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Tai好wan了

Typhoon Megi couldn't keep us down.

By gent

October 16^th, 2016

THIS TIME'S the charm

Whenever you go on a holiday, a typhoon is probably the last thing you’d want to expect, but as my luck would have it, of course that would be that very thing that tries its best to ruin my trip. Well.. apart from losing my classic Braun watch and suddenly having airlines ban the Samsung Galaxy Note7 that I had to abandon, that is. Damn it, world, you tried.

Sometimes a country calls you back for reasons strong enough to igno.. uh meticulously weigh the odds and brave the risks of a typhoon for. Turns out Taiwan - or what some people call the Chinese Japan - just had way more to offer than I’d ever known before. It’s also great that this time I had the exact company I needed on any trip.

So in case I run out of words halfway through the photographs below, our trip route took us from the beautiful mountainous beach town of Hualien, to the tranquil suburban town of Taichung, and then back to a bustling Taipei city (read: I dislike Taipei the most) where we actually found some bits of serenity in.

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Well of course we had to leave the country via the best airport in the world. Never change, Changi Airport. You're awesome.

Did we make a mistake as soon as we touched down and boarded the wrong train headed in what was fortunately the same direction we were supposed to and so we spent an hour just standing around in the cabins hoping a Train To Busan incident won’t happen?

Maaaaaaaybe.

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Oh man. As soon as we reached our living space at Hualien, we were greeted by the warmest hosts of a father and daughter team who’d moved there around 15 years ago. They own the farm around our cabins, made their own keep, and most importantly, the hospitable father straight out invited us to drop our things to try his home-made rice wines.

Couldn’t have been a better start after that minor train boo-boo. Also holy shit are his wines delicious.

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Imagine waking up to a little kitty outside your door and then chomping down on the most flaky bread holding some delectable beef pastrami before some flavourful wanton and finally washed down by local coffee.

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Other sets of guests from Hong Kong and Taipei at our AirBnB.

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This is Taroko Gorge. Honestly, we hiked up this place and we just have no words.

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Did we expect to find good food up in the mountains? Not a chance.

Did we actually get great food? WE DID. OMG WE DID.

By some luck, again, we scored the juiciest smokey wild boar sausage and some crazy good bamboo sticky rice dipped in sesame and sugar. If you’re European or American, or French, for the love of God please stop embarrassing yourselves on overseas trips (yes yes, #NotAll but too many of you do) and try some local foodstuffs. If the rest of us have to deal with your food and believe they are the best (they’re really not), Asian food deserves equal chance. You might be disappointed, or not. Give it a go?

Perhaps this would’ve worked better with a video (which I have), but man those waves below were torrential.

I won’t tell you how to live your life, but it’s great to have a waterproof phone and camera in these situations.

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Lifehack: Don’t wear your favourite Nike Flyknit Racers to hike unless you’re made of money.

Here’s where you discover slowly that when you’re travelling with me, I take a lot of learned calculated risks on holidays because discovering the world is fun. I know you’re reading this Ma, and I’m fine aren’t I.

If you somehow managed to hover over this photo and read this, so, uh, we were led to a very hush hush spot by a very local fellow.

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A hidden hot spring in the hole of a mountain side? Oh heck yes.

Did I mention the gushing river right beside the secret hot spring spot?

The Seven-star Lake // Qi Xing Tan 七星潭

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So much food at Hualien night market. We were a little sad to see on television a couple days later that the entire area was devastated by Typhoon Megi but I’m sure the people are resilient.

On our way to Taichung.

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All that buzz about Feng Jia Night Market 逢甲夜市

If you thought hipster coffee houses couldn’t get harder to find…

…we didn’t even expect to find this. I was looking for a washroom.

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Sun Moon Lake // 日月潭

What’s a holiday without being a little bit of a fool heehee

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Did we stumble on an aboriginal theme park that was way more exciting than we thought?

Sometimes just not not having the habit of planning is the greatest thing I’ve ever chosen to be great at.

Most times.

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You know, being able to cycle overseas is one of the best experiences. Taiwan’s a country built for cycling and there’s just nothing to stop you from doing so on even the tightest budgets. Respect life, respect the movement, and you’ll receive the same.

Can’t say the same about Singapore where I live in. There’s just so much more for the country to learn even as a first-world country.

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Always. Always keep your partner fed and that smile will never leave.

Once again, did we plan to visit this hip street?

Nope. But the brand new Google Trips app did lead bring us here.

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I’d never seen someone have this much fun at a museum but we had a smashing time.

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Taipei. The last leg. The one place closest to where we desperately tried escaping from.

It wasn’t bad, but it’s no Hualien.

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Electronic bikes are the future, everybody. And they have arrived at Maokong.

Friends call me dramatic. I fail to see why…

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Possibly our favourite place in Taipei. It’s only Asia’s largest zoo.

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I spent a long time at this enclosure. Possibly the saddest animal photo I've ever taken.

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This is an actual snout of a giant crocodile. Weird man.

Yeah sorry I love lu rou fan (minced pork rice) like no other.

Make a visit to the area //around// the Red House. It’s got some pretty cool joints for the barflys (barflies?) amongst you.

Beitou was WONDERFUL. First of all, it was far enough away from Taipei city.

Second of all would you look at that view? Other than being a hot spring hotspot, we just about scored some of the most awesome iced red tea and beef noodles we literally stumbled upon while checking out the local market.

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And off we went to the Museum of Contemporary Art where we happened to be creeped out way more than we hoped but hey, art right?

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Well I mean Pokemon just had a great comeback season so what the hey.

Again, did we plan to visit this quaint place and discover the beauty of art AND bagel sandwiches?

Not a chance. Totally stumbling through life really works for holidays, at least for me, and this time it’s just WOW.

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Wish I had more to share like there wasn’t already enough, but a trip’s gotta end.

See you in Japan next year.

Or somewhere else in between.

You know the drill.

Screw planning. Wing it. Have fun.

Go away.

Footnotes

Photographs taken with a Fujifilm X-Pro 2 + Fujinon XF16mmF1.4 R WR + Fujinon XF56mmF1.2 R. By her and I. If you take these photos without asking, we will turn you into shoes.

Button Label

FootNotes

Photographs taken with a Fujifilm X-Pro 2 + Fujinon XF16mmF1.4 R WR + Fujinon XF56mmF1.2 R. By her and I. If you take these photos without asking, we will turn you into shoes.

The One Rally I Made It To

Tai好wan了

Typhoon Megi couldn't keep us down.

FootNotes

General Elections, Singapore, 2025

November 19^th, 2023

November 19^th, 2023

December 17^th, 2022

March 26^th, 2022

September 29^th, 2020

FootNotes

General Elections, Singapore, 2025

November 19th, 2023

November 19th, 2023

December 17th, 2022

March 26th, 2022

September 29th, 2020

November 19^th, 2023

November 19^th, 2023

December 17^th, 2022

March 26^th, 2022

September 29^th, 2020