Taichung is in west central Taiwan and, although its an industrial city, I found it very artsy as well. The (tiny) rainbow village was a colorful attraction, as well as Anime Street, on which I knew about 10% of the characters lining the street. Taichung also has really great night markets, which I appreciated because…
Tainan, Taiwan
The former capital city in southwest Taiwan is known for its abundance of temples and still regarded as the cultural capital of the island. The train ride between Hualien and Tainan went along the southern tip of Taiwan through gorgeous, green countryside. It was in Tainan that I discovered that I went to Taiwan during…
Hualien, Taiwan
Hualien is a small city on the East coast of Taiwan. A scenic coastal train takes about four hours to go from Taipei to Hualien and runs between mountain and ocean. The city has a friendly, small town feel, beaches, mountains, and a unique Night Market with both aboriginal and Chinese cuisine. The main reason…
Taipei, Taiwan
The island state of Taiwan was my first country to visit in Asia that wasn’t technically a part of the southeast Asian region (it is just considered east Asia). I didn’t know what to expect, but upon landing in the capital of Taipei, I immediately fell in love with the vibrant city. I spent my…
Malacca, Malaysia
Malacca, in Southwestern Malaysia, is a designated World Heritage City. The streets are lined with colonial buildings and ancient structures, and an even mix of Chinese and Malay cultures shape the city. After a long day of traveling, I was tired when I arrived in Malacca, but it was Sunday, the last day of the…
Langkawi, Malaysia
Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah (I don’t really know why all Southeast Asian islands have to be known as something that sounds profound, but I’m just the messenger), is part of 99 islands in the Andaman Sea and is adjacent to Thailand. From Penang, it takes three hours to get to Langkawi by high-speed ferry….
Penang, Malaysia
The island of Penang in Northwest Malaysia is nicknamed the Pearl of the Orient. It has the sandy beaches one would expect from an island in Southeast Asia, but, uniquely, most tourists venture there for the capital city of Georgetown. During my time on the island, I went to Penang Hill, a tourist trap in…
Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
After the heat and humidity of Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and, well, everywhere, the cool, fresh air in the mountainous Cameron Highlands region was more than welcome. I only spent two nights and one full day in the tiny, one-street town of Tanah Rata, but it was a very productive day. The day started out…
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The capital of Malaysia is only a cheap 45 minute flight away from Singapore. Pat and I arrived early in the morning, checked into our fancy hotel, grabbed coffee (because we woke up at 3:30 in the morning like insane people) and decided to start the trip with a visit to the 451-meter tall Petronas…
Singapore Part Two
In my last post about Singapore, I talked about the shiny city with skyscrapers and clean streets that everyone associates with the city. In this post, I’m going over the other side of Singapore; the colorful, multicultural side that I didn’t expect to find in a city known for its financial hub and clean streets….