Can you think of a word to describe a person who has the following thought process:
Showing posts with label scooter adventure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scooter adventure. Show all posts
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Day 6: A washout
5/30
I think I keep losing focus on my goal for this trip... I was thinking I could stick it out in the rain... I would have missed some great scenery along the way.
I think I keep losing focus on my goal for this trip... I was thinking I could stick it out in the rain... I would have missed some great scenery along the way.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Day 5: Taroko Gorge
5/29
I can't imagine being at Taroko without a scooter. It was so easy for me to zip around the bus traffic and pull over whenever I felt a picturesque moment. On that note, there is no justice in pictures of this place.
I can't imagine being at Taroko without a scooter. It was so easy for me to zip around the bus traffic and pull over whenever I felt a picturesque moment. On that note, there is no justice in pictures of this place.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
The Ultimate Map
10 days of scootering down the east coast of Taiwan.
Here's what I wrote about it.
Here's how I did it:
Here's what I wrote about it.
Here's how I did it:
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Ups and Downs
Day 3: Wufengchi Waterfall Trifecta and the Highway from Hell
After a solid night's sleep at Surfer Inn, I got a good start on Day 3. I hopped back on the highway and went south towards Ilan city (which I had been aimlessly exploring the previous day, looking for a hostel). Armed with my Lonely Planet guide book and some random tourists maps I'd collected along the way, I searched for something to do. Wufengchi Waterfall was next on my to do list.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
What goes up...
Day 2: Sandiaojiao, Caoling Trail (Dali), Wai'ao
Bearing in mind my closing thought from Day 1, I woke up at around 4:00 am on Day 2. Longmen campsite is only a few miles away from Sandiaojiao, which happens to be the most eastern point in Taiwan. How can you visit a sight like this at a time other than sunrise?
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Hating Life 2
I'm back from my scooter adventure! Both my scooter and I made it back in one piece (that's one piece each, although it feels as though we are conjoined). I did a lot of sightseeing and took about 1,000 pictures. I only got back a few hours ago, so you can't possibly expect this post to be about my trip. Instead I bring you...
More dogs in Taiwan that hate their lives...
No, this is not a stylish new t-shirt. To make matters worse, this guy (yes) was so proud to have me take the picture.
Found this little guy in Taroko Gorge being carted around in a little doggy cart. He may hate his life, but sled dogs are green with envy.
"How can this adorable thing hate his life??" you ask. Well, he doesn't exactly have a home. And he was swarming with flies. And I stopped to take a picture of him, not feed him, making him a certified Life-Hater.
I feel terrible putting this picture up, but this is not an uncommon sight. This dog is actually offended that I am posting pictures of dogs wearing clothes and claiming they hate their lives. This is the reason why I attended an event and contributed to helping the ever-growing Taiwan SPCA.
This dog... wait, is that a deer? Given their current relative situations, that dog in the background loves its life. The rope around that deer's neck is just long enough for it to stand up, making that deer a Life-Hater for sure.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
...East Coast
(props to you if you get the reference in the title)
I'm outa here! I'm taking my trusty (knock on wood) scooter down the scenic East Coast of Taiwan!
Tomorrow I'll be making a pit stop at the eastern most point of Taiwan, and over the following 2 weeks, the plan is to make it down the coastal highway all the way to the southern most point, and back up. I lost interest in actually circling the entire island when I started actually mapping out the route. East side is where it's at.
If you are interested to see where I'm going, check out these 2 sites:
...or just wait until I come back, and you can see all my pictures.
See ya later!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
The Beach Over the Mountain
(a photographic adventure. as always, click the pictures for a better view.)
On the way up and over the mountain, Rory and I stopped at an abandoned building...
On the way up and over the mountain, Rory and I stopped at an abandoned building...
Next we stopped at a National Park "no swimming area"....
...for a swim
We finally got to the beach in Wanli....
...which was where we decided to land our spacecraft.
We found a what must be a real estate gold mine....
...filled with creepy, abandoned, oddly-shaped beach bungalows right on the water.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
I never knew...
