In all my time in Seoul, both before and after going to Busan, I’d stayed in this lovely hostel run by a considerate owner. It was well located, reasonably priced, close to a grocer, and had all the facilities I wanted: washing machine and dryer (both free to use), kitchen, and dining/lounge area. They even … Continue reading / view photos War Memorial of Korea
Category: Culture
Into the future at Dongdaemun Design Plaza
After leaving Hongdae, I headed for the futuristic Dongdaemun Design Plaza. It exemplifies Seoul — the most modern of cities I’d been to around the world. It looks like a spaceship and even has an alien-like figure staring at it. There’s not much in the museum or adjoining buildings but the building itself is the … Continue reading / view photos Into the future at Dongdaemun Design Plaza
Hip Hongdae
Named after Hongik University, Hongdae is one of those neighbourhoods that was once cheap to live in and given a new lease of life by artists and musicians until it became impossible to ignore. Gentrification followed and the upmarket brands moved in. Despite that, the area is still known for its indie music scene, urban … Continue reading / view photos Hip Hongdae
Seoul Lotus Lantern Festival
After my taxi journey from the temple to Singyeongju Station, I was standing on the platform waiting for my train. At one point, I heard a train coming. By the time I’d switched on my camera and was ready to take a photo of the train, it flashed by without stopping! The KTX trains are … Continue reading / view photos Seoul Lotus Lantern Festival
Gyeongju – the “museum without walls”.
Gyeongju was the capital of Silla, which, two thousand years ago, was a Korean kingdom located in the southern and central parts of what is now Korea. At one time, Silla was a wealthy country and Gyeongju was the fourth largest city in the world. Some of the remains of the Silla kingdom still exist … Continue reading / view photos Gyeongju – the “museum without walls”.
From the Big Buddha to the fishing village
A scenic way to go to see The Big Buddha statue on Lantau Island is via the Ngong Ping 360 cable car. I was thankful my friend (of Hong Kong origin) suggested getting a ticket online in advance. When I got to the entrance, there was a long queue to buy tickets and only one … Continue reading / view photos From the Big Buddha to the fishing village
Art and stinky tofu
On another supposedly quiet day, I went to the Fine Arts Museum. It was only whilst writing this post that I saw the museum’s resemblance to the shipping container Starbucks I went to in Hualien a few days ago. The highlight for me was a retrospective of René Burri’s work and life. The name rang … Continue reading / view photos Art and stinky tofu
A wooden library in Beitou
On my second day back in Taipei, I took the train to Beitou. Beitou is at the northern end of Taipei and is famous for its hot springs. It still has a Japanese feel to it even though Japan handed over Taiwan to China in 1945. I went to Beitou to chillout at the wooden … Continue reading / view photos A wooden library in Beitou
Fo Guan Shan Monastery and Buddhist Museum
One of the big attractions near Kaohsiung is the Fo Guan Shan Monastery and its adjacent Buddhist Museum. The monastery was built in the 1960s. Sometimes it’s not easy finding out how to get to slightly remote places. I looked at various guides online and tried Google Maps. There seemed to be an online consensus … Continue reading / view photos Fo Guan Shan Monastery and Buddhist Museum
Artistic Kaohsiung
From Chiayi, I took the train in the morning to Kaohsiung. I read some interesting things about it, especially its art in public places. You notice the attention to art the minute you arrive at the central station. At the station, I especially like the section for children to read (books provided!). The transport options … Continue reading / view photos Artistic Kaohsiung