Showing posts with label free. Show all posts
Showing posts with label free. Show all posts

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Hong Kong: Day 2


After giving ourselves a late start, we made our way to Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens, located on Hong Kong Island. We were in for a big surprise when we exited the subway and started walking. While on the map it seems like a pretty easy walk, in reality the roads are extremely steep and we were sweating and out of breath by the time we arrived.



numerous groups of school children dressed in matching outfits roamed the area

You can sort of get the picture just how steep the area is and how tall the buildings are!

one of the many steep and narrow roads in Hong Kong


The zoo itself is not much. There are mostly monkeys and bird cages with a few other small animals and signs naming the flora along the paths. It would be a nice place to take a stroll if not for the hike getting there. We later figured out that you can take a bus from the subway for a stop or two. A bit more expensive, but completely worth it. There is also another park extremely close by (and downhill) called Hong Kong Park. Inside is an aviary, a conservatory, and a couple of small museums. We went there for a nice stroll on Saturday afternoon.




When we were finished in the zoo, we made our way to the ferry terminal for our trip to Macau. Like Hong Kong, Macau is also an SAR (Special Administrative Region) but was owned by the Portuguese for over 400 years and is another Las Vegas. Pictures coming soon....

view of Kowloon from Hong Kong Island, right before the ferry terminal

the waiting area at the ferry terminal

inside the Cotai Water Jet ferry


Read about our first day in Hong Kong here!

Read about Taiwan, our first stop here!





Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Taiwan: Wulai 烏來


Wulai is a small town outside of Taipei. Nestled among tall mountains, Wulai is known for its odorless hot springs. I went there with some friends and we took many pictures of the stunning vistas and the waterfall. Afterwards, we soaked in the public hot springs along the river which felt so therapeutic. I would love to do it again and spend more time hiking some of the trails in the area. To read about the our day, click HERE.

en-route to Wulai

en-route to Wulai

almost at Wulai stop

the view right after disembarking at the last stop, Wulai

bathing in the natural hot springs, and even swimming in the river!


close-up of some of the hot springs


at the Atayal Museum, a free museum about the lives of the Atayal aboriginals in Taiwan




Wulai Old Street

street food being sold along Wulai Old Street








"train" to take to the cable car; we chose to walk instead

cable car traveling over the waterfall

view along "lover's path," the road along the river towards the cable car & waterfall



 

first glimpse of the waterfall!







heading back to town to capture this amazing moment around sunset

back in town once the light started to turn on

went for an early night dip in the public hot springs

a great view of the footbridge at night

on the bridge as it is changing colors






How to get to Wulai:
Take bus 849 from Xindian MRT station in Taipei to the last stop which brings you into the town slightly past the footbridge. Sit on the right side to get the best views.

Tourist map of Wulai (taken right after where the bus stop is)
Read about our entire day HERE.