The Lotus Lantern Festival (Buddha’s Birth Anniversary) is one of the most important festivals in Seoul. Streets are lined with gleaming lanterns, jubilation fills the air, and under the spotlight — performers emerge under the masks of ordinary people. This year, the buildup to the Lotus Lantern Festival, coincided with many other celebrations and commemorative…
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Urban development and green cover, often, have to compete with each other, in Seoul city. Although, hiking mountains might not top everyone’s weekend list; it’s always possible to find a patch of green, to take in fresh air and let the whir of city life — take a back seat. Abandoned railway tracks make for…
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Summer brings in a new phase of festivities in Seoul and the rest of the country. From tea tasting at Boseong Green Tea Festival to elaborate reenactments of royal life; there’s a lot take in. It’s probably, a good time for tourists to visit with the weather being moderately warm; never mind an occasional shower.…
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Most of Seoul’s sidewalks are dwarfed by towering high rises. Fortunately, there still remain few spots in the city — dominated by red brick walls or painted graffiti. Not visible in plain sight, searching for these hidden gems, often involves climbing steep, curving alleys. While some of these might be listed as tourist hot spots, there…
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On a warm Sunday afternoon, there were few tourists queuing to see Jongmyo Shrine. Entry was allowed on the condition: you must join a guided tour group. It was mildly annoying, especially, after a half day hike along the fortress wall at Bugaksan and a walk in Gwangjang Market. The tour (in the afternoon) was…
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Exactly six months back, we visited Dharamshala — the heart of Tibetan Buddhism. I wanted to clear my head, try meditation, and hopefully, end my extended sabbatical from writing. I, secretly, wondered if this could be ‘the mountain town‘ — we’re always talking about? Maybe, I could stay back and finally cut all the background…
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Seoul breathes at a frightening pace. It’s not difficult to lose yourself or your breath, here. Towering slabs of mortar and glass, dominate a jagged skyline, often competing — for a spot of grey. Following a Darwinian model of survival, primitive structures are quick to be razed, to be equally quickly replaced, by monsters of…
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It’s interesting to see how cultures, across the world, mimic one another, in a bid to keep what-should-be-kept-out — outside. Fortress walls have proven to be a common feature of almost every citadel, fort, or palace complex we’ve visited. From the sandstone citadel walls of Rajasthan to the ginormous, ‘Great Wall of China‘; protecting territory,…
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I admire photographers. They’re not very different from magicians, often conjuring illusions of imaginary worlds — blurring the fine lines of reality. And if the camera, was invented a few centuries earlier, it would be interesting to see how would they have fared against thinkers and painters of that time. “One person’s craziness is another…
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It’s been more than a week since the blossoms have faded into oblivion. The weather is slowly and steadily getting warmer. Every once in a while, the weather gods have a little fun at our expense and send in a splash of rain. Back home, we have distinct seasons. When its hot — it will…
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