South East Asia & New Zealand

A 168-day adventure by Juliet Read more

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Kaohsiung street art & British embassy
October 31, 2019 in Taiwan ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
Kaohsiung is Taiwan's 2nd biggest city but still the roads are quiet, the shops open late and close early, not many tourists and much warmer but we now also start to see the trendy side of Taiwan. We headed out to see the cities sites, first up, Love river which was a longer walk than expected so we rewarded ourselves with a giant shaved ice - mine, matcha and red bean. Crossing the river I walked on to the Pier2 art centre (another train route turned art zone). The place is full of trendy boutiques, cafes and flower shops (they love an air plant here). Following the coast, I went up to the old British consulate which is up a decorated narrow alley. Reaching the top, there is a temple (where I got my fortune from a Japanese doll machine). The views from the sunset platform were great and you can have a quick look around the old building and the strange collection of English porcelain before heading down to the consulate house at the bottom. After dinner I visited the famous painted glass ceiling at Formosa Boulevard station.Read more
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Morning at Lotus lake
November 1, 2019 in Taiwan ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
A great day cycling round Kaohsiung! Picked up a city bike at the local park and rode all the way along the Love river, arriving at Lotus lake for an early lunch in a flower filled cafe serving huge steaming bowls of slow cooked beef and dumpling noodles. The lake has four riverside temples with amazing decor. I walked along the lake side taking in the Dragon and Tiger pagodas, Spring and Autumn pavilions, Zuoying Yuandi Temple and Kaohsiung Confucius Temple.Read more
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Afternoon at Lotus lake
November 1, 2019 in Taiwan ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
After exploring all the unique and stunning temples, I picked up another bike and cycled to Shoushan national park. Monkeys were everywhere… even following me around in the hope I'd get out a snack… therefore couldn't risk getting out my camera! The hike was a popular route for the senior generations to get their exercise. Unfortunately the natural spring to dunk your feet in after the hike had dried up.Read more
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Cijin Island
November 2, 2019 in Taiwan ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
A final morning in Kaohsiung before we headed to the next city; I used it to take the small ferry over to Cijin island. The island has been given over to a few factories but mainly it is a highly popular leisure spot for locals with cycle routes, Instagram spots, an old fort and lighthouse, market and shell museum.Read more
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Morning in Tainan
November 3, 2019 in Taiwan ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Tainan is the historic centre of Taiwan. First up Chihkan Tower, part of the original fort it was then a temple and school before being restored. Amping treehouse was next, originally the old Tait and Co trading office and warehouse, the banyan trees have taken over and it is now a museum. We learnt about the history of trading, the Dutch and English colonisation and a photography exhibition on frogs.Read more
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Afternoon in Tainan
November 3, 2019 in Taiwan ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
Next stop, Anping fort where got a free whistle stop tour in English. The fort was re-built during the Japanese occupation and they used it as government offices. Some of the original walls still exist, made with brick and held together with cement made from sticky rice and oyster shells. There is a new tower to climb for panoramic views across the old fort. The fort is surrounded by temples and there was a busy and noisy festival going on with fire crackers, dancing dragons and statues being paraded around. Final stop, the Golden eternal gate… more old walls from the fort. We pottered through the park next to it to the warship museum which has been made child friendly by the addition of teddy paintings to the outside. After dinner I stumbled across a dramatic overacted play outside a temple.Read more
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Central Tainan
November 4, 2019 in Taiwan ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
Explored central Tainan by foot on one of the signposted trails, taking in, Koxingas shrine/temple, Confucius temple, the city wall, Hayabi dept store (with the first elevator in Taiwan), First bank, cute street art, the museum of modern art and several temples. In the afternoon, we took the train to Taichung. The sun was setting as we arrived but we had time to explore the illuminated river (disappointing), painted animation lane, the martial arts centre (Japanese style) and the night market for epic hotpot.Read more
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Rainbow village
November 5, 2019 in Taiwan ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
The rainbow village was started by an old veteran to save his house from being demolished by the government. He began to paint cartoon characters on the outside in attempt to preserve his home, which worked. There are now several houses painted all over, and it is one of the most popular reasons to visit Taichung. Grandpa Rainbow still lives there aged 95.Read more
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Taichung crafts
November 5, 2019 in Taiwan ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
