Travelogue around Asia Pacific

Bangalore - I had breakfast with Lesley - it was the same type of dishes served the last time I was here.   Well, I ate the same food but more fruits and juices.  Ate eggs without yolk - full of cholesterol.... It was seminar day for me and I did about 2 hrs of presentation and it felt really good - I had not done public speaking for a long time.  The audience was really good and some participated.   Lunch was part of the seminar.   The lamb Goulash and Chicken was really good and it went well with their special rice.  I really don't know why the Nann is always burnt - it taste good but tried to avoid charred food as it's carcinogen. This is what I gathered from the Internet....If foods are overheated or burnt, a group of carcinogenic substances called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are produced. PAHs represent a very large group of compounds. Chemically, they consist of fused aromatic rings made up of carbon and hydro...

Bangalore - I was on a SQ 502 flight when there was a passenger that was SMOKING on this flight.  You can smell the strong smoke and the flight stewarders was around and they identified this idiot.  Not sure what happened to this passenger but I believe there is a heavy federal fine. I watched this movie 'Nanny McPhee And The Big Bang' - family movie. The weather was beautiful around 21 degrees with a light breeze and staying at Le Meridien Hotel.  Fortunately, this time I brought a jacket..

Gyeongju - Seokguram Grotto lies about 4km away from Bulguksa Temple driving up steep sloop towards the location.   The grotto was completed by the Silla court in 774, shortly after Gim's death. An old legend stated that Gim was reincarnated for his filial acts in his previous life. The legend relates that the Bulguksa Temple was dedicated to Gim’s parents in his present life while the Seokguram Grotto was dedicated to Gim's parents from a previous life. Entrance to the Seokguram Grotto Parents pay for prayers for their children during Final exams Young Jin helping himself to the flowing mountain water Young Jin drinking from the cup provided List as one of UNESCO historical monument -http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/736

Gyeongju - Bulguksa is a Buddhist temple and one of South Korea's historical treasures.  Construction of this temple began in 751 but was burnt down by the invading Japanese in 1593. Signature at the entrance of the temple Entrance of the temple Famous view of the temple Stairs to the temple The stairs to the temple is off limits and the only time visitors can climb the stairs is on the Birthday of Buddha.  This is one of 2 remnants of the temple that survived the burning of the temple.  Visitors have to go via a side entrance in order to come to this top of the stairs. Another view from the top of the stairs Side view from the top of the stairs What does Living House mean? Young Jin drinking from the flowing mountain water Mr Kim filling his water bottle from the ever flowing mountain water tap Another view of the mountain water

Gyeongju - Visited one of Gyeongju historical sites which is next to the restaurant. Korean Traditional House Six Instructions to manage a household

When we reached Daegu, we were met by Mr  Kim Jun Sung and journeyed another 1.5hrs on road to Gyeongju city in his nice SUV.   It was so hot in Daegu - the mercury was 34 degrees Celsius.   The Meteorologists expects thte blistering temperatures to continue till mid-September.   Daegu is often the hottest region in Korea. Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla (57 BC – 935 AD) which ruled most of the Korean Peninsula between the 7th and 9th centuries. A vast number of archaeological sites and cultural properties from this period remain in the city. Gyeongju is often referred to as "the museum without walls".  Among such historical treasures, Seokguram grotto and Bulguksa temple are designated as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.  The many major historical sites have helped Gyeongju become one of the most popular tourist destinations in South Korea. We reach a famous traditional Korean restaurant to have lunch....

Seoul - Daegu - Woke up 7:30am to prepare for the trip to Daegu. YJ fetched me at the Hotel to go to Seoul Station to catch the KTX (Korean bullet train) to Daegu. The journey will be approximately 1.5 hrs travelling at a speed of over 300km/hr. Seoul Station We had our breakfast at KFC and at around 10 minutes before 10:10am we adjourned to the train platform to board the train bound for Daegu. The journey was very smooth and I spent my time doing SMS and email on my iPhone. Also managed to update my blog whilst travelling at 300km/hr. The Internet connectivity was amazing and it was installed by one of my customer who specializes in outdoor wireless LAN installation. Young Jin

Seoul - The arrival to Seoul was delayed by 30 mins as the pilot needed to take a different route to avoid an incoming typhoon that will be approaching Seoul. I got on board the limo bus bound for Renaissance Seoul hotel - half through the journey it rained heavily and continued till I arrived the hotel 1 1/2 hrs later. Fortunately, the hotel staff were standing by with umbrellas in hand. This made it much easier as I wheeled my luggage to the front desk. YJ wad already waiting for me at the hotel. We had dinner near the hotel. There are many good restaurants nearby. I wanted to eat sashimi or sushi but none was around, so we popped into a Korean BBQ restaurant and ordered Kalbi - Korean BBQ beef ribs. We were joined later by a good friend - Baek. According to YJ he wanted to meet me. He was at home and got on the subway to meet me in 1/2 hr in the rain. Throughout the meeting, no mentioned of business was brought up and we had a good dinner and a laughable time drinking. Koreans li...