The Eastern Area

Dashing waterfalls, lakes, limestone grottos, beautiful beaches, cliffs-all these are the endowment of God. In winter you can enjoy skiing in our snowlands.


Yong Pyeong ski resort, Kyongpodae beach in Kangnung, Soyangho lake in Chunchon, and Mt. Sorak.

Cheju Island

Fresh air, craters, bizarre lava formations, chocolate-colored soil, clean beaches, Mt. Halla, a mill climate, and warmhearted people-this is the image of Cheju island.


Convenient tourist facilities, deluxe hotel, and leisure facilities have helped make the island famous around the world as a tourist resort.
Mt. Halla, Chungmun Resort, Yongduam Rock, Chongbang Falls, and Songsan Ilchulbong Peak.

Gunkanjima, Japan

Hashima Island, commonly called Gunkanjima (meaning “Battleship Island”) is one among 505 uninhabited islands in the Nagasaki Prefecture about 15 kilometers from Nagasaki itself. The island was populated from 1887 to 1974 as a coal mining facility.


Mitsubishi bought the island in 1890 and began the project, the aim of which was retrieving coal from the bottom of the sea. They built Japan’s first large concrete building, a block of apartments in 1916 to accommodate their burgeoning ranks of workers (many of whom were forcibly recruited labourers from other parts of Asia), and to protect against typhoon destruction.

As petroleum replaced coal in Japan in the 1960s, coal mines began shutting down all over the country, and Hashima’s mines were no exception. Mitsubishi officially announced the closing of the mine in 1974, and today it is empty and bare, which is why it’s called the Ghost Island. Travel to Hashima was re-opened on April 22, 2009 after more than 20 years of closure.

Caen, France

Vee and I had the fourth of four Easter breaks in north-west France when we visited Caen in 1996. The main themes of the visit were two invasions: the Norman invasion of England in 1066 and the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944.

Caen itself is a very historic town. It houses the Abbaye aux Hommes where William the Conqueror was buried in 1087 (nothing now remains) and the church of La Trinité where Queen Matilda was buried in 1080 (her remains are still there). The Château was originally built by William in 1060 and even the church of Saint Pierre is 14th century Gothic. As a rest from all this history, we enjoyed frequenting a delightful coffee & cake shop called "Roland" on Rue St Pierre.

Since we had taken the car on the ferry journey from Portsmouth to Ouistreham, we were able to do some local travelling. At Bayeux, the saw the tapestry commemorating the 1066 invasion. More than 900 years after it was created, it is still in wonderful condition with 58 scenes and 623 figures occupying a length of 231 feet. As far as the 1944 invasion was concerned, we visited the memorial museum in Caen itself ( which has films on D-Day and the Battle of Normandy); on the outskirts of the town, we saw the famous Pegasus Bridge and the first house to be liberated; and, out at Arromanches, we observed the remains of a British Mulberry harbour and looked around a memorial museum. The other trip we made was out along the Côte Fleurie route to the beautifully picturesque little port of Honfleur.

Český Krumlov, Czech Republic

The Czech Republic contains so many historic towns of architectural interest and I was delighted when, at Easter 2002, our friends Honza and Eva Horváth drove us south from Prague to the south Bohemian town of Český Krumlov near the Austrian border. The name 'krumlov' is old German and means a place on a crooked-shaped meadow, while the Český part of the name was added in the mid 15th century when it was the seat of Vítek of Krumlov. The town dates from medieval times and, until 1938, the population was always a mixture of Czechs and Germans.

Český Krumlov is situated on the hook of the River Vltava and dominated by the castle and mansion on the north side of this hook. The castle was founded before 1250 and, in the course of six centuries, 40 buildings, five courtyards, and extensive parks were created. The old town is surrounded on three sides by the river and contains a host of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque buildings. The town is also noted for a recent addition, the art gallery devoted to the work of local painter Egon Schiele.

On our visit, we had lunch at an excellent vegetarian restaurant called "Laibon".

Machu Picchu, Peru

During a three week tour of South America in 2002, Vee and I saw the legendary Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu was inacessible until the discovery of the Inca Trail in the 1940s and even today it is only accessible by train or foot. The whole area is semi-tropical because it is 3,000 ft (900 metres) lower than Cuzco. We travelled by train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes. Here a bus took us up the private road which snakes up the very steep mountain-side to Machu Picchu itself.

Maccu Picchu (Old Peak) is the name of the mountain from which one looks down on the ruins, while the mountain which looms behind them is called Huayna Picchu (Young Peak). The location was revealed to the outside world by the American explorer Hiram Bingham who came across the site in 1911 while actually searching for the last refuge of the Incas at Vilcabamba.

