Seoul Searching

March 25, 2018 by Marc Moorghen in Culture, Opinion, Travel

After nearly a month spend pleasantly drifting in Japan, suspended in an alternate universe, heading out on the road again was hard. We had gone soft. All that good food and pampering came back to haunt us, as we shouldered our backpacks and wheeled our suitcases to Nagoya Airport. We had only planned as far as the New Year, knowing that we would reach out friends in time for Christmas. Beyond that was as vague as, "We'll figure it out." This was a mistake, because we're embarked on a round-the-world trip using one-way tickets.

At home in Japan

March 21, 2018 by Marc Moorghen in Culture, Opinion, Travel

Japan holds a very special place in our hearts, as Jona and I met and were married there nearly fifteen years ago. We lived in Gifu, in Central Japan, between Tokyo and Osaka. It's considered the countryside, as it's at the foot of the Japanese Alps, but, in reality, it's at the very edge of the metropolitan sprawl that seemed to radiate out from Tokyo, as far as the eye can see. During our time in Gifu, we built a nice life with a circle of friends that felt more like family.

Basecamp Bangkok

March 16, 2018 by Marc Moorghen in Culture, Opinion, Travel

This was our second, third and fourth time to visit Bangkok. Let me explain. We first came here in December 2013 and fell in love with this crazy metropolis. When we were planning a vague outline of our round-the-world trip, we knew we had to return to Bangkok. In fact, as the weeks became months, Thailand beckoned. I had twisted my ankle in Singapore and we were both feeling a little worse for wear. How could we resist stopping in Bangkok for a while?