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Adventure

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Elephant Mountain – The Best Views of Taipei 101

The best place for spectacular views of Taipei 101 and the surrounding city is on Elephant Mountain. I was able to hike the mountain right before sunset to get some beautiful photographs of the city skyline.

Supposedly, the entrance to the mountain is about a 15-20 minute walk from Taipei 101 and also easily accessible through the MRT. I don’t really know because our hotel was in another area so I had to take a cab and B line it if I wanted to arrive during golden and twilight hours. I also told my cab driver to drop me off at the main entrance of Elephant Mountain; I only realized later that I was not dropped off at the main entrance but at another entrance closer to the Taipei Medical University Hospital. While it turned out that either of these entrances is perfectly fine to use, it appeared that taking the main entrance has more available signs, clearer directions, and has more vantage points on the main path.

I was running late and it was getting dark, so I didn’t take a lot of time documenting the numerous stops and different vantage points along the way. I pretty much ran straight up to the highest peak of elephant mountain which took me about 12 minutes to get to that point. But a normal pace could probably get to the top in about 20 minutes. It’s not really a difficult hike…but there are definitely A LOT of the stairs! At least the steps are pretty short. It was pretty hot and humid and by the time I got to the top, I was completely drenched in sweat. At the top, however, there was a very nice breeze that really cooled and dried me off.

Elephant Mountain is a very popular spot for tourists and locals, so expect to see a lot of people in the evenings and on weekends. You will see many couples, college kids, elderly people and people that want to workout, as there are outdoor workout stations available. Two middle-aged women chatted with me [while guiding me to the top] saying they play badminton with each other and hike the mountain frequently for exercise.

When I got to the top, the area was filled with tourists and photographers. I was able to find a spot where I could raise my camera on my tripod without hindering other people. The views are pretty amazing and it’s a great (and free) activity for anyone.

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Stargazing and Night Photography at Joshua Tree

Last Friday night, my mom, dad and I went to Joshua Tree for a night of stargazing and night photography. We were wanting to catch some shooting stars during the Perseid Meteor shower and we settled at Arch Rock in Joshua Tree National Park for our viewing point.

The conditions weren’t very favorable for a stargazing night. The moon was three-quarters full so it would’ve been very difficult to see any of the fainter meteors. Photographing the galactic center of the Milky Way was also challenging since it was in the same direction as the moon.

Still, we were able to see a couple bright meteors during the night and we got a couple interesting shots (although none with a meteor in them!). With the help of my dad, I got a few shots with my Maglite pointing into the sky. There are a lot of these images out there but I had to get a few of my own!

We will be looking at a couple locations for astrophotography during the next full moon, which falls on September 1st. Let us know if you have any good spots to suggest!

 

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A Weekend in Siem Reap, Cambodia (Video)

Check out our video during a weekend in Siem Reap. Although we were only there for about a day and a half, we were able to see quite a number of things. With the help of our tuk tuk driver, we visited several temples including (shown in order in the video) East Mebon, Angkor Wat, Bayon Temple, Ta Nei and Ta Prohm. There was also the tourist hotspot, Pub Street, where there are many restaurants, bars, juice/food stands and markets for souvenirs. And we even made a cute furry friend during breakfast!

Hope you enjoy! Comment below on what you are wanting to see in Siem Reap!

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4 Places with Awesome Food in Iceland

Icelandic Plate Combination

Even though we were in Iceland for only a few days, we could not stop raving at how delicious the food was! Ok, so we didn’t get to try out that many places and we didn’t try some of Iceland’s most traditional dishes like sheep head, whale meat, puffin or shark (which I’m not sure I’d have the stomach for some of those things)…but the stuff we did eat was amazing! What interested me the most were how simple these dishes were, yet they were some of the best food I’ve ever eaten. However, if you’re on a tight budget, don’t expect to find cheap prices on these menus compared to the United States, but they’re reasonable compared to other parts of Europe. Here’s a list of four of our favorite places we did dine at.

Cafe Loki

Located in Reykjavik, Cafe Loki sits directly across Hallgrímskirkja church and specializes in traditional homemade Icelandic dishes. We tried several dishes including their meat soup, one of their Icelandic Plate combinations, a vegetarian plate and rye bread ice cream. I loved the rye bread combination dishes, which consisted of smoked trout, smoked lamb, mashed fish or egg and herring. But our favorite had to be the rye bread ice cream, which was possibly the best ice cream I’ve ever had. The combination of flavors is unique and absolutely delicious.

