Category: Travel

Travel Gear: Mobile Internet

My SIMs from UK, Japan, USA, Turkey Once, while traveling in the UK, T-Mobile billed me $400 for 25MB–that’s $16,000 per GB! This was a surprise as, under that same plan, I had not been charged for data use during previous overseas trips. I asked T-Mobile to waive the charge (they did), but I cancelled… Continue reading Travel Gear: Mobile Internet

Travel Gear: Makeup and Mirror

I noticed the woman when I was riding the Busan (South Korea) subway at morning commute time, earlier this year. She was middle-aged, and quite unremarkable until she started her morning makeup routine. Seated in the crowded carriage, out came her creams, brushes, and other makeup paraphernalia. She then painstakingly, unselfconsciously transformed her appearance, right… Continue reading Travel Gear: Makeup and Mirror

Travel Gear: OpenStreetMap

Minnesota in the summer is just too lovely, so I won’t be traveling far this month. That doesn’t stop me thinking about the mechanics of travel. When I was in Japan earlier this year, handheld electronics hugely contributed to my ability to navigate the geography and the culture. Or, to be more precise, the software… Continue reading Travel Gear: OpenStreetMap

True Escape

Tomorrow, Friday, back home. Haven’t had a conversation with a Westerner since Hawaii 24 days ago. Only Korean and Japanese. True escape.

Are you Trevor?

I always pace around departure areas, so today was no exception at the Busan ferry terminal. A couple years ago, had I not been pacing around the Haridwar (India) station platform at 3:00 a.m. waiting for a train that never came, I might not have been spotted in the crowd by four backpackers. I would’ve… Continue reading Are you Trevor?