Julia | On August 21, 2012

Ebook Deal of Day: £1.96 “Naked in Korea: A Kentuckian’s Tales of Teaching & Kimchi” by Sean Chandler

Genre: Travel/memoir

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It’s a strange feeling when you realize that the majority of people who have seen you naked have passports different from yours, but that’s exactly what happened to author/traveler Sean Chandler in 2010 and 2011. “Naked in Korea” is the funny and heartfelt reflection of a 25-year-old teacher from Bagdad, Kentucky who was hired to teach English in a military town near the controversial border between North and South Korea, only to discover that, even on the other side of the planet, there is still plenty that people share in common.

Shrinkage, for example.

But Chandler’s memoir/travelogue is about more than just how he came to spend copious amounts of time sweltering in an East Asian bathhouse alongside throngs of befuddled Korean men. It is about more than how a hairy Kentuckian learned to enjoy wearing Speedos in a country where conformity is helps. “Naked in Korea” is the story of how a fish out of water learned to get by in a part of Korea where foreigners are seldom seen and the gorgeous mountains contain either unexploded landmines or luxurious five-star golf courses, depending on where you look.

Come join Chandler as he shares his stories about making kimchi for the first time at a prehistoric festival on Halloween and how he learned to drink soju “the proper way”. Hear some pointers on what to bring if a group of Koreans invite you to hike a mountain at 4:00 in the morning on New Year’s Day under a blanket of darkness and knee-deep snow. Discover how to plant fishing traps at the bottom of a frigid river and read about Chandler’s journey underneath the infamous DMZ in a secret tunnel that was once intended for a North Korean military invasion! And, yes, we’ll talk a little about K-Pop.

Along the way, learn what Seoul has to offer and hear fun tips for exploring The Land of the Morning Calm. Korea is a fantastic country with unique people and a happily eccentric culture you simply have to experience! Just, um…remember that clothing is sometimes optional.