On your day walk through the old Japanese capital city of Nara, it’s easy to miss one of Japan’s most outstanding gardens. It’s a must-see, though, and it will take you less than an hour to complete the magnificent walking loop. Located to the west of Todaiji Temple’s Nandaimon Gate, the Isui-en Garden sits astride […]
Read the rest of this entry »Archive for the 'Nature & Wildlife' Category
WoWasis book review: ‘Wave,’ a tsunami memoir by Sri Lanka’s Sonali Deraniyagala
Sri Lankan Author Sonali Deraniyagala lost her husband, two sons, and mother and father in the Dec. 26, 2004 tsunami, which killed an estimated 230,000 people. Her story is told in Wave (2013, ISBN 978-0-307-96269-0). It’s a story of tragedy, a personal loss reiterated, emphasized, and relentlessly pounded into the reader on virtually every page. […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Harold Stephens’ ‘The Voyages of the Schooner Third Sea’
Ever thought about cashing it all in, grabbing a sailboat, and traveling in the South Seas? Writer Harold Stephens did just that, and chronicles the romance and challenges of doing so in his thrilling book The Voyages of the Schooner Third Sea (2012, ISBN 978-0-9786951-5-6). Here at WoWasis, we’ve become real fans of the travel […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis travels Bangladesh’s Sundarbans National Park, the world’s largest tiger-infested mangrove forest
The world’s largest mangrove forest, actually. It’s amazing to many Westerners that people still get eaten by lions and tigers. We here at WoWasis remember when we were at Namibia’s Etosha National Park when it happened. A German visitor had slept on a bench outside a watering hole, protected by a barbed-wire fence. An old […]
Read the rest of this entry »Only one day in Seoul? Visit ‘Biwon’ the Secret Garden at the Changdeokgung Palace
Maybe you’ve only got one day in Seoul, a common occurrence for people who find themselves with a free day between layovers at Incheon Airport. If you’ve got a day or even a few hours, the one thing you don’t want to miss is the Secret Garden, located in the back of the Changdeokgung Palace. […]
Read the rest of this entry »Jeju Top 10: the Best Museums and Sites on Korea’s island of Jeju
Going to Korea’s Jeju Island? You’ll be astounded by the wealth of museums, parks, and historical sites on the island, all within a half-day’s driving distance of each other. In terms of museums alone, Jeju’s offerings constitute the largest concentration of outstanding museums that we here at WoWasis have seen in Asia, and many of […]
Read the rest of this entry »Walk Korea’s spectacular Yongmeori Coast on Jeju Island
There’s lots of magnificent coastline in Korea, but for us here at WoWasis, the Yongmeori Coast in southwestern Jeju Island is hard to beat. Its rock formations are vivid and particularly colorful with the afternoon sun. To get here, you cross the highway from Sanbangsan mountain and walk a few meters to the ticket booth. […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Sung Bum-Young’s ‘The Spirited Garden’ (Korean Bonsai Culture)
Sung Bum-Young founded ‘The Spirited Garden’ on Korea’s Jeju island, in 1968. The garden is a world-renowned bonsai venue, and is in Jeju’s Top Ten attractions. You simply can’t miss seeing it when you’re there. What every visitor yearns to discover is how this garden was built. This book, The Spirited Garden: The Story of […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Brenda Sunoo’s ‘Moon Tides: Jeju Island Grannies of the Sea’
One of the most compelling cultural elements of Korea are the haenyeo, women who free-dive in the sea to catch food and capture seaweed. There are two books currently available on the haenyeo. One of them, Mother of the Sea: the Jeju Haenyeo, is also the subject of a WoWasis book review. Brenda Paik Sunoo’s […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘Mother of the Sea: the Jeju Haenyeo’
The haenyeo are female Korean divers, who for centuries have been going underwater without breathing apparatus, in search seafood and seaweed. They stay under for a period of up to 2 1/2 minutes. It’s a tough job and a tough life. There are few books written in English about the haenyeo, and one of them […]
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