Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park

From sleepy Surabaya, we headed to Probolinggo, which was about 3-hour journey, plus the slow traffic. Just imagine the highway is a 2-way single lane with lots of lorries in front of you. The scam happened, as reported in LP, that travelers are often being left at random travel agents which eventually are being charged for exorbitant fares for bus tickets or travel packages. So we had no choice but to take up this particular travel agent's service. Initially just wanted to take the bus ride to Bromo; ended up took a huge package covering Bromo, Kawah Ijen, Borobudur, Prambanan and accomodation in Yogya. The price: 1.8 millions rupiah for two. Could be a good deal but believe the price can go even lower. Never mind the price but we didn't get to stay at the preferred place on top of the mountain (Cemoro Lawang). Instead we settled at Ngadisari which was about 3km before reaching Cemoro Lawang. That was an overnight stay before we woke up the next morning for the sunrise view in Bromo.

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Kaoshiung

I haven't finished recounting my journey in Sweden and Japan; I returned from Taiwan just two weeks ago. Here's a brief account of my recent visit there (although I still have unfinished tale from last year trip to Taiwan). My first stop was Kaoshiung. Spent a day and a half in the town, then I travelled to Tainan for a weekend symposium. I ended my journey in Taipei for another short hike. The weather in Kaohsiung was quite hot, comparatively. It's not my favorite weather for traveling. Perhaps I arrived there too early; had I come a few days later, the temperature would have been cooler. Since day time was hot, it would be wise to visit Pier 2 area during evening or night. Not many people / tourists in this town. It looked quiet. The next day, I took a ferry to Cijin. The ride was short, about 5 minutes. Cijin Island is a fisherman's village. On the opposite side of the island, there's a beach. It was serene but scorching, to the extent that I couldn't walk m

Xiangshan (Elephant Mountain)

If Yangmingshan is too far or too adventurous for you, try Xiang Shan (literally means Elephant Mountain) which is right in the city. The place is accessible by MRT. Just get out from Xiangshan MRT station, walk towards the park and you will be at the entrance in no time. Follow the signpost along the way. Be prepared for a series of steep stairway. At the stop uphill, you can get the closest view of 101 Tower. The starting point of Xiangshan All uphill climb Stairway to the top If you see this, you have arrived at the viewpoint Taipei 101 Tower View along the way Benches Posting as a sign of achievement Night view of 101

Qixingshan trail

Had a chance to visit Taiwan again in last November. It was an invitation to attend a symposium in Taichung. So I decided to take a few days to explore Taipei before the conference. But this round I opted for hiking experience. Thus, the search for easy access of hiking venues around Taipei city. One particular blog has provided most of the useful information for my trip: www.nickkembel.com. I picked Qixingshan trail in Yangmingshan National Park as my first choice for the hiking. It's easily accessible with moderate difficulty level of the hiking route. To get to Yangmingshan, one can opt for the public transport right below Jiantan MRT station. The Taipei Performing Arts Center is just opposite the bus stop areas. I took the S15 mini bus which is bound for Lengshuikeng. Waited a few minutes, the bus came. There were many locals heading to the national park on that day. So I had to stand for almost the entire journey. Got off at Lengshuikeng Visitor Center (which is the last two s

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