booth and get a bus ticket. If you simply say, "green tea" the ticket lady will know where you want to go and print you a ticket. The bus that takes you to the green tea fields is a green bus that arrives to pick people up in the last lane at the terminal. It will most likely arrive just moments before the time printed on your ticket, and it is always wise to show the driver your ticket to confirm its the correct bus if you have doubts. We also didn't know our bus stop, but it was fairly obvious once we saw the green tea hills nearby. It was also the stop all the couples got off the bus at, so we trusted that it was the stop that we wanted and followed them.

Step 1: Get your entry ticket. Tickets are cheap, costing only 4,000 won for adults. It is single entry though, so if you want to grab a bite to eat at the restaurant just outside the gate, eat first. The restaurant has great food and many vegetarian options if you prefer no meat. Their menu is almost entirely green tea related as well. As such, you can imagine the menu was a very healthy one. It offered foods such as: green tea rice, green tea-fed samgyeopsal, green tea noodles (spicy and non-spicy) and green tea pancakes, among others. I went for the green tea noodles, and I will say they were very tasty. The noodles themselves were very good, with a seafood flavored broth and vegetables and mussels included. It was a satisfying meal before our big exploration of the fields themselves.

Green Tea Noodles

The menu

Upon entering the plantation you will be tempted by a multitude of green tea shops selling almost anything green tea related you could imagine. My advice is, wait until after you hike around to spend all your money on treats.

If you head for the heart of the plantation from the beginning you will find yourself at the bottom of some steps leading up a rather large hill. Green tea is planted in neatly trimmed rows in all directions, weaving across the small mountain. The neat rows are aesthetically pleasing to the eye and as far as you can see there is nothing but a rich variety of shades of green. Follow the steps up the the first landing and you will find yourself in what I believe is the best overall view of the fields themselves. From there you can see the rows as they wind along up the hill, people dotting the rows up the mountain, and of course, vast amounts of tea. It was a sight unlike any I had seen before in my life.

We explored the plantation throughout the course of the day, taking all the trails, seeing the gorgeous fields of green tea, the magnificent cedar trees planted along the trails, and taking hundreds of photographs of the perfectly manicured tea rows. The plantation would be a dream come true for any child wishing to play hide-and-go-seek...oh how I wish I could've while we were there. I did crack into my childishness a little, climbing two trees along the trails for a better view of my surroundings. Even the back trails, secluded from the tea fields themselves were still filled with beauty. The tall, straight trees wrapped with vines and the sunlight shining through made the forest feel enchanted, with the small creek trickling with water making it ever more so.

While we explored, it was also impossible not to notice the hoards of Korean couples, all who were being way to ridiculously adorable for their own good. It hurt just looking at them. Seeing super cute couples really magnifies the status of being single. Young couples were holding hands, setting self timers on their cameras to get that perfect "kissing in a field of green tea" photo, and being every so romantic. It made me smile, it made me jealous, and it made me daydream. What a perfect place for a date.

Look at the depth of these rows

Green Tea Close-Up

The picturesque trees

The trees seen here at the right are noteworthy in the sense that they are recognizable in several dramas and movies that have been filmed here. They are the landmark of the green tea fields if you want to recognize this place in any Korean drama or movies.











Also worth showing is this fairy-tale-like road. The combination of the tall trees along one side of the path and the green tea on the other was nice to look at. It was so beautiful.








We stayed wandering around the fields until the sun started to set. Finally satisfied with our full camera rolls and green tea viewing, we headed to raid the gift shops and taste as many green tea things as we could.

At the first store we sampled green tea shakes and green tea ttkeobokki. They were both very good.

The green tea shake and green tea ice cream I had later on tasted basically the same, except for the fact that one I could drink. The ttkeobokki was very good. As you can see, the rice cakes themselves look a bit green. It wasn't too spicy and also included both fishcakes and cabbage, which I thought was a great combination.




Later on we bought an assortment of green tea products to take home. I  bought myself some green tea latte mix and Boseong green tea chocolate. They also had green tea candy, noodles, crackers of various types, fresh tea bags, and more in their shops. Its really the perfect souvenir, what would be better then something made from the green tea produced in Boseong? If you know any green tea lovers, the items also would make a perfect gift.

Lastly, this is the green tea ice cream that we tried as we were leaving the plantation and headed to find the bus stop. The people who ran the shop in the upper area of the parking lot where we bought it were very kind and helpful. They gave us great customer service, so I was happy to spend money at their store. The ice cream also tasted great and refreshing.





The bus stop was a bit difficult to find at first, but it can be found on the other side of the underpass near the main road. If you get close enough to the underpass you will see an English sign pointing you in the right direction. It was a lifesaver. Whoever posted that sign...Thank You. I will also throw in a disclaimer...if you take one of the countryside Boseong buses back to the terminal...some of the drivers are absolutely nuts. Our bus driver drove so fast on the tight, cramped roads, swerving this way and that. We were sitting in the back of the bus being thrown every which way. It was crazy. Overall though it was a great trip. Boseong is a very small, yet peaceful place to visit. Maybe I will find myself visiting it again in the future.

