Category: Asia

  • 8 Things I Don’t Like About South Korea

    I previously wrote about the 6 things that surprised me about South Korea and today, I’ve put together a list of things that I don’t like. 1. Online BankingBanking here is what I imagine the pits of hell would be like. Bank books are still used here and with what they like to called added…

  • Catching the Cherry Blossoms in and around Seoul

    Following on from my trip to Daegu to catch the cherry blossoms (and see Daegu), I spent the following weekend chasing them in Seoul area. Spring was so sudden. One day it was cold and trees bare and then with a blink of an eye, spring buds started appearing. The cherry blossoms were the same.…

  • After School Academies in South Korea

    I teach middle school students at an academy. Academies are locally called hagwons which are privately run. I don’t think there is an equivalent that I know of. It’s like a tutoring centre except the students come 2-3 times a week after school and spend a few hours at the academy each time. The academy…

  • Catching the Cherry Blossoms in Daegu

    The cherry blossoms. Need I say more. It’s that time of the year, where spring is officially here. I spent a weekend in Daegu and timed it to coincide with their peak cherry blossom blooms. It’s warmer down south of the peninsula and great to catch it there before it reaches Seoul and the surrounding…

  • Hiking Baegaksan Mountain in Seoul

    As the weather gets warmer, it is the time to dust off those hiking shoes and discover the great outdoors once again. Located directly behind Gyeongbokgung Palace and the Blue House, Baegaksan offers about a 3 hour hike along the Seoul wall. Public access to this section of the wall was closed to the public…

  • 6 Things In Korea That Surprised Me

    From living here, some of these were immediate and others were observations that occurred over time. I have rounded up 6 things that have really taken me by surprise in Korea. I’m sure this might change over time but for the moment here is my list. 1. How big coffee is hereYou can’t walk more…

  • Day 3 in Kyoto, Japan

    Following on from my previous post about what I did on Day 1 and 2 in Kyoto, this is the next and final blog post for my trip to Kyoto. On the morning of Day 3, I booked to do a tea ceremony in a kimono. I had found this on Viator and booked in…

  • Day 1 and 2 in Kyoto, Japan

    I recently used some annual leave to make a quick trip next door to Japan for 4 days. It was my first time in Japan and it felt like I was finally getting the chance to visit after hearing about how great Japan is from basically everyone. I picked Kyoto as I thought that the…

  • 7 Fruits To Try in South Korea

    For the food adventurers, fruit in another country is an exploration on its own. Whilst I may have tried similar fruits to be these back home, more all of the below fruits, this was my first time buying and trying them. I’ve not included widely available fruits likes apples, strawberries and persimmon (I think persimmon…

  • South Korean Life Update- 9 months

    I’m currently in the calm before the storm. I’ve decided not to renew my contract (I hadn’t planned to but there is a joke here that many people plan to stay 1 year only and then end up staying longer) and have notified my school making it official official. I have mixed feelings. I have…