Archive for the ‘ Living in Korea ’ Category
It hit me like blanket as I exited Incheon International airport upon my recent reentry of Korea: it was real humidity, not the sort of thing the weather girl goes on and on about on the local news at home. Summers in Korea are really damp. The air is thick, hot and sticky. It’s the beginning of [ READ MORE ]
So, last night I packed my bags and moved out of what was my home for the past fifty-three weeks. I think it was a home solely because it was the place I crashed in for a year. Knowing I would not be staying on in my job as far back as February meant I [ READ MORE ]
I can’t believe I have been here for 53 weeks now. I still recall the fifteen minute drive from my family’s home to Dublin airport. My brother, an English teacher in Japan, was in the car during undoubtedly the saddest journey of my life. He was home for two weeks visiting the family. He told [ READ MORE ]
I’m on an island, and there’s no way off. It wouldn’t be like this if I were in a similar situation in Korea, I just know it. You see, I’m on vacation at my parent’s home in Canada. It’s a rural area, about a fifty minute drive by car to the capital city of my province [ READ MORE ]
Each sunny day many Korean women sport what looks to foreign eyes like something more suited to the fashions of the Victorian era. As late as the early parts of the twentieth century in the West fair skin was coveted, while darker skin was a bit provincial. Women brought parasols with them for delightful casual walks, [ READ MORE ]
Good news came recently for foreign and local travel aficionados alike when Air Asia announced they would be opening up a travel route between Malaysia and Incheon Airport — South Korea’s most active international airport. Air Asia is an airline based out of Malaysia, well known for it’s laughably cheap flights between Southeast Asian nations compared [ READ MORE ]
Is there a better way to awaken the inner child in you than spending a full day chasing Mickey Mouse and Pooh Bear around Disneyland? Certainly not for my friends, although Pluto clearly holds the key to their hearts. It’s been seventeen years since I last stepped foot in a Disney resort, and whilst much of [ READ MORE ]
Have you ever heard of the Yomuiri Giants or the Chunichi Dragons? They might sound like two teams in a Japanese version of robot wars, but they are in fact professional Japanese baseball clubs who we had the pleasure of seeing at the extraordinary Tokyo Dome last week. Moving to the Far East has really opened [ READ MORE ]
Reading the raves and rants about Sofia Coppola’s Oscar winning comedy ‘Lost In Translation‘, one thing always goes missing. Honestly, this movie inspired me to visit Tokyo and Japan. The experts tell you that the film is a poor representation of the Japanese people, especially during their amusing interactions with Bill Murray. Accurate or not, I’m [ READ MORE ]
There are not many cities in the world where you could say five days is not enough to see it all. But Tokyo, the biggest metropolitan area on the planet with 36 million souls, is one of those places. Average time commuting from one attraction to another is roughly seventy minutes, so by the time [ READ MORE ]