Carpe diem; Latin for “seize the day”. It’s a phrase that implies one is grabbing at every opportunity that comes their way and making the most of it, daily. It’s two words that perfectly sum up what Dylan Thomas meant about not going gentle into that good night.

These days, this term is usually associated with something incredible happening on an Instagram reel or a TikTok channel. But my question to every profile I see this quote used is: are you actually seizing the day, or are you trying to make people think you at? Remember folks, social media is just the highlight reel of someone’s life; rarely is it their real life.

With that, it bears reminding that Carpe Diem was never meant to settle as a hashtag on a social media platform. The term was meant to be a statement that sums up a way of life. It’s not “seize the moment” or “take advantage of a good opportunity”; it’s squeezing every ounce of action out of each day you’ve been given.

I was given an opportunity to live out that lifestyle with my one-year assignment in Korea. I quickly realized how fortunate and blessed I was, and I didn’t squander a single weekend. For me, carpe diem was my mantra as I explored every possible inch of Korea in the 365 days I had there.

I truly believe this article will give you an example of Carpe Diem in action and, hopefully, inspire you to do the same.

But first, let me ask you: do you seize the day? How do you know? Do you wish you could but don’t? What’s holding you back? Maybe you’re thinking “yea…I think I do”, or maybe you’re wondering: what are the steps required to seize the day? What are the metrics for measuring whether a day has been seized or not?

Let me paint you a vignette of what that might look like over the course of only one year while being stationed in South Korea.

Jump to:

1. Hike a Different National Park Every Weekend During Hiking Season
2. Visiting Something NOT Widely Published on Instagram
3. Having a Sensory Overload at Donghwasa Temple in Daegu
4. Jeju. Nuff’ Said
5. Getting the Chills at the DMZ.
6. Busan: My Favorite City
7. Korea + Fall = Immaculate, Unforgettable Beauty
8. Snowboarding? In Korea? You bet!
9. Journeying to Middle Earth
10. The Ephemeral Cherry Blossoms.

1. Hike a Different National Park, Every Weekend, During Hiking Season

In the one year I was afforded in South Korea, I was fortunate enough to hike 8 of Korea’s 22 National Parks: Gyeryongsan, Juwangsan, Seoraksan, Woraksan, Songnisan, Buhaksan, Odaesan, and Hallasan. Here are my Top 3 favorite parks and the reasons why (largely explained via photos because, you know, a picture is worth a thousand words lol):

Seoraksan

If you’ve followed my blog/posts for a while, you know I go crazy over some good mountain views. Waterfalls, valleys, hikes, sunrises, sunsets; everything is just better when it’s somewhere in or near the mountains. Seoraksan is the best place for mountainous terrain in all of Korea.

Best spot in the park: Ulsanbawi Rock at Sunrise

Runner up: Towangseong Falls

Songnisan

I visited Songnisan twice while in Korea. This park earned my respect through its challenging hikes and impeccable views from the summits, and I’d like to think I earned its respect by sweating my brains out on my way to its summit lol. I’ll never forget stopping to appreciate the lily ponds just outside the park. Bright bursts of white color contrasted beautifully against the sea of dark green leaves. Furthermore, I’ll never, ever forget the beauty all around me during the fall time. More on that later because it deserves its own category.  

Best spot in the park: Literally anywhere in the fall

Runner up: Sanggoam Temple

Juwangsan

Was the drive to Juwangsan from Osan or Camp Humphreys long? Absolutely. But was it worth it? Without a doubt. Only at Juwangsan did I find one of Korea’s most photographed spots: a massive, naturally created crevasse that split two rock faces, allowing visitors to pass through a towering void with a gentle walking path designed for hikers of all levels.  

Best spot in the park: the walking trail leading to Yongchu Pokpo Falls

Runner up: the view from Gamebong Peak

View my map for all my National Park hiking stories here

2. Visiting Something NOT Widely Published on Instagram

Thousands of westerners flock to Korea every year for all sorts of reasons: work, play, tourism, and business just to name a few. However, in their short amount of time, it seems they all find time to create a blog with some catchy title with their flagship post being “Top 10 Things to see in South Korea”….

