Dragons, penguins and the last paradise on earth

When we were planning this trip, we decided to prioritize locations, which are difficult to reach or require more time than we have on a normal vacation trip. This is how Australia and New Zealand got pretty much on top of our list. But there also were a couple of places, which are just far away and which we would probably never visit if we were not close by anyways. Galapagos is one of these destinations. Continue reading “Dragons, penguins and the last paradise on earth”

Technical difficulties

Dear friends,

some of you were worried if we’re okay as we didn’t post here for a while. We’re doing great and enjoying New Zealand’s stunning landscapes. Unfortunately our computer, which we use to write posts and process pictures couldn’t keep up with us and broke down in Fiji. Good news: We will get a replacement end of September and will do our best to show, what you’ve missed in the last weeks.

So long feel free to follow our posts on Facebook (the page is public so you don’t need an account) and Instagram.

Tiny room and friendly deer

While we were planning out trip around the world, Michael and I also checked the different seasons in each country we wanted to visit and the perfect travel periods. While checking the weather forecasts for each region, we stumbled upon Japan’s cherry blossom season. At first glance it usually starts around March and ends in April. The first flight- and price checks were also very reassuring. We found tickets from Taipei to Osaka for just 70 EUR per person, which was a really good deal! But we hesitated to buy as our plans were not carved in stone yet and we did not want to commit to fixed dates. Continue reading “Tiny room and friendly deer”

Hot Pot and shaved ice

After Taitung, we had a long journey in front of us – we took the train and traveled half way around the island to Taichung, the city, where our friend Johannes lives and which would be the base for our adventures. Once there, we met Johannes and rented a car for the next day. To make best use of the car-time, we went out that same evening and drove up to a hill from where one can overlook the whole city and enjoyed the view even though, the lights on the public buildings have just been switched off. Continue reading “Hot Pot and shaved ice”

Killer bees and mountain roads

The east coast of Taiwan is the more rural part of the country, where indigenous tribes still live in the mountains and one can enjoy a scenic coastal road with the ocean on one side and green hills on the other – we didn’t need much more to be convinced. After some hours in the train, we finally arrived in Hualien, which is not a particularly beautiful town, but it’s perfectly located to visit the Taroko national park, which was highly recommended by several sources. This time we decided to stay at an AirBnB again and met Sophia and her friendly cat, who came by often and just wanted some deserved belly rubs… all the time (just the cat). 😀  Continue reading “Killer bees and mountain roads”