by David Brandreth

I was in Korea for two straight years. Although I lived in Pusan, the second largest city, I did a lot of roaming around the country. Here is a collection of experiences that are not hard to come by, many of which are not usually found in the typical guide book:

While exploring a beach or mountain area, the tell-tale odour of bbondaegi, or barbequed silkworm larva, steaming in the woks, will direct you to these sidewalk vendors. I encourage you to try it once. It's cheap. I admit didn't particularly like it. I even tried it on a few more occasions to settle my opinion. For me it was a texture thing. When returning to Canada, I always made a point of stocking up on cans of the stuff from any supermarket to take home with me. They make great Christmas stocking stuffers.

The street food in Korea is amazing. When hungry in most Canadian cities I've been to, and with no time to sit down, one can only seem to find hot dogs, shawarmas, and pizza slices. Korea offers a multitude of choices, way too elaborate to describe.

Traditional teahouses are great places to get a way from the concrete jungle. The ambiance is phenomenal. There's one in Seoul I used to haunt in the old neighbourhood of Insa-Dong where tropical birds fly freely throughout the establishment. One minute you're sipping your five-berry concoction, then suddenly there's a little bright red feathery thingamajig perched on your shoulder.

Night hikes were always a favourate. A group of friends would meet in a local drinking hole, have a few cold ones, then we'd stock up with water bottles, snacks and all, and make our way to the nearest trail. This was particularly accessible in Pusan, but a bit more difficult if you happen to live in the centre of Seoul. In the mountains of Keumjeong upon which the city stretches, we would come accross secluded Buddhist shrines, hidden away in tiny nooks and caves, detectable by the glow of candles. We'd follow the old fortess walls upon the ridge and arrive at the Pomosa Temple compound at dawn. Water bottles were always replenishable from the natural water springs that everyone drinks from. By morning we'd hop on the subway, and head back home after a night of adventure.

It seemed as if everyone I knew did the three-hour hyrofoil crossing to Fukuoka, Japan at least once. It's cheap compared to an airplane ticket. In Japanese standards, Fukuoka is a small, peaceful coastal city. It's a simple way of putting your Asian experience into perspective, by seeing the little (and big) differences of a culture accross the sea.