Where it All Began

I had come to Gyeongju for history, and I found it in the form of enormous verdant grassy mounds surrounded by ancient shady trees under a warm azure sky. I know that for a lot of people these would be just piles of dirt, and otherwise meaningless, but for me they meant much more more […]

A Step Back to Ancient Korea

The taxi driver didn’t speak any English, and I really didn’t have any way to communicate the name of my hotel to him. I showed him where it was on the map, thinking that would help, but he seemed even more confused by that. Finally I was able to find the Korean address, but that […]

The Thing With Feathers

My friend Andrew flattered me recently. He said “If I was told a friend was going to North Korea, you would be one of the 5 people I would suspect.” I find it very complementary that he thinks I’m that adventuresome, but also a bit curious that he finds me so lacking in judgement. Then […]

Musing on History

Over my many years of travel, I’ve been to several of the great cities of the world. Some of these cities, like Rome and Istanbul, flaunt their age. They are old and they are they wear their age with pride. Others, like New York and Sydney, just aren’t that old and instead relish their youth. […]

The History of Humanity Might Be the History of War

It’s impossible for most of us to really know the history of the world. I’ve come to accept that over the years, but it always makes me feel a little bit bad. In school I was taught a version of history that begins in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt and courses through Ancient Greece and Rome. […]

The Beauty of Discomfort

There’s something uncomfortable about being alone and hungry on the other side of the planet, in a place where you don’t speak the language. Sometimes you don’t quite know what to do next, how to move forward, or how to even get a meal. There’s something disquieting about navigating that uncertainty and figuring out how […]