The title sort of rhymes, doesn’t it, depending on your English accent and Arabic pronunciation, eh? I contemplated titles like ‘Burj Khalifa: Where dreams come true‘ or ‘Burj Khalifa: Proof that dreams come true‘ but they would be too cheesy, right? And I am fully aware it is only my personal opinion, and that many […]
TRAVEL
Do it like Dubai
“HAPPINESS IS SITTING DOWN IN AN EMIRATES PLANE.” Especially when that Emirates plane is bound for Dubai. Ever since Tom Cruise climbed that magnificent mirror-covered Burj Khalifa in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, I had near-unhealthy obsession with Dubai. The reflection of Monsieur Cruise (not that I am particularly a fan) and the insane backdrop of […]
My trip to the North Korean border (the DMZ-tour)
Extract from paper stuck into travel journal: DMZ thoughts. IN BUS 8.34am. Didn’t bring my journal in case the NKoreans confiscate it… Of course I knew that there would be no legit reason for the North Koreans to confiscate my travel journal, or even any legit reason for me to be meeting any North Koreans, […]
The Nams of Seoul: Namsan Tower and Namdaemun Market
Seoul has a tower. Seoul Tower, or Namsan Tower, is a 238m-high building, built in 1980, which marks the highest point of Seoul. Seoul also has a cable car that goes up to the tower. So, I guess it comes as no surprise that on my second day in Seoul, I decided to explore the […]
The unique styles of Gangnam
Gangnam is the Chelsea of Seoul, posh and rich. As a boringly typical fan of contemporary inane pop music, visiting Gangnam was my Priority Number 1 while in Seoul. Obviously it was also a vital source of weird and wonderful Korean culture, so today, let me introduce you to the styles of Gangnam; the good, the bad but certainly […]
Seoul-discovering
Make sure you are undaunted and secure with your relationship status when you travel to South Korea, especially if you happen to visit on the 14th. Koreans are well-known for their love of anything adorably cute, beautifully romantic or sickeningly soppy (depending on your way of thinking), and have unofficially christened the 14th as variedly […]
The secret of the Fushimi Inari fox
“You’ve seen the deer village, what about the fox village?” asked my Canadian Tokyo hostel buddy. I hadn’t heard of the ‘fox village’. I had, however, heard of Fushimi Inari, boasting the #1 slot on both Tripadvisor Kyoto as well as Tripadvisor Japan. I was slightly disappointed just now to find it only on place #25 […]
10 Kyoto Must-Try Culinary Delights
Though I spent most of my Asia trip eating epic food, I feel my culinary experiences in Kyoto deserve their own entry. From horse meat sushi to red bean mush-filled raw dough-esque pastries, here we go, in no particular order… The Best of Kyoto Cuisine 1. Conveyor belt sushi Sushi does not get much more traditional than […]
Nara’s deerlightful inhabitants
Oh deer! It’s time for my 100th post. Let’s start by thanking all my deerest readers, you make me deerlirious of joy, thank you for existing. <3 I have a story for you. Once upon a time, there was an epic city in a far, far away land. It so happened that one day, the […]
Kyoto’s golden temples and crimson leaves
Before I moved to Asia, I would stalk people’s pictures and blogs and jealously look at them in, on and around various exotic, fascinating, strange temples of curious, foreign religions. I’d be in awe – the incredible colours, the picturesque tilt of the roofs, the marvellous costumes, and wonder about the fascinating stories behind these alien […]