Gathering in Kim Il Sung Square, North Korea
As if everything we had seen in our first 8 days in North Korea wasn’t enough, it was about to get even more interesting. It wasn’t on our itinerary, but someone in the group asked if we c[...]
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100th Birthday of Kim Il Sung
It was promised to be the largest holiday ever celebrated in North Korea’s history: The 100th anniversary of the birth of their “Great Leader” Kim Il Sung. The country had clearly been planning [...]
Nothing to Envy in the World
As we bused through the streets of Pyongyang with our guide and minders, we passed tall concrete buildings, some with giant red Korean characters saying “nothing to envy in the world,” and[...]
Entering North Korea
We’re entering the black hole. That’s what I said to my new friend from the tour group, Alex, as we flew on Air Koryo into North Korea. It was dark out and we saw the city lights of China [...]
North Korea
I have this post set on a timer, so if you’re reading this that means I made it into North Korea. It was a trip I’ve planned for a long time and was full of hoops and hurdles to jump. Nort[...]
Beijing, China, Part 2
The first thing I saw of downtown Beijing when coming up from the subway on my first day was near the Tiananmen Square area, and it was magnificent. The large concrete buildings, the large ancient Ch[...]
Beijing, China, Part 1
I won’t lie, jetlag is not fun. My flight was 16 hours in total, with 13.5 of that being non-stop from Chicago. That’s a long time to sit and I have the unfortunate problem of not being a[...]
My next trip
After over 100 days of traveling around the world last year, I didn’t expect to be so excited for my upcoming trip. But I’m EXCITED!!! I’m realizing that it’s true: The more y[...]
Syria, One Year Later
It has now been one year since protests erupted in Syria. In March 2011, revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt had quickly overthrown long standing dictators, and the revolution in Libya was well underway[...]
Reward Credit Cards
I admit it, I open credit cards for the purpose of getting the reward offers. But why not? It’s a great way to earn frequent flyer miles for free flights, earn statement credits, or get other b[...]
About Me
I'm Jeff, a twenty something with a bit of an obsession with world travel. In 2011 I took a leave of absence from my job and backpacked around the world for 103 days. Now I'm ruined!
