Hello all!

The official days of summer are fast approaching (ONE WEEK AWAY!). I can already smell the scent of sunscreen, chlorine, and freshly cut grass *SNIFF SNIFF* ahhh. But, let’s be real, I live in Korea so it’s more like the smell of seafood, kimchi, and cigarette smoke. Take what you can get..

Summer means getting outside A LOT more, and what better way to spend an afternoon than exploring the Busan Alleyway Festival. Two weeks ago the city celebrated four popular alleyways, each showered with artwork and history. Honestly, I would not have known about these fascinating little side streets if it were not for the weekend celebration.I was fascinated to learn that there’s a monorail in one of the alleyways since older citizens live higher in the mountains. The monorail makes it easier for them to access their homes instead of busting their knee caps while climbing hundreds of steps. But if you do brave the steps, there are beautiful lookout points where you can gaze upon staggered city rooftops, the deep blue sea, and luscious green mountains.

Oh look, a video for you! Take a gander at the Busan Alleyway Festival in my vlog below, plus I show you how to make chocolate cheesecake bars. Yup, you read that right.. and it’s SUPER easy!

This will be the last summer living in the beach capital of SoKo and I plan to lay out and listen to the crashing waves any chance I get.. every weekend, if possible. Last week I went to Haeundae Beach to meet up with some friends and had time to take a tour of sand sculptures that were recently built there. Pretty rad, huh?During the summer months the city will sometimes provide lawn chairs and umbrellas on the beach. I kicked my feet up and took advantage of it all, and it was glorious. When I finally met up with friends, we made out way to Songjeong Beach (surfer’s paradise) and walked along an abandoned railway. It had great views of the coast, and an ideal Instagram shot location.On Memorial Day (June 6) I had the day off work and decided to go Beomeosa Temple. HOW HAVE I NEVER BEEN HERE BEFORE? It’s stunning! The temple was built over a thousand years ago. However, the original building was destroyed by a Japanese invasion in 1592 but was rebuilt a hundred or so years later.If you ever wanted to live like a monk for the day, you can do a one night “Temple Stay” at Beomeosa. More information on that (PLUS MORE!) in my vlog below!