on
April 30, 2012 in
Asia Expat
What do you picture when you imagine Japan? You probably see lush bamboo forests and endless seashores with a temple thrown in here and there. If so, Hokkaido would surprise you. Hokkaido is the northernmost island of Japan and it’s dramatically different from what you find on the other islands. Instead of dense forest, tall
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April 27, 2012 in
Asia Expat
Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur is one of the most economically successful Southeast Asian cities after Singapore, and an overseas posting here is something many would-be expats aspire to. Once cloaked in virgin jungle, Kuala Lumpur grew from a simple tin-mining town to become one of the region’s most successful international commercial hubs. Today, high-end malls,
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April 23, 2012 in
Asia Expat
Expatriates living in Ho Chi Minh will tell you that the heavy traffic and hectic pace of the city gets a little overwhelming at times, and those in the know often escape to the sleepy beach resort town of Mui Ne, close to the city of Phan Thiet in Vietnam’s Binh Thuan province. A four
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April 23, 2012 in
Middle East Expat
Traditionally, markets in UAE (and elsewhere in the Middle East) are called souks. They sell a variety of things – from spices to gold and everything in between. Dubai’s souks are famously known for the gold, spices and perfumes sold in them. With Dubai’s modernization, the souks seem to have been overshadowed by malls. But
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April 13, 2012 in
Asia Expat
Rents in South Korea and Japan aren’t cheap, and recently arrived expats are often shocked at just how much they might need to pay to secure a decent place to live. A pint-sized studio in the outskirts of Tokyo may cost over US$1,000 per month. What’s even more surprising is that they may be also
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April 4, 2012 in
Asia Expat
South Korea is a crowded country, with almost 50 million people living in an area about the size of the US state of Indiana. Approximately 90% of that land is mountainous, meaning that the Koreans have had to use space ingeniously to make room for everybody. This means mostly building up instead of out. While 