Rubberduck58

Today we leave the lush Paul Valley and head west. Via Porto Novo, we arrive in Cha ta Morto.



The landscape couldn't be more different. The Paul Valley is a green wilderness, almost a jungle.



Here in the west, a barren, rocky landscape awaits us, practically devoid of vegetation, apart from a few hardy

Our destination today is the Cova volcanic crater, high above the Paul Valley.



So we don't need a car today and hike uphill from the house. It's drizzling a bit, and the basalt stones paving the roads everywhere are proving quite slippery.



At Pontinha, we turn onto the hiking trail towards the crater.



After

We can only reach the neighboring Xoxo Valley by driving the 7 km from the Paul Valley to the coast and then turning into the neighboring valley.



We start our hike from a restaurant on the road. As is typical here, the trail climbs steeply through lush vegetation.



The route between plants and rocks is

Yesterday we arrived in Santo Antão by ferry from Santo Vicente. We checked into our accommodation in the Paul Valley and are starting our first hike today in this mountainous but green region.



We bumped along the coast on cobblestone roads to the town of Ponta do Sol. We parked the car there and hiked

We arrived on Sal, Cape Verde, early this morning.



The island is barren, rocky, and as flat as an ironing board.



The sea is fantastic, but probably the only interesting thing about Sal.



We decided to hike to the salt flats located outside Santa Maria.



We started at our hotel and passed through the less touristy

Today we booked a bike tour with ABC Tour in Bangkok.



Thanks so much for the great tip! @Gina



We were greeted by Michael, a Dutch expat.



Our tour guide was named Ed, and with him we set off through streets and narrow alleys across the city.



We reached a huge market square that overwhelmed us with its sheer

Admittedly, it wasn't exactly a sporting activity. But I didn't want to deprive you of the story and pictures of this amazing trip.



We started quite early today and boarded the high-speed train at the main train station, which connects Taipei with Kaohsiung in the south. The trains are two types of Japanese

Today's the day. The final leg of our island tour. We're heading back to Taipei.



While we're having breakfast at the Airbnb, it's pouring rain outside ☔️ - great.



When we finally set off a little later, the rain has stopped. Miraculously, it stays dry all day.



In Jingshan, the morning market has already

Our hostel in Schifen was situated on a steep hillside.



It even had a small adventure park.



Afterwards, we visited the local waterfalls. Weekend tourism had begun, and the town was quickly filling up with people.



We cycled swiftly downhill again and reached the sea 🌊 in the port city of Keelung. It boasts

On today's tour, we'll first follow the coastline.



Now I understand the reports about the heavy truck traffic that you often read about.



The bike lane is sometimes narrow, and the large semi-trucks thunder past you at high speed, right next to you.



While the cars drive at a reasonable pace, the trucks go