Tag: hidden gems

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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North Bend Waterfall

Photos from the Real Twin Peaks

With the premiere of a brand new series of Twin Peaks almost upon us, it seemed like a good time to share some photos of the real Twin Peaks, the town of North Bend where the original series was shot.    

Three Beautiful Places To Explore in Holguin

In Holguin you must do as the Holguin’s do. The people of Holguin go about their business at an easy pace. Sauntering around the city they stop for a rest in the city’s many parks, where the benches sit invitingly in the dappled shade of tall trees. Or they take a seat in one of…
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A Few Things No One Tells You about Cuba

No matter how much you prepare yourself before a trip, no matter how many guidebooks you read or photos you look at or route maps you plan, you will be just as disorientated as everybody else when the place you’ve only imagined suddenly become real. No amount of preparation can pre-empt culture shock, that bewildered,…
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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.

Mossy Forest Cameron Highlands Sunlight featured image

Up in the Clouds at the Mossy Forest, Cameron Highlands

‘Don’t step on the moss’ is Ahmed’s only advice as we slip and slide up a steep, muddy bank, away from the road that runs from the base to the summit of Gunung Brinchang Mountain and towards the 200,000 year old Mossy Forest. Avoiding stepping on the spongey, khaki-coloured floor of the mossy forest is…
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It’s Too Hot in the Mekong Delta

If you’re not very organised and plan your trip around intuitive inconsistencies like ‘what feels right at the time’ or you go for practical ease like ‘where’s the nearest place to here’, eventually you’re going to end up somewhere you don’t particularly want to be. And the reason you’re not particularly going to want to…
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