koranojd

[koranojd]

SOUTH KOREAAAAA

After Australia I decided to go to my favorite country, South Korea! South Korea is located right under its evil older brother North Korea, and between the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan. The currency for Korea is won, and one dollar in the United States is equivalent to 1356.95 won. They also have different etiquette than anywhere else in the world. It is considered rude to shake someone's hand without using both of your hands, and only if you know you are below their social rank or age. It is also rude to assume that you can call someone by their first name, you should either say their last name or ask them what they would like to be called. It is also considered impolite to decline going out for either food or drinks, and something that goes with that is that you should not pour your own liquor when you are out. The national language is of course Korean, although there is polite lingo as well as impolite. Luckily for me, I already know some phrases in Korean, as well as I can read Hangul which is their written language. Although I might know how to say words, I most likely would not know what it means. The first city I am going to be going to is Seoul and I will be going to three attractions. The first place I am going to see is Seoul Tower, Changdeokgung Palace, and the Dongdaemum Market. 

The first day I got to South Korea I decided to go to the Seoul, and I got there pretty late and the time differences from all the places I have been are totally fucking me up. So I got to my airbnb and I absolutely love it there. It is basically just one single room in a L shape and it's so cuuuute. I learned quickly that it has a very open concept, like there are windows on almost every single wall and if there are no windows then it is because behind the wall is another airbnb. I love having open concepts but maybe not this open… I like having space to myself and having privacy. There is a private patio where all of the windows face but it’s still a little bit foreign to me. I do love all the wood accents over the entire place because it makes me feel comfortable. 

The first morning in Seoul I got some breakfast from McDonalds and then I made my way over to N Seoul Tower. The tower is located on Namsan Mountain and is the tallest building in Seoul at 784’ tall. The original name was Namsan Tower but in 2005 they changed it to N Seoul Tower, which the N stands for “Namsan”, “New”, and “Nature”. As I walked up the mountain to the tower, there was only some wildlife but not a whole lot. Which didn’t really surprise me because Seoul is so jam packed with people and city life. Although I did see a few of their national birds, Magpies! They symbolize luck and good fortune, which I definitely needed walking up all that way to the tower. The walk was around 45 minutes but it felt like hours, because I absolutely hate hikingggg. The view was really pretty though! 

After my tiring hike up seoul tower, I got to explore the lively Dongdaemun Market in Seoul, and it was an absolute blast! The market was buzzing with energy, a perfect mix of old-school charm and modern flair. Everywhere I turned, there were amazing sights and smells – from delicious street food stands to colorful stalls packed with trendy clothes and cool accessories. I loved getting lost in the maze of shops, stumbling upon unique finds and haggling for the best deals. The vibe was super energetic, and I felt like I was part of something really special. It was such a fun and unforgettable experience, giving me a real taste of Seoul's vibrant culture and style. 

Visiting Changdeokgung Palace in South Korea was like stepping into a fairytale! This UNESCO World Heritage site is absolutely stunning, with its beautifully preserved architecture and serene gardens. As I wandered through the palace grounds, I was amazed by the intricate details of the buildings and the vibrant colors that seemed to tell stories of a bygone era. The Secret Garden, or Huwon, was my favorite part – it felt like a hidden oasis with its peaceful ponds, pavilions, and lush greenery.

The whole experience was both relaxing and awe-inspiring. I loved imagining what life might have been like for the royalty who once roamed these halls. Walking through the palace, I felt a deep connection to Korea’s rich history and cultural heritage. It was such a refreshing change of pace from the bustling city life, and I left feeling inspired and completely enchanted by this magical place. Even on my walk back to my airbnb I was still thinking about the amazing architecture.

[koranojd]

Australia

After I went to many different countries in Africa, I became parched and needed some water and so I was like wait, how about oceana now. I left Botswana and immediately flew with my wings to the gigantic continent/country of Australia. Australia is around 6500 miles away from Africa and it was a very long trip and it took me longer than I thought it was going to take. It took me a full two weeks to get to Australia, and it was no problem because I was like a bear and ate a whole bunch of food to get me through the weeks. Australia is surrounded by the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, it also has the Coral Sea North East of the land. They also have their own currency plainly named the Australian dollar, which one usd is 1.53 aud. Luckily for most tourists, the number one language spoken is English but of course there are many other languages apart from the country such as Chinese and Italian. 

