Sorry all about the lack of posting lately -- I have returned from Korea to the United States in an effort to set up shop stateside in San Francisco; do a little writing, take a little funemployed vacation. You could say I am "freelancing" for now. There will be a few new posts on what life is like back in the States after a year long trip in Korea -- after I come back from a week-long desert art festival called Burning Man, so stay tuned for some crazy new stories. For now, what are the top five most difficult things about the transition?

After the extremes of Hongdae's titillating art scene, this blogger needed a little break and a trip out of the city. Heyri, only 35 minutes from Seoul, proves to be just the kind of get away you ought to treat yourself to if you want a nice trek in the countryside for a day with more cafes, restaurants and galleries than you can shake a stick at. And being outside of the city, you can actually find that stick, too!

Welcome to Hongdae -- leave your inhibitions behind for this art tour extravaganza, because Hongdae can get a little messy. (I'm serious, though, don't scroll down too fast if you are at work).

That's right, man, today Brown Passports is taking a chill out break in Gangnam at the hipp(i)est joint in town: Rainbow.

Welcome back to Garosu-gil, the finest Kaffee Strasse you'll find this side of Germany:For those hungry souls unfamiliar with the charms of Garosu-gil and pondering a nice, juicy burger right now (did I read your mind?) go to the previous post in this series to read all about the many restaurants on offer here. After that fantastic burger, its time for dessert!

Garosu-gil, which literally means "tree-lined street" is the perfect setting for an romantic Sunday walk on a temperate day in search of brunch, lunch, coffee -- or the affections of whoever you might wish to share those with.Crammed with excellent eateries and cafes, it also serves up cuisine, coffee and confectioneries at prices far more reasonable than the nearby area of Apgujeong, which you can check out here here and here

Apgujeong's posh charms can only be half experienced in a lunch or dinner outing -- to really get a sense of the extravagance that this neighborhood is capable of, you have to hit the nightlife spots.First, you'll want to fuel up a bit before heading out. Fifty (50) is a great way to get your class on before hitting the fancier (or raunchier) joints in town.

  While Apgujeong's lighter, and cheaper, lunchtime options are well worth exploring -- check out my last post for a whirlwind lunch tour -- it wouldn't be a complete trip to this haute land without a trip to at least one of the shi shi restaurants that make Apgujeong so lovably elitist, like Antonio's, an Italian restaurant with truffle oil martinis and a mythical caviar pizza which, rumor has it, rings in at almost 100,000 W.

Look for the best street in town for great food? Come on down to...  

A word to the wise traveler -- when looking for Taco Bell and sports bars, follow the army; when looking for world-class cuisine, follow the money; and when looking for the best dessert joints and cafes in town, head to the all-women's universities.Not that Ewha has nothing else to offer. By all means go there if you are looking to get a world class education and... well... if you aren't a man. And perhaps it is also a hot spot for women's clothing. I am not sure. Having not cross-dressed since my college days, I'm out of the loop on the great women's clothing hot spots.Without further ado, following from my last post on Ewha, here are some of the post-dinner, post-lunch (or, hell, anytime!) treats you can indulge yourself in around the area. Take the same directions as in the first post to get to the heart of the area (Exit 2 Ewha, anywhere between the subway and the University 4-5 blocks away).My first stop off was at Lucycato, the Cafe de Chocolatier.