A friend of ours from Church recently opened a wonderful new eclectic restaurant in Taipei called the Toast Bar and Bistro. Last night (18 August 2012) us, some friends, Queenie's Mom and our niece Charlene went for a delicious meal there. The food there is truly awesome. But for me, the really special part, was the chance to have an incredible Bunny Chow in Taipei for the first time in 14 years. Don't know what a Bunny Chow is? See the picture below!
Taiwan is fast becoming a cycling mecca with people coming from all over the world to cycle in and around the country. As an increasingly avid cyclist myself I am starting to do longer and longer rides. The articles below are a list of all the different blogs I have done on my cycling trips in Taiwan. As you can see, they get progressively longer with time. Some of the best rides I have done are certainly circumnavigating Taiwan and also the two day East Rift Valley. I recently bought a Garmin 800 so all articles on cycling in 2012 include GPS maps that show the route more clearly.
Last Saturday (11 August 2012) I had the chance to go for a bike ride. Nathan Miller suggested a route that was about 120km in distance and would see me ascend approximately 1,500m in a single day. I was kind of looking forward to the ride but would cut out about 40km from the ride. I was mostly interested in climbing the mountains than riding the flats. Nathan's route recommended I ride over the mountain to Wanli (萬里) on the North Coast in Taiwan. Then head to Sanzhi (三芝) and climb over Yangmingshan and back into Taipei. I decided to climb Yangmingshan from Jingshan (金山) instead that would cut a couple of kilometers off the route. Still was a great ride. The climb over Yangmingshan would be the reverse trip from when I previously climbed Yangmingshan.
Taiwan's East Rift Valley (花東縱谷) stretches from Taidong all the way up to Hualien. After spending a weekend in Taitung with Queenie and some other friends, I decided to cycle through the rift valley all the way up to Hualien. It was an awesome experience and the one thing I will always remember is the tremendous sky above the valley in the late evening of the first day. It was a great 180km ride and a worthwhile experience. It is also an alternate route from Taitung to Hualien on any circumnavigation of Taiwan.
Just couldn't resist posting this picture. Took it from my apartment yesterday (24 July 2012). Such a beautiful sunset. This is looking North towards Tamsui.
The tall building in the picture is the Shin-Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store. I have great memories of that building. It used to be the tallest building in Taipei and on my first night here in Taiwan (22 December 1998) I was very disoriented and confused and alone in a new city: first time out of my own country. I landed up going to the viewing platform at the top and enjoyed the tremendous views of the city I would come to love and call home for nearly 14 years.
Our latest Sri Lanka travel blog covers the incredibly beautiful bus journey from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya. Nuwara Eliya is also called Little England because it used to be a small place that the colonials built in the likeness of home and, do to the temperate climate, was a popular destination for the colonial administrators to retreat to to stay warm. Nuwara Eliya is important for the tea industry in Sri Lanka and lies at an elevation of 1,800 meters, 1,300 meters higher than Kandy. As you can expect, we drove through some of the most beautiful hill country covered in super green tea plantations. It was one of the more stunning bus rides we have been on. The videos and pictures below, we are sure, show you the beauty.
After Colombo our first stop was Kandy, a small town in the middle of Sri Lanka with a long and storied history. We got to Kandy after a long (four hour) train ride from Colombo. We landed up staying in Kandy for three nights before moving on to Nuwara Eliya. Kandy itself has a number of tourist attractions including Kandy Lake, the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Kandyan Dancing and the world famous botanical gardens. Day trips from Kandy to the elephant orphanage and places to ride elephants are also available as are trips to Srigiya and other places. We both felt that Kandy was beautiful but we were disappointed with the food and thought it has really become overrun with tourists. The guest house we stayed at in Kandy was the best one of the whole trip and our hosts were amazing. We had fun in Kandy but felt the best part of it was visiting the elephants and the lake.
Kandy is famous for many things including the lake, the dancing and the botanical gardens. The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is one of its biggest attractions that draws a lot of pilgrims to the temple everyday (it seemed). The tooth that is apparently in the temple allegedly was the tooth of Buddha and dates back a couple of thousand of years. The history of the tooth and the temple is a long and storied one. You can see a lot more information of the temple on Wikipedia
Tangelle is a small seaside town on the South Coast of Sri Lanka. It has some beautiful beaches but is most famous for the turtles coming onto the beach and laying eggs during the night. We stopped in Tangelle because Queenie wanted to see the turtle laying eggs. It is a beautiful experience: sitting quietly on the beach with the moon overhead listening to the waves breaking in the dark while waiting for the turtles to arrive is just a wonderful experience.
