Think about it

I was quite surprised to see this commercial on CNN.com. Partly because it's a prime advertising space and is most likely über expensive, and partly because I really don't view Korea as a top destination for tourists.

It's got me to thinking. What would convince people to visit Korea strictly as tourists - that is not to visit friends or relatives and not as a stopover on the way to Singapore? The commercial does quite well to present the country as a unique cultural experience which, I have to say, it has been for us as short-term residents. But if a year ago I could have chosen five countries to visit in Asia, Korea wouldn't have been on my list. From the outside, it doesn't have the futuristic clutter of Tokyo, as experienced by Bob and Charlotte. It doesn't seem to have the ancient beauty of China or Mongolia. Or the tropical paradise of Thailand. But as sure as every old lady in Korea has gold teeth, this country does have all those things.

From ancient temples to tropical islands to super-modern urban jungles, Korea is worth the ten hour flight from Vancouver (or your nearest international airport). Right here in Daegu we have one of the most beautiful Buddhist temples in Asia - Dongwhassa. Jeju Island is apparently the Hawaii of Korea and is only an hour-long flight away from us. And of course there's Seoul, the third largest city in the world and home to a few of the biggest electronic companies in the world. We've talked to a few people back home who thought Korea was almost a third-world country. While Yongsan seems that way sometimes, the idea couldn't be further from reality.

In one week, you could chill on a tropical beach, visit the tombs of ancient kings, hang out with monks in a Buddhist temple, shop for whatever you think are cool clothes, eat dried squid at a professional baseball game and visit one of the most politically significant states in the world - North Korea. And along the way you can see things like synchronized stationary bike dancers in a grocery store. We've had the pleasure of doing almost all of these things.

We've made the decision not to travel outside of Korea during our stay here, as we want to travel outside of Asia when Carmen's contract finishes in March. As a result we're seeing a lot of Korea. In two weeks we'll spend four days in Seoul. We plan to visit the Demilitarized Zone between the North and South. And I'm very curious to see what a city of 22 million people has to offer a young family of three.

But basically, what I'm saying is, Korea is a very cool place and I think it's worth every penny of that spot on CNN.