After brunch we visited the Shi Jen area which is known for its craft shops and handmade products. We came across a leather shops which let us make our own piece in just two hours; mine was a beautiful teal leather handbag. There was also a time-capsule postcard shop, where I posted a card to myself to arrive June 2024 for my 40th birthday. Finished off the day with the fluffiest souffle pancakes.Read more
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Sun Moon Lake
November 6, 2019 in Taiwan ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Taiwan's largest freshwater reservoir is a top weekend getaway for locals and it's easy to see why. The lake is a deep turquoise, has a bikeway, boat trips, cable car, hiking and temples. We rented bikes and hit the bikeway which goes around and over the west side of the lake, ending at the designer curved concrete visitors centre. Returning to the start, we began on foot in the opposite direction heading east to Wenwu temple. We (accidentally) reached the hillside temple at sunset, one of the best places to see the sun sinking down behind the lake. We just had time to look around the temple as night fell. A surprisingly large temple with a rooftop terrace overlooking the lake and fountains at the back.Read more
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Sun Moon Lake - Boat rides & cable cars
November 7, 2019 in Taiwan ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
Spent the morning rushing to see the opposite side of the lake. First we hopped on the ferry to Xuanguang and looked at the pavilion before heading 800m inland and up the hill. The temple is famous for housing some Buddhist relics but in reality the panoramic view over the lake was the best attraction. We ran back down to make the next ferry over to Ito, the other main town on the lakes edge, so we could ride the cable car. Unfortunately it doesn't go over the lake but instead you ride a quick 7 min up the hillside and over the forest to the entrance of a theme park based on the local aboriginal culture (we didn't have time to visit). Following another dash for the boat we made our way back across the lake to collect our luggage and jump on the coach to Taipei.Read more
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Taipei
November 8, 2019 in Taiwan ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
We took a great free walking tour of Taipei, taking in Longshan Temple (every kind of ancestor here to grant your wishes), Bopiliao Historical Block, Ximen Red House, Presidential Office, 228 Peace Memorial Park and the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. We had a student take us around and she taught us about the history of Taiwan, about modern culture and (importantly) took us to a traditional ice-cream store. We spent the afternoon looking round a unique shopping centre selling handcrafted goods and workshops to make them.Read more
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Yangmingshan park & Betiou hot springs
November 9, 2019 in Taiwan ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Morning hike to the top of Mt Quxing. Great hike although probably took longer to get to the start, as missed the bus stop. The hike up is concrete steps which is hard on the legs but it's an interesting route through tall grasses on the mountain side and then a bamboo forest with the path carved through it. I had to wear all my layers and I was still cold - no views from the top due to swirling fog! I head back down and caught the bus to Betiou hot springs. The town has a large turquoise thermal pond and more hotels than you can count but we took the local option and headed the public thermal baths. They were hot (I didn't make it into the 45C pool) and freezing and the locals made sure we totally submerged ourselves in the cold pools!Read more
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Dadaocheng district, Taipei
November 10, 2019 in Taiwan ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Dadaocheng is the historic centre of Taipei and it remains low rise and quaint despite being a popular hangout. It was buzzing on this Sunday morning (shops were open surprisingly early) with a large pedestrian zone, cute craft shops, trendy coffee shops, snacks carts and a busy temple. There are many shops here dating back 100 years and the low-rise architecture and historic buildings give it a peaceful vibe. The City God temple houses the God of love statue, and it was packed with people going to make offerings in their quest to find love. There was also a small museum dedicated to keeping cool, with the history of shaved ice and ice cream. Many of the shops are built around a courtyard which is lovely and keeps you cool. To the west of the main street you can cross the highway and walk along the riverside which seemed popular for bike rentals and the oldies were out playing croquet.Read more
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Elephant mountain
November 10, 2019 in Taiwan ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
At 4pm we headed off to Elephant mountain (hill) which overlooks the city. It's a short 30min hike to the top, luckily many people stopped about half way for their photos but we carried on up to the next platform where the view was better and less crowded. Many people were there to enjoy the sunset. Not the most spectacular, despite the clear day, but the sky glowed red and the lights came on across the city and Taipei 101 lit up. So many photo opportunities!Read more
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National Palace Museum
November 11, 2019 in Taiwan ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
