We thought we’d spend a quiet Christmas in Seoul this time. The past year had been chaotic with back-to-back travel. We had to tweak our plans because Basil had a work trip to Shanghai — on the next day of Christmas. We’d effectively have to spend most of Christmas Day at Incheon Airport. But we…
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This year fall started pretty early and was cut short by temperatures plummeting in November. However, we managed to do some short trips (mostly subway rides) around the city and capture the best views of Seoul in this season. Seokchon Lake (석촌호수) Lotte World Tower literally cuts into the blue sky above. The tower looks…
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The past two months have been busy with back-to-back travel and visits from friends and family. Fortunately, we didn’t miss fall and tried to make the best of what Seoul had to offer. It’s already winter now and the weather has been iffy with cold spells and showers of snow. As we brace ourselves for…
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Getting there We reached Gupabal Station (subway line 3) at 7:00 a.m. in the morning. There’s a bus stop, on the same side of the road, around 5 minutes from exit 1. Most websites recommend Bus No. 704 (on the opposite side) or Bus No. 34. A taxi driver figured we were confused and suggested Bus…
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“Life is like the river, sometimes it sweeps you gently along and sometimes the rapids come out of nowhere.” ― Emma Smith Life prospers around rivers. And when a river cuts across a densely packed urban city — it literally brings in a breath of fresh air. We’re incredibly lucky to have the River Hangang (한강)…
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Two months back, I watched Sofia Coppola’s ‘Lost in Translation’ for the second time. I couldn’t make it to the end of the movie without escaping moist eyes and feeling a sense of loss. If you’ve ever lived away from a place you call home, or spent months away from family, or just followed your…
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We don’t have a trip planned for the next few months and I really needed one — to escape the daily rut. I decided to become a tourist, in Seoul, and explore around. With nature playing along, it wasn’t too difficult to discover some fantastic places. I think, I may have taken it too far…
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The first week of April marks the return of cherry blossoms to Seoul. After weeks of grey skies, bad air, and bare trees; it was time to get high on pink. This year, I decided to join the herds of cherry blossom chasers across the city. I’d have to become a tourist for that and willingly…
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“If you can’t go back to your mother’s womb, you’d better learn to be a good fighter.” ― Anchee Min Mum and I have always shared a special relationship. She’d take my side when my older siblings would bully me. She’d remind me it was important to have faith in myself and work harder whenever I…
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In the seventies, my parents and my toddler brother set out to explore a foreign land. Their expat life was short-lived, but their stories lasted for a lifetime. As a young kid who hadn’t travelled at all, I found their stories to be alluring. I was hooked by a life that was alien to the…
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