Taiwan - A Tale of Three Cities

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Taiwan - A Tale of Three Cities

If Taiwan is mentioned in the news, it’s usually with reference to the question: “when will China invade?” But meanwhile, as the world waits to find the answer to this, 22 million people are getting on with living their lives on a green, mountainous island.

So, what is Taiwan like? Is it a good place to visit? Is there much to see and do? We wanted to find out for ourselves. Unfortunately, we only had one week, so we decided to split our time between three cities: Taipei, the capital; Hualien on the east coast; and Kaoshiung in the south-west. Here’s how we spent our week.

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Ten Tips for First-time Travellers to Japan

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Ten Tips for First-time Travellers to Japan

During a recent trip to Japan a few simple things made the travel experience a little easier and a little more enjoyable. There are many travel blog posts and vlogs which provide useful travel tips for Japan.  A lot cover the etiquette that is so much a part of Japanese culture; or great places to visit such as onsen and sacred shrines; or how to buy shinkansen (bullet train) tickets, to name but a few topics.  But for us, these ten simple things are what we’d recommend to any first-time traveller to Japan.

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10 Day Kyushu Circuit, Japan

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10 Day Kyushu Circuit, Japan

Kyushu is the most southerly of Japan’s four main islands. It is renowned for its warm climate, volcanoes, onsen (hot springs), fascinating history and excellent food; all good reasons to visit. In late August/early September 2023 we did a 10-day circuit around Kyushu. We travelled with our sons, Alex and Zac, so it was a real family affair. Here is our journey – hopefully it will inspire a visit of your own. 

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Return to Haw Par Villa - Singapore

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Return to Haw Par Villa - Singapore

We first visited Haw Par Villa (HPV) in December 2014.  It is a well-known attraction amongst local Singaporeans but doesn’t get a lot of attention in tourist literature aimed at overseas visitors. It is, for want of a better term, a Chinese Culture and Mythology theme park. In 2014 we described it as Asia’s weirdest theme park. In early 2023 we were back in Singapore and decided to revisit HPV to see how it had fared over the intervening years.

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A Little Bit of Lao

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A Little Bit of Lao

In February 2023 we did a 10 day trip to the Lao Democratic Peoples Republic (Laos). As it was a relatively short visit, we chose to go to just three locations: Vientiane (the capital), Phonsavan (the home of the evocatively named Plain of Jars), and Luang Prabang (the previous royal capital and UNESCO listed World Heritage city).  Ten days is far too short to do this fascinating and diverse country justice, but if you only have time for a brief stay, here are three places worth including on your itinerary.

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Suzhou – China’s Venice of the East

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Suzhou – China’s Venice of the East

The city of Suzhou, 50 kms to the west of Shanghai, is famous for its canals and gardens, having earned the moniker of “Venice of the East”. The region around Suzhou has a network of canals and attractive canal towns, all of which date back to the building of the Grand Canal, the world’s longest canal, which commenced construction in the 5th century BCE. We spent a few days in the region in September 2019 and found it both a pleasant and interesting part of the country. Here are a few highlights.

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UB For Beginners (in Pre-COVID 19 Mongolia)

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UB For Beginners (in Pre-COVID 19 Mongolia)

This time last year, six months or so before the world was hit with the COVID 19 pandemic, we visited Mongolia for a month. Most of our time was spent out of the capital Ulaanbataar, but the trip necessitated that we transit through the city on several occasions. We’d read less than flattering reviews about Ulaanbataar. However, we decided to give the city a chance and decide for ourselves what we thought of it. The result was that we were pleasantly surprised. So, if you find yourself in the city many locals refer to simply as “UB” here are a few options for how to spend a couple of days.

