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...
- LISTENING TO .OTHERS4 EuropeBulgaria

Listening to FUTURE THINKERS @ Plovdiv, Bulgaria, June 11, 2019

Listening to FUTURE THINKERS One of the exciting perks of traveling around the world is, in theory, you can choose to visit anyone who lives close to your itineraries. While visiting Bulgaria, I had the pleasure to visit the producers of FUTURE THINKERS PODCAST, a podcast about evolving technology, society, and consciousness (https://futurethinkers.org). As much as I enjoy listening to their episodes, it was a memorable experience to listen to their stories about how they came up with the idea and the joy and struggles along...
4 EuropeDaily NotesGreece

Historical heritage and the disconnect @ Acropolis of Athens, Greece, February 27, 2020

Historical heritage and the disconnect Acropolis of Athens is an ancient Greek settlement sitting on top of a rocky hill in Athens. ‘Acro’ means the ‘highest point’ and ‘polis’ means ‘city’. And although ‘acropolis’ is a generic term, ‘the Acropolis’ usually refers to the one in Athens, which has been an important historical site throughout multiple major civilizations. Located on a rock that rises around 150 meters, the site is seen anywhere in the surrounding neighborhoods, and conversely, you can have sweeping views of the central...
5 AsiaDaily NotesKorea

An early return home @ Inchon, South Korea, March 16, 2020

An early return home A good part of planning this travel had begun with imagination. When I imagined myself traveling for years, something felt very right about it. So I began to come up with plans to make the imagination a reality. Likewise, I have been imagining on the roads what the last moment of this travel will be like, and that imagined feeling of the final moment has been guiding me through the latter part of this journey. Yet that imagination did not survive until...
- TRAVEL DIARY4 EuropeDaily NotesGreece

Thinking about museums @ National Archaeological Museum, Athens, Greece, February 29, 2020

Thinking about museums In most cities, I notice that history museums are not top-ranked destinations for travelers. But in some ‘mega’ historical places, their archaeological museums are widely known as ‘unmissable’. Athens was such a place, as was Cairo in Egypt. I believe that museums are an odd place for many people – the idea of visiting a museum almost always seems like a good thing, but the actual experience is often frustrating, although people do not usually talk about their feelings afterward. I think a...
- TRAVEL DIARY4 EuropeDaily NotesGreece

Last days with my car @ Corinth, Greece, March 2, 2020

Last days with my car Due to the global spread of the virus, it is not the best time for overseas travels these days. Nonetheless, I’m largely sticking to my original itineraries. I am moving eastward, ultimately arriving in Vladivostok in the Russian Far East. And unfortunately, I had decided that I would leave my car around Europe and turn into a backpacker by the time I visit Central Asia. The purpose is not to throw the car away or leave it behind, but it is...
- TRAVEL DIARY4 EuropeDaily NotesGreece

Monasteries of Meteora @ Meteora, Greece, February 23, 2020

Monasteries of Meteora Meteora refers to the rock formation in Central Greece and the area hosts six active monasteries of Eastern Orthodox Church. In the 14th century, monks from Mount Athos ( a peninsula in northeastern Greece and the center of Eastern Orthodox monasticism) moved to this area, fleeting the raids by the Ottoman empire. Understandably, the access to the monasteries was deliberately difficult, and the primary means of moving goods and people were ropes and baskets. Nowadays, steps have been cut into the rock, and...