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 …
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 …
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 …
Alone Together When you are alone, you can be with yourself more closely than ever. The near-complete silence in remote sites is fitting for those reunions. This is one of such memories captured in the vast Cappadocia area. @ Cappadocia, Turkey, January 18-20, 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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …