Articles by Doug Nienhuis
I am a Canadian, and I am currently traveling through Asia with a touring bicycle. These are stories and pictures from my trip.
Lanyu 002 – Fugang Harbor and Boat to Lanyu
Friday April 2, 2010
I woke up to some grey skies. Those grey skies came with some wind and rain, and that meant some pretty heavy seas. The boat was quite large (I thought), but I guess large is a relative concept when you’re out in open ocean. The waves out there didn’t care how big the boat was. They tossed the boat around like it …
Lanyu 001 – Arrangements and Train to Taitung
The legendary trip to Lanyu (Orchid Island) doesn’t begin until tomorrow morning at 7:18 (that’s when my train leaves for Taitung), but I’ll begin the official account today. It’s 8:30 in the morning and I’m in a coffee shop near work. I have half an hour and a cup of coffee and Beth Orton playing on the Nano.
Other than booking the trains, boats, and planes …
Pingshi 03 – The Formosan Magpie Coffee Shop (Taiwan 2010)
Monday March 29, 2010
Pingshi, Taiwan
(2,450 words)
When we got to the end of the train ride from the Coal Mining Museum, I heard someone speaking English. It was a young software Engineer from New York visiting Taiwan on a long leave of absence. He was of Chinese heritage, so it wasn’t until I heard him speak that I knew he was Canadian or American. He was …
Pingshi 002 – Coal Mine Museum in Shifen
March 28, 2010
Mr. Wang had given me some maps of the area and even a train schedule. I hadn’t planned on riding the train, but he made it sound so simple, that I thought it would be a great thing to do to explore the little towns in the valley. Mr. Wang explained everything to me and in ten minutes, I was strolling through Pingshi’s …
Pingshi 001 – A Pingshi Homestay
March 27, 2010
Any scooter trip begins with the decision to go. I made that decision when I opened my eyes Saturday morning and I saw a new quality to the light that was seeping under my bathroom door. Normally, that light is grey and dim – the usual light that comes with a rising sun that can’t get through the eternal clouds and rain that …
Gassing Up My Scooter in Taipei
When I bought my scooter here in Taipei (a used 150cc Attila), I didn’t know the first thing about them. I’d ridden a scooter before, of course. I’d ridden a motorcycle, too. I just didn’t know anything about them in Taiwan.
One of the first things I learned was what kind of gas to put in it. I don’t really know what the various types of …
Palawan Motorbike Trip 015
1:45 p.m.
Puerto Princesa, Palawan
So far, knock on wood, things have been going according to plan. The boat left from Coco-Loco at 8 a.m. like it was supposed to. We got to Roxas no problem where my trusty motorcycle was waiting for me with a full tank of gas. The three Canadians had taken the same boat and they got on a mini-van to Puerto.
I thought …
Palawan Motorbike Trip 014
Sunday February 21, 2010 9:00 a.m.
Coco-Loco Island Resort, Palawan
It had to finally arrive, my last full day on Palawan. Tomorrow night I’ll be sleeping in my bed back in Taipei. Though this really isn’t my last day in Palawan when you think about it. I take the boat back to the main island tomorrow morning at 8:00. So I’ll be waking up here in paradise. …