Protected: The unbelievable filmmaking feats of our American friends on the Kuril expedition.

After our walk around central Seoul – next up: something wholly unusual: a prison! And this particular prison tells a very sad tale… From 1910 to 1945, Korea was occupied by Japan, which was extremely heavy-handed in Korean territory – and that led to spontaneous protests and the emergence of organized resistance. Naturally, the Japanese […]

Where are the best places for a simple stroll in Seoul? There don’t seem to be all that many options, but they do exist. The most notable are (i) the Seoullo-7017 walkway, (ii) a pedestrianized area along a stream with the easy-to-pronounce name of Cheonggyecheon, and (iii) Ikseon-dong – a traditional artisan/folksy district. I’ll start […]

Of course, we’re all different. Some are tall, some average height, some a little shorter; some are brown-haired; some blond(e), while others are already gray. In some places there are more Asian faces, in others African, yet others – European. Some are extroverts (as I choose to be); at the opposite end of the spectrum […]

My usual schedule in South Korea (Seoul) doesn’t normally leave any room for real tourism – thanks to our APAC region bosses, who try to cram every single hour of my time with some very important, can’t-miss event, meeting, business lunch, or similar. Getting out somewhere to actually see something of touristic interest is an […]

Next on our Irkutsk-Yakutsk-Magadan-Yakutsk winter road trip, it was high time we headed off into the deepest backwoods (so – backwoods of backwoods!), where you can go a whole day’s drive without meeting a single other car. Where? The Khonuu-Sasyr winter road (but more on that shortly). Why? Simple: it’s how you get the Moma […]

The great Siberian rivers are the Ob, the Yenisei, and the Lena. Not far behind them are the Yana, the Indigirka, and the Kolyma. These aren’t quite as long and wide, but they’re no less beautiful, contemplative, magnificent, and in places downright astonishing. So it’s in their direction we headed… Time for some fun – […]