Divanun Guide/ Bangkok

 

The Divanun Guide is a one pager of everything to eat, see, and do in Bangkok

Historical

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  • The Grand Palace- home of the royal family

  • Wat Pho- Temple of the reclining Buddha my fav temple in Bangkok

  • Rattankosin Island (Old Town)- Historic district filled with tiny alleys and ancient beauty

  • Temples Galore- so many temples to post about but you could fill many days exploring these beauties

Cultural

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  • Chatuchak Weekend Market- Massive market filled with food and clothes galore. A must if you want to bring back souvenirs

  • Festivals

    • Songrkran- Water Festival. I’ll probably never go because its set during one of the hottest month. April 12-15

    • Yi Peng- Lantern Festival. (I celebrated this in Chiang Mai but the festival in Bangkok is nice too). Full Moon of the 12th Lunar Moon, ( November)

    • Chinese New year

  • Bangkok Arts and Culture Center- A free contemporary arts center in downtown. I saw a ton of art reflecting people’s feelings about the passing of King Rama IX

  • MOCA Bangkok- A paid contemporary art museum further north then the Chatuchak Market

  • MBK- A huge mall that has to be seen to believed. A great place to spend those hot summer months

  • Khao San Road- The party district for foreigners in Old Town.

  • Kathmandu Photo Gallery- Shows a collection of emerging artist and the owners work.

Food

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  • Som Song Pochana- I had this amazing soup dish called Sukothai noodles. OMG it was amazing. Its in a random part of Old Town and you have to walk down some weird alleys but its definitely worth it.

  • Kanom Beung Bang Mae Prapa- Had this amazing tiny Thai crispy crepes that are sweet called kanom beung. You see them everywhere in Thailand but they had the best

  • Kim Leng- This amazing spot has Mee Krob which is this crispy rice noodle that has the best balance of spicy and sweet. They also have dishes that are rare in most Thai restaurants.

  • Look Sao Kor Panit- this place has some of the best mango sticky rice. I got this recommendation from the cleaning lady at my favorite hostel and she did not disappoint.

  • Beef Lady- this is not the best description but outside of my favorite hostel NapPark there was a lady who sold beef that is the best beef I’ve ever had. I still think about this beef from time to time its so good. She sells beef and sticky rice by the kilo.

  • Krua Apsorn- This place has a delicious crab omelet and fish cakes. Also they have some bomb mushroom medley.

Miscellaneous

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  • Accomodation

    • NapPark is my favorite Hostel in Bangkok. It’s more expensive them some of its neighbors but it is definitely worth it. It is always clean even though it houses so many people. They have a great atmosphere and I met so many people relaxing in their lounge.

  • Transportation

    • Public

      • There is a bus and a train system that I used to get around pretty well.

    • Private

      • There are ride share apps like Uber and Grab. As well you can order motorcycles on these apps which is the cheapest and fastest way to get around the city.

Divanun Guide/Kyoto & Nara

 

This DivaNun Guide is a one pager of everything to do, see, and eat in Kyoto & Nara. 

Historical

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  • Kyoto
    • The Kyoto Imperial Palace:
      • Not as cool as I expected it to be. They were doing construction so maybe when more of it is available it would be more fun
    • Fushimi Inari
      • Head shrine to the god Inari in Kyoto
    • Saganoo Bamboo Forrest
      • Beautiful grove filled with bamboo in the outskirts of Kyoto
    • Kinkaku-ji/ Ginkaku-ji
      • A pair of zen temples built by the family of a shogun
  • Nara

Cultural

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  • Kyoto
    • Aoi Festival
    • Seeing a Geisha performance 
  • Nara
    • Feeding the Deer

Food

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  • Kyoto
    • Kitchen Raku Raku
      • by far the best meal I've ever eaten in my entire life. The chef's special is a reminder of how delicious and simple traditional japanese food is with a flair of western influences
      • The Chef's Special was three course's a seafood, beef, and desert
    • Kyoto Gogyo
      • The Burnt Miso Ramen is one of my favorite ramen dishes I've ever eaten in the world. The burnt flavor provides a contrast to the typically rich and silky ramens I had been eating. 
    • Honke Owariya
      • Didn't make it here but apparently has really good Soba noodles
    • There is a restaurant that sells amazing tempura on the way to the way to Ginkaku-ji that the photo above was taken. Such a delicious meal but I can't find the restaurant on google maps. 
    • Cafe/Bar Oil
      • Recommended by a friend for having good drinks
  • Nara
    • Harushkia Sake Brewery
      • they have sake tastings for 500 yen and you get a free sake cup.
      • You can also buy all the sake's you taste plus more to take away
    • Maguro Koya
      • Tuna Heave
      • very reasonably priced but you will have to order multiple plates. Think tapas style

