Out on the waters
You are in the driver’s seat, that’s what they say – at least in books, magazines and on podcasts. I would not call it a lie but for me it is not fully on point. Let me explain why.
Expectations
What did you expect? I certainly did not expect to fall so far behind in keeping the blog up to date. While in South Korea and Japan I might have been behind 1-2 cities, in China it’s more about 8 by now. One reason for this is that China is certainly the most adventurous countries …
Yungang grottoes in Datong
My next stop after Beijing (北京 – běijīng) was Datong (大同 – dàtōng), where refreshing 33-35 degrees were waiting for me. The high speed train takes around 2.5 hours and the person sitting next to me stroke up a conversation with me. He explained the scenery we were passing by and gave me some recommendations for …
Beating the heat in Beijing
Even though I had been to Beijing ten years ago, it was an overwhelming first day and there were multiple reasons for that. Starting again with having to go through an immigration process, and this time one that has more requirements (the nervousness always consumes so much of my energy). After arrival, I went to …
Tumbling through Tokyo
When I was thinking about what to write for Tokyo, many things came to my mind but there was one image I could not get out of it. On my last full day I visited the National Museum of Modern Art, where a painting from Akiko ENDO was shown. The painting immediately caught my eye, …
Rainy days and chanting monks
When I arrived in Kyoto the sky was already gray and everything felt damp. My mood was in a similar state, as small things had piled up and were cluttering my mind. I had missed my Shinkansen at Osaka, as I had again underestimated the travel distances within the metro and train stations. Missing the …
I 💛 Osaka
I was blown away by Osaka. From what I had read I knew that it is famous for its food and lively atmosphere. It does rise above the expectations and was my next stop after Hiroshima. Firstly, at the beginning I was a bit nervous as I had booked a capsule hotel in Osaka. However, …
A place to remember
When I know I have to go through immigration for entering a foreign country, I always get a bit nervous. Did I bring everything with me? Did I properly check the entry requirements? The list goes on, but thankfully there was not ever an issue with this so far. The same applied to my ferry …
The highs and lows in Busan
Busan was the most relaxing part of the trip yet, as I was a bit tired from all of the sightseeing so far. While I was in Busan, there were two places which I’ve absolutely loved visiting: Jagalchi fish market SpaLand at Shinsegae Centumcity I went to Jagalchi fish market on the first evening. It’s …
Turning back time in Gyeongju
A two-hour high-speed train brought me on Saturday to Gyeongju. It is known as “the museum without walls”, as ancient tombs, temples and palace ruins are scattered throughout the city and in its surroundings. After I’ve arrived, I’ve had a first walk through the city to see the ancient Tumuli tombs which were close by. …