A scenic way to go to see The Big Buddha statue on Lantau Island is via the Ngong Ping 360 cable car. I was thankful my friend (of Hong Kong origin) suggested getting a ticket online in advance. When I got to the entrance, there was a long queue to buy tickets and only one … Continue reading / view photos From the Big Buddha to the fishing village
Category: Travel
Monsters and Dragons
My friend and I met, coincidently, where the tram terminated the previous day — at Shau Kei Wan, the east-end of Hong Kong Island. From there, we took a minibus to the beginning of our walk, called the Dragon’s Back. The minibus we took is renowned for going fast. It was like being in a … Continue reading / view photos Monsters and Dragons
The Peak
The Peak is the local name for Victoria Peak. It’s also known as Mount Austin and is the highest point (552m) on Hong Kong Island. Tourists flock to it. A popular way of going up is to use the funicular tram. First opened in 1888, it has been repeatedly renovated. The most recent refresh finished … Continue reading / view photos The Peak
Hong Kong – arrival
All over Taiwan I saw small design features that made people’s lives easier. I saw two more today. The first was on the airport express train. It had USB points under the arm rests (which is common) and a wireless phone charging point (which is less common). The second was at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. … Continue reading / view photos Hong Kong – arrival
Jackwell Cafe and Guang Hua Digital Plaza
Kerry, #AccordianKerry on Instagram, was the person who befriended lots of people at the Taipei hostel and brought them together. She knew everyone’s story. Formerly a teacher in Canada, Kerry had sold her house and now travelled around, busking where she could. She was in Taipei to see her sons, who lived here. When I … Continue reading / view photos Jackwell Cafe and Guang Hua Digital Plaza
Yehliu Geopark, Jiufen and Shifen
When I first arrived in Taipei, I came across a day tour to three popular places just outside Taipei. Normally, I make my own way to places I want to visit because quite often you come across other interesting places on the way. However, seeing these three places would require more than one day trip. … Continue reading / view photos Yehliu Geopark, Jiufen and Shifen
Art and stinky tofu
On another supposedly quiet day, I went to the Fine Arts Museum. It was only whilst writing this post that I saw the museum’s resemblance to the shipping container Starbucks I went to in Hualien a few days ago. The highlight for me was a retrospective of René Burri’s work and life. The name rang … Continue reading / view photos Art and stinky tofu
A wooden library in Beitou
On my second day back in Taipei, I took the train to Beitou. Beitou is at the northern end of Taipei and is famous for its hot springs. It still has a Japanese feel to it even though Japan handed over Taiwan to China in 1945. I went to Beitou to chillout at the wooden … Continue reading / view photos A wooden library in Beitou
Return to Taipei
I returned to Taipei after my stay in Hualien. My circumnavigation of Taiwan was complete. I’d initially wondered what I would do for three and a half weeks. Now I realised I needed much more time to see this beautiful country. It repeatedly surprised me. My plan was to take it easy in Taipei, to … Continue reading / view photos Return to Taipei
Coffee and books
I took it easy on my last day in Hualien. I went to Starbucks. But not an ordinary Starbucks. It was built from recycled shipping containers and designed by Japanese architect, Kengo Kuma. Afterwards, I went to the central library. It had themed reading areas (e.g., a Japanese area had tatami mats and you sat … Continue reading / view photos Coffee and books