Asif Q
Ex Commercial Insurance Underwriter (back again now) and Global Backpacker... Originally from Toronto but spent almost half my life in England before that... In my 30s I have been backpacking since 2003 doing 1-2 big trips per year (Western Europe, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Turkey, Middle East, China & SE Asia) before I decided to move to Asia in 2010 and start a blog. I have a love for travelling and like to travel, explore, and discover the World tasting new foods, learning languages, acquiring new musical sounds, and many biking adventures!... I have an interest in Islamic history, culture, and visiting Muslim minorities... as well as other Ethnic Cultures, Royal Palaces, Temples and Places of Worship, Ancient Civilizations, Folk Cultures, Unesco and historical sites relating to History, Empire, Monarchies, and their historical and architectural legacy. Also love ex Soviet Union, ex Yugoslavia, and Scandinavia.
My main blog was "Adventures in Daegu and Beyond" (where I blogged for TheKoreaBlog and had over 35,000+ views) explored life living and working in Korea with many weekend trips to festivals, towns, and other cultural sites in Korea. I was featured in various local media and Arirang Korean English TV News about my blog, travels, time in Korea, and being selected as a writer for TheKoreaBlog.
The City of Daegu chose me as one of two official foreign bloggers and I also have the title of Jeju Ambassador for the New 7 Natural Wonders Campaign and Committee Member. (I have now left Korea after 3 years overseas and am back in Toronto).
The other blogs cover the many side trips I have taken in Asia and previous expeditions
I like to travel, explore, and discover the World...
Wendy Morrison Looks fascinating Asif. And what a history. Enjoying reading your blog.
re: Bay of Pigs & Invasion MuseumWendy Morrison Nice trip Asif. I enjoyed your blog. We always have problems with our Internet in China. I now use my iCloud email address which seems to work best for me.
re: Return Home via Hong KongWendy Morrison Interesting Asif. Like you, I was not taught that bit of Japanese - US history. Your blog brings back lovely memories of Hokkaido.Thanks for the experience!
re: Arrival Hokkaido Island, Hakodate Foreign HeritageWendy Morrison Asif, a good decision to visit Japan. A lovely country and wonderful people. I am quite envious!
re: Yokohama Colonial Heritage and Chinatownlondone7 yes we know so little and it has such a negative image but it has done a complete turnaround and in better shape than some of its Balkan neighbours!
re: Tirana Culture Zone & Muzeu HistorikWendy Morrison Thank you Asif for introducing me to Albania. It is nothing like I had expected.
re: Tirana Culture Zone & Muzeu HistorikWendy Morrison I do love the simple craziness of situations you can encounter when travelling! So it's Ahmad from now on, eh?
re: Thessaloniki to Skopje - Where is Ahmad!!Wendy Morrison Love the countryside and scenery around Neuschwanstein Castle. How did your knee hold up? The Uygur food looks great - the tourist shop - well....
re: Legendary Neuschwanstein CastleWendy Morrison Nice blogs Asif. I bet you won't want to see another museum for a while.
re: Drottningholm PalaceWendy Morrison I like the boat hotel Asif. The palace is most definitely my style!
re: Gamla Town, Skinnarviksparken, Ostra ArstabronWendy Morrison Great blog Asif. Just sorry I had not read it earlier.
re: KEF to TRD via BGOCrowdywendy Interesting blog Asif. Until you visit these countries you can't really appreciate what dreadfully tough lives people have had.
re: Tallinn Free Walking TourCrowdywendy Enjoying reading your blogs. Very nice pics of Tallinn.
re: Tallinn's Historic Old Walled TownWendy Morrison This looks like a really interesting museum. We found the Hermitage very good but in the end, it was quite overwhelming. We were disappointed with the few Kandinsky artworks. Those escalators are incredible and also had to be so deep I believe to avoid all the underground streams. It looked quite funny looking at people travelling down them, almost like they were lying down!
re: State Russian MuseumWendy Morrison Asif - I really enjoyed this entry. Great pics and invaluable information for our visit! Thank you so much for telling us to buy our tickets on-line, which we did some time ago.
re: The State Hermitage Museum