When I went to Australia, I decided to immediately go to Cowes Beach which is on the northern side of the island. Since I was there during mid April, the temperature was not hot and in fact it was quite cold, around 65 degrees fahrenheit. Just because it was too cold to swim, doesn’t mean that I can't do anything and so I decided to go for a little walk and the sand was nice and soft but also it made it difficult to walk in lol. There were some people out on their boats or boats that they have rented from Cowes website. After a while of walking around and exploring I started to get peckish and I saw this restaurant named Beach HQ. 

As I walked up to the door of the restaurant I was greeted by a person on my left as well as my right and so it was very welcoming. They only serve lunch from 12pm-2pm and then dinner from 5pm-9pm, and so it was great timing that I got there at 12:10 and luckily for me they had a seat open and so I was quickly seated. And oh my god everything on the menu sounded amazing especially since I haven’t really eaten in two weeks. I decided to get one entree, main, side, and dessert. I first tried their garlic bread and it was about like a 9/10, the seasoning was perfect on it although the bread was just a little bit harder than I like. Then for the main I chose the Porterhouse steak, which was absolutely perfect. I don’t usually get steak, I am more of a chicken tender type girl but I knew that this amazing place would treat me right. The steak was cooked perfectly to my liking, with only a little bit of pink in the center and then it came with roasted garlic potatoes and steamed greens. I absolutely adore potatoes and those were really good, and then the greens contained green beans and spinach and those were also very enjoyable. Then for the sides I decided to get their chips, which they told me that they make them homemade everyday and they definitely tasted like they were very good. Lastly for dessert I got their signature “Affogato”, which is creamy vanilla ice cream with a shot of espresso poured on top. They even offer many different types of espresso to choose from, so I just let them pick which one to give me and they ate that up because they gave me Amaretto which I already do enjoy. 

After lunch, I went to my airbnb to drop off all of my stuff and get settled, which really didn’t take long because the rooms are all spacious and clean. The price of the villa is 150 usd a night which translates to 230.05 aud. 

[koranojd]

After Egypt I decided to fly down to Botswana with my wings. It is almost a straight south trip to this new country and so it was a pretty plain trip. Botswana is right above South Africa, and right between Namibia and Zimbabwe. Botswana also has their own currency, like almost every country in Africa. It is called Pula, and one US dollar is equivalent to 13.78 Pula. In Botswana they all speak a mixture language of both English and Tswana, and it is called Setswana. Which is good for many different reasons, but especially for tourists because it makes it easier to communicate with the natives. 

When I got here in Botswana, I decided to go to the Okavango Delta. This place is actually one of the wonderful UNESCO sights! It is known as the primary tourist attraction with amazing views of the country and wildlife. Since I was there in April, the only timely thing I was able to witness was bird watching, which only takes place from November until April. The delta is known for its flooding in the summer which causes the river to expand and nourish the dry soil during those torturous dry months. Luckily I was not there during the dry months because I really cannot stand being too hot. Like being cold is so much better than being hot, cause when you’re cold you can always snuggle up with a blanket but when you’re hot you just have to sit there dying. 

In the area, they actually have different lodges to stay at. So I picked “Wilderness Vumbura Plains”, and it was really nice there. There are only 14 different lodges to stay at and so I got very lucky being one of those. The layout was very open and barely had any big walls keeping my kitchen from the living room, which I really enjoyed because I personally much rather prefer open concepts than small and compact ones. It also lowkey didn’t have a price on it so I just left them 4000 Pula dollars, which is equivalent to around 289 in US dollars. So… if that wasn’t enough then they will just have to find me somewhere in Oceana cause that’s where I am going next!!

[koranojd]

2

EGPYT

After Mauritania, I knew I just had to go to Egypt. I know I know its very cliche but its fundamental when you go to Africa. I absolutely looove ancient Egypt and all the lore about them so I was extremely excited about this. Although before I go into detail about my endeavors, let me spill some facts. The currency at Egypt is the Egyptian pound and for reference, one United State dollar is equal to 47.55 in Egyptian currency. Something that was difficult about Egypt is that their main language is Arabic, although most people do speak similar dialects. 