Miscellaneous

  • Accomodation
    • Kyoto
      • Backpackers Hostel Kyoto
        • $24 a night
          • this is a chain but it felt very at homey with a large common area and a kitchen that you could cook your own meals in. 
          • About a 10-15 minute walk from the city center and the main train station as well as a closer to the local subway stations for access to Fushimi Inari
    • Nara
      • Deer Guest House
        • $12 a night

Shinjuku Gyoen & Meiji Shrine

 

My legs were sore, tiny bolts of electricity danced through my calves with every step I took. The pedometer in my iPhone calculated had just hit 9 miles today almost on par with the 10 I walked yesterday. The line graph since Sejan's arrival jutted high like a mountain, towering above the days spent at home. I was spending my time in Tokyo more like a vacation and less like a natural part of my everyday life.

When you travel with someone you have to make sure that you have similar travel styles. Good friends do not always make good travel partners. On vacation Sejan moves at a lightning pace, routinely walking a mile in the mornings before I had even woken up. Meanwhile, I like to slow down, stretch out the hours until I melt into the local vibrations. Despite the difference in our speeds Sejan and I made great travel buddies because we care a lot about good food, taking amazing pictures, and being efficient. 

 Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is an oasis in the middle of hectic, chaotic, and busy Shinjuku. Rows of gorgeous award winning roses. Gardens designed in French, Japanese, and English styles. And large open spaces - perfect for a picnic greet you inside this haven. I had seen so many beautiful photos here and I couldn't wait to capture some of my own. Green houses have always been a love of mine because they represent a liminal space allowing flowers to grow in spaces and times when they would normally die. 

During the Edo Period, Shinjuku Gyoen served as the home of the feudal lord of Tokyo. In 1903 it was transfered to the Imperial Family, but it wasn't until 1949 that it was opened as a public park after almost being destroyed during World War II. World War II always seemed so far away when I learned about it in school. However, living in Tokyo has made me realize the scars countries have beared from the brutal conflict and how much important cultural history was almost lost.

After wandering around Shinjuku Gyoen Sejan and I headed towards Meiji Shrine. If I had been by myself I would have walked back home after enjoying a delicious bowl of ramen, however, Sejan was on a mission and so we hoped on the train and headed to our next destination.

Now, I didn't mean to save the shrine dedicated to the father of modern Japan for when Sejan arrived. I actually tried to explore Meiji shrine my third week but I got lost in Yoyogi Park. I assumed that since the two shared grounds that you could walk from one to the other. However, after many attempts- I gave up. On my way out of Yoyogi I happened upon a group of rockabillies and it was then that I realized that Yoyogi and Meiji have different entrances. 

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The shrine itself was completed in 1920, eight years after Emperor Meiji had passed. Interestingly enough he took the throne when he was only 15 years old. The grounds start with a large wooden gate and a wide road. The road eventually brings you to the sake barrels that you see above. These are donated every year as an offering. As you continue down the wooded trail the sounds and sights of Tokyo fall away and you forget that you are in a city. 

Deep in the forrest sits the Meiji Shrine which was unfortunately under renovations in the ramp up to the 2020 Olympics. So I didn't get any good photos of the shrine itself but I loved wandering around all the altars and cleansing stations.  Despite my exhaustion I was happy to be sharing my time in Tokyo with someone that I've known for so long.

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Ihwa Mural Village

 

Bits of blue paint shown faintly through the haphazard gray above it on one of the steep narrow stairwells that line the Ihwa Mural Village.  I had hoped the news reports I read weren't true but the famed mural of koi fish that once swam their way up these stairs had been painted over by an angry resident in the middle of the night in 2016. 

While walking through the Ihwa Mural Village I noticed a lot of the same signs that I saw in the Bukchon Hanok Village. Plastered on the sides of walls in various states of decay were pleas to be quiet. So often as tourists we forget that people are living their full lives in the spaces that we exist in only partially. 

In 2006, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism transformed a poor neighborhood in Jongo, Seoul into the Ihwa Mural Village- a new site for art and tourism. I along with many other tourists walked our way up a series of hills to snap picks with these beautiful pieces of art.  You can see a couple of examples below. However, with this new beautification came a lot of foot traffic and complaining from local residents prompting angry locals to vandalize not one but two iconic pieces of art. 

 

In addition to the murals, there are a lot of new and cool shops and cafes have sprung up around the increased traffic. One shop has this beautiful view of downtown Seoul- as can be seen below. If I had more than a week in Seoul I definitely would have come back with a book and some tea. There was quiet a crowd when I was there but one owner stated in the Korea Herald that his business was down 35% since the vandalism occurred. 

