Kaohsiung street art & British embassy

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. WeLæs mere
Morning at Lotus lake

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 hugeLæs mere
Afternoon at Lotus lake

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 aLæs mere
Cijin Island

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 highlyLæs mere
Morning in Tainan

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 andLæs mere
Afternoon in Tainan

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 stillLæs mere
Central Tainan

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,Læs mere
Rainbow village

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, whichLæs mere
Taichung crafts

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 aLæs mere
Sun Moon Lake

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 rentedLæs mere
Sun Moon Lake - Boat rides & cable cars

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 famousLæs mere
Taipei

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 PeaceLæs mere
Yangmingshan park & Betiou hot springs

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 anLæs mere
Dadaocheng district, Taipei

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 largeLæs mere
Elephant mountain

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 theLæs mere
National Palace Museum

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 theLæs mere
Taiwanese food & drink

Cambodia

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, parksLæs mere
S21 Prison & the Killing Fields

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 theLæs mere
Kayaking in Kampot

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 aLæs mere
Cooking class at La Plantation

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 traditionalLæs mere
On the hunt for fireflies

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 someLæs mere
Koh Rong

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 wasLæs mere
Snorkelling, diving and partying

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 greatLæs mere
Siem Reap

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, atLæs mere