David on Formosa

Today I joined Linda Arrigo on a walk around the hills behind Taipei Medical University (臺北醫學大學). The area is covered in graves which reveal many layers of the history of Taiwan in the post World War II period. Most of the graves are of people who arrived in Taiwan with the KMT after 1945 and [...]

This morning I set out to explore some of the trails branching off from the Yinhe Cave trail. Above the Yinhe Cave (銀河洞) there is a branch of the trail pointing to Simiantou Shan (四面頭山). This trail is poorly made and there are no further signs. 

Part of the trail travels along the creek bed. 

When the [...]

There is some good news for cyclists from the Taipei MRT (via Rank). Cyclists can now take their bicycles on the blue line of the MRT. Some conditions still apply and it is only at certain stations. The MRT has also reduced the ticket price for bicycles and their riders to NT$80. Further details from [...]

Although I have now been living in Xindian for a few months I have hardly explored any of the hiking trails in the nearby mountains. This morning I went out to hike the Yinhe Cave Hiking Trail (銀河洞越嶺步道).

The trail head is on a small road off Bei-Yi Road (北宜路)，also known as Route 9 — the [...]

If you take the MRT all the way to Nanshijiao and then venture further south under the freeway to the edge of Zhonghe you will arrive at the start of the Hongludi hiking trail (烘爐地步道). Along the trail there are a number of interesting temples and stunning views across Taipei. 

The first temple on the trail [...]

I took an early morning train to the small town of Gongliao (貢寮) in Taipei County. Not far from the town is the beginning of the Caoling Historic Trail (草嶺古道). This trail was once an important transport route connecting Taipei with Yilan. These days it is a pleasant outing with some great views of Taiwan's [...]

I took a few good panorama shots on my travels around Taiwan over the weekend. On Sunday afternoon I went out to Neihu with my friend Keith. We had a look around Dahu Park (大湖公園) which has a large lake in its centre (photo above). The Neihu MRT line is under construction along the edge [...]

On Saturday morning I rode my motorbike out to Wulai (烏來). Rather than visiting the town and bathing in the hot springs I headed a bit further up the road to the Neidong Forest Recreation Area (內洞國家森林遊樂區). There is an entry fee, but residents of Taipei County get half-price. So it cost me NT$40 rather [...]