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Emerald experience on Jeju Olle trail

An Olle trail on Jeju IslandBy Yun Suh-young It’s not often that one gets an opportunity to walk along a trail overlooking the emerald-colored ocean. It’s even rarer to stop along the trail and close your eyes to listen to live music played in the middle of a field of Chinese silver grass. It’s rare but it’s real. Trail 12 of the Jeju Olle Trail offers this overwhelming experience. Other trails from 10 to 13 will also offer live music by musicians during the Jeju Olle Walking Festival. The opportunity to experience this reality is near ― the third Jeju Olle Walking Festival will be held from Oct. 31 through Nov. 3. So pack up and get ready to walk. There’s no better trail for contemplation.

Oct 18, 2012

Contemplating on trails of Jeju

Korea Times photo by Yun Suh-youngBy Yun Suh-young The most popular walking trail in the world is perhaps the one in Spain known as Camino de Santiago. This trail which stretches across Spain is also called the “pilgrimage trail” because it was the route Saint James, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples, took to travel to Spain for worship. When he died ― beheaded by the notorious King Herod in Jerusalem ― his body was taken back to Spain and buried near the northern coast. Since then Christian believers went on pilgrimages to his gravesite. There is a trail in Korea also great for contemplation ― the Jeju Olle Trail, which stretches 410 kilometers around the island. The fact that it’s a great meditating course is a similarity between the Jeju and Santiago trails ― except that Jeju’s trail offers an ocean view difficult to find in the Spanish one. The birth of Olle Suh Myung-sook, president of the Jeju Olle Foundation is the founder of the Jeju Olle Trail. She started paving the Jeju trails after coming back from her own journey to Camino de Santiago.

Oct 18, 2012

Hotel Lobby

Oakwood Premier Coex Center Seoul The Oakwood Premier Coex Center Seoul’s Residents’ Lounge is running an Indian promotion through Oct. 28. A chef from the Oakwood Premier Pune is visiting Korea to prepare 25 authentic Indian dishes. They include paneer tikka masala, made using Indian cheese with an onion and tomato gravy; mutton kebab; chicken curry; butter chicken with a rich tomato gravy; and mini gulab jamun, deep-fried mini condensed milk balls dipped in sugar syrup. Starters and mains start from 8,000 won. The lounge is open from 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. For more information, call (02) 3466-7227. Conrad Seoul The Conrad Seoul, which will open on Nov. 12 in Seoul’s business district of Yeouido, will offer the brand’s signature package, “Luxury of Being Yourself” (LOBY), in celebration of the grand opening. Guests can choose a complimentary breakfast or upgrade for each night of their stay. HHonors Gold and Diamond members will earn 5,000 points for each stay. The Conrad Seoul has implemented eco-friendly features throughout its 434 rooms and will offer th

Oct 18, 2012By Kim Rahn

Kervan, center of Turkish food and culture

By Kim Rahn From the savory food to the stove in the kitchen, the red-colored signboard, the design on the ceiling, tiles on the wall, ornaments, tableware and music _ everything in Turkish restaurant Kervan represents not only the food of the country but also its culture, and this is what the restaurant is seeking. Opened last November in Itaewon, Kervan has already become a must-visit eatery in the central Seoul tourist district where dozens of foreign restaurants are located. Sinan Ozturk, head of the restaurant, said Turkish cuisine has a good reason to be popular in Korea, because it has already been regarded as one of the world’s top three cuisines along with French and Chinese. “The Ottoman Turkish Empire governed a large region, and 29 ethnic groups lived together for up to 600 years. Istanbul was the center of food culture: chefs from the different races set up food colleges there and studied how to treat sultans to delicious foods. Cuisines of different ethnic groups were exchanged, resulting in excellent menus,” Ozturk said. Using various ingredients rangi

Oct 18, 2012By Kim Rahn

Enjoy spooky Halloween fun

By Kim Rahn Trick or treat! Halloween may not be a widely celebrated holiday here, but more and more people are taking this Western holiday as a chance to enjoy unusual parties in special costumes. For those seeking some spooky events, these hotels offer the perfect places with ghostly decorations. Millennium Seoul Hilton’s English-style bar Oak Room is hosting a month-long promotion, which will be highlighted with the Halloween party on Oct. 31. The bar will be transformed into a ghoulish den fit for evening folly — Jack-o’-lanterns will cast an eerie glow and staffers will be dressed up in costumes. The Oak Room International Duo will perform, while a lucky draw will be prepared with prizes such as vouchers for restaurants and accommodations. During October, two special Guinness beer sets are available: Set A (45,000 won) includes two pints of Guinness draft beer, one snack dish and one commemorative T-shirt; and Set B (80,000 won) features four pints of the beer and the other benefits. For information, call (02) 317-3234. Imperial Palace Seoul’s loun

