A few days ago, we attended a performance of Cambodian folk dance. The organization that runs the performances seems very worthwhile, with a very interesting story.1 We went to the Monday night performance, which featured traditional dances done to ask for water, during cardamom picking, at the end of the harvest, and several more. The…
I was talking to my mom last week, and she asked, ‘What is the basic Korean food, anyway? What are they known for?’ The answer is not as neat as saying ‘pasta and pizza’ for Italy, though I would say that: There are a lot of soups and stews There are many foods made of rice Many foods include meats There…
Boat Noodles Restaurant: We found this place on our first night, wanting a sit-down restaurant with something non-breaded on the menu. It’s a fairly large place that’s open to the elements, like a room without walls. There’s even a mini fountain out front, the sound of which kept making me think it was raining. B…
Before visiting Phnom Penh, we had done some research on what to expect. Articles and blogs said that one of the primary things to get used to was the constant hassle and demands: ‘Take my tuk tuk!’ ‘Give me money!’ ‘Buy my product!’ I was somewhat concerned, because I hate that kind of pestering. When…
We were in Seoul for a week and a half. Gyeongbok Palace: This was a palace complex used by the rulers of Korea from 1395 through the 1600s. It was later all but destroyed by the Japanese during their occupation of Korea, but restoration has been making progress since 1995. It’s made up of many…
Neighborhood: Insadong Also called: N/A Pros: This area is very central to a number of fun things to do, from palaces and temples to markets and museums. There are eons of food options. It is possible to stay in an area of the neighborhood that is less touristy, so you pay less for housing and food, but…
Many of the stores are segmented into districts: for example, there are a ton of lighting/lamp stores in one area, electrical/mechanical stores are all lined up in a stretch, the diamond district has all of the jewelry in town, and there is a wedding area with everything from bridal clothes and tiaras to rings and groom’s shoes.…
It’s our first time in Asia, so we did a bit more research. Here are our tips for having a good first trip to South Korea: DO: Learn the words for ‘hello’ (ahn-yeong ha-seh-oh), ‘thank you’ (kha-m-sah hah-mn-ee-da), and ‘goodbye’ (ahn-yeong-ee geh-seh-oh). That last one in particular will cause shopkeepers everywhere to be very impressed with…
There are quite a few Americans in Seoul – though nowhere near the number of them in the European cities we’ve visited. Two nights ago, we had dinner with a few dozen of them, at a craft brewery in the outskirts of Seoul. The brewery did a Thanksgiving buffet dinner, featuring 1 glass of mulled…
Today, B and I were comparing South Korea and Italy, two countries rarely placed in the same sentence. And the comparison isn’t fair, since we spent three months in many cities in Italy, and we have only seen Seoul, and over the course of a week. However, here is what we came up with. Caveat: very…