In this post I cover Taroko National Park’s Shakadang Trail, a bit on Truku history, millet, weaving and Taroko trip planning. My day trip from Hualien to Taroko Gorge was epic. I went solo and on public transportation. I took 6 buses and hiked on 5 trails. By far my favorite hike was the Shakadang …
Unexpected Delights in Taroko, Taiwan: mountain millet mochi and more Read More »
A couple days after my family joined me in Taiwan, we went swimming in the rural mountains of Miaoli County, where my mom grew up. In the 15 minutes between emerging from the water and putting on insect repellent, my 10-year-old kid racked up over 100 intensely itchy insect bites. “We didn’t see any mosquitoes!” …
This super pod of pantropical spotted dolphins (熱帶點斑原海豚) showed off their acrobatic swimming and played with our boat when we went out with the Jin Ling whale and dolphin watching company in Chenggong Harbor (晉領 賞鯨 台東成功 ) on a rainy morning on June 28, 2023. The captain expertly navigated the turbulent waters to find …
A few days ago I decided to go to Yangmingshan National Park, northeast of Taipei and Beitou, where I was staying. It is a beautiful and lush subtropical volcanic mountain ecosystem with geothermal activity. I visited many years ago as a young adult and wanted to return with my new interest in birds and ecology, …
Unambitious travel: learning how to stop when things are “good enough” Read More »
I arrived in Beitou early on a drizzly Wednesday morning, exhausted and achy from a cramped and sleepless 14-hour flight. Fortunately, the apartment I booked had a hot springs tub and piped the jade green “magical waters” right from the source, flowing from the volcanic Thermal Valley. Hoo boy, was I looking forward to that! …
During the Covid pandemic I built up a many-layered shell. Like the deep sea “volcano snail,” I formed multiple types of protection against my own version of a high pressured, high temperature acidic hellscape. I am a physician specializing in viral illnesses. The pandemic was my war, and at times it was a psychological hell. …
Breaking through my pandemic shell to travel abroad again Read More »
There are 7 species of sea turtles in the world, and all are endangered or vulnerable (green, hawksbill, olive ridley, leatherback turtles have lived in Malaysia; other species include loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley, flatback and leatherback). In Malaysia, all but two have become extinct or functionally extinct (not laying eggs). The two that are endangered but …
Sea turtle hatching at the Bubbles Turtle Conservation Project, Malaysia Read More »
The clear, ethereal cerulean blue waters surrounding the Perhentian islands are a snorkeler’s paradise. I was able to walk off the beautiful white sand beach at the Bubbles Eco-resort and turtle conservation area (http://bubblesdc.com/) and easily swim into coral beds and see interesting sea life…a variety of sea cucumbers, sponges, coral fish like parrot fish …
Underwater life at the Perhentian islands, Malaysia Read More »
One of my favorite ways to get to know a new place is to visit the local market and when possible cook or assemble a meal using fresh local ingredients. . I just visited my uncle in Zhuhai, a seaside city in Guangdong province between the financial powerhouses of Hong Kong and Macau. You can …
Gongbei market and seafood feast in Zhuhai, China Read More »
One of the easiest ways to get to Southern mainland China if you’re traveling internationally is to land in Hong Kong International Airport and take a ferry from the SkyPier. What I didn’t realize when I tried to do this (and it’s not obvious from the many maps and websites I read about the SkyPier) …
Getting to mainland China from Hong Kong Airport by ferry: don’t make the mistake I did! Read More »
