My Several Worlds

A magical travel moment:  A pure beam of white light appeared before our eyes in the dim darkness of Hang Sung Sot, a vast mountain cave that winds its way through a few immense chambers before exiting out onto a narrow walkway that lends an unprecedented view of Halong Bay.
Hang Song Sot (Surprising Cave) in [...]

Our third day in Penghu dawned nice and early. After a quick breakfast, we collected everyone and headed to the pier to take a high-speed boat to Ji Bei Island, home to blessedly beautiful sand and coral beaches.
My first glimpse of the island was from the sea. A long golden beach stretched out [...]

I promised a full update on my adventures in Penghu and since we are ‘hunkered down’ on a typhoon day here in Taipei, I figured this afternoon would be the perfect time to catch up on my blog to-do list. As I am looking at my travel notes and photos though, I’m realizing that I’m [...]

Hey folks.  Vacation time is here again and this time, I’m heading to the islands of Penghu for a few days.  This will be my first trip without John in awhile and also, coincidentally, my first trip with just Taiwanese friends.  I’ve committed myself to using Chinese for the duration of the trip.
I’m looking forward [...]

Life around Taiwan’s northern coastline is a treasure trove of scenic spots and possibilities. Providing the weather is nice, it’s one of the best scenic drives in Taiwan for motorcycle enthusiasts, because everything is easily accessible and within a day’s ride.
If you’re looking for an interesting day trip, you don’t need to go much farther [...]

One of our first day trips away from Hi Chi Minh City played an extraordinary part in Vietnamese history just over 35 years ago.
We went to see a small, but vital part of Vietnam’s famous Cu Chi Tunnel system, Ben Duoc Tunnel. Located 70km North-West of Ho Chi Minh City, this unique architectural structure [...]

Nestled along a short stretch of coastline in Northern Taiwan lies a strange complex known as The San-Zhi Pod Village. This abandoned futuristic luxury vacation spot remains a complete mystery to locals and tourists alike. There are several stories surrounding the circumstances that led up to its abandonment, but no one seems to [...]

The journey through Taroko Gorge National Park in Taiwan is one of the nicest rides I’ve been on in all our travels. We’ve returned twice to this unbelievable jewel of a national park and each time our experience has been different. Even with the light rain showers, we still made our way slowly along the [...]

Making our way into Vietnam from Cambodia was not as easy as we thought it would be. We expected to find taxis once we had made our way across the Vietnamese border. Instead, we found half a dozen motorbike drivers lounging in the shade of a giant tree. We took one look at them [...]

NOTE: Travelers planning on traveling via the Chau Doc border crossing in Cambodia/Vietnam should visit Tales of Asia for a comprehensive list of travel reports.
April mornings in Cambodia get hot really fast. We were standing on a dusty road in Cambodia waiting for our hired car to arrive and take us from [...]