Life lessons from the North Korean border

Blankets of snow covered the ominous demilitarised zone in the Korean Peninsula. I peered through binoculars over to the other side. Reclusive land, barbed wires and frozen rivers filled up the lens. On a summers day the view from the Dora Observatory is the closest you’ll get to seeing the North of Korea – but for me, the bitter cold chilled my face as I listened to communist propaganda music playing over the whistling winds.  

Taking home a piece of Hoi An; the production of the iconic lanterns

Hoi An is considered the tailoring mecca of Vietnam; beautiful fabrics adorn the doorways of traditional markets, whilst the bustling noises of the factories upstairs ring through the street. Upon arrival I discovered my ‘backpacker‘ friends had spent the past four days inside the tailoring market, designing elegant (though somewhat extravagant) suits, belts, coats, ties, shirts and leather bags. 

A city of sunshine on a rainy day

Escaping temperatures of minus nine and the odd flutter of snow, we departed Seoul; (our modern metropolis home) for winter vacation and headed to Hoi An, the Vietnamese city where time has stood still.