South Korea

South Korea | Jun 4 - Jun 15, 2026

Christine designed a trip to South Korea that was filled with memorable discoveries. We started with tours of Gyeongju and Busan, led by Anthony Sung. Anthony had just passed his national travel guide exam and was very knowledgeable and friendly. He took us to burial mounds, museums, and temples in Gyeongju and drove us to Busan, where we saw the fish market (possibly my wife's favorite event of the trip), Gamcheon Village, and markets and towers and the coast. On Jeju Island, we were escorted by Jimmie Koh, the son of a sea woman diver who took us to watch these remarkable people in action. Jimmie accommodated our challenges as 60-something tourists in leading us up 500 steps to the top of Sunrise Peak, and he catered to my background in geology by showing us the largest lava tube in the world and columnar basalts on the coast. Next, Jade Kim took us to Haeinsa Temple near Daegu. That was my favorite temple in South Korea, and Jade expertly described its importance in the history - and present practice - of Buddhism. All of our guides took us to amazing restaurants, and we felt that we sampled a lot of different cuisines by the end of the trip.

I was most impressed that Christine managed to weave our trip within the constraints of a separate itinerary that my student created. We were able to meet my student and his family at the beginning of the trip and to attend his spectacular wedding at the end, and the kimkim trip meshed perfectly with that. Most important, at every transfer, the kimkim drivers and guides were there to meet us, and Christine responded quickly to every email request.