To be honest, I had no intention of visiting Korea. But, somehow, the ticket I bought for Japan to the US required me to stay at least one night in Korea. I spent several, but knew nothing about the place or what I ought to see.
One absolutely frigid morning I got up, bundled up and intended to take a bus somewhere. The bus pulled up to the stop and big sliding doors opened up in the side of the bus. As I stepped up to get on, the smell of garlic was so overpowering that I stepped back, abandoned my plans and had coffee and doughnuts at this place instead.
I did manage to get out and see a few places. This is the Namdaemun Gate.
No idea. Sorry.
Wongaksa Pagoda (?) - 15th century marble pagoda.
Family day out at Gyeongbokgung Palace?
Part of Gyeongbokgung Palace?
Family photo time
Family photo time
Somehow I ended up at this traditional dance performance. I have no idea how or why.
I believe this is some sort of fertility ceremony. The men all had business suits under they rural outfits.
Old and new.
From Seoul I flew to Honolulu. I spent one night there at the old, pink Royal Hawaiian hotel. A few days after I got back home I bought a bicycle and got a job at McDonald's flipping burgers. A few weeks later I was offered a US government job on Maui. I stayed there a year and then moved to the island of Saipan where I lived and worked for the next 26 years.
| Introduction | England | Scotland | Europe |
| Turkey | Iran | Afghanistan | Pakistan |
| India 1 | India 2 | Nepal | Burma |
| Thailand | Malaysia/Singapore | Indonesia 1 | Indonesia 2 |
| Hong Kong | Macau | Japan | Korea |
Photographs and text copyright Michael Newman and William Garsden: 2024