The View from Hotel Bayview, Xincheng Township, Hualien We reached Hotel Bayview in the afternoon. It had been a long ride from Qingjing Farm to Qixingtan Beach in Hualien. The hotel staff were kind enough to allow us to check-in before time. We were hungry and hadn’t eaten lunch yet. But those views from the…
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Getting There It isn’t easy reaching Hehuan Mountain by public transport because local tourism buses don’t connect Qingjing Farm to Hehuan Mountain. Cabs can be quite expensive and not easy to find. Our B&B owner arranged a morning sunrise tour to Hehuan Mountain for us. We’d share the ride with 7 other passengers. Stargazing We…
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Getting There We checked out immediately after our morning cycling tour of Sun Moon Lake. There aren’t any direct buses from Sun Moon Lake to Qingjing (Cingjing) Farm. So, we bought our ticket to Puli Bus Terminal (at the Shuishe Visitor Centre), and at Puli (above), we bought tickets to Qingjing Farm. We had to…
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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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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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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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This year fall started pretty early and was cut short by temperatures plummeting in November. However, we managed to do some short trips (mostly subway rides) around the city and capture the best views of Seoul in this season. Seokchon Lake (석촌호수) Lotte World Tower literally cuts into the blue sky above. The tower looks…
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