Oct 18, 2012By Kim Rahn

A trip to golden fields in Icheon

By Yun Suh-young One may feel dizzy looking at golden rice paddies stretching to the horizon in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, at this time of the year. Undulating in the direction the wind happens to prevail in at any given moment, the rice plants have their heads bowed under the weight of the ripe grains. An odd feeling of being aboard a ship catches you off guard — the sound of the wind meandering through the paddies also plays tricks on your ears as the sirens did to sailors. It doesn’t take long for you to get your “sea legs” and confirm you are standing on the ground. This is only the start of your trip to the “rice town.” Everywhere in Icheon is surrounded by rice paddies. Anywhere you go, you see them — even from the main street in downtown. The scene may be unfamiliar to outsiders but this is something very natural to the region. The quietness is strange, though. Because the region is specialized in growing rice, the villages where the farmers live are quiet, almost as if no one actually inhabits them. From time to time onl

Oct 11, 2012

Icheon, land of abundance

A field of rice before the harvest stretches across farmland at Buraemi Village in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. The village was designated as an experimental farming village to attract students on field trips so that they can harvest grapes, pears, peaches and other fruit and crops./ Korea Times photo by Yun Suh-youngBy Yun Suh-young ICHEON ― Since the ancient Goguryeo Kingdom, Koreans have held rituals to celebrate and give thanks to their ancestors and gods for the successful harvesting of crops. The tradition lives on. Chuseok, or the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving Day, which falls on the 15th day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar, continues until today where people hold rites to give thanks to their ancestors. This tradition of thanksgiving began during the Silla Kingdom. These days, the celebration has evolved into the form of a festival. Icheon in Gyeonggi Province holds the Icheon Rice Culture Festival every year to introduce Icheon rice and promote the region. Traditional thanksgiving rituals are reenacted here, a place which boasts the best quality rice in the

Oct 11, 2012

Performing arts market in Seoul 2012

By Kwon Mee-yoo More than 1,500 people from 53 countries gathered at the National Theater of Korea, located at the foot of Mt. Nam in Seoul to explore the diversity of Korean performances at the 8th Performing Arts Market (PAMS). Organized by the Korea Arts Management Service and the National Theater of Korea, PAMS is the largest performing arts fair in Korea. It introduces selected Korean performances and international works; discusses the current state of the performing arts; and promotes networking of performing arts professionals from across the globe. For this year’s PAMS, 89 organizations — 73 from Korea and 16 from overseas — have installed booths. Four works from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary, were showcased as well. The highlight of the event is the PAMS Choice Showcase, which presented a selection of 13 theater, music, dance and multidisciplinary performances in order to help them reach a global audience. International visitors gave a big round of applause to each troupe presented unique shows. The art market will wrap up t

Oct 11, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Hotel Lobby

Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel The Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel has received the Best New Business Hotel in Asia-Pacific Award from Business Traveller Asia-Pacific, a leading travel magazine. The award ceremony was held in Hong Kong on Sept. 28. It is the first time for a hotel in Korea to receive the award, reflecting the outstanding results for the hotel just one year since its September opening last year. “Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Sheraton brand, the Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel will continue to reach out with genuine care and achieve a higher service standard for the guests,” said the hotel’s general manager David Cuddon. Sheraton Grande Walkerhill The Sheraton Grande Walkerhill’s two restaurants offer “Dishes for Autumn Gastronomy.” Korean restaurant Myongwolgwan has created steamed rice in a lotus leaf, a healthy, Buddhist-style dish that is known to be good for those with high blood pressure and diabetes. The menu is available through Nov. 30 for 39,000 won. For more information, call (02) 450-4595. At Japanese eatery Kiyomizu, expe

Oct 4, 2012By Kim Rahn

Visiting chefs to offer authentic foreign foods

By Kim Rahn Foreign chefs and wine experts will visit Korea to present authentic dishes from their home countries. The Grand Hyatt Seoul has invited three chefs from the Grand Hyatt Singapore to present diverse fusion cuisine from Oct. 11 to 24. At buffet restaurant The Terrace, the “True Singapore”’ promotion will provide a chance to experience the fusion of Chinese, Indonesian, Thai and British cultures that defines the culinary culture of Singapore. Chef Low Hui Heng, with 18 years of experience at the Chinese Banquet Kitchen at the Singaporean hotel, has introduced the unique flavors and scents of Singapore through various promotions at Hyatt hotels worldwide. Additionally, chefs Mahahtyir Bin Ya and Rajesh Kumar will feature Malaysian and Indian cuisine through lunch and dinner buffets as well as a la carte selections. Dishes from various nations available at The Terrace include pulut hitam, a spicy, sweet dish made of black rice and coconut; beef rendang, a Malaysian short-rib stew; popiah, spring rolls with vegetables and seafood wrapped in a wheat pancake;

Oct 4, 2012By Kim Rahn
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