Riviera Hotel Taipei

... to Xin Cheng station, the closest station to Taroko, which despite being closer it wasn't a major stop so the trains weren't as frequent. We couldn't get a ticket all the way back to Taipei, but instead had to get seats to a certain point, stand and then get off at Luo Dong. Daniel said there was a bus that goes from there back to Taipei and it may be quicker as it cuts through a tunnel so I was OK with that. It didn't take long at ...

I spent the morning anxiously wandering the blocks surrounding the hostel, hoping to waste time and/or find bubble tea. Eventually, I decided on an appropriate time to check out and did so, with no sign of my roommate. I asked the woman at the desk if she wouldn't mind rewriting an address that I had written in Chinese so that the driver could understand it, but she replied that she did not know how to write Chinese. So, I left and hailed a taxi. The driver was very ...

(Well, thanks to my wandering left eyeball, I happened to notice something on a map in Kobe, and with a little detective work - Sherlock Holmes would be proud! - I found out that one can indeed take a shortcut from Kobe to Osaka's Kansai airport. It takes half the time, and costs half as much (and it's not advertised), and it sure beats taking the train or bus 270 degrees around Osaka Bay.) Like an efficient Japanese rendition of "Planes, Trains and ...

... floor on the airplane and a near private cabin. Random observations include 1. People that travel must really get smelly because I've never seen so much perfume for sale 2.long live the universal symbol for "home page". 3. Chinese writing really does look way cooler then English.

... hat kein Englisch auf seiner "Speisekarte"). Ich wuerde ja schon gerne wissen was ich bestelle... Es gibt natuerlich auch noch Foodstalls am Strassenrand, wo man das Essen anschauen kann, aber das ist eigentlich nur snack food und so richtig leckeres habe ich da auch nicht gesehen (Tofu, Wuerste (was da wohl drin sein mag) und die Chinesen lieben mehr die interessanten Dinge von Tieren, zB Schweinsfuesse, Fischkopf, Rinderlunge und so). Gruss Ralf

So far, 2007 is the best year in travel for me. I finally reached a lifelong goal of "100 countries by 40" (now I've been to 106). Aside from my overland, 10 country trip in Africa, I made another trip to the Balkans (also my 14th Euro-trip), and finally, took an Alaskan cruise with my parent. So two of my "Top 10 Places I Wanted to Visit but Hadn't been to" at the beginning of 2007 were just visited. Another former Top 10, Venezuela, due to its crazy president (not because his anti-Bush ...

I'm having a dilemma, should I continue writing about Japan, since that's when I left off my blog almost 2 months ago, or should I refresh my own memory and all yours about the goings on in the last 2 crazy months I have had in Taiwan. Months full of turmoil, self-doubt, disappointment, a job switch, a birthday, a bunch of typically Taiwanese trips and a bunch of me lying on the couch after 12 hours of work fully psychologically and physically drained. Everyone has always told me that life ...

... which I can avoid politely. Another man talks to me in English. He is the primary school teacher in a village in Miaoli and joins the 2-days trip to Jiaochi. The trip is organized by the local farmers' association in Miaoli. I tell them that I had been in Miaoli's Nanchuang, Donghe and Ponlai with a Brazilian samba drummer a few weeks ago and now walk around Taiwan. They are surpised about what I do, as almost everyone is, and wish me luck and ...

... The alum was in charge of ordering us our dinner. I couldn't tell you exactly what I ate. I can just say that most of it was good, and much of it was frightening. We were back at the hotel by twelve. This was Dennis' last night on tour, so we said good-bye and went upstairs to pack. I was meeting Rachel, from Fordham, and Jay, from Thunderbird at 6:00 AM for our car to the airport. We were heading back to Hong Kong.

... are the best times to balance the hot temperature of summer, the south and the plains and the cold temperatures of winter, the north and the mountains. This is important as my walk will lead me alternately from the mountains to the sea and the north to the south and back to the north of Taiwan. If I do not want to carry a too heavy backpack, my limited clothes have to work for all situations. My backpack: The whole luggage should ...