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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
This website chronicles Leebong’s journey around the world for 2+ years, for the time being. To find out more, see The Travel & The Why.
To catch me, see Itinerary.
Impressions Series
