100 days travel in 2014

I want to keep my world traveller spirit in 2015. In order to operationalise my goal, I need to look into where I’ve been in the past year.

Kansai area, Japan

Finally I visited Japan for the first time in my life in 2014. It was absolutely wonderful! Japan is undoubtedly my favourite!

Nice English instructions on paper to guide non-Japanese speakers in the airport!

This is right next to our hostel! Only 3 minutes walk!

Amazing Ichiran ramen

Transportation card that allow you to take train and local metro.

The best reason to be in Japan…

No reason to miss out Yamazaki distillery if you are in Kaisai

Jees, I am overwhelmed by the vast beauty of flowers. I will gladly go back again for the flower blossoms.

Taipei, Taiwan

I went back to Taiwan for Chinese new year. It was wonderful to be home.

Baby metal’s concert in Taipei. Quiet interesting…

Min Nan style building in Taipei.

Taiwanese tapas! These are the food that I will die for!

Great monty python joke right inside your elevator!

Yangmingshan national park, Taiwan.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

This is one of the ‘coffee shops’ that you don’t want to go. It got popular because of the movie and became too overpriced.

Magic muffin. I didn’t dare to try to eat the whole one at once because I was afraid that it might be too strong.

Red light district.

New York City and LA, the United States

I went to NYC again for the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. I learned tremulously from my two-week stay there. I met friends, old and new. After NYC I went to LA immediately via Virgin America. It was a budget airline with a night club touch: with pop music style and purple inflight lights. It was real to meet my best friend before she embark her journey with peace corp.

In the United Nations HQ. It was quiet frustrating to just go to the meeting and listen to people complaining about the human rights violations. I hope I am able to do something for my people someday.

This view was from the apartment of my friend who is working as attorney who specialized in advancing indigenous human rights. I should rent a place from this apartment if I am going to the UN again.

Yosemite National Park. Unforgettable experience!

Griffith observatory at Hollywood.

Leiden and Utrecht, Netherlands

A professor from Leiden University invited me to share my experience as an indigenous researcher in a conference he hosted. It was great. I had a feeling that I might be able to survive the academic life. People were really helpful and kind there. I went to Utrecht briefly after Leiden to visit friends. The train was convenient and comfortable.

Night view of Leiden. I took it during an evening walk with other researchers.

A snapshot during the conference.

Wonderful beer in Utrecht.

Como lake and Tuscany, Italy

Como lake was absolutely breathtaking. The landscape reminded me of Game of Thrones for some reason. I enjoy exploring the surrounding by boat and foot. Tuscany was amazing, too. I wasn’t so impressed by the food though. I need to go to Southern Italy for good food, it seems.

Como lake situated right between the mountains. It was very convenient to take a boat from one place to another. And there were several hiking route you can follow for day trips.

Nothing is better than watching the sunset by the beautiful lake side.

Though it’s quiet a crèches view for Tuscany, you still can’t resist it.

Brussels, Brugge, Antwerp, Ghent, Belgium

Relaxing trip with friends. I really enjoyed the Belgium beer 🙂

Have you heard of Trappist beer? I learned it for the first time in my life in Brussels! And I wholeheartedly recommend this Westmalle Trappist beer. It was heavenly!

Best dinner I had in Belgium. Thanks to Tripadvisor!

I enjoyed the great city view from the top of the church. It was a great way to explore European cities… by climbing up their churches.

I just realize that I fell in love with la chouffe beer. It was unbearable to live without it 😛

So in total I travelled to six countries in 2014. I was in Japan approximately 12 days, in Taiwan for a month, in Amsterdam for 4 days, in the US for a month, in Leiden and Utrecht for 4 days, in Italy for two weeks and Belgium for 5 days. So in total around 100 days! Honestly I didn’t realized I backpacked for such a long time! I hope in 2015 I am able to keep up the spirit and enjoy every moment of living.

德國的班堡

我二月的時候會去班堡(Bamberg)上課，有機會待在那邊約10天的時間，實在是很期待。當然以前我是去過德國的，以前交換學生的時候也是到過像是柏林、慕尼黑、海德堡、福森（去看新天鵝堡）、漢堡、科隆、羅騰堡等等走馬看花一日一城。這次能再次到德國，而且一個小城待上那麼久時間，希望可以找到個什麼有趣的東西看。

充滿中世紀風情的班堡又有小威尼斯之稱，很小但超美！就像是其他的德國城市一樣，這邊有很棒的啤酒跟很大的教堂。有趣的是，班堡像屏東車城一樣，盛產洋蔥。詳見影片，或是大紀元報導。

班堡是聯合國教科文組織認定的歷史遺產，她有著相當輝煌的歷史，比如說北德以及匈牙利的建築風格就深受她影響。在18世紀末期，班堡是啟蒙運動在南德的中心，影響深遠的哲學家黑格爾跟作家赫夫曼曾經住過這裡（source: UNESCO Town of Bamberg）。

如果要去班堡，飛到紐倫堡(NUE)再轉火車是最近最方便的方式。很多飛機都會飛紐倫堡，像是Airberlin, Air France/KLM (Cityjet), Germanwings, Lufthansa, Ryanair, Turkish Airlines 跟 Vueling。廉價航空查詢歡迎參考Swoodoo, Opodo 或是 Germanwings。班堡距離紐倫堡70公里，坐火車大概時間花費是37-56分鐘（看你坐的火車是多快的火車），詳情可查德國國鐵網站。如果不想飛紐倫堡，可以飛法蘭克福國際機場（注意！不是法蘭克福Hahn機場喔）。從法蘭克福到班堡大概是230公里，坐ICE（中間轉Würzburg）大概花兩小時多一點。車票如果早點定，來回大概40歐就可以訂到喔。