The Best Time to Visit Yosemite Valley

Tunnel View - El Capitain on the left, Bridalveil Falls on the right and Half Dome in the distant center.

Yosemite National Park is a world renowned place with spectacular views but there is one downside. When a place is this beautiful and famous, there will always be heaps of people wanting to see it and 3.7 million people visit the park every year to gawk at how amazing nature can be.

When you go to see one of the most breathtaking places nature has to offer, you want to see it with as few people as possible. For me, large crowds tend to interfere with that whole connecting-with-nature thing. 

Merced River

To avoid the crowds, the best time to visit Yosemite is early-mid spring and here's why: schools aren't out for the summer yet and people still think it's too cold to visit. Once schools close for the summer, family vacations begin and the park gets more busy. Also, the warmer weather in June, July, and August attracts people.

Here's what you can expect when visiting in the spring:

On the trail to Upper Yosemite Falls

Yosemite Valley will be mostly clear of snow but you'll still be able to see snow on the surrounding mountains. There's something about snow capped mountains that I just love.

Left: Vernal Falls Right: Upper Yosemite Falls

The waterfalls in the valley will be raging full force from all that snow melting in the warm spring sunshine. Yay! Waterfalls make me happy. :)

Carrying our extra layers at the top of the mountain, almost to Upper Yosemite Falls.

The combination of hiking and that same warm spring sun will make exploring the miles of trails enjoyable and not too hot/not too cold. It will be chilly in the morning and at night so bring layers but be prepared to peel them off as the day warms up and you get your body moving.

An empty trail in Yosemite Valley

  Most places and trails will be open (although not all, including Half Dome, check Yosemite's website for more details). There will be a fraction of the people on the trails meaning that you will be able to enjoy them without 100 other people flitting about trying to get a picture that looks like no one is around them.

Free Transportation within Yosemite Valley (photo source)

 There won't be traffic in the valley but the eco-friendly shuttle bus system will still be running to help you get around. Best part? It's FREE!
 

our tent cabin

There are a variety of places to sleep, from camping to a five star hotel, that are open year round. We car camped one year and stayed in a non-heated tent cabin another year. The tent cabin was an adequate mix of camping and comfort and you can get a heated one. (tip: Bring an extra sleeping bag if you can. There were plenty of blankets to keep warm but the sleeping bag was more comfortable.)

just playing in the valley

Have you ever been to Yosemite National Park? When did you go and what did you think? Share your story with us!

The Beauty of Ecuador

My best friend Amanda and I decided to forgo Thanksgiving with our families one year and travel to Ecuador for eight days. We didn't know a whole lot about Ecuador and we knew very little Spanish but we had a friend studying abroad there so we thought, "what the hell, let's go!"

We had an exciting time, although it was scary at times. We took night buses to make the most of our time which we later found out is one of the most dangerous things you can do. It rains practically everyday in Ecuador and the rain combined with the roads built on the cliffs of the Andes mountains are not the safest in the world. Plus, just like anywhere else, weirdos come out at night. Another scary thing was that there were no real bus stops, just street corners or seemingly random spots that the people just knew the bus would stop at.

Even though navigating the buses was a challenge, we had some great adventures walking the streets of historic Cuenca, hiking and white water rafting in the Amazon rainforest in Tena, and trying not to get too lost in Quito.

Cuenca courthouse

A family outside the courthouse. I love the mix of traditional and modern clothing.

A small town market near Cuenca. Aren't those baskets beautiful?

Left: The church is the main square of a small town near Cuenca. Right: Old woman at the market.

Viva Tena - visiting the rainforest

The work of a colony of leaf cutter ants.

Amazon spider!

Rainforest

Treats in the rainforest -- this tasted like sour candy!

My BFF Amanda and me, slightly blurry but still good.

Fungi of the forest. These little guys were teeny.

Part of our white water rafting trip was getting "facials" in a canyon.

An angel statue looking over the sprawl of Quito.

Left: Church bell tower in Quito. Right: The tourist attraction called the equator but it's not the real equator (lame).

Climbing church steeples. See that very top window on the steeple? We are looking out of that window in it's twin.

Bongeunsa Temple Tour in Seoul

Earlier this month, Maggie and I took a weekend trip to Seoul to visit Katie, Kyle, and Allie. We had a four day weekend which meant we had the rare opportunity to take part in the Bongeunsa Temple Tour (Every Thursday at 2pm). Bongeunsa is a 1,200 year temple tucked right in between gigantic buildings and a bustling city atmosphere. While it is seemingly surrounded by chaos, the inside of the temple grounds is one of the more peaceful areas in all of Seoul.

The tour was fantastic! We had a very knowledgeable guide who spoke very good English. He walked us around the entire temple area, telling stories and discussing the history of the temple. One thing that stuck with me was how peaceful and calm it was inside the temple grounds, but when you walk up a small hill you can see that the temple is literary right smack dab in the middle of a HUGE city! Buildings, apartments, streets--it feels like you are suddenly transported to a different world.

We were able to spend about ten minutes inside one of the largest temples, and we learned all about proper temple etiquette when it comes to bowing and praying. I was blown away by the amount of Buddhas inside the temple. Check out this wall...there are literally hundreds of them all lined up together.