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Rice Terraces, Hanging Coffins and Kalesas - Northern Luzon Road Trip (Philippines)

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Rice Terraces, Hanging Coffins and Kalesas - Northern Luzon Road Trip (Philippines)

We knew little about the Philippines before we decided to go. From a bit of research we learned about the 2,000 year old UNESCO World Heritage listed rice terraces of Northern Luzon. Also, in this region are extensive cave systems, a number of tribal groups with their own distinctive languages and cultures, and nearby is the city of Vigan, Asia’s best preserved example of Spanish Colonial rule. We decided that Northern Luzon was worth a visit. Here’s what we found.



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Our Top Tips for Independent Travel in China

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Our Top Tips for Independent Travel in China

In September 2019 we spent a month in China. We were surprised at the relatively small number of independent foreign travellers we met along the way. There seems to be a view held by many in the West, that China is a difficult country in which to travel as an independent traveller, unless you can speak Chinese. It’s true that there are a few tricky aspects to navigating China, but with a bit of pre-planning, and a relaxed attitude, these can be either overcome or ignored. Overall China is a safe and fairly easy place to visit on your own. Here are a few things we identified before going or learned along the way which made our life on the road easier.



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Three Lesser Known Chinese Cities Worth a Visit

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Three Lesser Known Chinese Cities Worth a Visit

Most first time Western tourists to China will follow a well-trodden path – to Beijing for the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City, Xian for the Terracotta Warriors, the Bund in Shanghai, a Yangxi River cruise, and a visit to the karst mountain region in the south around Yangshao. There’s nothing wrong with this itinerary. All of these are impressive and well worth the effort to see, but there is a lot more to China than just these big ticket attractions. On a month’s visit to China we also took the time to go to some lesser known cities and were rewarded for the effort. Here are three that we think you might want to add to your China program.

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Our Top Tips for Travel in Mongolia

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Our Top Tips for Travel in Mongolia

In August and September 2019, we spent a month in Mongolia. Before going we did some research as to what to expect in terms of weather, culture, food, in-country travel, etc.  This turned out to be very useful as we were reasonably well prepared for our Mongolian adventure. But we also learned a lot while there that helped ensure a culturally sensitive and enjoyable trip. While we don’t pretend to be experts on Mongolia, we do believe that some of the tips we’ve come across are worth sharing with anyone planning their own trip to the country. Here’s what we recommend.

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Classic Mongolia Circuit Part 1: Northern and Central Mongolia

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Classic Mongolia Circuit Part 1: Northern and Central Mongolia

We’d always had an ambition to visit Mongolia and we achieved our aim in August-September 2019. There is a fairly classic circuit that can be done over a two week or so period where most of the key attractions of Mongolia can be visited. We did an 18 day trip that took us from the pine forests and scenic Lake Khuvsgol in the north to the deserts and stunning vistas of the Gobi in the south. We’ve divided the journey into two parts – each of nine days. Here is Part One – Northern and Central Mongolia.

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Two of Vietnam's Next Big Things

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Two of Vietnam's Next Big Things

Seasoned travellers Brett and Linda Hardaker (Ken’s brother and sister-in-law) are recently back from Vietnam where they visited in tow locations that are currently not high on most travellers’ itineraries, but that’s about to change. In this, our first ever guest post, Brett and Linda report on what they think will soon become must see destinations for any trip to Vietnam – coastal Phu Quoc and Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park.

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A Week in Oman

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A Week in Oman

In 2014 we contemplated making a short trip to Oman on the Arabian Peninsula, so we did some research to find out whether this was a good idea. It revealed that Oman is a country of 3 million. It has a traditional Islamic culture and is known for its hospitality and tolerance of other religions. It has a rich history highlighting the ancient frankincense trade, it’s redoubtable coastal forts, and impressive Islamic architecture. It also has a varied natural landscape with the Hajar Mountains guarding the coastal strip; countless clean, white sand beaches; vast sparsely populated deserts; and Arabia’s Grand Canyon – Wadi Gul. We were sold. So, we booked for a one-week whirlwind stop-over. Here’s how we spent our time there.

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