We do not know exactly when the buildings were constructed, but we believe that the first buildings can be attributed to Inca Pachacuti. Equally we do not know how they engineered the stepped and ordered geometry of precisely keyed polygonal blocks and trapezoidal openings. Finally we do not know why the city was abandoned. The three main theories are that there was an invasion from the jungle, there was yellow fever or malaria, or there was a major fire caused by lightning.

Much of the reconstruction is based on Bingham's ideas of how the Incas lived, but some of it is guesswork and some of it is wrong (for instance, the Incas did not have windows in their buildings). Nevertheless, it is a really inspiring place. There is the Temple of the Moon, the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Three Windows, and the intiwatana or hitching post of the sun.

There are three trails to be walked (or rather climbed) at Machu Picchu. One leads to the top of Huayna Picchu, but we were warned that this is a really difficult climb with a vertiginous conclusion and we did not have the inclination (sorry about the pun!) for this. We itinially took the trail to the Puente Inke (Inca Bridge). This was challenging enough, with some really precipitous edges.


We stayed the night at the Sanctuary Lodge hotel, the only hotel at the site. Next day, we were up early to see the sun rising over Machu Picchu. It was too overcast for colours, but it was thrilling to see the first rays stream down the mountainside to illuminate the ruins. We then took the other more accessible trail, that up to the Intipunktu (Sun Gate). This was a longer and steeper climb than the trail to the Inca Bridge, but along the whole route there were fabulous views and the scene from the Sun Gate itself was inspirational.

Terracotta Warriors, China

What puts the Chinese city of Xi'an on the tourist map is the world-famous terracotta army which is, in fact, located some 18 miles (30 km) north-east of the city. My wife Vee & I saw the warriors as part of a two-week tour of China in September 2000. The army was constructed on the orders of Qin Shi Huangdi who reigned as emperor from 221-210 BC. They were discovered accidently by three farmers digging wells in March 1974.

The main hall (No 1) is over three acres (1.26 hectares) in area and houses some 6,000 larger than life-sized terracotta warriors each with different facial features . As we walked into the hall – the first people there in early morning observing the serried ranks of statues some 2,000 years old – it was an awe-inspiring moment.

After visiting the smaller No 3 and No 2 halls respectively, we went into small museum housing two magnificent less than life-sized bronze chariots, unearthed in 1980, and finally watched a 360 degree film on the origin of the terracotta army. What many of us had not realised and what the film made very clear was that most of the statues were smashed by rebels immediately following the death of the emperor, so what we see in the halls today is the result of painstaking reconstruction, a process which is far from complete.

While we were at the museum complex, we met one of the farmers who discovered the army in 1974 and he signed a souvenir picture book for us. After two and a half hours at the museum, we drove off, past the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huangdi. The construction of the mausoleum involved a conscript workforce of 600,000 men. The grave has still not been opened, so new treasures may still be waiting to be uncovered.

Lake Titicaca, Bolivia/Peru

During a three week tour of South America in 2002, Vee and I saw the famous Lake Titicaca, which is a huge expanse of water covering more than 3,000 sq miles (8,000 sq km) with more than 30 islands, divided - roughly east and west - between Bolivia and Peru respectively. What struck us immediately was the colour of the water - it was just so blue or azure. However, the water is always freezing cold because the lake is located at 12,700 feet (3,810 metres) which makes it the world's highest navigable lake.



Lake Titicaca - so blue

In fact, Lake Titicaca is not one lake but two, the main lake and a smaller one on the south side called Lago de Huinaimarca. Both the larger and the smaller lakes are divided east-west between Bolivia and Peru respectively but, at the point where the two lakes join (where the land almost touches), the international boundary dips to bring both sides of the interconnecting 'mouth' inside Bolivia.

We crossed the lake at this point, called San Pedro on the east and Tiquina on the west. The crossing takes a mere ten minutes, but it is the excuse for land-locked Bolivia to have navy in order to carry out the 'onerous' checks. Another fun feature of the crossing is that, whereas the passengers travel by motor launch, the bus with the luggage floats serenely behind on a raft.

From Tiquina, it is only a short ride to the picturesque port of Copacabana (this is actually the original one and the beach in Rio is named after it). From here, we took the opportunity for a three and a half hour boat ride out to the largest island in the lake called Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun). This island - which today still has some 3,000 inhabitants - has a special historical significance, since Inca folklore holds that this was the birthplace of the original Inca who took his powers from the sun. From the Isla del Sol, one could easily see the much smaller Isla de la Luna (Island of the Moon).








