Seeking

Sometimes you have to make adjustments. Two days ago I apparently pulled a muscle in my back (or injured a disc) lifting my motorcycle onto its stand the wrong way. Yeah, I should know better! Since I could barely stand up without severe pain, I decided I must alter my plans. Fortunately, train travel in Taiwan is inexpensive and trains are frequent. Even on a holiday weekend, I was able to get seats all the way from Yuli to Tainan. Lucky I did. On some of the trains, people without seat reservations were standing in the vestibules. It took 4…

Next stop: Yuli, near Yushan National Park. I rented another ‘Yamaha Breeze85’ scooter, and headed up to my accomodations at the Wisdom Garden Homestay, created by a Buddhist. I slept by myself in a large meditation room. My hosts. May is a very good cook, and made us sumptuous breakfasts. Lovely hillside setting. I think I’ll do some TaI Chi practice right here! Nice rain sounds all night. When it lets up this morning, I’ll go hiking. [vc_row][vc_column][vc_masonry_media_grid grid_id=”vc_gid:1491087877364-5e1d8190-05c9-7″ include=”5668,5667,5666,5665,5671,5670,5669,5672,5673,5674,5653,5678,5676,5675,5654″][/vc_column][/vc_row] After obtaining my mountain hiking permit for tomorrow, I relaxed in the public hot springs pools at Antong. The locals…

Train transportation in Taiwan is excellent and inexpensive. Today I took a two hour train ride from Taipei Central Station to Xincheng station, closest to Taroko (Gorge) National Park, for $14. Train reservations are easy in Taiwan. I went online, and in an English version of the website, was able to fairly easily book and pay for a series of train tickets around Taiwan. High Speed Rail was an exception, as their site does not have an English version. I had to go over to the central train station to book those. You also must go there to pick up…

Taiwan is a mountainous island located about 120 miles east of southeastern China. It is where the nationalist “Republic of China” forces who were losing the war to Mao fled. It is currently an independent nation, though it may eventually merge with the mainland. It is my next destination. Taiwan is a bit smaller than Switzerland, and the 4th most mountainous island in the world, with more than 100 mountains over 10,000 feet high, and one peak reaching nearly 13,000 feet. This is a lot for Taiwan’s size!   Arriving at the airport in Taipei could hardly have been easier. In 15…

On March 19th, I departed Hanoi for a two night cruise on Halong Bay. First, a four hour van transfer from Hanoi, not scenic. I listened to 4 hours of “Down the River” by Edward Abbey. Along the way, we stopped for a break and chance to buy souvenirs. I don’t buy souvenirs these days, but there were a large group of female embroidery artists who were creating some very beautiful art you may enjoy: This is not Elvis velvet paintings. What they are achieving is dazzling. [vc_row][vc_column][vc_masonry_media_grid grid_id=”vc_gid:1490188644317-cfb4fcf2-79a3-1″ include=”5338,5348,5349,5350,5347,5346,5345,5343,5341,5342,5336″][/vc_column][/vc_row] Soon we were out in the nearly 2,000 karst limestone…