spring blooms, part one

sea upon sea of rapeseed flowers in gyeongju. i have never seen so many flowers in my life.
and yellow flowers just make me feel so sunny and happy.

historical monuments

gyeongju is one of my favourite places to visit. it's a smaller city and out in the countryside. honestly, i am not even sure if it qualifies as a city. it's quiet and seems rather shabby around the edges. however, when you get on a bike and cycle out, gyeongju is scattered with historic sites and monuments from the korean shilla dynasty. i love that we don't have to bother with buses and trains, but just simply cycle around and enjoy the simple life.

after a day's sightseeing, exploring the city centre is another surprise. from the outside, it doesn't seem like much. banks, everyday shops, convenience stores etc etc, but when you really walk in to the alleyways, a whole new world opens up! cafes and shops appear as if by magic! i wasn't expecting to buy anything in gyeongju but i ended the evening with a new bag. don't you just love surprise hauls like these?

because of the historical nature of gyeongju, i am adding in some notes to accompany the photos.

01. cheomseongdae, one of the oldest scientific installations on earth, built in the 7th century
02. seokbinggo, an ice house part of the wolseong fortress
03. emile bell in the distance, gyeongju national museum
04. detail, emile bell, gyeongju national museum
05. replica of seokgatap stone pagoda (from bulguksa)
06. detail, 10 won coin impression of dapotap
07. replica of dapotap stone pagoda (from bulguksa)
08. buddhist statue

i will probably visit gyeongju again the next time i go to korea. both times i went, both times i did not visit the exhibition halls of the gyeongju national museum to view the treasures they have excavated from the area!

leaving busan, arriving in gyeongju

moving on to the third korean city that we visited, gyeongju. i adore gyeongju.

golden hour at dadaepo

we ended our second day in busan by travelling to the other end of the city to catch the dadaepo sunset musical fountain, the world's largest musical fountain. it took more than an hour to travel via subway and bus to this little neighbourhood, and then shiver through the cold weather but it was worth it. firstly, for golden hour by the waterfront, it was amazing! i couldn't stop snapping photos of that gorgeous light. secondly, the musical fountain was excellent, the lights and sounds were so well-coordinated! even though it's terribly far, if you are going to busan, you have to make your way down there, you won't regret it!

to give you a taste of how lovely the fountain is, i am including a link from youtube. unfortunately my iphone battery died so i couldn't record it myself :(

hanlip toy museum

as we were walking though heyri, we came across the hanlip toy museum. the inner child in us were powerless to resist the call of the fun & memories of childhood that the museum would provide for us. (p/s: i have more pictures of the museum in a black & white roll that i have yet to develop)

.

in some exciting news, i will be going to bangkok, thailand tomorrow! my dad has been there a few times this year for a conference and he has been bugging for me and my brother to accompany him. we finally managed to juggle our schedules to do it this week! this is going to be our late fathers' day and early birthday treat for him, quality dad & kids time. well, as long as he and my brother don't get into an argument, they are so alike those two. so, this means more travel photos and more photo backlogs for this little blog!

more heyri art village

heyri art village

moving onto my fifth day in korea. we visited two places, the heyri art village and the english village. both places are slightly out of seoul and they were lovely and quiet, a nice break from the bustle of seoul city life.

currently blown away by

one note to play, the blog of talented local photographer nicole then

crienna chronicles, christian cruz and rienna's wedding blog

from india with love, a travelogue of a girl living in india for a year 

the jealous curator, i so understand what she means for the concept of her blog

these hilarious dear blank cards

these loafers from anthropologie, it was love at first sight.

p/s: HELLO to all my new followers, i am so happy to meet you!