Posts

Showing posts from July, 2019

Travel Quotes: July 2019

Image
"We cannot extend our lives. But we can certainly expand it. Travel!"  - Anonymous (verbally related to me by a friend who heard it from someone he met on his travels) The Author in front of the Kintai-Kyo Bridge ( 錦帯橋 ), Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan (2019)

Taiwan, Taipei - Senses of Nostalgia

Image
Of all the cities in the world that I had visited so far, none other than Taipei managed to always evoke that sense of nostalgia in me. I can't explain that feeling. In fact, the first time I visited Taipei was in 2015, way past the times of my growing up years! Cityscape of Taipei, Ximending, Wanhua District, Taipei, Taiwan (2015) As to what kind of nostalgic feelings that Taipei has for me is difficult to describe in words. It probably is a combination of the old school streets and their layouts, the friendliness and unassuming attitude of the locals which is a rarity in most cities in today's materialistic-driven world, the food, the number of small bookstores tucked around in almost every corner of every street and a lot more. My connection to all things in Taipei probably also stemmed from my childhood years when I grew up watching Taiwanese dramas and documentaries on TV, most of which centred around life in Taipei. Advertising billboards screaming for at...

Travel Bits: June 2019

Image
Keeping a Travel Journal....... Travel journals can be a very useful item during one's travels. Not only does a journal allows one to jot down experiences encountered during a trip which may otherwise just become another fading memory, it also allows one to keep notes of the destinations, the next destinations and so on. In this day and age, a journal does not has to be a hardcopy notebook. A simple digital notepad or a simple travel app can serve as a travel journal. Personally, I prefer a hardcopy notebook although I had use a combination of both physical notebooks and digital notepads as my travel journals. Taking notes about the places just visited, short write-ups of experiences encountered and sketches of what one saw and experienced are just some of the many stuff that can go into a travel journal. Weeks, months or even years later, looking through the old travel journal is almost certain to bring back great memories of a past trip that has long been consigned t...