HELSINKI - FINLAND
I visited Helsinki on business so decided to stay for 5 days and have a bit of a holiday to justify the journey (& carbon). I had been there before for work but had not really explored beyond the main tourist locations.
I decided to stay in a hostel mainly because, having just returned from a ten month cycling trip with my son, I had rediscovered the benefits of hostels over hotels - meeting more interesting people, better value for money, good information on places to...
Dingle, Ireland recommendation
WHERE IS DINGLE?
Dingle is the main town on the spectacular Dingle peninsula on the south western edge of County Kerry, Ireland. The population varies wildly between summer and winter but probably averages out at around a fify thousand.
WHY GO THERE?
I have visited Dingle every year for the last 12 years and, unusually for me, I never tire of it. It is a uniquely cosmopolitan place, which retains a feel of old Ireland. People still speak with the delightful soft Kerry accent and you hear I...
Tokyo, Japan recommendation
TOKYO - JAPAN
I once lived in Tokyo (25 years ago) for a couple of years. I have been back a number of times since, so know it pretty well by now. It is probably my favorite city.
THE CULTURE
Tokyo has of course changed vastly since I firstlived here, but mostly for the better. The people are more accessible -they express opinions now and travel more. The Americanization of theculture is still apparent, but it seems to be tailing off. YoungJapanese are starting to realise that their own tradi...
Pusan, Korea, South recommendation
PUSAN (or Busan) South Korea
Pusan is the main port city of the south of South Korea. It is a fairly large modern city from where large amounts of cargo are exported throughout the world. It is also where ferry boats go to and from Japan several times a day, and this was our reason for going here.
My son Sam (19) and I (51) cycled here from Ireland as one of the latter stages of our journey to Tokyo, Japan. The distance cycled by this point was 14,235km after nearly 9 months on the road. Check...
Wuhan, China recommendation
WUHAN - Hubei Province, China
Background
My teenage son and I visited Wuhan at the start of the rainy season (April to July) as part of our cycle trip from Ireland to Japan (see our blog at www.bugbitten.com/father_son_cycle). Wuhan is a combination of three former cities: Hankou, Wuchang (where the huge university is) and Hangyang. The main centre is the historic former city of Hankou which was a very busy and prosperous trading centre on the huge Yangtze River. It had enormous importance aro...
