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Harris Around-the-World: March 2015
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Sunday, March 8, 2015. Tet Holiday in Vietnam. Chúc mừng năm mới. That means “Happy New Year” in Vietnamese! In February 2015, I visited Vietnam to see my girlfriend during the Lunar New Year holiday, known as Tet in Vietnam. I would be there for the first day of the Year of the Goat, also known as the Year of the Sheep in Korea and northern China, apparently due to the lack of goats naturally in those places. The artistic quality was good… lots of people and farm animals and the Four Holy Beasts o...
harris-around-the-world.blogspot.com
Harris Around-the-World: October 2014
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Friday, October 3, 2014. Philippines: The Banana Republic of Asia. It's More Fun in the Philippines". Officially. At least according to the marketers in the Philippine Department of Tourism. Generally, if a place needs a slogan to inspire people to visit, it may be an overrated trap. Just think of Baltimore — the "Charm City" that is anything but charming. Or Malaysia — "Truly Asia". but what does that even mean? If it means the street trash and cockroaches which I saw in Kuala Lumpur. A native of the US...
harris-around-the-world.blogspot.com
Harris Around-the-World: Singapore: Week of the Lee Kuan Yew funeral
http://harris-around-the-world.blogspot.com/2015/04/singapore-week-of-lee-kuan-yew-funeral.html
Sunday, April 12, 2015. Singapore: Week of the Lee Kuan Yew funeral. After a whirlwind couple of weeks of work and a grueling European business trip, it was a relief to get on an airplane to see my Vietnamese girlfriend for a few easy days in warm Singapore. On my first visit to Singapore in 2010. I had regarded Singapore as a dull, sleepy island nation. Quite frankly, that type of place was quite alright for me to visit in March 2015, as I was in no mood for long days of sightseeing. We visited Long Bea...
harris-around-the-world.blogspot.com
Harris Around-the-World: February 2014
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Sunday, February 23, 2014. 12 Days in Vietnam – A Personal Narrative. A red bus with the name Quang Ninh. Approaches quickly and Mr. Binh sticks his arm out to flag it down. In the darkness, however, the driver does not see the signal and the bus zooms past. Chien yells to no avail. Both men turn to me. "Follow us. Hurry.". And such was just one of many exhilarating tales that I experienced on my recent holiday to Vietnam. It was a trip that was both bizarre, and yet, one of the most bizarrely awesom...
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Harris Around-the-World: June 2015
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Sunday, June 21, 2015. Cat Tien National Park: An Outdoor Adventure in South Vietnam. Finally able to use some of my accumulated frequent flyer miles (40,000 on Asiana), I scheduled an impromptu flight down to Ho Chi Minh City to see my girlfriend for the second time in a month. Needless to say, she was excited, and she planned an adventurous weekend in Cat Tien National Park, about 150km from Saigon. Excited to see real primates! We meant to depart early from Saigon but we had an oh-so-nice! The good th...
harris-around-the-world.blogspot.com
Harris Around-the-World: June 2014
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Sunday, June 15, 2014. Eager to make the most of my vacation days, and a well-placed South Korean holiday on a Friday in early June, I took a 4-day trip to central Vietnam last week. I was also eager to rendezvous with my new Vietnamese friend Xuanhoa, who I met in Ho Chi Minh City in January. And who visited me in South Korea in early May. Imperial Citadel in Hue. Old Town Hoi An. The next morning I woke up and took in the lovely city view from the window of our hotel room. Hue is not a built-up cit...
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Harris Around-the-World: November 2014
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Monday, November 17, 2014. Our first stop was the Wat Arun, aka “Temple of Dawn”, on the west bank of the river. This temple is known for its tall and steep spires, with a nice view from the upper level of the Grand Palace and other nearby temples along the river. Quite the climb up. After the 3 baht (! The Grand Palace is indeed spectacular. The name of the Grand Palace does not lie — the Palace is very large and very impressive! I loved Wat Traimit at near twilight. For dinner we found a comfortable, c...
harris-around-the-world.blogspot.com
Harris Around-the-World: March 2014
http://harris-around-the-world.blogspot.com/2014_03_01_archive.html
Saturday, March 22, 2014. This post is long overdue . My group of expat all-stars from Samsung Korea traveled to Niseko, Japan for the 2014 Lunar New Year holiday. The snow was so good during Lunar New Year 2013. That we just had to return. Though not as spectacular as the year before, Niseko once again did not disappoint! We were still able to do some backcountry skiing in knee deep powder — totally worth it. Loving quirky Japan, as always! Subscribe to: Posts (Atom). View my complete profile.
harris-around-the-world.blogspot.com
Harris Around-the-World: August 2014
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Sunday, August 24, 2014. Chiang Mai - The Jewel of Northern Thailand. Last week I saw a Friday holiday on my Korean work calendar, which of course meant that I needed to find another place in Asia to explore! I chose Chiang Mai in northern Thailand and was not disappointed. Though I was exhausted from a long workday and 5-hour flight, I felt very welcome. Back in town, Xuanhoa and I changed for a Friday evening dinner date with my Samsung colleague Reg, who had booked a reservation at the Dhara Dhevi hot...
harris-around-the-world.blogspot.com
Harris Around-the-World: Chiang Mai -- The Jewel of Northern Thailand
http://harris-around-the-world.blogspot.com/2014/08/chiang-mai-jewel-of-northern-thailand.html
Sunday, August 24, 2014. Chiang Mai - The Jewel of Northern Thailand. Last week I saw a Friday holiday on my Korean work calendar, which of course meant that I needed to find another place in Asia to explore! I chose Chiang Mai in northern Thailand and was not disappointed. Though I was exhausted from a long workday and 5-hour flight, I felt very welcome. Back in town, Xuanhoa and I changed for a Friday evening dinner date with my Samsung colleague Reg, who had booked a reservation at the Dhara Dhevi hot...