Even though it rained almost every single day during Chinese New Year, I made a point to get out and try to and explore the north of Taiwan. Prior to this vacation, my view of Taiwan was restricted to the cool, yet polluted city of Taipei, and the smaller, polluted city that I live in. With a scooter, and a fresh spark of energy from some new foreigners, we set out to see more than cement and parks.
First stop: Wulai. About a 1 hour bus ride south of Taipei, deep in the mountains, there is a beautiful aboriginal town, famous for hot springs and a waterfall. There is a cable car going to the top of the waterfall, where there is a huge resort. Although it was a bit far away, the scenery was refreshingly exotic.
Next stop: Keelung. There was an attempt to explore the NE coast of Taiwan, but pouring rain stopped that, so we settled for some of the best seafood in Taiwan in downtown Keelung near the harbor on the Northeast.
Next stop: Pingxi. Another small place deep within the mountains, yet a very short distance from Taipei City. Pingxi is where the Lantern Festival is, where people write their wishes for the New Year on a lantern and set it adrift. Again, the rain put a damper on a lot potential exploring.
Next stop: Wanli. More specifically, Yehliu Geopark. Wind, rain, and ocean waves can do some serious damage over time in terms of erosion, and we saw some of the crazy rock shapes that have been in the works for a long time (like "the Queen Head"). Another place I would have enjoyed more had it not been freezing and pouring, but a trip to the steaming Xinbeitou hot springs took care of potential frostbite.
Final stop: a mountain trip through Shijr on my trusty scooter. As crappy as I sometimes make where I live sound, a 15 minute scooter ride in any direction (except towards Taipei) brings you to a beautiful mountain road where you can give your lungs a bath and forget what apartment buildings look like. On the only decent day of the whole vacation, I had coffee on a peak with a 360 view of the mountain ranges of northern Taiwan.
Basically, rain sucks and Taiwan is a cool place, given the appropriate weather and transportation.
First stop: Wulai. About a 1 hour bus ride south of Taipei, deep in the mountains, there is a beautiful aboriginal town, famous for hot springs and a waterfall. There is a cable car going to the top of the waterfall, where there is a huge resort. Although it was a bit far away, the scenery was refreshingly exotic.
Next stop: Keelung. There was an attempt to explore the NE coast of Taiwan, but pouring rain stopped that, so we settled for some of the best seafood in Taiwan in downtown Keelung near the harbor on the Northeast.
Next stop: Pingxi. Another small place deep within the mountains, yet a very short distance from Taipei City. Pingxi is where the Lantern Festival is, where people write their wishes for the New Year on a lantern and set it adrift. Again, the rain put a damper on a lot potential exploring.
Next stop: Wanli. More specifically, Yehliu Geopark. Wind, rain, and ocean waves can do some serious damage over time in terms of erosion, and we saw some of the crazy rock shapes that have been in the works for a long time (like "the Queen Head"). Another place I would have enjoyed more had it not been freezing and pouring, but a trip to the steaming Xinbeitou hot springs took care of potential frostbite.
Final stop: a mountain trip through Shijr on my trusty scooter. As crappy as I sometimes make where I live sound, a 15 minute scooter ride in any direction (except towards Taipei) brings you to a beautiful mountain road where you can give your lungs a bath and forget what apartment buildings look like. On the only decent day of the whole vacation, I had coffee on a peak with a 360 view of the mountain ranges of northern Taiwan.
Basically, rain sucks and Taiwan is a cool place, given the appropriate weather and transportation.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Is there a Dr. in the house?
It's been more than 8 months since I've had a Dr. Pepper, the delicious beverage which has been the single item that I miss the most from home.
Taiwan has a lot of great things, unique to the country, but also a lot of things that are imported or otherwise distributed globally. But even in Costco, the mecca for imported/western food, there isn't a Dr. Pepper to be found. Since I've been in Taiwan, I've searched and read comment threads on the internet regarding the subject. For too long I've been yearning for the 23 flavors of the drink I once dubbed as "the new water."
