My World Café – insights & experiences from my travels, café visits and daily life.
Business & Career Mentor, Photographer, Aviator
The contrast between being a pedestrian in Whitehorse, Yukon, and Seoul couldn’t be more crass. Simply put - save yourself by not thinking you can walk across a pedestrian crossing unharmed in Korea. Driving in Korea is congested, Korean drivers have limited patience. There is an agressiveness that's somewhere between French and German driving. So… Continue reading Korean Drivers
I am grateful that my wife Judith supported me travelling to Korea by myself. I found so many things that will be interesting for her when we go back to Korea the next time, together. So here I’m back to minus 27 degrees in Whitehorse, with 25cm of new snow. It fell apart! 29 years… Continue reading The Story of a Quilt
There are so many personal links between Canada and Korea. Many Koreans have relatives in Canada, and Canada is high on their list of travel destinations. Northern Lights and scenery are major attractions. Conversely, many Canadians taught English in Korea, have hosted Korean students or have Korean-Canadian friends. The Korean Café-Scape is amazing - the… Continue reading Comparing Korean and Canadian Lifestyles
Koreans are now separated for 65 years, with cross-border family relationships literally dying out - whereas the two Germans re-united 29 years after the wall was built. And yet until today there is some resentment between West- and East-Germans, and a divide in terms of unemployment, standard of living and GDP per person. Re-unification was… Continue reading What Koreans call unification, Germans called re-unification!
I saw many young soldiers at Korean airports and train stations ……which is very familiar to me from when I was a conscript myself in the 70s. I had to serve 15 months, Koreans 21 months. Half my high school mates got away with not serving - not so easy in Korea. Good! Military service… Continue reading How similar are Korea and Germany?
I have complained with many Koreans about how they do the dishes: Under running water, applying soap generously and individually, rinsing each item. My way uses less water and soap, and is a lot faster. Here it is in five easy steps (the little figurine is for dish washing and was a present from a… Continue reading Korean dish washing – I don’t think so!
Despite minus 15 degrees, the sun was so warm we could sit on the porch on February 16. Absolute silence when opening the window. Dry air with endless visibility. At night, only the light from the moon and stars. I tested how thick the ice on Atlin Lake is: More than 20cm - good for… Continue reading My Canadian weekend
I now understand better why Seoul is such a magnet A city of 25 million creates a critical mass that will bring about a diversity, creativity and magnitude of everything that can’t happen at the same level in a city like Toronto (4.6 million). Examples where this surfaces are in the giant markets, the fantastic… Continue reading Some observations about Korea and Koreans
I wanted to walk the entire length of the Suwon Fortress Wall - which entails a steep hill. I was richly rewarded by getting warm on a sunny but chilly day, and a fantastic view across the city. And then I heard this deep, deep, sound of a bell and got curious. Soon I see… Continue reading How I came to ringing Hyowon’s giant Bell
Suwon plays a significant role in Korea’s history. It is one of the few cities where the centre is completely surrounded by an intact historic wall: Hwaseong Fortress, built in 1794. Walking the complete wall is about 5.7 Kilometers - including a hill climb. The views across the city, the various structures and the park-like… Continue reading Walking the Fortress Wall in Suwon
My World Café - insights & experiences from my travels, café visits and daily life. 