Escape Routes

Run, Travelers, Run

In my inaugural column I wrote about a plan to run my first-ever half marathon through Angkor Wat. In the end, flights were so pricey that I settled for a race in Macau on the same day (watch this space for more on-the-ground cool stuff to do in Macau). Anyway, I just might get my chance to run in Cambodia after all, now that the organizers of the successful annual Angkor Wat race have set up a half marathon in the coastal town of Sihanoukville for March 11, 2012. (The location of the run, Ochheuteal Beach, looks completely idyllic and way more suitable for sunbathing and a fruity cocktail than for huffing and puffing.) Sign up for the half or the 10K before January 16 to get a US$5 discount on the US$45/$35 registration fee.
Sign up for the Sihanoukville International Half Marathon, and check out other races in the spring of 2012 in Bangkok and Phuket, at www.goadventureasia.com.

Try Some Seoul

My college roommate Angela moved to Seoul after we graduated, and ever since visiting her a few years back I’ve been encouraging everyone to go. Delicious food, a rollicking nightlife scene and tons of cutesy shopping—what’s not to love? So when Korean Airlines invited me out to lunch to hear about their plans for 2012, I jumped at the chance to chat with the carrier’s execs about the best time to visit (September—but November is kimchi-making season) and where they go for Korean food in Hong Kong (Lee Fa Yuen on Mody Road). I also learned that the biggest event of 2011 was the delivery of Korean Airlines’ first Airbus A380—that’s the double-decker plane that has a bar and a veritable mini-shopping mall inside. They’ve got five now, with another five more on order. They’re also considering developing in-flight WiFi. As some of my friends can attest (and the KA execs tried to emphasize), flying via Seoul to the US and Canada can be more cost-effective. For its part, Korea’s tourism officials (the “Visit Korea Committee”) are doing all it can to attract travelers—from January 9 to February 29, hotels, shops, restaurants, theaters and spas are offering discounts. So feel free to hop on one of the 23 flights a week between here and Incheon, or the 10 flights between HK and Busan. Seriously, if there's bibimbap on the itinerary, I’ll come with you. Angela, prepare your couch!

Formosa Fever

Apologies for the Taiwan overload, but I’m headed there again and inordinately excited. In a recent column I asked if anyone had suggestions for some works of literature to pick up that would help deepen my understanding of the island. Taipei resident and friend Nick Frisch came through in more ways than one (he’s also letting me crash at his place) with the following recommendations: “The Taste of Apples,” a short story collection by Huang Chun-ming that centers on impoverished, small-town characters; “Taipei People” by Pai Hsien-yung, a 1971 book containing 14 stories about people who fled mainland China and moved to Taipei during the 60s; and another work by Pai, “Crystal Boys,” which chronicles what happens to gay protagonist A-Qing after his family throws him out of the house. There’s also an English translation of a controversial 1972 novel by Wang Wen-hsing about the inner struggles and tensions within a contemporary Taiwanese family called “Family Catastrophe.”

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