Cafe Loki Icelandic Plate Combination Rye Bread with Egg and Herring Rye Bread Ice Cream Cafe Loki Mural ICELAND 1 & 2_158

Restaurant Brúin

Located in the town of Grindavík, this family-owned restaurant was our surprise dining discovery. As we were going through the town, our group was hungry and needed a break, and we came upon Restaurant Brúin. Little did we know that we would have some exceptionally good dishes. We tried some pan-fried fish, soup and even their traditional Saltfiskur, which is essentially salted fish. All of our food was very fresh, as all of the fish were caught on the same day they were cooked. I did like the Saltfiskur, but it may not be for everyone. Their traditional fish soup was also interesting, when it didn’t come out as soup, but as mashed up fish. But to our delight, the traditional fish soup was really good! So if you’re passing through Grindavík, be sure to take a break at Restaurant Brúin for some good homemade Icelandic food.

Hotel Skogafoss Bistro Bar

After our visit at Skogafoss, we needed something to eat before our long drive back to Reykjavik and Hotel Skogafoss Bistro Bar is right next to Skogafoss Waterfall. Presumably, it has a great view of the falls, but it was completely dark by the time we sat down. The interior is very modern and has a nice ambiance. But we enjoyed most the food we ordered. I ordered the lamb leg, which was simply amazing. The meat was fall-off-the-bone delicious and tasted so fresh and tender. We also tried the lamb soup, which was also very good. Another great dish was the baked cod, which was lightly seasoned and cooked perfectly. Fair warning though, we’ve seen negative comments about the dishes, but there was nothing about our food that was short of excellent.

Sjavargrillid Seafood Grill

Also located in Reykjavik, Sjavargrillid Seafood Grill is a great choice for some fine dining Icelandic dishes, although the prices easily exceed far above the other options listed here. The main dishes were pretty high for our budget, so we chose to order some appetizers and light main dishes instead. Our dishes were fish or seafood dishes, and all of the food was very fresh and tasty. It’s unfortunate we couldn’t try some of the main dishes, but if you have a bigger budget, you definitely should try Sjavargrillid Seafood Grill.

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Gullfoss Waterfall: Feel the Might of the “Golden Falls”

No road trip on the Golden Circle route would be complete without visiting Iceland’s popular attraction: Gullfoss Waterfall. Nicknamed the “Golden Falls,” the water flows in the Hvítá River and forms one of Iceland’s most powerful waterfalls. Above the main drop are cascades of smaller falls that leads to the main plunge. Gullfoss splits into two separate falls, the first falls measuring 11 meters and the second measures 21 meters, which dumps the river 32 meter (105 ft) into a canyon. Normally, 30,000 gallons of water flows every second into the canyon, but can produce up to 500,000 gallons of water per second!

Viewing Deck of Gullfoss Waterfall

Even where we were several hundred yards away from the drop, we could feel the sheer force of the falls. It was very windy and the waterfall threw cold mist all the way to the parking lot. We saw some other tourists that didn’t want to get too close to the falls in fear of getting wetter and cold. Surprisingly enough, it is actually less windy and drier as you get closer to the falls. At the lookout point, you can see up close the smaller cascades and get a closer look of the main drop. You can also go to the upper viewpoint, which has a spectacular view of the vast landscape that surrounds the falls. Rainbows are frequently seen over the falls on sunny days.

Gullfoss Waterfall: The Golden Falls

Smaller Cascades at Gullfoss

Gullfoss may not exist today if it weren’t for Sigríður Tómasdóttir, who is the daughter of Tómas Tómasson. Investors had looked into creating a hydroelectric power plant to harness the power of the falls, which would have effectively destroyed Gullfoss. Legend has it that Sigríður was so determined to protect the falls that she threatened to throw herself into the falls to save Gullfoss. Her protests did help prevent the plant from being built, although another major factor the plant didn’t get built was due to lack of funding from investors. The falls are now protected and a memorial of Sigríður Tómasdóttir sits above the falls. 

Gullfoss Waterfall: The Golden Falls

Gullfoss Waterfall: The Golden Falls

Needless to say, Gullfoss is truly an amazing site to visit and experience. Check out the short video clip below to see and hear the force of Gullfoss:

Gullfoss Waterfall: The Golden Falls

Gullfoss Waterfall: The Golden Falls

Gullfoss Waterfall: The Golden Falls Gullfoss Waterfall: The Golden Falls

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