The sharper edge to traveling in Asia

Archive for the 'Korea' Category

WoWasis book review: Jerry Hopkins’ ‘Romancing the East’

We’re old fashioned, those of us here at WoWasis. We like books that have left room to include a few blank pages at the end. Author Jerry Hopkins, one of the more prolific writers of the last few years, has written a compelling book that lacks those blank pages. It’s called Romancing the East: A […]

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WoWasis book review: ‘Escape from Camp 14’ a North Korean prison odyssey

In some corners of the world, it’s possible to be born in prison, live and work in prison, and die in prison. One’s entire existence is lived within those fences. And Shin In Geun was slated to be one of those, in North Korea. Against tremendous odds, he escaped his North Korean prison while in […]

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WoWasis book review: ‘Nothing to Envy’: Tough lives in North Korea

The “hermit country” of North Korea has spawned a number of books on the government and the prison system. Kang Chol-hwan’s The Aquariums of Pyongyang: Ten Years in the North Korean Gulag is a formidable example of prison literature, but leaves out an important element: just what is daily life like for ordinary North Koreans? […]

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WoWasis toilet product review: The Swash bidet toilet seat that keeps ‘em coming back for more

Here at WoWasis, we’re pretty well known for our bathroom plumbing product reviews, from Thai toilet hoses to heated, pulsating toilet seats from Asia. Geez, we’ve even shown you how to wash your butt on a 747 jet airplane! But we gotta tell ya: after installing the Brondell Swash 300 toilet seat at the WoWasis […]

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WoWasis book review: ‘Ying Yang Tattoo,’ Korea-based fiction by Ron McMillan

Probably because Thailand is such a draw for literary expats, there’s a dearth of well-written hard-boiled fiction situated in other Asian countries, Korea being no exception. For that reason, we here at WoWasis were particularly interested in Ron McMillan’s Yin Yang Tattoo (2010, ISBN 978-1-905207-31-2).   McMillan’s not a veteran writer. It’s his second book, and […]

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WoWasis book review: Kenzaburo Oé’s Japanese novel ‘A Silent Cry’

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Kenzaburo Oé’s novel A Silent Cry (1994) is a psychological thriller relating to the familial travails surrounding two brothers. As in much of the author’s writing, there are no heroes here, as all protagonists are enveloped by a deep-seated malaise that continues to descend as the book progresses. Oé is a master […]

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WoWasis book review: Revisiting Han Suyin’s ‘A Many-Splendored Thing’

Han Suyin died in November of 2012 at the age of 95. Her book A Many-Splendored Thing, published in 1952, was the basis for the film starring William Holden and Jennifer Jones, and has influenced numerous writers. A recently written book, Janice Y.K. Lee’s The Piano Teacher, is probably one of those. So we went […]

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Korean island of Yongyu-Muui hopes to become a gambling mecca

Our gaming correspondents at www.onlinecasino.sg  have just published a fascinating article on South Korea’s attempt to divert some of the gambling revenue that’s now going to Macau by putting billions of dollars into turning the island of Yongyu-Muui into a world-class gaming destination. Here’s what they have to say: The Korean island that’s taking on […]

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Thai crime scams: international crooks find a home in Thailand, authorities classify them by ethnicity and crime type

Thailand’s easy atmosphere has made it a home base for millions of tourists, but, according to Thai police, it’s also a haven for groups of international criminals. Amazingly, the police have mapped various ethnicities to certain types of crimes, according to an article appearing in the January 14, 2013 issue of the Bangkok Post. Here […]

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Medical tourism continues to boom in Asia, but do ensure a professional diagnosis before agreeing to a procedure

Countries such as Thailand, India, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines are posting big numbers in terms of medical tourism, according to a story written by Peerapan Tungsuwan in the January 14, 2013 issue of the Bangkok Post. Worldwide, medical tourism accounts for an estimated $100 billion in revenue annually. While Asia’s share […]

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