The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is a definite highlight of any trip to the central part of Sri Lanka. The name is a bit misleading because it is not only an orphanage but also a place where captive breeding of elephants takes place. Despite this, the place is awesome. Once again the entrance fee I remember was a bit steep but it was worth every penny. As soon as we arrived we saw elephants crossing the road going to the river for a bath. After gong into the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage we were also quickly treated to a view of the baby elephants that could be fed and then a big field where the elephants spend their days. After that we followed a herd of elephants down to the river, sat at a hotel and enjoyed watching the elephants at play in the water. It was an awesome and worthwhile experience and we highly recommend the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage to anyone who is traveling in the vicinity.
After a few days in Kandy we took a trip to The Millennium Elephant Foundation on the way to the Pinawella Elephant Orphanage. We spent a couple of hours there washing and riding the elephant as well as just hanging out and watching others do the same. It was a great experience and the first time either of us have been on the back of an elephant. Sri Lankan Elephants are smaller than those in Africa but, when you are on them, you are still quite high. The whole experience was certainly worth it and the foundation that hosts the elephants seems to treat them pretty well. We both would recommend going here to ride the elephants as it seems they do take their conservation responsibilities seriously and genuinely do care for the well being of the animals.
Our latest Sri Lanka travel blog is the train ride we took from Colombo to Kandy in the middle of Sri Lanka. The train ride was awesome. I have always read about the trains in India and Sri Lanka and was really looking forward to the ride. We initially thought we would take the bus to Kandy since we weren't sure of the schedule but it turns out we had plenty of time. The train we took was a local train. We were spoiled with great views of the hill country and enjoyed trying the samosas on the train being sold by the on carriage vendors.
Our first morning in Sri Lanka (after a long breakfast) found us heading into Pettah Market, a wholesale market in the middle of Colombo. We went there because we decided to try to follow the one day Colombo tour detailed in the lonely planet. The market itself is a tough introduction to Sri Lanka. We were the only foreigners in the market (that we saw), it was hot, noisy and crowded. I was feeling sick and both Queenie and me were jet lagged. It was a tough place to be first up. At any rate, we soldiered through the market first visiting the Hindu Temple, the Mosque, the Catholic Church and the Dutch museum. Although it was tough we did have a rich experience in the market.
One of Colombo's most famous hotels is the Galle Face Hotel that was established in 1864. It is located right on the shore of the beach in Colombo and is easily found. Friends had recommended to us that we go there, if only for a drink. We initially tried to book a night there but it was full. We went there at the end of our first day in Colombo and enjoyed a wonderful sunset after a really good afternoon tea buffet. The sunset was amazing and we enjoyed watching the sun go down over the Indian Ocean. I have seen a thousand sunrises on the Indian Ocean but I honestly think this was the first sunset I saw on the Indian Ocean: beautiful.
In 2012 we had an amazing two weeks in Sri Lanka. It was a great trip and we had a tremendous time. We spent a day in Colombo and then traveled to Kandy, Nuwareliya, Ella, Yala and along the south coast all the way to Galle. We had a fantastic time wandering the streets in the cities, drinking tea in the highlands, hanging out near Kandy lake and of course, meeting all the awesome people. The posts below are some of the things we did and saw in that wonderful country.
Earlier in 2012 when we were in Sri Lanka we visited the Yala National Park in the South East corner of Sri Lanka. We were in a jeep on a narrow dirt road when we came across this elephant blocking the path. The elephant seemed to be quite happy in the middle of the road but when three jeeps came close to it, it got nervous and retreated into the bush.
Riding around Taiwan was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. It was hard and challenging. At the end of the trip I had cycled 1,230km over the 15 days. It was great to be home and to catch up with everyone again. It was also great to be able to rest my legs and not really do much for the next few days. I did need to clean my clothes and unpack. The final route is shown below.
The twelfth installment on my "Cycling Around Taiwan" series. Day 12 was the last day. I have ridden from Keelung to Tamsui before (see Cycle Trip to Tamsui, Via Keelung)
but that time my bike broke in Tamsui so had to taxi home. This time I made it all the way home with no glitches or breaks. Once again I knew what the road and actually was quite happy to meander my way slowly all the way to Taipei. There was a little bit of rain on the North coast, but nothing major, and I had a great ride home.
