Busan is the second largest city in South Korea (the first being Seoul). Busan is what Cape Town is to Joburg – its coastal, scenic and chilled sister. Getting from Seoul to Busan cost me a few of my ZARs using the KTX (the train system). It was about a 3 hour uneventful train ride … [Read more…]
Gyeonbokgung Palace is the largest of the five palaces built by the Josean Dynasty – and it seems to be slap, bang in the middle of Seoul (I could be wrong as I was quite disorientated). I went to the palace on one of my last days in Seoul (in an effort to see some … [Read more…]
Some time ago, when I was writing up a very long document aka my master’s dissertation. I needed a way to motivate myself to finish it. My addiction to Sorority Life (a Facebook game) was getting in the way. While trying not to smash my laptop in when my Ms Word tables didn’t want to … [Read more…]
After a 1 hr 45 min flight from Chiang Mai on Air Asia (decent flight, terrible coffee), we safely arrived in Phuket. The views flying over Phuket were beautiful – blue skies, clear blue seas and picturesque limestone “islands” all over. We felt like this would be the island holiday we had always dreamed of. … [Read more…]
Thanks to the good folk at Qatar Airlines, I managed to buy a not sooooo expensive flight to Seoul in South Korea. One catch was the 20 hour (or so) stop-over in Doha. I have done stop-overs and I can say, like most people, I am not a fan (had a few bad experiences). So, … [Read more…]
According to a few reviews on TripAdvisor: “if you only have time to see one temple in northern Thailand, Doi Suthep is the one to see.” We started our tour early as it was quite a long drive up the lush green mountainside to get to Doi Suthep. Our first stop was a rural hillside … [Read more…]
Okay, Elephant Camps in Thailand require a back story as I am no fan of animals in captivity. Elephants were used in the “logging ” industry in Thailand to move (as the name suggests) huge logs. They were notoriously ill-treated. Eventually, this market collapsed and the state outlawed the practice of using elephants for logging. … [Read more…]
Chiang Mai is often referred to as the cultural capital of Thailand. It was actually the old capital of Siam way back when. It is in northern Thailand so the climate is slightly cooler than Bangkok and everything appears more….well… old. After a very short flight from Bangkok (save your time and skip the train), … [Read more…]
I would highly recommend checking out the JJ Market (a huge, weekend market) if you’re in Bangkok. It’s the place that you REALLY feel the buzz of Bangkok. Trust me, there is more activity at the JJ market than I could ever begin to explain. After a couple of long days of touring, we decided … [Read more…]
Silly us! We didn’t book the No.1 must see tour in Bangkok! After extensive research, I realized that there is no way we could leave Bangkok without visiting the Grand Palace. Me, being the cheapskate I am, refused to take a taxi to the Grand Palace. I was adamant that I wanted to mission there … [Read more…]