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The First Photograph of Canada was Taken by a Man from Newcastle

It’s all connected. You only have to take notice of the coincidences, the tiny ripples in space and time, to know seemingly unrelated events are connected. There are a few stories for how Canada got its name but the one that stuck for me involves the Spanish. It was the mid-16th century when the first…
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Lost in Taiwan, or Why You Should Try Staying on the Wrong Bus

It was a very slow start that day, even for me. I had managed to get out of bed at 8.30 to eat a breakfast of lukewarm rice, oily tofu and bitter greens washed down with orange juice but when I slouched back to my hotel room with its crumpled white sheets, drawn blinds and…
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Taking on the Almighty Taroko Gorge in Hualien, Taiwan

A trip to Taroko National Park is the reason most people visit Hualien on the East coast of Taiwan. Famous for the marble gorge at its heart, Taroko National Park is over 92 hectares in size and is sliced open at the centre by the surprisingly diminutive LeeWoo Ho River. It’s a place that begs…
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Feature Su Hua Highway View of Chingshan Cliffs

Driving The Su Hua Highway in Taiwan, One Of The World’s Most Dangerous Roads

If you visit Hualien and want to see the Chingshui cliffs, a gorgeous waterfall and Chihsingtan Beach, you’re going to have drive along Taiwan’s Suhua Highway, one of the world’s most dangerous roads. I had to give more information to the woman at the Clinique counter this morning in order to buy face cream than…
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Angkor Wat Cambodia

Don’t Make Travel Plans, Daydream Instead

I’m sitting here with my laptop balanced uncomfortably on a pillow across my thighs and two visa application forms by my side. They’re both blank. I’ve had them for over two weeks and now, three weeks before we fly to Cuba, I’ve decided it’s time to get the ball rolling. I can remember feeling quite…
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What Su Ao Cold Spring should have looked like | © NEcoastNSA.gov

Su’ao Cold Springs in Yilan County, Taiwan

The only reason we’re spending a night in Yilan City is so that we can visit the nearby Su’ao Cold Springs. I read that there are only two cold springs like Su’ao Cold Spring in the world. The water contains carbon ion concentrations of 68ppm, the highest of all the natural springs in Taiwan, and…
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Jiufen Spirited Away Feature Image

A Day in Jiufen, Taiwan, The Real World Inspiration Behind Spirited Away

A trip to a mysterious mountain town that inspired Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki to create the trippy masterpiece that is Spirited Away? Yes. Definitely.

Twelve Swell Things I Did in Hong Kong

I did more than twelve things during the ten days I spent in Hong Kong, I’m sure, but these are the things I have photographic evidence of. Everything else might just have been an elaborate and feverish dream for all I know. This post is very long but don’t let that deter you, brave blog…
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