…Clearly, I am guilty of this lol

However, without a true carpe diem attitude, these posts will largely point you in the direction of tourist traps or sights pummeled with people taking selfies. Boooooring. Carpe diem is about getting off the beaten path! It’s about visiting the things that appear only the slightest bit attractive because you never know what you might find.

That’s how I found Homigot in Pohang.

Now, Pohang isn’t exactly somewhere that’s widely written about, and rightly so. Pohang’s claim to fame is steel production, so it’s an industrial city. If you’re like me, steel production isn’t exactly something you’re dying to check out after a hard work week.

However, you could be missing a diamond in the rough by not visiting Pohang: The Hands of Harmony statue on Homigot (Tiger’s Tail Cape). These towering, steel hands found on Homigot face each other some hundred yards apart and represent coexistence and harmony. The right-hand sculpture stands in the East Sea while the left is on land at the Homigot Sunrise Plaza.

Read my full Pohang story here

3. Having a Sensory Overload at Donghwasa Temple in Daegu

It’s extremely easy to Google “temples near me” while living in South Korea and end up in a tranquil place within minutes–even without a car! But, with so many temples to choose from, you can quickly become inundated by the sheer amount that are available for visiting on the Korean peninsula.

However, one distinct temple stands out in my year of exploring: Donghwasa. This temple was the most memorable temple I experienced in all my exploring of South Korea due to its size, location, energy, and remoteness.

I’ll never forget making a spur-of-the-moment trip to Daegu, hopping on a bus, and landing amongst the chants of monks during a prayer session. I distinctly remember the relaxing sound the river made as I wondered the grounds, listening to the gentle waterfalls all around.

While it was surreal to be entranced by Buddhist prayers floating around on the breeze, the best part was stripping my shoes off and having an incredible, meditative grounding experienced in the middle of the river flowing around the temple.

Read my full Donghwasa story here

4. Jeju. Nuff’ said.

Ah, Jeju. So good, I had to go back twice! The first time was during the winter; not particularly recommended lol but definitely nothing you should shy away from either.

I remember my plan on “Jeju Round One” to hike Hallasan and summit the highest peak in South Korea. It seemed pretty cut and dry but, as fate (read: weather) would have it, that plan changed quickly. A wicked snowstorm blew in the night of my arrival and slapped the mountain so hard that any chance at reaching the top was all but gone. I made the decision then and there that I’d come back in the spring, before I PCS’d, and attempt it again.

On “Jeju Round Two: Spring Edition”, I not only climbed the highest mountain in all of South Korea, but because I was only one week from my PCS, I successfully knocked the final item off of my bucket list.

The hike wasn’t memorable for the views, the journey, or the weather, though those factors were all amazing. Rather, what will always reside in my mind was the fact that this hike was the pinnacle of a year’s worth of carpe-ing the effing diem. And what better way to celebrate that accomplishment than from the top of a mountain 😊

Read my full Jeju story here

5. Getting the Chills at the DMZ

I’ll never forget the sign that hung on the entrance to the Freedom House inside the Joint Security Area (JSA), “Entering this room will entail entry into a hostile area and possibility of injury or death as a direct result of enemy action”. Sounds enticing right? Lol well, if you have a screw loose like me it does 😉

The most memorable part of the trip wasn’t seeing the barbed wire fences, the memorials for those killed defending the Republic of Korea, or even the North Korean propaganda village. The most memorable part of the trip was the haunting realization that the only cars coming out of the DMZ are the same that went in.

Let that sink in for just a minute. Unless reunification happens, the vehicles driving north from Seoul will only ever see license plates that look like their own. Kiddos will never have the chance to reach over and slug their siblings’ arms and say, “North Korea”.

Spooky, right? Read my full DMZ story here

6. Busan: My Favorite City

Why is Busan my favorite city in South Korea? Easy, the nightlife is amazing, the food: delicious (and unique to Busan), AND they have the best brewery in all of South Korea. That last claim is coming from a Colorado native where you can’t throw a rock in Denver without hitting a brewery; much like you can’t do the same with stray cats and cafés in South Korea, respectively.