Meandering through the different areas in the mural village I thought back to my home of DC and how pushes to make poor areas economically viable often comes at the expense of local residents. I understand deeply how you can feel unheard as they make your neighbordhood better for everyone but you. I'm not sure whats best on a strucutral policy level but what I do know is that while traveling I hope to give more then I take. 


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Bukchon Hanok Village

 

Close your eyes and imagine with me: you step off the bus in Seoul. Your downtown and you can tell because the sky greets you with metal clouds that glitter in the night and reflect the world during the day. You walk 3 blocks north and duck east into an alleyway and suddenly you're transported back to the Joseon Dynasty. The rush and hecticness of the city fall away as you explore the narrow alleys and intricate details of the traditional Korean houses called "hanok". People wander around you dressed in high-waisted, A-line dresses  called Hanbok's- they are bright and colorful. You are lost in another time, but fantasies don't last forever and the woman wearing the hanbok pulls out a selfie stick and you're transported back to the present. 

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For my first full day in Seoul I wanted to do as much exploration as possible. Thankfully the Bukchon Hanok village is situated in between the two main palaces. Word of advice Google maps does not work for street by street directions. It was able to tell me where the bus would pick me up and drop me off, however, I had to navigate the winding streets around my hostel to get there. 

 I walked over 9 miles in total my first day, but it was worth it because the village was originally created to house nobility and high-ranking government officials.  And you can really see the majesty in these houses through the intense attention to detail. Despite years of wear and tear the attention paid was so clear. 

As I wandered around the village I stumbled across this street art that took up the bottom portion of a large wall. I wasn't sure if it was history lesson from the Joseon Dynasty or some kind of protest art.

Besides taking photos and exploring the maze that makes up this village I highly suggest everyone find the Bukchon Hanok Observatory. From there you can see the roofs of all the houses and the beautiful patterns they made. Looking south you can see the roofs of these hundred year old houses and how the blend into modern city, looking north and the hanok's fade off into the base of the mountain. 

Exploring the history of Seoul through this village was the perfect introduction to Seoul, a city that blends so seamlessly the past, present, and future. Make sure you subscribe below so you never miss an addition to the Archive!

Busan

 

After spending a month and a half in Tokyo I was ready for a change in scenery. I've grown used to the flow of the city: waiting for trains, walking home, deciphering kanji on the menus of ramen restaurants. Living in Tokyo a part of my routine; one of the hardest and most life-changing routines I've had to develop but routine none the less.   

The best way to appreciate the space you live in daily is to take a break from it. When DC became too monotonous I would take a trip to NYC to clear my head. Now that I'm in Tokyo a quick jaunt to South Korea is how I'll re-ground myself. 

Originally my goal was to travel to Thailand, but after discovering how hot it becomes in April I decided that the temperate climate of South Korea would be better for my aesthetic. Instead of flying from Tokyo to Seoul I decided to take the ferry from Fukuoka to Busan instead. This way I could squeeze two extra cities into my trip. 

Busan is the second largest city in South Korea and is thought of as Korea's San Francisco. While there the city was building frantically as its the home of the 2030 World Expo.

The first thing I noticed in Busan and later Seoul is the sheer number of sculptures I have never seen so many statues and sculptures around a city as I have while traveling through South Korea and I'm from DC. 

 I felt awkward navigating around this foreign culture and new language. But at the same time, I felt alive. Nowhere did this contradiction feel more literal then inside a restaurant. The first picture above is the restaurant I ate after checking into my hostel.  The first time I saw the prices on the menu I audibly gasped before I realized that the currency was Won instead of Yen. For comparison,  one thousand yen is ten dollars whereas, ten thousand won is 8 dollars. I ate this thick pork bone soup that was popular in the south along with the delicious side dishes called banchan.

The next day before I caught my bus I wondered the downtown area and found another restaurant. I ordered a  soup and some dumplings. The soup was bright red with chunks of meat and vegetables. I realized after gulping down half the soup that it was so red not because it was seasoned with Kim chi but because it was deep and intensely spicy. The number one thing I missed in Japan was spicy food and while Japan was lacking the Koreans live for spicy food. I just wish I had been prepared because I started sweating so much that the lady who owned the shop was seriously concerned about me. 

The timing of this trip was perfect because, as I sat on the ferry about to leave Japan, I realized I had started to feel at home in Tokyo. After feeling so sad and confused my first few weeks I wasn't sure I would come to love Tokyo. However, as the ferry zipped me across the Sea of Japan all I could think about was how I couldn't wait to return. 

Busan is a city rich with history, art, and culture. I definitely need to come back and explore more of the city. But with only 24 hours between when the ferry dropped me off at the harbor and a bus would whisk me away to Seoul, I could really only explore the downtown business district. 

The view from my bus to Seoul. Make sure you subscribe so you don't miss my adventures in Seoul and all my additions to the archive.