With a few precious hours available this morning, I took to the streets of Beijing and walked over to the Reignwood Centre, a respected art museum and gallery about 10 minutes from my hotel, to explore the opening exhibit of photographer Michael Yamashita's Silk Road Journey. I happened to learn about the exhibit the night before and decided it was too close to miss, and given that Beijing was the first stop on its world tour, I felt increasingly fortunate to be one of the first few Westerners to experience the show.

Few cities in Asia have seen the expansive and rapid growth and development Shanghai has experienced. Sporting over 24 million people, modern day Shanghai is a global epicenter of business, finance and commerce. Anyone who has ever been fortunate enough to visit the city has experienced, what is undoubtedly one of the most stunning, colorful and visually stimulating skylines in the world. However, back as early as 1987, photos of the city and its surrounding area show a flat, green port location that was essentially untouched for decades. 

This year marks my fifth visit to Seoul, South Korea and in many ways I have found a familiarity with navigating one of Asia's most modern and arguably historic cities. During past visits, I was able to find small pockets of time to explore the city and it's many cultural jewels. Every traveler who makes their way here finds it necessary to visit the night markets in Namdaemun, explore the neighborhoods of Itaewon and Insadong, as well as the awe inspiring buddhist temple at Bongeunsa. Having experienced the privelage of visiting these places and enjoying the opportunity to photograph them I decided that this year, my tight schedule would allow a single visit to one location and an opportunity to explore in depth, the sights, smells and sounds of the place. It was clear that I should select a location that had a variety of cultural and photographic opportunities to explore and without question, a day spent in Bukchon Village was where I would hope to soak in South Korea's historic architecture and traditions.