In brief: As with their written language, Koreans pack a lot into a small space...but also understand the need for opening things up as well. Start with the written language: every word is made up…
In brief: For centuries, the Joseon dynasty ruled Korean. Its traces are many - in the palaces of Seoul, the ancestral home at Jeonju, and a quiet village at Yangdong.. On a chilly, drizzly day…
In brief: Across several hillsides, we wandered back 3000 years to the dolmens of the bronze age. Traces of early Korean civilization go back tens of thousands of years. In museums, we could see more…
In brief: The Silla Kingdom of south-central Korea endured for nearly 900 years until 935. Today its legacy comes alive in its former capital, Gyeongju. It's thrilling to discover a history completely unknown to us.…
In brief: For South (and likely North) Koreans, memories of war, of division are still strongly emotional and whose hopes for reunion, for peace still endure. We seized the opportunity to visit the DMZ (the…
In brief: Over millennia, the valley has nurtured life, empires, art and religion - and seen its share of death and destruction as well. Ulaan Tsutgalan waterfall, Orkhon River The Orkhon River Valley is the…
In brief: Mongolia’s people, homes and even its landscape are naturally on the move. They say that the morin khuur, a traditional ladle-shaped Mongolian stringed instrument topped by a carved horse’s head, sounds like a…
In brief: In Mongolia’s capital city, known as UB, old values like the Buddhist faith have found new strength and the new is slowly transforming daily life. Ulaan Baatar – or UB, as the capital…
In brief: The 17th c. monk Zanabazar has become a fitting hero for the newly independent Mongolian people, one whose legacy has been spiritual, practical and artistic. Born in 1635 in Tibet, Undur Gegeen Zanabazar…
Yekaterinburg began in 1723 with a dam made of Ural larch, one never replaced till this day. It was a planned city, named in honor of Queen Catherine I, and organized as a factory town…