- TRAVEL DIARYDaily NotesHungary

Last border crossing @ Szeged, Hungary, September 21, 2021

Last border crossing On this road trip, I drive from Greece to The Netherlands, while only visiting two non-EU countries, North Macedonia and Serbia, although I spent most of the traveling days in those two countries. And leaving Serbia and entering Hungary meant going back into the Schengen Zone, and it was going to be the last border crossing of the entire trip. Crossing a border is usually a major nuisance, but the sense of finality made it seem sweeter. I did the usual things as...
Moments Together (Friends)Serbia

with Danilo and Nevena @ Belgrade, Serbia, September 19, 2021

with Danilo and Nevena It was already a coincidence when we crossed paths in Plovdiv, Bulgaria two years ago. And what are the odds that I was sighted on the street in their home country? This has to be called pure luck! Meeting people again is a special experience for me, and it is even more so if it is where they grew up. Thanks to some knowledge I’ve already gained about the country, I am happy that I could understand them better, and it’s also...
Daily NotesNorth Macedonia

Tetovo reminded me how I want to travel @Tetovo, North Macedonia, September 12, 2021

Tetovo reminded me how I want to travel Tetovo is a city in the northwestern part of North Macedonia, and it’s about 45 minutes of driving to get there from the capital city, Skopje. As much as I enjoyed the wide variety of things that Skopje offered, I got the impression that things were quite centralized around the capital, and I began feeling that I was probably missing out on other types of life scenes of the country. Tetovo is a rather small city, with an...
Daily NotesNorth Macedonia

Statues and beliefs @ Skopje, North Macedonia, September 10, 2021

Statues and beliefs I admit that I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into the main square for the first time in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia. The size of the statue of Alexander the Great (or the Macedonian Alexander, as some call it) was far bigger than what I had imagined. And the sizes and details of other neighboring statues were equally impressive. It was the type of thing that one could only properly feel in the place, not via looking at photos. Of...
- TRAVEL DIARY4 EuropeDaily NotesGreece

The last chapter begins @Thessaloniki, Greece, September 7, 2021

The last chapter begins Last year in March, I stopped traveling by land and left my car in Thessaloniki, and turned myself into a backpacker. The plan then was to continue traveling through Central Asia and Eastern Russia, which was going to be the last chapter of the trip, but what happened afterward is an unprecedented time that we’ve all experienced. One and a half years later, I now stand again in front of my mobile home, surprisingly in great shape. How many nights did I...
Daily Notes

Most important day of a year, Mt. Seung-ma, South Korea, December 31, 2020

  Most important day of a year In many countries, I know that December 31st is not a holiday, but New Year’s day is. I haven’t felt too natural about this for years, but now I know for sure that the last day of a year matters much more to me than a New Year’s Day. Meeting a new friend can be exciting, especially with hopes of building a great relationship together. Yet I feel that properly saying goodbye to an old one is something I...
Daily Notes

Talking with Lonely Planet Korea Magazine

  Thanks to my overlander friends in Korea, Jinyoung and Seona, I was introduced to talk with the Lonely Planet Korea magazine. Knowing little about their interests, I wasn’t quite sure what kinds of stories and thoughts would be most helpful to share with them, but I was just happy that someone else wants to hear about what I’ve experienced. As usual, writing about what I thought I had known and felt was a great experience for me in the first place. And it gave me...