Bathhouse Culture When you think of a sauna, the first thing that comes to mind is the sweltering-hot Turkish and Swedish saunas popular among Europeans, or the Japanese hot springs. However, Koreans have also mastered the art of unwinding and cleaning their bodies. If you are visiting Korea, a visit to a jimjilbang is a must! Just about everyone goes to Korean...
Explore a Unique Cuisine Travelling to Xi’an is an amazing experience for so many reasons, and when it comes to eating, Xi’an boasts a unique and diverse cuisine that will provide you with plenty of mouthwatering options. Xi’an people are passionate about their food and it shines through in the multitude of delicious dishes you can try. Most of these...
Pop quiz! It’s Saturday night in Seoul. What are you going to do? Hit up your nearby convenience store and stock up on soju so you can watch Netflix in your cozy bed Go to the local 24-hour PC room and play some Overwatch or BattleGrounds Or… Ride the Seoul subway to one of its party neighbourhoods for a night of fun If you answered C, then you’re in luck. Most...
Everything You Need to Know About Dating a Korean Man With the rise of tour sites like Oh my Oppa and the huge surge in the popularity of Kdramas, the idea of dating a Korean has become idealised. However, it’s handy to know that there are some key differences in dating styles between North America and Korea. As always,what may seem normal in one culture may...
From Bangkok to Hanoi You may have heard of that Disney song, the one that plays to multi-cultural figures dancing about throughout the amusement ride of the same name: “It’s a small world after all, it’s a small world after all, it’s a small world after all….” On November 3rd , 2014, an Indian living in the UK was on a business trip in Bangkok. An...
Starting any blog is daunting. It took me a year of thinking and dismissing before taking the plunge with Books and Bao. I could think of so many reasons not to: ‘the market is oversaturated’, ‘why would anyone read what I have to say?’, ‘there’s a lot to learn, do I actually have the time to put in?’. Eventually, it got to...
Holidays It was October 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand, and half-term break for the local Thai school in which I taught. I had been living in Bangkok for the past two years and loved October since half-term break meant I was off for a month! October is also prime mosquito season, but I never worried about it. I lived a privileged expat life, the landlord had exterminators...
It all begins when I spot a photo in another teacher’s classroom. It shows his wife and two children in what I assume are Mongolian or Tibetan robes, smiling in front of a vast green landscape. I must admit I’m not an expert on cultural clothing, but the fact that we are in Shanghai definitely helps me make a guess. But right enough, this photo was taken on the...
Life Lessons Learnt in Asia Some of the highlights of living abroad are the memories made when family comes to visit. It was June 2012 and my sister Megan, her best friend Coco, and my youngest brother Richard were coming to visit me in Thailand. As their trip overlapped with my brother’s approaching 14th birthday we decided to make it extra special by adding a trip...
Apps have made travel life so much easier. From booking flights, to organising your life, to finding cool things to do. I’m not sure how we travelled before. Here’s a list of my favourite free travel apps that you may not have heard of. TripScout App This app is a wonderful way to explore any city like a local. If you’re anything like me, you generally want to...