The first thing I did was of course go and look at the Pyramids cause you literally have to if you’re going to come to Egypt. The price of the tour was a cool 25 USD or 1189.67 EGP, which I think is very cheap and would happily do it for double that amount. I started thinking about why the price is so low, and I came up with the conclusion that they probably keep it cheap because this attraction is going to stay relevant for literally ever, and probably because they want people to be able to understand the people that live here. They also probably want to keep it cheaper because then more people would want to go, but as I said before since I am a big nerd for stuff like this I would pay whatever they wanted lol. The tour offered many different sights. They started outside of the grand city of Cairo and then provided a bus to the Giza Pyramids first. They also gave every passenger a bottle of water which was very kind, although the water was pretty warm I still appreciated the gesture either way. They took us into Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure, which were absolutely breathtaking. We stayed between the three pyramids for about two and a half hours, and then we went to look at the Sphynx. For so many years I have been watching different documentaries about the ancient pyramids and the stories behind them, and to be there was so surreal. 

After the around five hour tour of the pyramids, I decided that my time looking at these amazing artifacts is not done. Right next to the pyramids is a museum named pretty plainly but also perfect, The Grand Egyptian Museum. The museum has been shut down for many years due to construction and just redoing stuff but luckily for me, the first day of it being back open was the day that I was there. The building was made in 2002, and then in 2005 they redesigned it to be more modern. 

After my busy day I decided to go to my airbnb to wind down. The place is only a few miles from the town of Giza and it was no problem to get a ride there, and when I say ride I mean ride. As I walked out of the museum, there were many people waiting to give tourists rides and over priced them which I totally don’t blame them for, it’s smart. So once I paid and thanked them for doing that for me, I walked into my airbnb and wow. This place might be my favorite place I've stayed at. The entire suite is filled with warm colors, and it makes you feel very comfortable. This place is definitely bigger than what I needed because it has two bedrooms and only one of me but lowkey I would just chill in both of them. There was also a bathtub in both of the bedrooms which were very different for me, but it was really convenient because I would just get in bed after. 

[koranojd]

1, Africa - Mauritania

The first country I decided to travel to is Mauritania. The reason I came here first is because I had to take a boat across the Atlantic ocean and Mauritania was the first slice of land that stopped me. It took about three days on boat, but luckily for me I prepared for this and I brought many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, as well as some cheezits. I also brought a huge container of water that would last me for at least a week. Anyway, Mauritania is on the coast of the Atlantic and is on the complete east side of Africa. It is also around 95% covered by the Sahara desert. The currency of this hot country is the Mauritanian Ouguiya which 1 dollar in US is equal to 39.68 in their dollars. It wasn’t too hard to get different cash after I got there, although the language barrier was extremely difficult but luckily I always carry my phone so I was able to use google translate.  

I immediately went to my airbnb because of the harsh hot temperatures. It is in Nouakchott, and only a little more than a mile away from the ocean. Although when I got there, I realized that the place I am staying at is literally just a tent. Luckily I will just be there only once night, and I will have to borrow lots of blankets from the people renting this out to me. So in the meantime I will be going out and about finding some stuff to do. 

I walked down to the coast of the ocean and thought that maybe I could go for a swim but I quickly realized that the currents are too strong where I am and would have to go further west but I didn’t really feel like it tbh. As I was walking I saw out of the corner of my eye, some camels walking towards the nearby city. I was intrigued and so I made my way to where they are going. I didn’t really know what was going on because there was about nine camels being pulled in the city by various people and so I asked around and they told me that they were there to trade the camels with various different objects. Since they are huge smelly animals, the smell was absolutely atrocious. Although after a few minutes of that, I started catching a faint smell of fish and different vegetables and like a cartoon character smelling a pie, I followed the smell until I found myself in a restaurant. I asked them what their national dish is and they told me that it is a dish called “thieboudienne” and so I gave it a try. When I got it, there was fish prepared in tomato sauce and then various vegetables such as onions, carrots, cabbage, cassava (which is a root), and then different sauces such as peanut oil and stock cubes. It is also served in a bowl with white rice. It was very good ! I am actually surprised because I don't actually usually like fish but it was wonderful and I would absolutely recommend !! 