Korean Word of Relevance: The Korean word for green tea is 녹차 (pronounced nok-cha)

Hot Spots to Visit in Seoul

Over the recent holidays of Buddhas birthday and Children's Day I had a 5 day weekend, which I spent visiting friends in Seoul. This post will show some of the popular places in Seoul that I visited.

The first spot I visited the day I arrived was Cheonggyecheon Stream (청계천), where there were many lanterns strung up for the celebration of Buddha's Birthday that day, May 3rd. The lanterns were quite a sight. The soft glow and array of colors set a very romantic and comforting atmosphere around the stream. Many people, families, and children wandered about and played in the water. Even though it was after dark, the stream was full of people. There also were gorgeous flower arrangements hung up along the walls lining the stream and many lanterns strung above it, creating a makeshift ceiling of light. I have been to this stream several times, and every time it has been decorated differently, but it never fails to impress me.

The following day I found myself in Myeongdong, which is a hub for street food and tourist shopping. I have been here several times as well, but there is always something new to find. This visit I tried an ice cream desert that was a fish shaped waffle, filled with vanilla ice cream and a small honeycomb on top. I am not sure the honeycomb was authentic, but it was certainly very sweet. It was almost too sweet for me, but it was worth trying if you like sweet foods. I went to my first truly themed cafe, the Hello Kitty Cafe, to meet some friends. It was all a bit too pink for me though. Hello Kitty isn't really my thing...

I also tried Dr. Fish while I was there. Dr. Fish are the foot therapy where you put your feet in a vat of fish and they eat all the dead skin from your feet. Now, it definitely works. My feet were softer when I finished, but I think the longer you do the treatment the better the results you will have. That being said, if you are a super ticklish person you may not be able to handle it. I have never experienced something so ticklish in my entire life. It was nearly impossible to sit still without flinching as their tiny little lawnmower like mouths buzzed all over my feet. It tickled SO MUCH. I paid 10,000 W for about 15 minutes with the fish, but given the chance to do it again I would do it for longer. Before calling it a night, I also did some shopping along the streets and bought some new clothes.
















On day three I visited Seoul Forest for the first time. It seemed to be a really great outdoor area for being located within Seoul. There were many families and children celebrating Children's Day with picnics and playing in the water fountains. There were also many events for the children to participate in and many places to see. There was an insect zoo and butterfly house that had free entry. The free entry was the most appealing thing for me. I have been in many similar insect/butterfly/plant observatories, but never one that was free. I think the fact that it was free really promoted parents to bring their children to learn about the different insects, which was great. There also were some really enchanting areas that looked like they could've been straight out of a fairy tale. They were hot places for couples to take photos together. The forest even had a deer corral, where you could get up close with some deer and feed them. The deer looked a bit different then those from home, so I was curious as I watched them. The adults still had spots, and they looked a bit fluffier then deer I am used to seeing. The forest was filled with bike paths, sports areas where people could play everything from basketball, frisbee, and ping pong to volleyball. I think the abundance of areas open to sports around Seoul is very positive. I like how hard they try to integrate exercise into daily lives of the people who live there.

Later that night I went to the Han river and had dinner with friends at Ttukseom Hangang Park (한강시민공원 뚝섬지구). Most of the photos I took are poor quality since it was dark out, but the atmosphere was perfect. There was soft lighting and the river was right nearby. The cityscape with all the lights across the river made for a breathtaking view and all around were people on blankets or in tents lounging with loved ones having a relaxing evening. We ordered some Korean fried chicken (soy chicken is my favorite) and ate and visited as we listened to people who were performing nearby. It was really great.


The next day I acted as a tour guide for a fellow friend who had come to Seoul for the first time, so we went all over the place. We started the day off at Naksan Park, walking along the old Seoul City Wall and seeing a great view of the city. From there we went to the National Folk Museum and Gyeongbukgong Palace. We wandered throughout the palace and took photos, ate some subway, taunted some pigeons nearby, and enjoyed daydreaming about a time when a palace as magnificent as Gyeongbukgong would've actually been in use. The palace is so huge and the historical elements take your breath away. Especially if you are from a Western lifestyle, seeing something so drastically different makes your imagination flourish with visions of what palace life would've been like.

From there it was off to Insadong, where we spent WAY too much money on traditional souvenir items. If you want to buy souvenirs or gifts for family that is the place to go. Everything you can buy is so pretty there, but most of the multitude of shops sell the same things. I bought myself some hair clips and decorations for my apartment, as well as real calligraphy ink to go with my brushes I had previously bought elsewhere.

My friend and I also ended up in a rather large underground museum dedicated to King Sejong and Admiral Yi near Gwanghwamun Square. Initially we saw the sign for the museum and thought it was a small one. We were wrong. The steps took us underground for an expansive museum, complete with a large turtle ship replica, replicas of inventions of King Sejong, and much more. It was a very well laid out museum and I think it was rather high quality. The exhibits were gorgeous and detailed, the atmosphere was very educational and inspiring, and the staff was very friendly.


Some of Sejong's Analects included relational and communicational leadership.

