Category Archives: Asia

Kagoshima and Ibusuki, Japan

The pretty Japanese port city of Kagoshima is notable for its resident volcano, Sakurajima, and for the overall high level of geothermal activity in the area. But on this sunny mid-February morning, Jay and Tanya decided to forego hiking around … Continue reading

Posted in Asia, Japan | 1 Comment

Nara, Japan

Jay and Tanya have become real experts in negotiating the Japanese rail system. Having encountered the ticket vending machines on past visits, we found figuring out the machines this time was like riding a bicycle—once learned, easily remembered. It also … Continue reading

Posted in Asia, Japan | 3 Comments

Christmas in Macao

Posted in Asia | 1 Comment

Happy Lunar New Year!

Jay’s Lunar New Year Resolution (suggested by Tanya): More postings with less writing and more pictures. The Tancheon River and developing neighborhood next to our officetel building. Surfer statue outside our building.     Socks, anyone?

Posted in Asia, Korea | Leave a comment

Meditating on a Big Mac

One of the joys of living in Korea is the constant juxtaposition of East and West in everyday life. Here’s an example: It was a beautiful morning here in Bundang and Jay went for his early morning walk along the river. Along … Continue reading

Posted in Asia, Korea | 2 Comments

Friends in Korea

People from Portland often ask us, “Is it difficult to make new friends in Korea?” To which we have to answer that it can be just as easy as in Portland. Of course, the language barrier is always an issue, but … Continue reading

Posted in Asia, Korea | Leave a comment

Hyenas In Korea!

Yes, it’s hard to imagine, but there are indeed hyenas in Korea. However, they’re the four-wheeled kind, not the four-legged kind. In a recent post, we mentioned how efficient the Koreans are. Well, this efficiency extends to their emergency vehicle services. During … Continue reading

Posted in Asia, Korea | Leave a comment

Jay’s Dental Appointment

This country continues to amaze us. It’s just so easy living here and most aspects of life are just so darned, well, efficient. For example, Jay had his first dental appointment here this week. The dentist’s office is in our building … Continue reading

Posted in Asia, Korea | Leave a comment

Tanya’s Birthday Surprise

Tanya’s birthday was last month and Jay successfully pulled off a surprise vacation for her, something he’d always wanted to do. All he told her was the dates and time we would be gone and the general temperature range of our surprise destination. … Continue reading

Posted in Asia, Korea | Leave a comment

A Trip to the Border: The DMZ

One of the first trips we took outside Seoul after settling in last summer was a visit to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and the border between North and South Korea. It was an experience that helped clarify the reality of … Continue reading

Posted in Asia, Korea | 1 Comment