I like travelling alone. That way, I've only got one idiot to worry about.
Evening light-ups can be a hit-or-miss affair, especially where historic sites are concerned. That said, I’ll admit that it’s interesting to reflect on how the kings and exalted personages of Silla, with all of their untold wealth and unbridled power, could never have enjoyed the nighttime vistas (courtesy of modern-day electric lighting) that we simple commoners throng to see today.
Continue reading “Field Report: Two Days in Gyeongju, South Korea – Day 1 Part 3 (16 February 2018)”
Earlier in the day, I’d seen how the ruling class of Silla once lived in settings of unparalleled luxury over a thousand years ago, as epitomised by the remains of their gardens and palaces. As I walked amongst the silent mounds of earth marking their graves, it became clear to me that they died surrounded with no less splendour.
Continue reading “Field Report: Two Days in Gyeongju, South Korea – Day 1 Part 2 (16 February 2018)”
Some places grow on you after more than one visit. Others, you fall in love with at first sight. In the case of Gyeongju, where the remnants of a long-lost empire lie upon the ground so thickly that the very act of taking a step feels like turning a page in a history book, I was hopelessly smitten from the day I arrived.
Continue reading “Field Report: Two Days in Gyeongju, South Korea – Day 1 Part 1 (16 February 2018)”
On a freezing winter’s day in Seoul, I set off on a long journey to the historic city of Gyeongju, about 300 kilometres to the southeast as the crow flies (even farther than that on the ground, of course). Let’s see what it’s like to travel from one to the other on Korea’s extensive railway network.
I love food, but I’m not a foodie. I’m not the sort of chap who would spend hours scouring the streets of Tōkyō or the back-alleys of Seoul in search of new, unique, quirky, pop-up, or Michelin-starred establishments of the sort that critics love to rave about. No, my friend – when I’m hungry, anything from the corner convenience store to the nearest chain restaurant will suffice. I take delight in the familiar, I revel in the tried and true. This of course explains why I’d much rather keep going back to places I’ve patronised before, places I know will do a good job, rather than cast my net wider and rake in something that could be fantastic but could also turn out to be a dud.
Continue reading “(Mini-)Food Report: A Return Visit to Myeongdong Kyoja (Seoul, South Korea)”
I’ve been to Seoul’s Gyeongbokgung so many times, I can’t even say off-hand how many times I’ve gone there. And one of the things that keep drawing me back to this vast Joseon-era complex is the ongoing, almost mind-bogglingly colossal effort to rebuild the many palace structures destroyed in the early 20th century – a project that, year after year, yields something new for the dedicated repeat visitor.
In my previous post, we’ve seen what it’s like to travel with Asiana Airlines from Manila to Seoul. Now let’s see how they fared on the return flight – and along the way, learn more about one method to skip the long queues at Incheon Airport.
Welcome aboard OZ703.
Continue reading “Flight Report: ICN-MNL on Asiana Airlines Flight OZ703”
In this report, we’ll see what it’s like to fly with one of South Korea’s two major full-service carriers on the busy Manila-Seoul route. Welcome aboard Asiana Airlines Flight OZ704.
Continue reading “Flight Report: MNL-ICN on Asiana Airlines Flight OZ704”
I’ve logged thousands of miles of travel through the years in pursuit of the two Japanese things that interest me the most: trains and castles. Needless to say, I find a journey especially rewarding when I can satisfy my thirst for both in one fell swoop – and there are few places better endowed in that regard than the island of Shikoku. Since I’ve already written about the castles I visited during my November 2016 holiday in that area, let’s turn the spotlight on the trains that brought me here and there.
Continue reading “Rail Report: Trainspotting my way around Shikoku, Japan (19-23 November 2016)”
I’m not a fan of contemporary art. In fact, if I were to speak plainly on the matter, I’d risk saying something unprintable. That said, I’m an incurable railway enthusiast through and through … and when I learned that one of Japan’s famous shinkansen trains had been transformed into a high-speed art gallery, riding that moving museum earned a spot on my itinerary.
Welcome aboard the Genbi Shinkansen.
Within striking distance