Islands, Tigers & Tea
Quote from Rabindranath Tagore that reads, “The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough”
Editor’s note: This post will continue to evolve as I do.
Welcome aboard travelers, the next flight on our Around the World journey has officially arrived. For those just joining, this series explores every country, six (sometimes seven) at a time, not in depth, but in spirit. Each post offers a glimpse of names, places, flags, and stories, to help us all better recognize the world we live in, one region at a time.
This week’s stop, “Islands, Tigers, & Tea,” takes us through lands rich in color, rhythm, and resilience. From South Korea’s sleek innovation to Sri Lanka’s island serenity, Syria’s timeless roots to Taiwan’s creative pulse, and through Tajikistan’s rugged mountains, Thailand’s golden temples, and Timor-Leste’s rising hope, each nation invites us to see how beauty can grow even through challenge, and how culture, like tea, deepens with time.
So, fasten your seatbelt and open your senses. Today’s journey winds through mountains and markets, rituals and rainforests where tradition and transformation steep together into something unforgettable. Come, follow me as we travel through South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Timor-Leste.
My hand-drawn flag of South Korea
SOUTH KOREA
Official name: Republic of Korea (ROK)
Pronunciation: swoth kr-ee-uh
Capital: Seoul
Official language: Korean
Location: Easterm Asia in the Northern Hemisphere
Surrounding countries: North Korea
Most known for: Pop culture, such as K-pop, K-dramas
Fun fact: Writing a persons name in red ink is considered very disrespectful and is believed to wish them bad luck
Recent news article: Airbus launches Tech Hub in Korea (Airbus, 2025)
My knowledge: I’m familiar with South Korea
My hand-drawn flag of Sri Lanka
SRI LANKA
Official name: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Pronunciation: sree-lan-kuh
Capital: Sri Jayawardenep Kotte (Legislative Capital) and Colombo (Executive and Judicial Capital)
Official language: Sinhala and Tamil
Location: Island country located in South Asia in the Northern Hemisphere
Surrounding countries: Near India
Most known for: Golden beaches
Fun fact: First country in the world to elect a female as head of state
Recent news article: From vision to action: bracing for a greying Sri Lanka (Rojie Ekanayake, 2025)
My knowledge: Familiar with Sri Lanka
My hand-drawn flag of Syria
SYRIA
Official name: Syrian Arab Republic
Pronunciation: SIR-ee-uh
Capital: Damascus
Official language: Arabic
Location: In Western Asia/Middle East (part of MENA) in Northern Hemisphere
Surrounding countries: Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine
Most known for: Ancient history, such as Damascus and Aleppo
Fun fact: Home to one of the World’s oldest inhabited cities of Damascus, which has evidence of settlement dating back to around 10,000 BCE
Recent news article: Paving the road to a hopeful and inclusive future in Syria, free from violence and hardship (UNICEF, 2025)
My knowledge: Nit very familiar with Syria
My hand-drawn flag of Taiwan
TAIWAN
Official name: Republic of China (ROC) or Taiwan (ROC)
Pronunciation: tie-WON
Capital: Taipei
Official language: Mandarin Chinese
Location: Island nation located in East Asia in the Northern Hemisphere
Surrounding countries: Near China
Most known for: Bubble Tea, which is a beverage of tea, milk, and bubbles (fruit jelly or tapioca)
Fun fact: Music played by garbage trucks, including “A Maiden’s Prayer” and “Für Elise”
Recent news article: Taiwan productions on show in Geneva International Film Festival (Taiwan Today, 2025)
My knowledge: I’m semi familiar with Taiwan
My hand-drawn flag of Tajikistan
TAJIKISTAN
Official name: The Republic of Tajikistan
Pronunciation: Taa-jee-kuh-staan
Capital: Dushanbe
Official language: Tajik and Russian
Location: In Central Asia in Northern Hemisphere
Surrounding countries: Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, and Afghanistan
Most known for: High altitude mountainous terrain, including Pamir Mountains
Fun fact: Has one of the world’s highest dams of Nurek Dam
Recent news article: Tajikistan, Green Climate Fund project: Final evaluation (WFP, 2025)
My knowledge: Not familiar with Tajikistan
My hand-drawn flag of Thailand
THAILAND
Official name: Kingdom of Thailand
Pronunciation: TIE-land
Capital: Bangkok
Official language: Thai
Location: Southeast Asia in the Northern Hemisphere
Surrounding countries: Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia
Most known for: Beautiful beaches
Fun fact: Home to the world’s smallest mammal, the Bumblebee bat as well as the largest fish, the whale shark
Recent news article: Comfort first and quality focused - How fashion preferences vary by age in Thailand (YouGov, 2025)
My knowledge: Familiar with Thailand
My hand-drawn flag of Timor-Leste
TIMOR-LESTE
Official name: The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
Pronunciation: tee-mor lesh-tay
Capital: Dili
Official language: Portuguese and Tetum
Location: Southeastern Asian island country in the Southern Hemisphere
Surrounding countries: Near Indonesia
Most known for: First new country of the 21st century
Fun fact: Only Asian country in the Southern Hemisphere
Recent news article: Voices of change: Children in Maliana are using radio to speak for their rights (UNICEF, 2025)
My knowledge: Aware of Timor-Leste but not too familiar
From Sri Lanka’s tea hills to Thailand’s golden glow, and Tajikistan’s rugged trails to South Korea’s luminous skylines, this journey reminded me that culture isn’t just seen, it’s felt. It lingers like the aftertaste of tea: subtle, layered, and lasting. These seven nations carry both strength and softness. Places rebuilt through rhythm, faith, and the everyday art of living.
If travel teaches us anything, it’s this: The world is both fragile and fierce, and understanding it starts with slowing down enough to notice. Not every moment needs to be captured. Some are meant to steep quietly until their meaning reveals itself.
As the Around the World journey continues, I hope “Islands, Tigers, & Tea” inspires you to look for harmony, between motion and stillness, discovery and reflection, modern life and timeless tradition.
I’d love to hear from you: Have you ever visited or dreamed of one of these countries? What memory or story stayed with you? Read Islands, Tigers, & Tea now. Or if you’re new here, this is where the journey first began.
As a signature of my blog, I’d like to end this post with a suggestion to “Pass on kindness.” There’s no time like the present to Inspire Those Who Inspire You. Acts of kindness, no matter how big or small, can have a direct, positive impact on someone else. Go out there today and change someone’s life for the better!
***These are my personal opinions and may not be those of my employer.***
