Things to do in Asan, South Korea

The Asan area is famous for the hot springs, which are now turned to popular spas. Whether you're visiting or living in Asan, you might think there is not much to do other than getting pampered in a spa.

Actually, there is a lot to do if you know where to go and what to eat. :)

Places to go and things to do:

1- Spa, of course. Since you're visiting Asan you should go to one of the famous spas and some of them have water parks during the summer. Spavis is the best known spa in the area. Paradise Spa Dogo and Hot Spring hotel in Onyang Oncheon offer you a relaxing stay with a sauna.

2- Oeam-ri folk village: take a trip through time and visit a historical village to get to know how Koreans have lived in the past.

3- Hyeonchungsa Shrine: it's the shrine of general Lee Sun-Shin, a national hero. A beautiful garden with a pond surrounding the temple and the houses.

Hyeonchungsa

4- Onyang folk museum: a closer look at Korean culture and traditional households.

5- Gongseri Catholic church: a historical church with gorgeous architecture.

6- Pinnacle Land.

7- Bonggoksa Temple.

8- Botanical Garden: a thousand species of flowers.

9- Sinjeong Lake: some call it a resort but it isn't, it's just a lake. Nonetheless, it's still a nice walk, especially during autumn as the leaves change colors and during the spring when cherry blossom are in full bloom.

Sinjeong Lake

10- Soonchunhyang University: Only recommended to visit during the cherry blossom season. A walk around the university will take your breath away, hundreds of trees in full bloom in white and pink. And usually there's a festival goes on in Spring there. 

Soonchunhyang university 

11- Asan rail bike: get around the countryside by pedaling.

12- Blue Crystal Village: Mediterranean style architecture with nice-ish cafes and restaurants. It's a nice walk for sure.

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13- Pentaport: there are many things to do in Pentaport. Watch a movie at CGV theaters. Go clothes shopping at Moda stores, a bit pricey. Food shopping at E-Mart. Shoot zombies in the arcade. Get a fancy and relaxing massage at Amia. 

Tasty 1$ Street Snacks You Must Try in Cairo

This post is about snacks in Cairo, not much traveling. However, food and traveling go hand in hand for me, can't have one without enjoying the other.

I think the best snacks aren’t in stores and restaurants – they’re in the streets, by the Nile River. As you walk by the Nile banks, you'll pass by many street vendors. Those are the best budget snacks you can get from wooden street carts without breaking your pocket.

All of the following items cost around 1$ or about 6-7 Egyptian pounds, per serving. Again, street vendors will double the price for tourists, but you should insist not to pay more than 1$ and that is more than a fair price.

1- grilled sweet potato: it has a beautiful taste and the way it is made even better? A man pushes the wooden cart, and on the top of it there is an old oven. They put the sweet potato inside and leave it to be done slowly.

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2- termes or lupins: it’s very easy to get by the Nile river, especially in summer time. It’s one of my favorite snacks. It’s better than popcorn, especially with salt and lemon flavor.

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3- grilled corn: street venders use a small fire to grill the corn on. It has a beautiful smell and the taste is even better.

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4- hummus el-sham drink: it is a spicy drink, made of chickpeas. On winter nights young lovers walk by the Nile river and drink it. The recipe is in my book, Fast and Easy Egyptian Recipes.

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5- sunflower and watermelon seeds: the seeds are dried, then salted then put it in special type of oven to be hard on the outside and soft and tasty on the inside. Peel the outside and eat the inside.

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6- Semid, an Egyptian pretzel: OMG, love them and miss eating them. Usually it's sold with a tiny bag of spices to enhance the taste. 

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Enjoy your visit to Egypt!