SOUTH KOREA

Just days away from the actual festival, I was praying they’d be spectactular. They were.

Hwaseong Fortress is in the city of Suwon, which is around 30 km south of Seoul.

Seoul is a shopaholic's paradise. There is so much to buy here. From cosmetics to brand name clothing to K-Pop souvenirs to artsy bric-a-brac, there's no shortage of it in Seoul. Even the subway stations were like mini shopping malls.

What better way to say hello to Seoul, than from a vantage point nearly 500 meters up?

There are five Joseon royal palaces...

If you read iHouse's reviews on AirBnB, you'll notice that they all pretty much say the same thing: "Good rooms, central location, accommodating manager, shitty walk uphill."

Dongdaemun Design Plaza or DDP is an ultramodern structure designed to host...

If you'd like to try samgyetang, then Tosokchon should be at the top of your list. In Seoul, this place is legendary.

Once a community for noble families and high-ranking officials, it still functions as a...

A self-proclaimed museum of Korean cuisine, Si.Wha.Dam aims to stimulate not just...

The term banchan means "side dish" and refers to those little plates of food served at the start of a Korean meal. Most are made with vegetables, though some banchan contain meat and seafood as well.

Outside of seeing the cherry blossoms, eating sannakji or "live" octopus was the one thing I was most excited about on this trip. I couldn't wait to try it.