Next stop: Tea time! But this wasn't your average tea sesh. No, we got the real deal on this tour. We all piled into a little tea room where two kind ladies taught us the proper way to prepare, brew and serve several types of teas. I think my favorite part was the side snacks that they served with the tea. We get side dishes with everything in Korea; I love it!

Then it was off to the meditation section of the tour. We all sat in a big circle where we were greeted by a Buddhist monk. He spoke through a translator and told us about his life, philosophies, and the many benefits of meditation. He taught us the proper way to meditate and even did a quick Q&A session to answer any questions we had. Awesome guy! I wish I could have snapped a photo of him, but I left my camera in my jacket. Whoops!

The last part of the tour was a flower making activity. Sweet! Arts and Crafts! If our school did this tour as a field trip, our kindergarten students would be dancing around the room at this point, hooting and hollering about the glorious fact that they get to do some sort of craft. Our project was to make colorful paper lotus flowers. It was super fun, and I even felt a little bit like a student myself while I picked out the paper and glued it all together. Now I know where all of the students' excitement comes from.

If you are in Seoul and have the Thursday off work, the Bongeunsa Tour is a great experience. You'll learn a thing or two about temple history and Buddhism, and you'll come away with a kick ass arts and crafts project to hang in your apartment.

Details
Cost: 20,000 Won
Time: 2pm to ~4:30pm every Thursday
Phone number: 82-2-3218-4895 (English)
Email: bongeunsa@templestay.com
Bongsunsa Website
How To Get There

Have you been to Bongeunsa (or any other temple in Korea?) Share your experiences and tell us where to go next!

They Draw & Travel

I love when travel and art come together to make fantastic things and They Draw & Travel does just that with super fun maps created by artists living around the globe and collected on their site. 

There are over 500 maps to browse through and since anyone can submit a map, there are many styles and layouts. Most of the maps have travel advice worked into them, whether it be via text or graphics highlighting things to do. You can search through them using a variety of parameters set into three categories: vibe, region, and art style.

They also have an online shop and they are putting together a book, both from which artists receive royalties. I'd love to make something for them one day...I'll have to keep working on my drawing skills!

I found They Draw & Travel while reading the first issue of the beautiful travel magazine, Wayfare.

Photos: Spring in Suncheon

The Next Big Trip - Southeast Asia

Hi friends! :) I am so excited about our upcoming trip that I can't wait to tell you all, even though it's still months away.

Spencer and I will be spending four months in SE Asia starting December 1st!

rough itinerary - original map from here

We are really enjoying living and working in Suncheon, South Korea. So much, in fact, that we are extending our contract for five months. Our contract ends in July but we're going to hang on for a bit longer to earn some extra cash and enjoy another fall season. (Fall is absolutely lovely in Korea.)

We've only recently begun planning the trip and I've been scouring blog archives, reading Lonely Planet, and checking Gogobot for ideas of itineraries, special places to visit, visa information, foods to try, and what to expect. When planning, I usually like to read as much as I possibly can about our destinations while never setting anything into stone. I like to know what's out there but not really plan anything to keep our options open and be able to take advice from fellow travelers while we're there. That way we can also stay longer in one area if we like it and it feels more like we are exploring.

Our itinerary as of now: I'm thinking we are going to fly in and out of Bangkok and make a kind of loop. Here's the plan as of now (I'm sure it will change many times before December!) Start in Bangkok or Phuket and then explore southern Thailand's beaches and limestone cliffs. From there head back up north to Chiang Mai, Thailand and over to Burma. After Burma, go back east to Laos. After Laos, hop over to Hanoi and then travel all the way down Vietnam, beach by beach (possibly via motorbike!). Once we get to the bottom of Vietnam, head east to Cambodia for a while. Lastly, go to Bangkok for our flight back to the States for some family time and weddings. 


Have you been to SE Asia? I would love any advice you have to give! 

Fish Spa in Seoul

Have you ever had little fish eat dead skin off your feet? I have and at first, I couldn't handle it! Those little fishies were tickling me sooooo much! Also, I was the only person with my feet in the fish tank so they were all on me like savages. I could only leave my feet in for a few seconds before I would squeal and yank them out.

Here's a video (from my iPod) of me putting my feet in with the savage fish:




Those guys were crazy! Thankfully, there was another tank and the fish were a bit more calm. It felt really strange at first but I soon got used to it and actually enjoyed myself. The water in the tank with the calm fish was noticeably cooler. Maybe that's why they were more relaxed? I'm not sure.


The place we went to in Seoul was in Gangnam and really easy to find. It's actually at a cafe called Book and Spa Cafe. First you buy something from the cafe (coffee, tea, snacks...general cafe stuff) and tell the cashier that you want to do the fish spa. First you enjoy your beverages or snacks and then you can do the fish spa. Also available to snack on (free of charge) are bread and jam, generic tea, and simple snacks (like you would find in a bar). There are signs in English to help you understand what to do and the staff can speak very basic English, at least the staff working when we went could.


How to get there: Take the subway to Gangnam station and exit from exit 10. Walk straight until you see this bear:

The Book and Spa Cafe is right above this shop on the second floor. The shop is hilariously called Teenie Weenie. When looking at the bear, look left and you will see the door to the elevator and the stairs to get to the second floor.