Languid llama and little lady on Lake Titicaca's Isla del Sol


Over in Peru, we spent the night at the Isla Esteves Hotel which is on the outskirts of Puno on a promontory jutting into the western side of Lake Titicaca. Next morning, from a mooring just outside the hotel, we took a motor launch to Isla de los Uros, the reed islands. We had never heard of these islands before but, amazing as it seems, they are made of local reeds which are strong enough to sustain small communities. The reeds are replaced every two-three months to keep the islands afloat. There are around 40 such islands and between them they are home to some 1,000 people. We took the motor launch to an island called Tribuna Kollas and, even though it was very small, it had a school and a museum on it. We then took a reed boat over to a second island called San Migel.




A young resident of one of Lake Titicaca's floating reed islands
tries to make a sale to Vee

Iguassu Falls, Brazil/Argentina

During a three-week trip to South America in 2001, Vee and I spent about 24 hours at the sensational Iguassu Falls. Iguassu means Great Waters in Guaraní (which is the language spoken by many in Paraguay). After 800 miles gathering anger across Brazil, the Falls are located at conjunction of Brazil (north), Argentina (south) and Paraguay (east), with the actual cataracts shared by Brazil and Argentina.

Vee and I had both seen Niagara Falls twice and had been incredibly impressed, but Iguassu Falls are just so much more awe-inspiring. First, they are quite simply bigger, being twice as wide and taller by 20 metres. They are more than 2 km across and more than 70 metres high with a total of 275 individual cataracts. Second, the area is not just about the water - impressive though that is - it is a sub-tropical reservoir of an amazing diversity of fauna and flora. There are about 350 types of birds and 2,000 species of plants in the National Park. Thirdly - and wonderfully for tourists - there is an incredible system of walkways that enables one to feel a very part of the Falls and almost enter into them. From this network of concrete walkways, we had stunning views of the Falls and many opportunities to see exotically-decorated butterflies. The final section of these walkways on the Brazilian side of the Falls takes one above some of the water flows which is very wet and very exciting. Everywhere there were bright rainbows that seemed to follow you as you moved.





The mist from the mighty Iguassu Falls creates a welcoming rainbow



Down at the river, we donned bright orange life jackets and boarded a bi-motor rubber dinghy for a ride up to the Falls themselves. This is not the experience at Niagara Falls where around a hundred people board the "Maid of the Mist" wearing plastic macs because of the spray. This is much more personal - about 20 people speed into the very heart of the Falls and are totally drenched.


After staying overnight on the Brazilian side of the Falls, next morning we drove over the bridge into Argentina, a very easy and informal process. As on the Brazilian side, the Argentinean side has a system of walkways that give visitors wonderful views. There is a lower walkway of 1,100 km and a higher walkway of 1,000 km.

The Argentinean walkways, though, are made of metal grills and run much closer to the water. Down every slope, round every corner, and up every ramp we witnessed another glorious view, another fascinating vista, another inspiring scene, so we took photographs endlessly. It was pointed out to us where Roland Joffé did his location shooting for the film "The Mission" I could hear in my head the film's haunting theme "On Earth As It Is In Heaven" written by Ennio Morricone. On the Argentinean side, it is easier to see a variety of wildlife from the walkways and we observed a toucan with a magnificently coloured beak, a lizard and lots of swifts, jays, vultures and other birds.

The highlight of the morning in Argentina, though, was the visit to the most violent and fearsome of the Falls' 275 cataracts known as Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat). This involves a short drive round to the edge of the Falls, a short boat ride out to a flimsy bridge, and then a precarious walk the length of the bridge (it was swept away in the floods of 1983 and 1992). At this point, one is standing on a platform looking into the very throat of the Devil and the power of the water is mesmerising. One's ears are pounded by the roar of the cataract and one's eyes are caught by the swifts darting into the spray.



Staring into the Devil's Throat
on the Argentinean side of Iguassu Falls

It is not a matter of the Brazilian or the Argentinean side being better; they complement each other - the Brazilian views being the more panoramic and the Argentinean being more intimate - and you simply have to see both.

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Magical and mysterious Ha Long Bay

The night before my visit to Ha Long Bay was spent in a hospital in the city of Hai Phong nursing a black eye and other bruising after passing out in my hotel. I discharged myself as soon as dawn broke and before being checked by a doctor because I had no intention of missing the group's tour of Ha Long Bay.

The name Ha Long means 'descending dragon' and the legend is that the bay was cut from the rocks as an enormous beast thrashed its way to the depths. It covers around 1,500 square metres with 2,969 rocky limestone islands (980 of them with names and 20 of them inhabited). The bay in the Gulf of Tonkin is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Some 400 tourist boats plough the waters but, so immense is the bay, that one's own trip still feels very personal. The weather that morning was quite misty, but the experience was nevertheless magical and mysterious.