Photo & Travel Links: May 4, 2011

The photo above was taken at Yangsu-ri (a.k.a. Dumulmeori) in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi-do and appears in the May issue of SEOUL. Was hoping to see a bit of mist, but alas. Anyway, it’s proof that you needn’t go very far to take in scenic beauty — that’s a 20 minute walk from a subway (?) stop less than an hour from Yongsan Station.

Oh, and if you’ve got an interest in the island of Jeju-do and its unique culture, please consider getting yourself a copy of “Moon Tides: Jeju Island Grannies of the Sea” (US customers can pick one up here), Seoul Selection’s recently released title by Korean-American writer Brenda Paik Sunoo. The photos and insight are well worth the cost of purchase.

• Im Chan-kyung shoots Busan Harbor from Mt. Cheonmasan. Oh, and if you haven’t seen them yet, check out his shots of downtown Seoul in the morning, taken from Bukhansan National Park.
• As always, there’s tons of stuff to look at on Kim Sungjin’s photoblog, including these shots of Incheon’s Wolmi-do at sundown. Really like this series of the Cheongdam Bridge, too.
• Jason Teale, bless his heart, gives us some helpful tips about shooting paper lanterns, a very good thing to be able to do with the Buddhamas and Seoul’s Lotus Lantern Festival in a few days. He also suggests some good temples to visit.
• Going through Jason’s sidebar, I found this guy in Busan who goes around taking photos of Buddhist temples. Nice.
• Younghwan goes to Gongju’s Magoksa Temple, one of my favorite Buddhist temples in Korea.
• Chris Backe went to Boryeong, Chungcheongnam-do for something other than the summer mud festival.
• OK, I’m not really into K-Pop. I do like boobs, though. And never apologize for talking about boobs, Simon.
• Gregory Curley snaps some shots at Seoul’s Jungbu Market.
• Some interesting shots of Tiananmen Square in HDR at Kooi View.
• Ooo… Yongsan Station at night, via LittleHope.
• Cafes and dead white people abound at Hapjeong Station.
• On a related note, Korean burial items might not necessarily seem like something you’d want to see on a weekend afternoon, but the Museé Shuim in Buam-dong is worth checking out, as is Steven’s vlog of his visit.
• Eddie Provencher conquers Changnyeong’s Mt. Hwawangsan to see its famous colony of azaleas.
• The Pimpman demonstrates hand-held long-exposure in Seoul Forest (you know, that just doesn’t sound good).

Oh, and on Buddha’s Birthday, if you’ve got the time, I highly recommend visiting Mungyeong’s Bongamsa Temple — it’s open only once a year, and it truly is a special place. For more information, see my photo essay on it here, Steven’s vlog here, or the story I did on it for SEOUL magazine, posted at the Korea Tourism Organization website here.