A few weeks ago, Forrest Gump was on TV, and after watching him drink 15 Dr. Peppers at the White House, I took my craving to my Facebook status ("Johnny Fleckenstein would do unspeakable things for a Dr. Pepper"). To my astonishment, I had two people reply that they actually had cans of DP in Taiwan. Not long after that, I heard that a teacher at my school returned from Guam with a few cans! With so much evidence of it actually being in the country, I had my heart set on the fact that I was finally going to get my hands on some!
I did some research and talked to a few people and found out where the end of the rainbow was: Jake's Country Kitchen in Tianmu, which is north of Taipei City, and a solid hour of travel time no matter what transportation you use. Of course, I just recently purchased a scooter so I decided to log a few more miles and make the trek.
On Thursday afternoon, I took to the streets of Taipei in the middle of rush hour, practically eating my way through the pollution. The entire way I had a nervous feeling, as if I was on my way to ask the hottest girl in school to prom. What do I say? Do I cut right to the chase? For the entire 1 hour and 10 minute trip, I replayed different scenarios in my head, sometimes drinking it very fast, sometimes taking small sips to savor it, and fantasizing about buying a case and stocking up.
When I finally arrived in Tianmu, I parked my scooter, took one last look in my small side-view mirrors and stepped into Jake's.
"Do you want eat here or take out?"
"Um... uh. Well... I heard you have Dr. Pepper."
"No Dr. Pepper."
"What? Why?"
"We sold out."
I still have a bruise on my chin from when my jaw hit the floor as I stared at the drink menu and saw where Dr. Pepper had been crossed out. Feelings of rejection, defeat, depression, and shock took over my body as I sat down. Not wanting to leave empty handed after such a long journey, I settled for a bacon cheeseburger and a lousy Coke.
When I left, I asked when they were going to get Dr. Pepper again.
"Never. No more."
Those words, spoken like daggers going into my soul, haunt my dreams every night. And so the quest continues...
Taiwan has a lot of great things, unique to the country, but also a lot of things that are imported or otherwise distributed globally. But even in Costco, the mecca for imported/western food, there isn't a Dr. Pepper to be found. Since I've been in Taiwan, I've searched and read comment threads on the internet regarding the subject. For too long I've been yearning for the 23 flavors of the drink I once dubbed as "the new water."
A few weeks ago, Forrest Gump was on TV, and after watching him drink 15 Dr. Peppers at the White House, I took my craving to my Facebook status ("Johnny Fleckenstein would do unspeakable things for a Dr. Pepper"). To my astonishment, I had two people reply that they actually had cans of DP in Taiwan. Not long after that, I heard that a teacher at my school returned from Guam with a few cans! With so much evidence of it actually being in the country, I had my heart set on the fact that I was finally going to get my hands on some!
I did some research and talked to a few people and found out where the end of the rainbow was: Jake's Country Kitchen in Tianmu, which is north of Taipei City, and a solid hour of travel time no matter what transportation you use. Of course, I just recently purchased a scooter so I decided to log a few more miles and make the trek.
On Thursday afternoon, I took to the streets of Taipei in the middle of rush hour, practically eating my way through the pollution. The entire way I had a nervous feeling, as if I was on my way to ask the hottest girl in school to prom. What do I say? Do I cut right to the chase? For the entire 1 hour and 10 minute trip, I replayed different scenarios in my head, sometimes drinking it very fast, sometimes taking small sips to savor it, and fantasizing about buying a case and stocking up.
When I finally arrived in Tianmu, I parked my scooter, took one last look in my small side-view mirrors and stepped into Jake's.
"Do you want eat here or take out?"
"Um... uh. Well... I heard you have Dr. Pepper."
"No Dr. Pepper."
"What? Why?"
"We sold out."
I still have a bruise on my chin from when my jaw hit the floor as I stared at the drink menu and saw where Dr. Pepper had been crossed out. Feelings of rejection, defeat, depression, and shock took over my body as I sat down. Not wanting to leave empty handed after such a long journey, I settled for a bacon cheeseburger and a lousy Coke.
When I left, I asked when they were going to get Dr. Pepper again.
"Never. No more."
Those words, spoken like daggers going into my soul, haunt my dreams every night. And so the quest continues...
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