Ok so my first idea when in Kaohsiung was to go up North in the Maolin Mountain to see a colony of butterflies. Well...it was a lot more complicated than anticipated and totally out of budget. So, I ended up going south to a little island named Little Liu Qiu (pronouce Shia Liou Chiou). Turned out to be a really good choice. I had a fun day and getting there was half of the fun. I had to take a bus to Dongang bus station and then another bus to the harbour and a boat. I know I keep finding myself on boats despite my horrible sea sickness. But this time I was fine (both ways). I have to say it was smoother than a ride on-board an Indian bus. Once on at destination, I managed ... read more

Hualien is the biggest city on the east coast, nothing special. I just based myself there to explore Taroko National Park. The main attraction is the Taroko gorge. I met a guy at the hostel on the day I arrived and we decided to visit the gorge together the next day. We used the shuttle bus to do so. It is not the most efficient way as we happened to have to wait for the bus but it is the cheapest way. We still had time to see all we wanted (mainly because many of the trails in the park are close due to the cyclone that struck the island 2 months ago). So we did the few trails that were open. Shakadang trail for the crystal clear water, Lushui trail to have a look at ... read more

Geo: 10.1418, 76.1787We spend our last few days in a resort on Cherai beach. It's about 4km of withe sand and palm trees. Our resort was 2min inland near the river. Very nice.We did about nothing apart from relaxing, reading, swimming and playing Karrom. The sea is so warm it is just about refreshing. You could stay in there for hours! Karrom is an East Asian game. My parents have one so I used to play when I was a kid. It was really fun to play again (especially because I won, Tom had no beginners luck).My trip in India started with few days at the beach and ended the same way. I think this is a very good way to do it.On a passé les quelques derniers jours à la plage à Cherai. C'est du ... read more

Geo: 13.0615, 80.2478The second part of the wedding took place in Chennai. The first evening was a reception with only close friends and family. This is where they cut the cake and fed each other. This is also were booze was allowed, where the dancing happened and the party carried on until 5am (without Vikash or Shankari who had to make sure to look presentable for the next day). Indeed, the next evening was another huge reception, the couple stood on stage for about 3h while people would take turn on stage to greet them and have their picture taken. End of all the celebration.La deuxième partie du mariage a eu lieu à Chennai (Madras). Le premier soir, ce fut une réception avec seulement les amis proches et la famille. C'est là qu'ils ont coupé le ... read more

Geo: 11.4134, 76.6952Ooty is at 2 200m. We arrived at night, it was cold. We had to wear our jumper and jacket. The next morning, we went for a trek around Ooty. Our guide took us across farmland, Eucalyptus forest, tea fields and on a view point. We had a great time. I wish I had time to write down all of what he told us before I forget. I am forgetting already. I remember a bit about the tea. They pick the leaves every other week (we only saw women in the fields). There is 3 types of leaves: the big ones make black tea, the 'still not open' ones make green tea and the very small buds are used to make white tea. The tea bushes are about 80cm tall but are cut to ... read more