2015 Travel Highlights

It is officially 2016! Where did the time go? 2015 was an excellent year, i'm excited to see what this year will bring. Looking back at my year I realized I traveled a lot more than I thought I did. It's important to take time to reflect on your year and remember every new experience and if you achieved everything you had wanted to this year.

I wanted to highlight all the trips I took in and out of Korea. So far this year I have visited 12 cities and 4 countries a little less than anticipated but this year will be even better!

Gardens at the Bay

Singapore

My first impression is Singapore was "wow it's so clean". Singapore is known for for being one of the most cleanest cities in the world. It's a small island but there are so many attractions and things to do so you could never get bored. This was my first solo vacation while teaching English. I had a lot of fun by myself just exploring and getting lost. My favourite moment was walking around the Clarke Quay. I would love to visit here again in the future.

Batu Caves

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur was extremely hot, kind of like a oven, which I love. One thing you need to take into consideration is that it is a conservative country because there is a high concentration of Muslims. Some of the places you visit you need to dress more conservatively. I had fun in Kuala Lumpur, it was a lot different than I expected which is not necessarily bad. If I was to visit again I would want to visit Penang and Langkawi.

Dotonbori

Osaka, Japan

Osaka was a lot of fun! I got to visit other cities like Nara and Kobe. There were lots of great moments on this trip from the owl cafe, purikura, deer park and the food. OMG the sushi is amazing! When I think about Osaka all I think about is sushi and teppanyaki! The only thing I disliked was how expensive taxis and the subway was. There are a few places I still want to go to like Kyoto, Tokyo and Okinawa. I'm actually hoping to go to these places this year, but we will see.

Puerta Real Gardens

Manila, Philippines 

Manila was A LOT different from what I expected. My first impression was wow there is SO much poverty. I saw unforgettable things like children sleeping on the street and digging in the garbage for food. However, Manila is a beautiful city but the gap between rich and poor is huge. It is definitely worth the visit, there is lots of history in Manila and food and transportation is hella cheap!

Jeju Island, Korea

Everyone has heard of Jeju Island, people call it the Hawaii of Korea. It is very touristy and the transportation isn't the best. But it's super cheap to fly into Jeju from Gimpo airport. On our second week off work because of Mers I got to spend 5 days here. The weather wasn't the greatest but I had a great time which I was  spent mostly at the beach. It's a great place to relax and unwind.

Tongyeong city in the background

Tongyeong, Korea

I found out about Tongyeong on the visitkorea app. They always have current events and festivals that are going on in Korea. The pictures looked beautiful so I wanted to check it out. I think this was the most beautiful place I have been to in Korea. A lot of people go to the islands but miss out on the port cities. This is one not to miss. They have ferry rides to about 10 different islands down there. The most beautiful island I have been to in Korea is Bijindo. There's not a lot to do there but it is very scenic!

Haeundae Beach

Busan, Korea

I've wanted to visit Busan since before I even got to Korea. I never did because I was scared to travel alone so I spent 2014 not doing a lot of traveling alone. Busan was just as beautiful as I thought it was, although I only spent less then 48 hours there. But must see places are Haeundae Beach, Haedong Yonggung Temple, Gamcheon culture village and Jagalchi market.

2016 Travel Plans?

This year, actually in about 2 months I will be leaving Korea. Although I absolutely love Korea I think I need to move on and finish some of my goals that I have in mind. I may end up back in Korea or Asia but who knows.

As for now I am sending my last weeks visiting places I haven't visited yet. When my contract is over I will be "backpacking" around Asia for about two months. I will be going to Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, China, Taiwan and Indonesia.