East Asia
Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia - sunrise at the train station. This train runs from St. Petersburg to Beijing.
Small village just across the border from Eastern Russia into Mongolia. Notice the bright blue paint around the windows (and doors), I was told that they do this to protect themselves from evil spirits entering the house. There is a gradual transition from Mongolian to Russian, even place names such as Ulan Ude, Russia, resemble place names in Mongolia, remnants of a once powerful and expansive Mongolian empire.
Mongolia - common site on the streets of Ulaan Baatar
Drainage ditches in Ulaan Baatar – this capital and Mongolia's most populous city, is a lot like this.
Yurt - this circular tent is a way the nomads survive in the high plains of Mongolia and even in the Gobi Desert, this one happened to be in the outskirts of town.
Central square in Ulaan Baatar, notice the traffic on the right.
Border crossings are always interesting from country to country. On the Siberian railway from Mongolia to China the railway track gauges are smaller so the wheels need to be changed and each car is lifted separately. You have to wait outside the train during this fix and it adds about 4 hours to the border crossing. Crossing from Russia to Mongolia the border crossing took about 6 hours and there were no adjustments to the trail wheels, it just took them that much longer.
North Korea / South Korea border. This is a statue that is outside the DMZ - I went underneath North Korea about 30 meters in a tunnel but didn't officially enter the country. What does this sculpture say to you?
Seoul, South Korea - the Han River flows through the city and there is a nice walkway on both sides.
Seoul - I took this photo in 2008 and Starbucks (and other large US corporations) continue to spread around the globe.
Tokyo, Japan - and the line is out the door of this Wendy's
Tokyo, Japan - there is a large vending machine culture where you can buy everything from underwear, coffee, cheeseburgers, condoms, pregnancy tests, cigarettes, etc...
Street Market in Seoul, South Korea.
Restaurant bathroom in rural China.
Beijing, China - far corner inside the Forbidden City (not what is usually shown in the advertisements)
Front of the Forbidden City adjacent to Tiananmen Square - very common to see large portraits of leaders throughout East and Southeast Asia. Also a lot of umbrellas, for the sun (in addition to rain).
Great Wall - this is the newly refurbished wall where tourists go, I was here early before it became overly crowded
Great Wall - this is near Jinshanling and Simatai (not as popular for tourists, but I enjoyed it far more)
Tokyo (view from my hotel) - part of a green movement; covering rooftops with flora
Night Market in Beijing China - I had Scorpion, Seahorse, and Snake this night, what would you like to try?
A young couple walking by the Yasaka Pagoda in Kyoto, Japan. Unlike the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, Kyoto holds a different vibe and is much more serene. It is well worth the 2-hour train ride on the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) to visit; if anything just for the experience of the train (I rode the Nozomi line and average speed was 182 mph, max speed was 218 mph.
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