Daecheong Ho

Cynthia and Dhina, both friends and coworkers in the Tech Department from school, asked whether I would be interested in going for a Sunday afternoon drive. I suggested we head to Daecheong Ho (lake) located in the mountains that surround Daejon, about a 20 minute drive from my apartment in Jeonmin-dong.




What a beautiful day for a drive and then hike around this man-made reservoir. Apparently Daecheong Ho is the third largest lake in the country with a circumference of 80 km, holding a mere 1.5 billion tonnes of water and extending into three counties. A plentiful source of water for our city and surrounding communities.

Many trails allow visitors access to great views of the area, some touring the lake itself while others extend into the surrounding mountains. One such trail passes a Buddhist temple, one of an estimated 900 temples in South Korea. Even if you don't hike to the temple you can still hear bells ringing at various times during their ritual practices.




Seems like most Koreans like to get out of the city to walk and enjoy a slice of nature. It's amazing how crowded parking lots get at destinations such as Daecheong Ho. Of course where there are people, as is my experience traveling around South Korea, there are vendors selling everything from food to music to toys that amuse kids of all ages.

Hong Kong

This year a team of staff from Taejon Christian International (TCIS) and our sister-school Gyeonggi Suwon International (GSIS) went to a technology conference hosted by Hong Kong International School (HKIS). What a beautiful location to have a tech conference! The campus is located in the hills on the southern edge of Hong Kong Island overlooking a harbor on the South China Sea.

The drive between school and hotel was so relaxing as we toured the hills enjoying impressive harbor views. The views weren't too shabby from the campus either!

It's approximately 10 years since Hong Kong was under British control and evidence of their influence can be seen throughout the city. Most notably, you see drivers on the left-hand side of the road and double-decker city buses everywhere.




Check out these campus views. Sure would love to have a view like this from classrooms at TCIS =)


I didn't realize how far south Hong Kong is on the world map but the temperatures sure made me take note! For late September, the average daily high was well into the upper 90s F or mid 30s C. Actually these temperatures wouldn't be too bad if it weren't for the humidity. Eating lunch outdoors for 20 minutes was about all we could handle before looking for some air conditioned relief.

As is typical of these tech conferences, this year's event was an excellent source of information as it relates to technology-education and was a great opportunity to meet like-minded folk from other international schools. Here are some of our crew getting settled in for the general meeting.


Our time was not all tech, however, as there was plenty of opportunity to visit the outdoor markets and an incredible modern mall just blocks away from our hotel. Once again, an interesting mix of traditional-east and modern-west sharing the same neighborhood.








A few of us had opportunity to enjoy a three-hour tour around a southern Hong Kong harbor on a balmy Friday evening. Even though I ran the risk of getting tossed around in rough waters with the possibility of being stranded on a desert island (TV-buffs know what I'm talking about) I'm glad I took my chances.





Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas on the planet which was quite evident to me after traveling its streets and observing its skyline.



I have to say the Hong Kong International Airport is yet another impressive structure among many in the city. Here we are doing the tech thing by checking email at the airport before our flight back to Korea.