The eleventh installment on my "Cycling Around Taiwan" series. Day 11 would see the end of the unknown for me the start of the known. I have previously ridden from Fulong to Keelung (see Rain Riding to Fulong and Back) and also from Keelung to Tamsui (see Cycle Trip to Tamsui, Via Keelung) so I knew what those roads had in store for me. The weather was still holding out (no rain) so was looking forward to a hot ride to Keelung. Day 11 would also prove to be one of the more dangerous roads of the whole trip, but also, I would get to enjoy the scenery far more than I did that time before.
The tenth installment on my "Cycling Around Taiwan" series. Day 10 was the shortest day from a riding perspective. I started in Suao around 11:30am and rode the short 30km from Suao to Ilan with a short stop for lunch in Suao. It was a really hot, sunny day but it was to be a very short ride so I wasn't too fussed. The road condition to Ilan was pretty good and there were no major hiccups. Once in Ilan I just walked around the town and enjoyed a slow afternoon and early night.
The ninth installment on my "Cycling Around Taiwan" series. Day 9 was finally here and Suhua highway lay before me. I was ready, nervous and excited all at the same time. I would get onto the highway and make tremendously slow progress all the way Suao but had an amazing time on the road and some of the most stunning views of the whole trip. It was Friday and Queenie had booked two nights in a luxury resort in Suao so I had the promise of an amazing two days ahead of me with my wife. The ride itself was AWESOME and I do recommend it, but be safe and be sensible.
The eighth installment on my "Cycling Around Taiwan" series. Day 8 would take me to Hualien from Chenggong. It was the most ordinary day of all. I was used to riding and the routine of riding at this stage and my legs were also fine: for the first time there was no real pain anywhere. It would be a day of spectacular scenery, beautiful weather and a nice ending in Hualien with a Thai food dinner. All in all it was a fairly"normal" day.
The seventh installment on my "Cycling Around Taiwan" series. Day 7 was the first time I woke up on the East coast on this trip. The little town of Dawu early in the morning is awesome. It is very quiet and the rain had stopped. The weather from this point would prove to be amazing all the way home: not too hot, not too cold and no rain. Perfect weather for riding. The day started with a lot of anticipation: the plan was to ride to Taidong, catch the ferry to Orchard Island, and then spend a day or two riding around Orchard Island and then coming back onto the East coast. Turns out I missed the boat by 10 minutes so I carried on riding up the East Coast to Chenggong were I spent the night.
The sixth installment on my "Cycling Around Taiwan" series. Day 6 of the trip from Kenting to Dawu on the East coast was the most difficult day and the most rewarding day. It was difficult because it rained very heavily and would be the highest climb of the whole trip (nearly 500m) but it was also awesome because the downhill onto the East Coast was fast and exciting. Sadly, the bad weather on this day, and my own laziness, would ensure I missed the following day's ferry to Orchard Island so I would miss the Island on this trip. Despite the cruel weather though, I was still spoiled with amazing views, new friends and a great (but tough) ride.
The fifth installment on my "Cycling Around Taiwan" series. Day 5 started in the beautiful Hailan Hotel in Kaohsiung and ended on the beach in Kenting. Along the way I met a couple of new friends, had an awesome lunch and green bean soup and the start of the fantastic views that would stay with me pretty much all the way back to Keelung in the North. I was looking forward to this part of the ride and was glad to see the weather in the morning was still holding out and it was still nice and sunny.
The fourth installment on my "Cycling Around Taiwan" series. Day 4 started in with breakfast in the market in Budai and ended in a Love Hotel in Kaohsiung. It was a really hot day: sunshine all the way on the hot tarmac of the road. I met my mate Peter in Tainan for lunch and was going to meet Queenie and my niece Rochelle in Kaohsiung on Saturday. The day promised much and delivered all (including more sunburn).
The third installment on my "Cycling Around Taiwan" series. Day 3 started in Taichung and ended in the beautiful fishing village of Budai in Chiayi county. Although it was a hot day it turned out to be a fairly decent ride, especially towards the end of the day with some beautiful sunsets off the wetlands. It was also a weird day as, although I was riding fairly close to the sea, I didn't see it much. It would also prove to be the longest stretch I did on any day during my circumnavigation: it was a great ride.
