Category Archives: Korea 2017 (2nd)

Field Report: Three Days in Busan, South Korea – Day 3 Part 2 (06 June 2017)

With just hours remaining before I was due to fly home from Busan, I ventured out for one last round of sightseeing right in the city centre. My final target: a modest house of brick and tile, the refined simplicty of which almost seems to mask the important role it played in Korea’s modern history.

Field Report: Three Days in Busan, South Korea – Day 3 Part 1 (06 June 2017)

Before I came to Busan, I’d been quietly nursing a preconceived image of this bustling port city: namely, that of a boring industrial area with little to offer in the way of history or culture. On the last day of an incredibly rewarding 3-day visit, a clutch of sightseeing spots north of the city centreContinue reading “Field Report: Three Days in Busan, South Korea – Day 3 Part 1 (06 June 2017)”

Field Report: Three Days in Busan, South Korea – Day 2 (05 June 2017)

Busan is a coastal city, so it should come as no surprise that several of its most popular attractions have something to do with the sea. There are its famous beaches, of course … which I avoided like the plague, since I hate beaches. No matter – there were other views to admire and sightsContinue reading “Field Report: Three Days in Busan, South Korea – Day 2 (05 June 2017)”

Field Report: Three Days in Busan, South Korea – Day 1 (04 June 2017)

Even though I travel to Korea at least once every year, I still wasn’t sure what to expect on my very first trip to Busan (부산), a place far beyond those parts of the country I’m most familiar with (namely Seoul and Gyeonggi-do). Yet after spending just three days in this incredible port city onContinue reading “Field Report: Three Days in Busan, South Korea – Day 1 (04 June 2017)”

Rail Report: Seoul to Busan on the KTX, South Korea (04 June 2017)

I’ve taken high-speed rail services countless times in Japan, but not (until recently) in Korea, even though I holiday there at least once every year. That changed one bright summer’s day this past June, when I broke away from Seoul to spend a few days in faraway Busan – and rode Korea’s blazingly fast KTXContinue reading “Rail Report: Seoul to Busan on the KTX, South Korea (04 June 2017)”

Field Report: Walking from Seoullo 7017 to Namsan, Seoul, South Korea (03 June 2017)

Seoul’s drive to rebuild and reinvent itself has yielded some quite spectacular results – and also reveals something interesting about the city’s relationship with the material legacy of its own explosive, almost uncontrolled growth. On the one hand, there’s a willingness to destroy, to sweep away and wipe clean, as was amply demonstrated when theContinue reading “Field Report: Walking from Seoullo 7017 to Namsan, Seoul, South Korea (03 June 2017)”

Flight Report:  PUS-MNL on Philippine Airlines Flight PR419

In my previous post, we saw what it’s like to fly from Manila to Seoul with Philippine Airlines. Now let’s have a look at their performance on another Korean route, departing from Busan and heading back to Manila.

Flight Report:  MNL-ICN on Philippine Airlines Flight PR466

I tend to give most of my business to budget carriers on regional routes, but I’m happy to upgrade myself to a full-service airline when the prices are right or the schedules suit my preferences. On my latest trip to Korea, I settled on flag carrier Philippine Airlines (IATA Code: PR) and, despite various shortcomings,Continue reading “Flight Report:  MNL-ICN on Philippine Airlines Flight PR466”