About 1.5 hours out of Seoul is Nami Island, or Namiseon as it is called in Korean. This is a tiny crescent shaped island that was formed by rising waters of the North Han River due to the construction of Cheongpyeong dam in 1944, and is a popular place for tourists, couples and families from Seoul who come here to see its natural beauty. Continue reading “Nami Island, South Korea”
The former Portuguese colony was returned to Chinese rule in 1999 and similarly to Hong Kong enjoys high autonomy in it’s own affairs. It has it’s own administrative government and police force, and it’s own currency (Macau Pacata). Macau also has the reputation for being the Las Vegas of the east, and you will find many casinos here. Because of this, tourism and entertainment are the main sources of income for Macau. This is a nice place for a short visit and you can easily get here from Hong Kong, taking the many ferry services. Continue reading “Macau 2011”
This is a small fishing town on in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Recently, it has become more popular with locals and tourists as a getaway from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong. Sai Kung (西貢) is well known for its seafood and many seafood restaurants line the seafront forming a Seafood Street. Besides seafood, visitors can charter boats for snorkeling, scuba diving or just swimming at the beaches at the nearby islands. There are also numerous nature trails for hikers. We did a day trip to Sai Kung recently in November 2014 when we visited Hong Kong. Continue reading “Sai Kung (西貢), Hong Kong”
In the north of Thailand is the city of Chiangmai. Formerly the capital of the Lanna Kingdom (13-17th century AD), Chiangmai is everything that Bangkok is not. Located in the foothills of the Himalayan mountain range, the city enjoys cooler weather, although the summer is just as hot as in Bangkok. You don’t see huge shopping malls or congested streets filled with people and traffic. With a population of around 1 million residents, you won’t feel crowded in and there is a relaxed atmosphere here. I have visited Chiangmai a couple of times, but never had a real opportunity to explore it completely. Continue reading “Chiangmai 2004 and 2013”
We chanced upon this small town in Western Australia during one of our trips to Perth in 2005. Augusta is located on the south western coast of Australia with a population of less than 1,300. The few things that you can do here are park yourself at the beach and windsurf, or go whale watching. As we were there in July, the start of the southern hemisphere’s winter season, beach and sun were not an option. So whale watching it was… Continue reading “Whale Watching in Augusta, WA”
The birth place of Mozart has always been my favorite city to visit. There is something about the place that attracts me to it like no other. I first visited Salzburg in 1996 when I was in Regensburg for a business trip and had a weekend free. So it was a rather last minute decision to take a train from Regensburg to Salzburg, and it was a slow train that stopped at almost every small town and village. I think the train ride took almost 5-6 hours before I stepped off at Salzburg train station. Continue reading “Salzburg in Mono”
The city that Tokyo’s most well known airport is named after doesn’t really come across as a destination by itself. For most visitors, it is just a transiting point for another flight, or a getting off point to get into Tokyo. I had a chance to visit this city when I had to layover for a night during my visit to Hokkaido. I found that it is an interesting place to visit without the crowds and exuding its own small city charm. Continue reading “Narita”
One of the more well known island resorts in Thailand, Koh Samui indulges you in sandy white beachs and sun soaked days. This is probably one of the more popular island get-aways in the past, but now that the other islands in Thailand are getting on in popularity, Koh Samui isn’t so much on the radar screen of purist beach goers anymore. We visited in 2007 to enjoy the beaches, and also to see how the place was since we kept hearing so much about it then. Continue reading “Koh Samui”
With the recent media circus going on last weekend in Venice for George Cluny’s wedding, I thought it would be a good time to blog about Venice. Although I’ve been there quite a long time ago in 1997, it was really nice to see my old photos and how Venice looked like before all the crazy fans and paparazzi invaded the place.
Venice is actually a city built on several islands inside the Venetian Lagoon. Venice is renowned for it beauty and architecture. From Shakespeare’s play, Merchant of Venice, and featured in countless movies and novels, Venice has timeless appeal. Continue reading “Venice”
My first trip to China was in 1998 for business and it was also my first time to Shanghai. I arrived from Beijing on a domestic flight to Hongqiao Airport. This airport served both international and domestic flights back then. Pudong International Airport was just a long term plan then, and Pudong was still mainly a backwater but with a lot of new construction projects coming up. The in-place to be was Puxi, and The Bund (外滩) was where most people hung out. The Bund is synonymous with Shanghai and is very much a part of the history of the city. Continue reading “The Bund, Shanghai – A Blast from the Past”
Beyond the Little Red Dot 