[koranojd]

LA - 3; Nova Scotia

The last place in Latin America I visited was the cold province of Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia is part of Canada and is located on the most far right of the country. It is just a few dozen miles away from Maine, but is separated by water. Since the province is the smallest of Canada, (being only 21,345 square miles), their population has not even hit one million. Luckily it will yet again be no problem for me to purchase items and food because Nova Scotia also takes US dollars and everyone there speaks english. Although there might be a problem due to the climate. Since the province is so far up north and surrounded by water, the average temperature here is much lower than where I just was in Hawaii and Panama. Luckily for me since I visited in April the weather wasn't terribly bad. In fact, year round the climate stays around the same degrees (of course with some fluctuation). The highest it would get would be around 47 degrees fahrenheit and the lowest would be just around freezing temperature of 32 degrees fahrenheit. Although it was surprisingly a nice change of pace after going to very hot vacation spots, because I actually do prefer cold weather to hot weather in most cases. 

Since it is so cold in the Canadian temperate, I decided to go straight to my Airbnb. The cabin that I stayed in was right on the water facing Bells Cove, and so it had wonderful views of the water. The price of my stay was a total of $686 which is much cheaper than both of the places I have been to, especially Hawaii. And lowkey this place is wayyy nicer than the one in Hawaii… but that's just my own opinion. The whole cabin is filled with wood and surrounded with huge window even skylights, and I fucking love skylights. It also has a furnace in the living room that is fueled by wood. And to get to the living room it's a little step down and I'm so obsessed with little conversation pits. The cabin also is a loft and I LOVE LOFTS. There is also an outdoor hottub😍😍😍. 

Since the food in Canada is basically the same as here, I decided to go look for something to do instead. I looked online to find something to do and the first thing that came up was the Cabot Trail. The trail is 186 miles long and follows the northern part of the island passing through the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, and with amazing views of the ocean. In 1932 the driving pavement was completed and has been a staple to anyone who lives or visits Nova Scotia. I went for a little drive there but I did not fill up on too much gas so I had to cut it short. There really isn’t too much I can say about it because words do not give it justice, so I'll put extra pictures. Omg and I just looked at a map of the road around the province and it low-key looks like the bike riding map on Wii Sports Resort.

Nova Scotia’s national flower is the mayflower, and it became so in 1901. Although the plant goes as far back as 1825 being used as a decorative motif on the front page of the Nova Scotian. The flower originates from England, so when they came to the Americas during the 1700’s they also brought many plants with them. Mayflowers are seen as a symbol of hope, new beginnings, and boundaries. The flower is a little plant that grows very close to the ground, and has leaves much bigger than the petals. Mayflowers come in originally only one color, and it is a very light baby pink with a little yellow center.

[koranojd]

LA-2;HAWAII

The second place I went to was Hawaii. This is actually a state that is a part of The United States, not a country like my other two. Hawaii is a combination of nine different islands, leaving Hawaii being the biggest one and allowing that one to be the name of all of them. The other island names are Maui, Kahoolawe, Molokai, Oahu, Kauai, Niihau, and Kaula. To get to the other islands, you would have to take a boat trip. To get to Hawaii you would have to take a plane because it is around 2400 miles from the mainland. But luckily since they are a part of the US, they take US dollars so there is no problem with currency. Although it may be hard to communicate with the native people because they actually have their own language, most people who live there do speak some english. 

This time when I got here, I wanted to drop off all my stuff at my airbnd and so I had to take a quick uber to get there. Mine this time was a little more expensive but it is okay because I just have sooo much money. 🙂 This one is $360 a night, and I will be staying here for another two nights. After all of the fees it comes out to be $1050. The complex is right on the water facing the everlasting ocean tide. This place is definitely more expensive than Panama because I also had to pay for washing my clothes, which is actually okay because I had so much change to get rid of. One thing that both of the places did not have was heating, which totally makes sense because they are so close to the equator so there would be so reason to have that since it probably doesn’t get colder than 50 degrees. 