Relational Leadership: "One of the most essential ingredients of great statecraft is trust, and especially expressing trust. How can a king who should rule over all people and all things in the country with impartiality treat those of low birth any differently from the way he would treat others?"

Communicational Leadership: "A wise ruler should not neglect minority opinions and give careful hearing. Nevertheless, it would be foolish for a monarch to make decisions based on a single person's opinion. Although those of superior ranks are wiser than their subordinates and should be able to make the right decisions, the subordinates must not hesitate to correct their superiors, if they feel with certainty that the latter's decisions is wrong."

Analects of King Sejong

Sejong's Statue - Museum Entrance

Admiral Yi

Inside the Turtleship Repl

Korean, Chinese, and Japanese Ship Comparison

Calligraphy Experience 

Next stop on the day of tours was Namsan Tower near Myeongdong. If you take the subway and get off at Myeongdong Station Exit 1, the tower is close enough that you can walk to the cable cars from there instead of paying for a taxi or bus. The tower is exactly as I remembered it, with the exception that this time there were many more love locks then a little over a year ago when I visited. The tower was also lit a different color this time, green rather than blue. I didn't go up in the tower this time since we didn't have enough time before the subways closed to make paying worth it, but the views from the bottom of the tower are still breathtaking.
N SEOUL TOWER

Love locks and the city background

On my last day in Seoul we made a trip to K Star Road for some celebrity hunting....well we didn't see any, but we did get to see these:

KStarRoad 

Aren't they cute? We also were able to visit SM, JYP, and FNC entertainment. We saw many "celebrity vans" or at least they had the potential... and some suspicious characters who were rather covered up for such a hot day, but no celebrity citings were confirmed. Maybe someday...


Lastly, I want to post this election poster for the recent Korean Elections. They were posted all over Seoul. I think Korea has many election candidates, but I appreciate the fact that they all get decent promotion. In the USA, other than the 2 main candidates, I feel like the others are sort of shadowed. Here I see promotions for all the different candidates no matter what area of Korea I am in. People drive around and promote their party and posters and banners show all the candidates fairly equally, which I think is respectable. I also think the fact that schools and many places of work are closed on election day is an admirable aspect of election day that should be considered in the USA. I think it would boost voting numbers if people had the day off...

15 Election Candidates....but the first 5 are the most popular

Jindo SeaParting/Miracle Sea Road Festival

The festival entrance

On April 29th I went to the Island of Jindo, SK to witness the Jindo Sea Parting event. Only occurring once a year during the months of April-May, a difference in the tides causes a small land bridge that connects Jindo to the island of Modo that is nearby. It is a highly popular festival for both Koreans and tourists alike, so there were many people that attended. We arrived very early in the morning on the last day of the festival, so many of the stalls were not open yet. My friend and I were able to look around and found a map of the festival grounds. I didn't try any unique foods this time, just cheap festival foods, but I didn't lack experiences.


First, I was able to see Jindo dogs up close. I think they are some of the cutest dogs ever and I really want one. The puppies look like little teddy bears, they are all fluff and eyes. They can be a variety of colors too, although I think I may be partial to the white ones. At the festival I was able to play with some Jindo puppies, and even got to hold and cuddle them. They were very popular and had many admirers. I also was able to see a Jindo dog show, where they had some very skilled trainers and well trained dogs do some amazing tricks. It seems like a great breed, and its a traditionally Korean dog breed. I need one.

The festival had many other events as well, including a color festival on the beach, wrestling matches, and a global zone where foreigners were performing, dancing, and singing. I was able to stay entertained throughout the day by watching various events, strolling the beach looking for shells, and relaxing in the shade. The beach was littered with tiny little abalone shells, which are really shiny and beautiful on the inside and commonly used in jewelry. I collected lots of the tiny shells. I also watched the boat parade that made its way up and down the shore throughout the day, drumming and dancing to the beat as it slowly moved about.

Where the sea road begins....before people arrived

Above is one of the boats passing by during the boat parade, with its colorful flags, upbeat drumming, and traditional looks.

The actual sea parting began to occur at about 6pm, so that is when everyone donned the nice plastic boots they had bought earlier that day and began the trek across the sea. It was actually pretty amazing to see the road appearing as the tide went out and the water slowly disappeared. Lots of locals went out and were not there for the walk, but rather were harvesting. I am not sure exactly what all they were collecting, but lots of women collected seaweed, shells, and other sea life which I assume was edible. The children on shore were also having a blast collecting the crabs that were suddenly exposed. While we walked my friend and I came across two starfish that were along the path. In our attempt to be good samaritans, we picked them up and politely moved them away from the trample zone.

Once people arrived

Crossing the Sea Road

My StarFish Find

Midway to the Island

Since it was the last day of the festival, it unfortunately began getting dark before the sea road opened up completely around 7:20pm. Since it was getting dark, the people crossing were forced to turn back to Jindo before completely reaching the island of Modo for safety reasons. It is a little disappointing that we were unable to walk all the way across, but I am still glad that I was able to experience the event. It is one of those once-in-a-lifetime things that I will cherish. As we were walking, those that stayed on shore also released several hundred lanterns of various colors into the sky as the sun set, which gave a very peaceful setting to the end of the event after a crazy long day.