Taiwan's Green Island! 綠島！

 

Welcome to Taichung!

 

Welcome to Kaohsiung. 歡迎來到高雄。

 

Taipei Goulet: Orchid Island 蘭嶼

 

Taipei Poulet: The Year of the Rooster

While in many western countries the holiday season revolves around Christmas, in Taiwan, Santa takes a side-seat to the dragons and lions of Chinese New Year.  As it is primarily a family holiday, celebrated with a reunion and feasts, I usually use the long break from work as an opportunity to travel abroad. 

2017's Chinese New Year trip began with a short flight to the gambling paradise of Macau.  

Due to a delayed flight, I arrived at my hotel shortly after midnight.    My hotel was far nicer from the budget holes in walls that I'd become accustomed to; it's unusual for me to not have to walk down the hall in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.  The hotel seemed to cater mostly to Chinese tour groups, perhaps filling their remaining rooms online for cheap.  My hotel was located adjacent to the historical Taipa old town. As I wanted to take full advantage of the brief stopover I hastily abandoned my luggage and set out on the town.

I really enjoy Macau's old districts;  the cobbled streets and distinctly non-Asian architecture stand in stark contrast to the adjacent incense filled Buddhist and Taoist temples, and even more still to the otherworldly casinos that tower off in the distance.  I managed to visit three of the massive mega-structures  (the Galaxy, the Venetian and the Parisian) before returning to my hotel for a short sleep.

After the long, late night, and on short sleep, I checked out of my hotel and headed into central Macau. Though I had visited Macau once before, I made an effort to revisit central Macau's many famous attractions before making my way to the airport for my afternoon flight to Bangkok.

I've been to Bangkok many times in the past and it remains to be one of favorite cities in the world. With incredible spiritual, traditional, orange-robed-monk-flecked temples steps away from the pulsating lights and pounding baselines of the cities nightclubs; Bangkok is a city of extraordinary contrasts, of which I can never seem to get enough. During this visit most recent visit I was able to meet with a long time friend who has been living in Thailand and whom I had not seen for over three years.   

While Bangkok is always a delight, I though it would be a shame not to spend some time on one of Thailand's many beaches. I chose to visit the popular seaside resort town, Hua Hin.   Hua Hin is famed as a favorite vacation spot of the Thai royal family, a popular weekend getaway destination for residents of Bangkok and,  most importantly for me, a short 2.5 hour drive from Bangkok. 

Hua Hin is a pleasant little seaside city with a lively night-market and several interesting sites. Among these sites is the town's historic railway station that is considered to be the most beautiful in Thailand; however Hua Hin's most popular attraction is it's six kilometer-long white sand beach.  

After just a couple of days at that beach, I headed back to the city for a few more days and nights among the chaos, color, and excitement of Bangkok.

While returning from Bangkok, I had a short stopover in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  I had just a couple of hours to enjoy some local food, and stroll around another city which I can never get enough of. 

Just two and a half weeks after returning from my Chinese New Year vacation came Taiwan's second national holiday of the year.  I utilized the long weekend by taking a brief trip to Saigon, Vietnam.

As another of my favorite Asian cities, I was very happy to come across a very cheap flight ticket to Saigon.   Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City is constantly changing and modernizing, and although I have visited four times now, it feels like a brand new city every time I am there.  

  

Not long after my trip to Vietnam, came one of my favorite long weekends of the year, Spring Break! Taiwanese spring break arrives at the first weekend of April, and as I have on this weekend for the past two years, I traveled to the southern tip of Taiwan for the best beach parties of the year.  This party weekend had exceeded my expectations in the past and 2017 was no exception.   Kenting 2017 created some amazing memories and I already can't wait for next year.

I was given fairly short notice that my employer would be observing a holiday on which in previous years I had always been required to work.   After a scan of the cheapest flights available I selected my next destination as Cebu, Philippines. Having visited the Philippines twice before, I was confident that the weather would be great and the people friendly, but Cebu remained relatively unknown to me.

Since I only had three days in Cebu, I wanted to ensure that I got some sun and beach time, in addition to some time exploring the second largest city in the Philippines.    Upon arrival at the airport, I took a taxi directly to a beach to soak in the sun. I paid to go to a private resort beach that featured white sands and blue water and also included a couple of beers.  

Cebu city, much like other cities in the Philippines that I have visited, is not beautiful, but it does have some interesting sights and great deal of the city is largely un-touristic, providing a filter free view of local life. 

