Stories from the other side.
Sunrise at Sun Moon Lake It was our fifth day in Taiwan and Qingjing/Cingjing Farm (a mountain town) was the next destination on our itinerary. Basil woke up early to watch the sun rise over the cascading mountains of Sun Moon Lake. I skipped sunrise for sleep and to conserve my energy for the travels…
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I’ve always been a dreamer — living in a world of my own creation. As a child, it didn’t matter what I’d be when I grew up. I discovered multiple worlds through books, imagination, and playacting. In my teens, the stars called out to me and I spent the next couple of years trying to…
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I first met Naia when she was a babe in a stroller. I had read about her birth on her mum’s blog: travel-stained. Shelley had convinced me to meet her when we moved to Seoul in 2016. I was very anxious and it took a lot to get me to accept the idea of meeting…
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I’ve always been a bit perplexed about love. It’s hard to understand a primal emotion in its entirety — when it has the power to numb the rational centres of your mind. In my angsty twenties, I wanted to stay away from it. I couldn’t have my mind clouded by frivolous emotions and lose focus…
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Getting There Taipei to Taichung There are multiple ways to reach Sun Moon Lake in Nantou County. Many popular tour companies offer day trips from Taipei. Alternatively, you can take a local shuttle bus or just hire a cab. We took the Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) from Taipei to Taichung. It’s faster and roughly…
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Taipei, Taiwan’s capital city, is buzzing with activity and has a ton of sights to see and things to experience. Undoubtedly, the city’s top draw is its ubiquitous temples. Most temples are either hidden in plain sight or tucked away in quaint alleys, historical blocks, or even between towering buildings. It will be hard to…
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“War does not determine who is right — only who is left.” ― Anonymous I’ve never been a fan of War Tourism. I don’t handle conflict zones very well and tend to get easily overwhelmed by stories of pain and separation. Quite naturally, the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), in South Korea, was never high on my traveller radar…
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We thought we’d spend a quiet Christmas in Seoul this time. The past year had been chaotic with back-to-back travel. We had to tweak our plans because Basil had a work trip to Shanghai — on the next day of Christmas. We’d effectively have to spend most of Christmas Day at Incheon Airport. But we…
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Getting Around There are many ways to explore Taiwan’s northern and northeastern tourist attractions. The easiest way would be to sign up for the shuttle bus tour offered by either KKday or Klook. It’s best to book your tour before your travel date, especially during tourist season. Avoid weekends because Shifen Waterfall isn’t included in most…
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Taiwan has been on my bucket list ever since I read about it on a friend’s travel blog. Seoul is about two hours away from Taipei and it seemed perfect for a trip. October has hot days and cool nights with occasional rainfall. Typhoon season is mostly over and that increases the likelihood of exploring…
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