March travels in Asia

March 2014

March was a very busy month, with lots of travel, mostly for work but with a little time to play too.  It included 3 weeks of travel to the Philippines, Korea, and Taiwan.  I had a workshop in Manila, then followed it with a few days of vacation in Boracay; two days at home to swap out clothing, then off to Korea for a large conference in Seoul, and a few extra days to explore afterwards; then finally a regional meeting in Taiwan for a few more days. Yes, I am mixing business with pleasure whenever possible.  And why not? 

And some days I arrive wondering, "where am I going today?"

I had never been to the Philippines before, so I used my time in Manila to do a little exploring.  What a cool city!  I loved the “Jeepneys” – public transportation in the form of these old jeep buses – brightly decorated with bright colors and images.  I wish I’d had more time to explore the markets and area near the bay. 

Following our workshop, I took a short flight on a Cebu Airways puddle-jumper out to the coastal resort area of Boracay, for a little beach getaway.  The landing strip is an experience – a little short, and I expected cows or chickens to wander out and greet us.  But the pilots seem to have it under control, and the flight attendants make it a fun trip with trivia games and cheerful conversation (probably to keep us from watching out the windows.)  On arrival, I took a short walk from the airport to the pier, bought my tickets, and was pointed to one of the many boats that would take me to the beach.  Again, bright colors and images I have only imagined from TV and movies…

The "wake-up" view!

The resort was a good choice – small and rustic, but very clean with great service, and not crowded.  Perfect for a three-day escape!  I lounged near the beach and read a book, drank mango smoothies, looked out at the blue-green water and white sand, and enjoyed great meals on the beach every evening.  Being there on my own was great for quiet time alone, or meeting new people and having interesting conversations. 

The trip to Seoul was the most exciting adventure for me!  I got the chance to return “home”, to my birthplace, for the first time since I was a baby.  After several days of work there, I took a few extra days in Seoul, to take advantage of this opportunity to visit a place that is important to me.  And what a great city – it’s clean, functional, interesting, and fun.  It makes the “I could live there” list easily.  

Well thank you, Korea!

See, there was some work involved in this trip. 

Downtown Seoul, old city hall turned into a library

Park and temple across the street from my hotel -- they put on a show just for me!

I had contacted a former student in Seoul and asked him to be my tour guide for the day.  We had a nice long walk all around town, delicious lunch, and I got a sense of the city.  

Rainy evening in pedestrian shopping area

Oh, more shopping!

On another day, I took a taxi to a gondola to reach the top of the hill and visited the Namsan Tower.  I did all of the touristy stuff there, and when I had maxxed out on tourism, I decided to walk back to my hotel… hiking down a wooded trail, along a very long pedestrian road (it reminded me of Central Park!), crossing through a university campus, and finally back to town, still half an hour walk away from the hotel.  Good thing it was a beautiful day and I had good walking shoes – sometimes I don’t pay attention to distances. 

Day out touring a large palace

View from Namsan Tower looking out on the city,
and to Namsan Tower, from the trail down the hill

Halfway down the mountain... still a long way to go!

After Seoul, I had a few days of meetings in Taiwan, with lots of colleagues and business stuff.  Some of the business was work, and some was fun and cultural - like taking the Hello Kitty gondolas back into town after dinner.  Taiwan is very pleasant, uncrowded, quiet, and that means shops and restaurants are closed at 9pm.  (Again, sometimes I don’t pay attention, and I end up eating the candy and crackers from the minibar.)  I did eventually find some neighborhoods with a bit more lively atmosphere, shopping, and fun eats.  It’s a good place for a quiet getaway and clean air, just lacking the big city feel that I enjoy. 

Hanging out with my pals - Hello Kitty!

I think the facial expression says it all... 

Rush hour in Taipei?

And finally, after all that travelling, I returned home to Beijing for a few weeks… til the next adventures!