September saw another outbreak of COVID-19 in South Korea, prompting me to push back many travel plans. September also saw perhaps one of my lowest points in Korea, at least mentally. Nothing specifically bad happened, but the state of the world really got to me in September. I would generally say I am a person who doesn’t get homesick, but seeing my original leaving date come and go saw me missing my family more than I ever expected.
But, at the tail end of September things are looking up a bit. There are several holidays coming up and I for one really need the break. It may seem like I just had a vacation in Jeju in August, but that feels like absolute eons ago. So, I’m rather excited for October! I also seem to be emerging from my mental funk that dominated the past couple of weeks, which is fantastic.
September’s travel was kept minimal, I only visited two places. This month saw me reaching levels of forgetfullness I haven’t experienced in years, so the pictures aren’t as good as I forgot my new camera attachment for both trips. But, they’re places I’ve already been so you can check out my guide to Gyeongju and my previous post on Gimhae for better photos!
Gimhae
My second trip to Gimhae was just as relaxing and delicious as the first. Cafe Marjorie was a delight and we absolutely gorged ourselves on Eggs Benedict and Fish and Chips. Gimhae is a very relaxing place to stroll around, and by doing this came to the realization of just how multicultural Gimhae is. I don’t know if I’ve even seen this many foreigners in Seoul! Now I’ll have to go back to sample the variety of Thai, Uzbak, Kazak, Chinese, Pakistani, and Indian food all just a short walk away from the King Suro Tomb Park.
All-round an excellent daytrip from Busan or Changwon!
Gyeongju
Ah, my favorite city in all of Korea, once again. This time at the tail end of summer, meaning I’ve seen it in all but winter now. I’ll definitely be heading back before I leave!
This time around, things were a bit different. For one, I decided to go with my friend, which meant we could actually eat out at non-chain restaurants for one. And, I got to see things through her eyes as well. We had quite a run with the fortune-telling gatcha machines dotted around the shopping street next to the tomb park. We now know our future according to the stars, the cards, and the sticks!
I also finally made it to Donggung Palace during the evening – the only time to bother seeing it. It was unexpectedly cold so we raced through it but it was very fun and vaguely spooky!
What’s Happening in October
October is looking pretty packed, as there are many holidays coming up. I’m heading to Ulleungdo, Dokdo, Pohang, Jeonju, Busan, and Tongdosa. This is, of course, provided the Covid numbers continue on their downward trend. All in all, hopefully everything will go as planned, properly 🙂 That’s it for my update! Hopefully I’ll feel well enough mentally to start doing my job of posting on this blog more frequently, but I’m trying to take it easy these days. I hope anyone reading has a good day!
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