– TRAVEL DIARY

Khurjin, Tolma, and pomegranate tea @ Lavash Restaurant, Yerevan, Armenia, November 22, 2019

Armenia often fails to attract travelers’ attention due to other popular destinations in the region, such as Georgia and Turkey. But during my 10 days of stay in the country, I was pleasantly surprised by its charm in several aspects. Despite the small land size, Armenia boasts a long history, a strong sense of identity …

Family with love @ Sevan and Yerevan, Armenia, November 19 and 21, 2019

Family with love It was only my second evening in Armenia but it already felt like it had been a lot. The first day I had to drive for hours at night on unpaved roads trying to find a guesthouse that is still open during the off-season, only relying on offline maps. The second day, …

Arrival in Georgia @ Tbilisi, Georgia, November 8, 2019

Arrived in Georgia. Already from its neighboring countries, I’ve been well-informed about its growing popularity as a travel destination. I feel I’d need to stay here over a month in total. I’m excited about what I’ll see. (I already ran into an army of sheep today) @ Tbilisi, Georgia, November 8, 2019

Detours @  Lipetsk Oblast, Russia, October 29, 2019

    Detours After over one month of living like a Muscovite, I hit the road again to the south. In Moscow, I had focused on some of the longer-term projects while moving around predominantly with Moscow Metro. From now on, I’ll be constantly driving each day as I explore the Caucasus region, probably until I …

A map of feelings @ The State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia, September 28, 2019

A map of feelings St. Petersburg is often called the ‘cultural’ capital of Russia. The nickname was originally given by Boris Yeltsin, and some Russian people I met found the idea puzzling or controversial. In any case, I know that the world-famous Hermitage Museum is on the ‘must-visit’ list for tourists visiting the city. But during …

A brief time travel and the start of the final chapter

A brief time travel and the start of the final chapter On September 5th, I took a flight from Moscow to Korea to visit family. It turned out that the day was my 2nd travel anniversary, which was a pure coincidence. I had thought about taking the time at the airport to record how I …

Arrival @ Incheon, South Korea, September 6, 2019

I am visiting Korea for several weeks to celebrate mother’s birthday and the Korean Chuseok. Afterwards, I will come back to Moscow and finish the remaining parts of the journey. @ Incheon, South Korea, September 6, 2019

with Artyom @ Bratislavskaya, Moscow, Russia, September 5, 2019

In general, I try to keep distance from using the word ‘hospitable’ when describing people of a country or a region. It’s not because hospitality is an undesirable value by any means. I just feel that accepting to use the word encourages me to subconsciously believe that I am in the position to evaluate different …