I visited Busan for the first time was in the dead of summer. Scoring temperatures seemed to keep climbing all throughout June and into July and as I mentioned earlier, I’m a Colorado boy. We like snow where I come from lol.

I’m used to hot days, sure…hot, dry days. The kind where your body does that whole ‘sweating’ thing and then science does that whole ‘evaporation’ thing, cooling you off.

On a Korean summer day, where humidity is 102%, that whole ‘evaporation’ thing fails and what happens is you just sweat your brains out until your clothes are ruined lol. This is where Busan shined: a sweet release from all that heat with a dip in the ocean.

I remember hopping off the KTX and literally B-lining it to Haeundae Beach where my clothes nearly flew off my body and I dove into the East Sea. From there, I stumbled down a couple of side streets closer to the city’s center to find the coolest brewery in all of South Korea: Gorilla Brewing Company.

I’m not sure of the actual story behind the establishment but, from what I do remember, the brewery is owned by an Australian Expat and his Korean wife. The Aussie speaks Korean with an Australian accent, and the wife speaks English with a Korean-Australian accent. That alone should be a reason you visit lol. Oh, and the beer is out of this world.

Read my full Busan story here

7. Korea + Fall = Immaculate, Unforgettable Beauty

Remember what I said about those hot, Korean summer days? If you couldn’t tell by reading between my lines, I didn’t favor them lol. They were sticky, gross, and filled with entirely too many bugs for my liking. But you know who did love all that sunshine and heat? The trillions of trees covering the entire landscape.

And they proved it came fall.

Each and every leaf that danced on each and every branch across the Korean landscape burst into flame once the sun began setting lower and lower into the sky. What was a luscious, dense canopy teeming with life was now slowly showing it’s mortality as it gradually lost its daily battle with Jack Frost.

As the greens disappeared, they were replaced by vibrant reds and oranges. It was as if all the energy each tree had absorbed over the summer months was trying to beacon back to the sun in one final farewell. Korea in the fall was the prettiest landscape I’ve ever had the pleasure of hiking in, and my words just cannot do this paradise justice.

Read my full story on Korea in the Fall here

8. Snowboarding? In Korea? You bet!

Full disclaimer: the reason I’ll always remember snowboarding in Korea is because I challenged myself to go off the biggest ramp in the park and did it. However, the crash that ensued is what will always stick with me, physically and metaphorically lol.

You might not think Korea would be a choice destination for snowboarding and by comparison, you would be right. Compared to the Rockies, or Japan, Korea offers little compared to these snowy meccas. However, if you’re stationed (or living) there and need to scratch the itch, one of Korea’s many ski resorts will be sure to help alleviate your needs.

In order, here are the resorts I recommend and why:

Phoenix Park Ski Resort

This resort is my number one choice because of the amazing terrain parks (yes, plural) it offers and because they offer a US military discount on tickets. This is the infamous mountain I alluded to earlier when I said a specific crash will always stick with me lol. The jumps are high, the park is well maintained, and the experience was better than the other parks overall.

Yongpyong Snow Resort

Coming in at number two, Yongpyong is Korea’s largest ski resort, meaning there’s plenty of room to spread out. Korean ski resorts can get overwhelmed on the weekends so, it makes since to visit Yongpyong if you’re looking for room to get away from folks on the slopes.

High1 Ski Resort

If you’ve got a family, High1 is the place to go. Do the kiddos or beginners need gentle groomers? Do the adults need to bomb down a black diamond? Does the whole family want to skip skiing for the day and try sledding and tubing? If you answered yes to most of these, High1 is the place to go.

Read my full review on snowboarding in Korea here

9. Journeying to Middle Earth

I mentioned earlier that Busan was my favorite city and while that is true, it’s only by a hair. Coming in at a very close second is Sokcho: the gateway to Seoraksan National Park.

Ever wondered what it would feel like to walk around middle earth? Take a moment and imagine what it would look like. Do you picture tall, jagged cliffs with lava somehow spewing out from beneath them as orcs or some other fabled creature grunt and yell as they prepare their weapons for an inevitable battle?

Well, that’s kind of what Seoraksan National Park feels like, minus the orcs lol. I’ll always remember the tall, jagged peaks to the north stretching upwards to the sky, forming a valley that felt as though hell itself was just below me. The rocky peaks seemed to create the illusion of some unearthly creature’s spine, desperately clawing his way through the earth to terrorize those trampling all over him.

To the south, I’ll always remember the endless mountain tops orchestrated in a uniformed fashion as they retreated from the sea. From the top of Daechongbong Peak, I distinctly remember the mist gathering at the base of each mountain, delineating where one mountain stopped and another began as it nestled into each valley.

Read my full guide to Seoraksan and Sokcho here

10. The Ephemeral Cherry Blossoms

Cherry blossoms are a lot like an exploding star: lots of buildup for about a split second of absolute beauty, and then, nothing. If you want to see them in full bloom, your timing must be perfect. While Korea in the fall is incredible, it’s much more of a slow burn so, you can afford to put it off a weekend or two and still catch all the beauty. With cherry blossoms, not so much.

Thankfully, I timed my visit to Jinhae to see the cherry blossoms just right. With good timing, I was extremely fortunate to see thousands of these natural wonders in full swing.

I remember all the sights and smells of spring in Jinhae being so refreshing. I remember that I couldn’t help myself from stopping and smelling everything I saw with color. From gardens with tulips and daises to the actual blossoms themselves, I ensured that I appreciated all the beauty that seemingly sprung up from everywhere I looked.

The sight I’ll never forget though, is the view of Jinhae from the Jinhae Museum of Changwon City. In all directions, like white, wildfires racing down the edges of the surrounding mountainsides, cherry blossoms burned up the landscape. No matter where I looked, pink and white bursts of color caught my eye among the yet-to-bud trees covering the hillsides.

Read my full Cherry Blossom story here

In summary…

I suppose this will come as a shock to you when I say that I would not go back to South Korea if given the option. Yes, the beauty that is the Korean landscape and the food that summarizes Korean culture are things that I’ll never forget. However, stress kills.

My family was 16 time zones away. Do you know how hard it is to coordinate FaceTime dates with your significant other when you’re 16 time zones ahead? Oh, and when daylight savings happens, you’re 17 time zones ahead.

Do you know how bad it sucks to have a bad day at work, get off at 6pm and think, “Boy, sure would be nice to vent right now. Too bad it’s 3:00am in Colorado”.

I was only able to see my family for about 30 days in the span of a year. That’s under 10% of a year. Furthermore, do you know the kind of anxiety we had to endure leading up to the plane ride that became my assignment?

That same anxiety doubled when, halfway through my mid-tour leave, I realized that I was going to have to go back. If you know that feeling, know that I feel for you. If you don’t know that feeling, I pray you never have to.

Then there’s the job. If you’ve been living under a rock for the previous few decades, I’ll fill you in: the military has the highest stress level of any job out there. Period.

Now, pile on the fact that if you’re stationed in South Korea, your sole mission is to help defend the entire Korean peninsula from a nuclear-capable state. Right next door. 24/7.

You have to be ready to “Fight Tonight”, all the time.

At any moment, little rocket man to the north could single-handedly decide your fate and wipe you off the face of the earth with little or no warning. So, it comes as no surprise that if you take your job seriously, each time you get that notification that North Korea has launched some sort of projectile, you shit your pants a little.

I’m so, so very fortunate and blessed to have hiked the mountains of Korea and to have bathed in its culture. The hospitality the older generation showed me was the equivalent to my church back home, and I appreciated every encounter. These were experiences I would never, ever trade. However, I’ve done my time, and I’m not going to do it again unless my nation orders me to. Then, I’ll have no choice lol.

I am at peace with my Korean explorations because I Carpe’d the effing Diem, and there’s nothing left to do. Can you (or are you going to be able to) say the same about your situation?