(Day 532 on the road) From Tainan, my mum and I took a combination of train and bus to Sun Moon Lake, the largest lake in Taiwan. On the way we had to change trains in a small little town, and walking around waiting for our connection we stumbled across a crammed tea shop manned by a lovely elderly couple. They spoke no English whatsoever, but with hands and feet they explained to us what their various teas on offer were good for (headache, throat problems, sleeping etc). My mum bought two packages, and leaving the shop she wanted to take a picture. The men felt compelled to put on his shirt for that, and the resulting picture of the old couple in their shop was was not of a very high photographic interest, but a ... read more

(Day 527 on the road) We hadn't initially considered going to Green Island, but with a recent Taifun wrecking havoc in many parts of southern Taiwan, our plan to visit Alishan needed to be adjusted. It was a mixed blessing: On the one hand Green Island was very beautiful, on the other hand Alishan boasts a narrow-gauge alpine railway and some grand mountain vistas. Anyway, the choice had been made for us, and Green Island it was. I had told myself not to ride a motorcycle with my mum again to save both our sanity, but as soon as we stepped off the ferry we realised that the only way to get around the island is by scooter. In fact, all the guest houses and hotels offer a package of rooms and scooter (there were hundreds ... read more

(Day 521 on the road) "Taiwan really good!". This was literally the very first thing I saw after stepping off the plane in Taipei. I have never fully understood why the Chinese and apparently also Taiwanese never bother to check for spelling and grammatical errors on their billboards and signs, but I am very glad they don't - as it always provides for some of the best spontaneous entertainment possible! T-shirts and posters with writings like "Three win the first", "Happiness just like flowers", "Fuck the hot" (serious), or a hotel named "The trusting hotel" never fail to make me smile. And how happy I was to have arrived in Taiwan - finally! After I had planned to come here more than two months ago but was delayed by my hospitalisation in Borneo in June, I ... read more

(Day 510 on the road) I think my timing to visit Bali was not quite the best. The main tourist area of Kuta was super-crowded when I was there, mostly by vacationing Australians (some of which are simply amazing on their surf boards), who seemed to have taken over the place. It also didn't help that I arrived late at night - I spent a good two hours looking for a place to crash, checking more than thirty hotels, guesthouses and homestays. All full, crazy! Just as I was thinking I would have to spend the night at the beach I found a hotel that had exactly one overpriced room left. With a couple standing in line behind me also looking for a room, I decided to take it. The next morning I was up at ... read more

(Day 496 on the road) After crazy Jakarta, Yogyakarta, a pleasant eight-hour train ride east and sporting some great views of the green countryside, was a welcome change. Despite the unbelievable hassle as I stepped out of the train station (I stopped counting at the thirtieth "Transport, boss?", "Hello Mister, taxi?"), the small alleys of the city were quiet and offered a welcome respite from the constant attention of taxi drivers, hawkers and salesmen found elsewhere across Indonesia. I soon found a small losmen with a clean room and a nice balcony overlooking the alley below, and settled in for a couple of days of taking it easy. The main reason to come to Yogyakarta, (or Yogya, as everyone calls it), however is to visit the nearby ancient temples of Borobudur and Prambanan. I started with ... read more