Articles from this Category
2 April 2019
Tainan is historic because it was the first place to be settled by Han Chinese from the mainland, eventually overtaking the native Austronesian population. It is also historic because nearby Anping was where Duth set up their base and fortification. It seems significant enough for me to check out Anping. While it was only about […]
1 April 2019
I have two full days to spend in Tainan. That’s one day more than what I think is necessary but I allowed a spare day in case I was disrupted coming in from Kinmen due to the airport being closed during fog season. This means that I can do “half-days” instead of the full-day explorations […]
31 March 2019
I had been worried about fog closing Kinmen airport as it is the fog season. But I woke to strong and gusty winds. Worried that the propeller aircraft may not make it in, I checked the forecast and noted that the wind was coming from the north-east. That’s the same direction as the runway orientation, […]
30 March 2019
Cycling around Little Kinmen The weather had been forecasted to be better than yesterday’s. That’s why I had reserved Little Kinmen, off the main island of Kinmen, for today. I walked from my homestay to the ferry terminal about 20 minutes away. The terminal for the boat to Little Kinmen was hard to find, overshadowed […]
29 March 2019
Half-Day Bus Tour The day was cool and was forecast to remain that way with chance of rain. What a change from yesterday’s scorcher. I put on longs and had breakfast of congee, doughsticks and some pastries. I weighed up the idea of renting a bicycle vs taking the sightseeing bus, taking into consideration the […]
28 March 2019
Flying to Kinmen I woke early again at 0500, continued to lay down a bit before tidying up and having breakfast at 0730. I was out the door at 0750 for the metro to Songshan Airport. I’m bound for Kinmen where one of my great-grandfathers originated from. Before planning this trip, I thought Taiwan consisted […]
27 March 2019
With the time difference, I woke early at 0600. Breakfast wasn’t available till 0730 so I had some time to kill. My plan for today was just to do the one thing I didn’t managed to do over a year ago on my previous visit. That was the National Palace Museum. I set off at […]
15 February 2019
My little holiday After four nights but three full days, I’m homeward bound. But because I use to word “home” to both mean Kuching and Auckland, I’d better clarify! Today I leave Bali to fly back to New Zealand. It had been a nice stopover while being the most economical way of getting from Kuching […]
11 February 2019
Having seen what airports can be like after the festive season, I headed to the airport around 0800 for my 1125 departure for Kuala Lumpur and onwards to Bali. This was the most economical way for me to get from Kuching to Auckland in the post Chinese New Year period. It’s a bonus that I […]
10 February 2019
After a good breakfast at the Kingwood Hotel in Sibu, I used Grab to get to the airport. I could see a long queue for the kiosk and it looked like bedlam in the bag-drop area. With no luggage and a moble boarding pass, I went airside and waited over an hour till the scheduled […]