Less than a month more of regular working life, and it was time for my next trip.  The mass majority of my trips abroad are short hops around Asia.  It was time to take a trip further afield.    A good friend of mine since high-school, was to be married in France, and we arranged to have a bachelor party weekend, in Barcelona before heading to the wedding venue.

The weekend in Barcelona with long-time friends was exceptional, we saw some sights, enjoyed delicious tapas and meals and, as with any bachelor party, a great deal more that is not be discussed.

Onward from Barcelona, we took a fleet of rental cars to the French city, Toulouse.  The drive was nice and we even had a chance to stop for a photo with the somewhat distant castle of Carcassonne.

With just one night in Toulouse it was difficult to see a great deal of the city.  I did, however, spend some time exploring as much of the city as I could before we departed for the wedding venue.

On the way to the Chateau, where the wedding was to be held, we were able to stop to stunning medieval cliff-side town, Rocamadour. Although a major tourist destination for French domestic tourists, Rocamadour's lack of transport links leave it relatively unknown to foreigners. 

Rocamadour is a pilgrimage destination dating nearly one thousand years.   The entire town clings to a cliff face like a Frenchman to a morning baguette.

We arrived at Chateau Durantie in the early evening.  Located in the French countryside, far from any major city, the Chateau is as beautiful as it is remote.   The grounds were an exceptional setting for the wedding with the chateau as backdrop.  The wedding day itself and the days that preceded it were fantastic;  I ate exceptional food, drank delectable beer and spent time with irreplaceable friends.

The morning after the wedding, I said farewell to my friends and the newly married couple and boarded a train to Bordeaux.

This was my first time to check-out France's second-city it in every way exceeded my expectations.    Bordeaux has modern shopping streets lined by historic buildings and the entire city is beset with beautiful cafe's, architecture and brasseries.  The laid back atmosphere of Bordeaux, for me, embodied the stereotype of a typical European city; in the evening's every patch of riverside grass was occupied by wine swilling picnickers.

From Bordeaux, I flew to the Portuguese capital, Lisbon.    Though I had been to Europe several times before, i had yet to travel to Portugal, and my arrival in Lisbon would make it the 57th country that I have visited.  Lisbon was beautiful and stunning in nearly every way.   The historic architecture, largely untouched by European wars, remains intact, as do the many cobbled streets.

Lisbon's cultural landscape is shaped by Portugal's extensive colonial conquests.  I was surprised to find such an eclectic mix of cultures living harmoniously in Lisbon.   Yet another surprise, that perhaps should not have come as one, was that the the streets of Lisbon reminded me of the old-districts of Macau, a former Portuguese colony.

After I returned to Taipei, the next major event in my life was my 31st birthday.      I celebrated with great friends, here in Taipei at a pool party and reflected on how wonderful the 31st year of my life had been.

As I do every year, I attended Taipei's Canada Day celebration on July 1st.   This year's party was the largest event since I have been in attendance; however, stormy weather dampened the day, but not the spirits of those attending.

My most recent trip, just two weeks ago, was to Busan, Korea.   While i have visited many East-asian countries multiple times, I had only previously visited Korea once before.   I remember being slightly disappointed by my first visit to Korea.  I had, foolishly, expected Korea to be just like Japan and failed to appreciate Korea for it's own appeal and worth.

Busan is Korea's second largest city, and it lies along the country's southern coast. The city is vastly spread along the coastline with widespread with multiple "city-centers" in addition to beautiful city beaches.

A highlight of my trip was a visit to a neighborhood that has come to be known as "The Santorini of Korea."   The Gamcheon cultural village is a densely packed and colorful stack of tiny houses flowing down to the sea from a hilltop.   While formerly a impoverished neighborhood, the local tourism authority recognized it's potential draw and it has now become one of most popular tourist destinations in Busan.

Fortunately, my vacation in Busan coincided with my Korean friend with whom I attended junior high's trip home to visit his family. It was great to catch up over some delicious Korean BBQ'd pork. As always, I'm delighted to see good, long-time friend's on this side of the world.

Busan is a beautiful, friendly and comfortable city with excellent scenery, food and nightlife and I am grateful to have had a chance to visit it a second time.





I'm now into the full swing of my summer-time work schedule, which is much busier, as the children are out of there daytime school and have more time to attend the extra-curricular schools at which I teach.

I'm currently looking forward to my next vacation which, I'm happy to say, will be to my home, Vancouver!!    I will be in Vancouver from August 26th until September 10th and I can't wait to spend time with my family and friends at home.