Last day! Packed up and stowed our luggage at train station before heading to the National Palace Museum. One of the most visited museums in the world. The museum was started to safely store the Chinese artefacts of the Forbidden City, so the focus is art and artefacts from the great Chinese dynasties Lots of beautifully made items in all mediums some of it dating back to 200ad. The two most popular items are a jade stone carved into the shape of a Chinese cabbage and the other a polished stone which looks like a piece of pork belly. Not sure why they're so popular but it is a nation of food lovers! After the museum there was just time for a final bubble tea before heading to the airport.Read more
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Taiwanese food & drink
November 11, 2019 in Taiwan ⋅ 🌧 16 °C
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Cambodia
November 12, 2019 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
We arrived in Phnom Penh the day before the tour started and spent the morning relaxing by the pool before going out to see the annual Water festival. On my way I came across a few monuments, parks and the Royal Palace. The Water festival was packed with locals sitting along the river banks watch the racing, I found a pavilion where they had the racing commentary translated into English and good views along the river. The racing boats were insane holding up to 70 people, a mix of standing and sitting rowers and a dancing cox with a mic. The event was rounded off with a firework display and (possibly) the royal family driving back to the palace.Read more
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S21 Prison & the Killing Fields
November 13, 2019 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
Heavy start to the tour with two of the key memorial sites around Phnom Penh. First up the S21 prison which was a school converted into a prison for torturing those suspected of resistance to the reign of the Khmer Rouge. This was merely a holding house until they "confessed" their crimes and were sent for execution. About an hours drive out of the city we visited the Genocide memorial at one of the killing fields. Shockingly this is just one of hundreds of similar fields across the country. The stories told around the centre were horrific, including the executioners not having the correct tools so death was slow and painful for many.Read more
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Kayaking in Kampot
November 14, 2019 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Having got to know the group over drinks and dancing last night, we left the concrete city behind and headed out to the countryside. Our activity for the afternoon was kayaking and we headed to a small riverside restaurant where we had a delicious lunch before hitting the river for a little paddle. We stayed at the restaurant on their floating platforms and watched the sun go down. We had dinner at a restaurant near our hotel, beside a wide section of the river.Read more
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Cooking class at La Plantation
November 15, 2019 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Apparently Kampot pepper is famous (who knew!). We went to La Plantation, run by a French couple, for a cooking class and tour. We had a tour of the local wet market before cooking three traditional dishes for lunch; they were probably the best food we had in Cambodia. My job was to make coconut milk from grated coconut, it was rather therapeutic. After lunch we toured the grounds and then completed a pepper tasting - approx 15 different pepper combinations to try, with a full tasting assessment sheet, just like wine tasting but spicier.Read more
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On the hunt for fireflies
November 15, 2019 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
Not our first attempt at finding luminescent animals and equally as disappointing but we did enjoy floating down the river at sunset. When the captain deliberately backed the boat right into some bushes, we did spy a couple but they were far away. The boat dropped us in the local town for dinner.Read more
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Koh Rong
November 16, 2019 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
After our taxi driver tried to leave us at the wrong port, and we made it through the flooded, rubbish strewn and casino overrun Sihanoukville we made it to the beautiful island of Koh Rong. It was lovely to be back at the beach and the island had some spectacular sunsets. We had an extra guest in our room for the extent of our stay.Read more
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Snorkelling, diving and partying
November 18, 2019 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
More fun on Koh Rong, we spent a morning snorkelling before walking to the other side of the island for a nap on the beach and swimming. The island also hosted our first beach party which had a great light show, unfortunately the music was not so great. On our final day I got up early to go diving, first of many dives on the trip.Read more
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Siem Reap
November 19, 2019 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
Our journey to Siem Reap was meant to be a "luxury" sleeping bus... it was not. It wasn't even a sleeping bus and we were forced to change buses at 1am. Somewhat jaded we arrived in Siem Reap, at luckily a very nice hostel. We had a super smiley guide take us round the few sites in Siem Reap town. It's the most modern place we'd been in Cambodia and full of tourists just flying in to see Angkor wat. The afternoon was spent on the lake visiting the floating villages, including a sit down with our hosts in their house, which we almost sank as too many people tried to disembark at once. The guide introduced us to new snacks; lotus seeds and sweet sticky rice steamed in bamboo.Read more
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