The second installment on my "Cycling Around Taiwan" series. Day 2 started in Hsinchu and ended in Taichung with me in the emergency room of a hospital with a drip in my hand. It was hot and windy riding out of Hsinchu and since I was riding along the coast and into the wind I was exhausted by the end of the cycling trail in Hsinchu. Nevertheless, along the way I met some awesome people doing the same thing as me and at the end of it, it was a pretty good day even though it was tough.
The first installment on my "Cycling Around Taiwan" series. On April 10 2012 I set off on my bicycle to circumnavigate Taiwan. In total it took 11.5 days (although I was away from home for 15 days). On the day I left I woke up early to get an early start but it was raining in Taipei (as it had been for the previous many weeks). I was concerned I would have to delay another day but eventually the rain stopped and I was able to leave.
In 2010 when my mom visited Taiwan and in 2011 when my Mom, sister and nephew visited Taiwan I took them to Leofoo Village Theme Park for the day. The park is a pretty cool place for kids (expensive) but cool. There is a zoo (that can be viewed from a small train, lots of fun rides for adults and kids and they even have some shows.
In 2011 I took my visiting family to Leofoo Village Theme Park (六福村) where we saw a couple of monkeys doing some really strange/funny stuff. OK, I guess they were just being monkeys but it was still funny.
Monkey Grooming in Leofoo Village Theme Park (六福村)
So next week I am planning to start to circumnavigate Taiwan on my bicycle. Today I spend an obscene amount of money on getting accessories for my bike as well as getting the bike serviced. One of the accessories is the Garmin Edge 800 bicycle computer. Truly amazing little device but it is a pity the Taiwan maps on the device itself only come in Chinese. Anyway, the route above is the first ride I actually did with the device. I rode from the Giant Store in Neihu back to my apartment. Its cool that the event can be embedded in my blog so when (and if) I eventually do do any blogs on the trip, I can connect to the events on the Garmin page. Anyway, this is just a random testing post. I am sure you will see many more rides from my Garmin Edge up here.
We found this super little restaurant in the subway station near Tennoji park. They served the awesome Japanese style omelets and other fried up goodies. It was delicious! Added to that the waitresses and the other guests were really friendly too.
Queenie and I went out for a ride to Bitan (碧潭)in Xindian(新店). Its a quick 24km return trip from our home but a pleasant ride nonetheless. The first time we rode to Bitan (碧潭) was way back in 2008 (see Cycle Trip to Bitan (Hsin Tien).) Then it seemed so far but now it is just a regular round trip and a good exercise loop if pressed for time. It was a good ride today.
Beautiful Beautiful Bitan (碧潭) in Xindian(新店), Taiwan
Queenie took this picture in Beihai Park (北海公园) on our trip there in August 2010 with Mom. We removed the color and sharpened it up a bit and really liked the nostalgic feel the picture gives. It was a great trip and we were happy to visit Beihai. It was the first time for all of us as on our first trip there we didn't go in.
Staircase in Beihai Park (北海公园) (by Queenie)
Beihai Park (北海公园)is definitely worth visiting when in Beijing. And it is also worth paying extra to climb to the top and see the white Drogba (be warned, there are a lot of stairs). If you take your time it is easy. The views from the top are really awesome especially when looking over the lake with all the pedal boats floating on top. I guess summer it does get really crowded. Best to visit in the beginning of winter. Not so many people and not too cold.
Kandayan Dancing is one of the three dance forms from Sri Lanka. We went to watch it at the Kandyan Art Association & Cultural Centre which is next to the Temple of the Tooth and on the shores of the Kandy Lake. The dancing could have been better but it is worth going to see. At the end of the performance there was a fie dance which is done as a devotion to a god.
In early 2012 we were travelling on a bus from Tangelle to Matara along the South Coast of Sri Lanka. Just before we arrived in Matara I fell asleep and, when we arrived, I jumped off the bus, grabbed our big case and walked off the bus completely forgetting my day bag on the bus. That bag had US$2,000 worth of equipment and I did get it back.