After I stopped at the beautiful airbnb, I decided to go get some traditional Hawaiian food and what would be better than their national dish; poi, which is actually a Polynesian dish. Poi is basically taro that has either been steamed or baked and then smashed into a pudding consistency. If you don’t know what taro is, it is a root that actually comes from Asia but is also found in different tropical regions. The taste of taro is very unique, many people think of it as a mild-sweet taste. I think taro has a kind of nutty vanilla flavor, which makes a great addition to boba tea or ice cream. To add some protein and taste to poi, some people add either pork or lomi-lomi to the dish, but I personally do not think that would be good because of the salty taste of the meats and the sweet taste of the taro. Lomi-lomi is a very simple mixture, it includes salmon, tomatoes, salt, cayenne pepper, and then both white and green onions. 

The national flower of Hawaii is the yellow hibiscus. Although it wasn’t always just confined to be the one color, before 1988 any hibiscus flower was seen as the flower for Hawaii. No matter what color hibiscus comes in, both the color and the scent attracts bees and butterflies to help them pollinate. The bright flower grows on all nine of the islands and isn’t just used as decoration.  Hibiscus has a unique flavor to it and it is actually pretty sweet. I use to work at Dunkin’ and we had these hot tea bags that were “Hibiscus Kiss” flavor and it was extremely floral and surprisingly good. The petals can also be dried out and eaten as candy. In fact even when they are not dried they are still completely safe to eat, although I’m not sure if they would be very good. The flower also has many health benefits such as being high in vitamin C and can even help to lower blood pressure.

[koranojd]

LA-1; Panama

The first place I arrived at was Panama, and wow is that place beautiful. The country stretches out from Costa Rica to Colombia, keeping a distinguished separation between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Panama’s population is a substantial 3.8 million people (while their capital Panama city only has a little over 475,000 people), although they do get lots of vacation visits from people all over the world. For some people it may be hard to communicate with the indigenous people of Panama because most of them only speak Spanish, although there are quite a few people that also know English. Another good thing about Panama being inclusive, is that they take U.S. dollars as well as Balboa. 

When I got to Panama I immediately wanted to go get some traditional Panamanian food. The national dish of Panama is Sancocho de Gallina, which contains a big piece of chicken with different kinds of vegetables. The dish also has potatoes, yuca, plantains, and corn on the side as well as little spices such as oregano and hot sauce. There is also culantro, which do not confuse it for the regular cilantro that we know about. Culantro has a slightly sweeter and stronger flavor than cilantro. Sancocho can also be eaten as a soup, filling the pot with chicken stock rather than straining it and placing it on a plate. Which I think I would rather try Sancocho as a stew rather than the former. 

After I had something to eat, I went to my airbnb that I had reserved many months before. The apartment complex is in the heart of Panama City with wonderful views of Panama Bay and the city life. The Airbnb I stayed at was very reasonably priced based off how many amenities there were and the pristine furniture filling the intricate layout. The price per night was $197 USD, and they require a two night stay minimum. So after the service and cleaning fees, the price for both nights was a cool $541. If the price seems a bit far-fetched for you, let me tell you that you get what you pay for and even more. This destination contains a free washer and dryer in the unit, a 55” HDTV with the basic streaming services such as HBO Max, Netflix and Amazon Prime. It also includes air conditioning, security cameras, wifi, and a private balcony with seating. The kitchen is full with appliances and silverware as well, including a stainless steel oven/stove, refrigerator/freezer, and even a dishwasher which can be hard to come by. I will post some of the views from the stay because they were absolutely astonishing. 

A fun little fact is that Panama’s official flower is the Dove Orchid, also known as The Flower of the Holy Spirit or Peristeria Elata. The flower originally came to the latin country in the early-mid 1800’s. William J. Hooker named the white flower with the name of Peristeria because the greek meaning of that word is Dove, due to the petals forming to look like the bird. The reason for the eerie name “The Flower of the Holy Spirit’, is that before the flower blooms it looks like a praying monk which is totally understandable like I can totally see it. The flower also only blooms during the early fall months of August and September.

[koranojd]

heyyy first post