Mr. Mr. Jagath helped me find my bag(If in Matara and you need a Tuk Tuk, give him a call at 077-059-9844)
Its a long time since either of us heard bagpipes in real life. Seen it on television but not in real life. When in London in early February 2012 we visited Trafalgar Square and saw to pipers in the square playing some of the more common tunes. It was great
Bagpipes on Westminister Bridge (by Queenie)
Listening to the bagpipes on this particular afternoon was special considering that in the morning it was snowing (see London Snow in Willesden Green). We were on our way to see the national gallery when we saw the bagpipe players. You can see them in the video below:
While I was making video of the players, Queenie managed to get a couple of pictures of them.
First Player (by Queenie)
Second Player in Trafalgar Square (by Queenie)
It was fun listening to them but they were busking and we did give them a few pounds each after watching and recording. And it was a cold day!
Weherahena Temple in the little southern Sri Lankan town of Matara is a small but interesting temple that has many wall murals/cartoons depicting interpretations of events in the life of Buddha. The temple is multi-story with awesome views from the top and amazing devotional ceremonies in the basement. It is worth the short detour out of Matara.
In early February we found ourselves in London in the middle of the snow. Having just come back from Sri Lanka the cold weather was a shock to the system but the snow was so beautiful. I went out to take some pictures and some video. Lucky I did! All the snow melted by the end of the day and there was no other snow for the duration of the trip.
Snow in Willesden Green
The snow covered trees and roads were really beautiful. The pictures and video were taken in the vicinity of Willesden Green Tube station where we were staying with my mom. The whole road must have been covered in the night but by the time we woke up the snow on the roads had been melted by the cars. Nevertheless there was enough to give us a beautiful, picturesque view of London in the snow. The video below is in my mom's neighborhood. Enjoy!
I also took a couple of pictures on the road. The first picture of a tree lined street covered in snow. The road was absolutely beautiful all dressed in white.
Every car parked outside was covered in snow as shown below. Some of the owners were trying to clean the snow off and warm up the engine. It seemed to be an unenviable task and for these owners, since it doesn't seem to snow too often in London, the task must be quite irritating: but still needed to be done.
The bicycles shown below were parked at the bike stand directly outside the entrance of the Willesden Green tube station. They didn't fare better than the cars.I would not be wanting to put my butt onto the saddle of any of those bikes. Despite this, I did see people warmly dressed up cycling down the road even in the middle of the snow.
The snow seemed to make even the most ordinary pavement a beautiful work of art. I could tell many of the Londoners were also surprised by the snow as many of them were taking pictures with their mobile phones. I suppose it is not normal in London anymore. The pavement below was truly beautiful and I really enjoyed walking around there. But at this point my hands were freezing.
The picture below is of St. Gabriel's Church, a couple of 100 metres down from Willesden Green tube station. The Church garden was covered in snow and it was a really beautiful sight. Funny story is that I tried to take a self portrait of myself so I mounted the camera on a pillar in the garden, set the auto-timer and then stepped backwards and tripped over an unseen object in the snow! I got back up but it was too late and my camera had jammed so I couldn't take the self portrait. Anyway, the Church and gardens around the Church were beautiful
London in the snow is beautiful. The last time we went to London it was also in the winter but we had perfect sunny skies for the full time we were there. We were happy to see London in the snow: if for only a morning. It was quite remarkable that by the afternoon/evening all the snow had melted and we didn't see any more snow after that.
On one of the mornings we were relaxing on Unawatuna's beautiful beach in the Southern Reaches of Sri Lanka, we saw this guy grab three seemingly stray dogs on the beach to give them each a wash. It was pretty funny.
These super amazing street performers were found along the London South Bank (just past the London Eye). It was a beautiful, sunny winter's day in London when we saw these amazing street performers: they will blow your mind.
One of the Amazing Poses
Four years on from our previous trip to London we found ourselves strolling along the South Bank of the Thames once again. It was a beautiful, sunny winter's day and as usual human statues and street performers were out in full: we were blown away by this one particular dance troupe. We wouldn't have believed some of the moves (especially at the end) unless we had seen it for ourselves. Amazing. Enjoy the video.
Mind blowing right? Hope you enjoyed and look forward to your comments as always.
We spent a great half and hour with a bunch of youngsters and other musicians watching them dance under a tree in Galle, Sri Lanka. They guys were so full of joy and happiness and we loved being with them and hanging out with them.
This monkey trainer/snake charmer was outside the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He was truly amazing. The video does say it all: one monkey and two king cobras. It was the end of the day and a pleasant show to end the first day in Colombo.
