After 3 years of the pandemic and all its border restrictions, I finally got to reunite with my parents in beautiful Hawaii. We spent a few days on Oahu and then a week on Kauai, my first time there. It also coincided with my return to Canon after shooting Sony for 5 years. All shots taken with the Canon EOS RP and 24-105 STM. So here’s me getting to know my new camera.
Truly a beautiful place
See you in a bit on Oahu…
In 2013 I met my parents in Rome for the beginning of an epic European roadtrip. Some family friends of ours from Paris described the city as a “village” and I can see what they meant – everything is fairly walkable. And everything is also fairly ancient. Around every corner you might encounter a 2,000 year old structure or a dig site. It was really impressive. The city has a fairly warm (and worn) coloration to most of the built environment, so I tried to keep that in mind while editing these photos.
First night in Rome…what else to do but hang out with the locals outside of the Colosseum.
Outside the Colosseum…
City view from atop the Vatican walls.
City view from the Vatican
Well that’s it for my Roman excursion. I can’t wait to get back one day and indeed I think it would be cool to live there for a year.
All shots with Canon 6D + 24-105L, processed in Lightroom.
In early 2013 I ended an epic European road-trip in London. Its reputation as a cultural powerhouse surely preceded itself and I wasn’t let down. Although I didn’t see a lot of the big tourist attractions, I spent a few days wandering the streets and got a good sense of the city. Can’t wait to get back!
What’s the first thing you do in London? Go to a pub and order a pint – and fish & chips, of course…
One of the cool things about British culture – they sure do like to hit the pub and socialize on the streets after work.
These were all taken in the SoHo neighborhood. There were a lot of interesting characters on the streets. Here are a few of them…
Let’s take a stroll along the river at night…
I’ve heard people say to avoid the Eye of London.
And I totally disagree…
While up there, you get really spectacular views of the city. I got a real sense of the scale and grandiosity of London. And we had the typical dreary, drizzling UK weather up there. Classic.
Until the sun came out just before dipping beyond the horizon. It was majestic.
London was my drum & bass homecoming. We went to Brixton Jamm where Q-Project was headlining the 4 year anniversary of a local crew. There were two rooms and it was everything I expected and more. As corny as it sounds, drum & bass made sense in that moment. I didn’t get any better pics than this but it was a great night.
Time to head home.
“Chinese medicine…they’re really onto something…” Really? “Yeah man…”
On the Night Bus.
This guy did some nice UKG beatboxing.
Good morning, and good night.
Big thanks to Heidi for hosting me in London!
Photo Notes:
All shot with the Canon 6D + 24-105L except for the last shot on a Canon AE-1.
I processed most of these with Cole’s Free Lightroom Presets. I’m not usually into de-saturation but in this case, I thought it made sense for London, which is typically overcast, and used the ‘Color Me Rad!’ on most images here.
It’s amazing how the smallest of towns and cities in Taiwan always have a pretty good selection of vegetarian food, isn’t it? Including right here in Taitung.
I’ve been living & visiting since 2013, and during that time have gotten a pretty good idea of the local vegetarian food around town. These places are my go-to spots for affordable, healthy, tasty local grub. However I’m probably missing out on some hidden gems. If you have any recommendations, please let me know in the comments. Otherwise, let’s dig in…
Best buffet
With the sad departure of Delaisu, we need a new place to top this list, and it might as well be Ola. Not to be be confused with the brunch spot of a similar name nearby. It’s a buffet, and what you get for $200 is miles above every other buffet in the city, and probably worth more. They are open for lunch every day but Monday, and for dinner only on weekends. Save room for 3rds!
Address: 950台東縣台東市漢中街245號 | # 089345869 | Google Maps
Best quick & easy meal
This place feels like a home – and it basically is. Hence the name right? The rice plates are only 100ntd and come with a variety of Chinese vegetables plus a free bowl of soup or tea. There’s also do a variety of risotto dishes that come in around 130ntd, and all the other staples such as noodles and soup noodles, etc. They are open until 8pm, the owner is super nice, and there’s always a funny looking, friendly cat lounging around who isn’t afraid to say hello.
Address: No. 157, Guangming Road, Taitung City, 950 | # 08 932 8860 | Google Maps
Best noodles & wraps
One of the only places with an English sign in town. They have the best wraps in the city, hands down; made with fresh sprouts, purple rice, or cabbage (<- the most popular), for 45nt each. They also have an extensive and modestly priced menu of noodles, soup, & noodles in soup! Fairly traditional stuff including sesame noodles, wonton soup, angelica noodles, etc. Service is fast and the boss lady speaks perfect English. You can’t really go wrong here and it’s centrally located to boot.
Address: No. 453-1號, Zhengqi Road, Taitung City, 950 | # 08 933 2520 | Google Maps
Best Taiwan-style night stall
Aside from the cool name, this place is a godsend. When you need some proper greasy fried food late at night – this is your spot. Most places like this don’t really have much in the way of vegetarian food, but this place is 100%. A variety of mock meats are on offer and it’s not all deep fried in oil – you can choose to have your food boiled as well. I only wish they had a few tables for eating on the spot. Most importantly (if they are in stock!) they make their own fried cheese sticks for 30ntd a pop. How can you go wrong with homeade cheese-on-a stick in Taiwan?
Address: 950台東縣台東市光明路293號 • # 0937 815 087 • Google Maps
Best “late night” food spot
If you need a late night spot – this is it. Late being relative here, because Taitung tends to close down early. But this place is open until midnight (or 11pm if there are few customers). There’s only 4 things on the menu: a rice bowl, a noodle bowl, noodles in soup, and soup. All of them feature a thick, rich, salty sauce and some kind of fake meat shreds, and all of them come in at 40ntd (or 50 for a large version). For some reason I feel like I’m going back in time, living an ancient tradition, when eating at this place. The food is tasty and exactly what the doctor ordered when you need a “late night” veg snack.
Address: No. 195, Baosang Road, Taitung City, 950 | # 08 932 3672 | Google Maps
Best post-surf spot
This place is about an hour up the coast in Chenggong, and it’s a must. It seems to be the default spot for surfers when they are finished at a certain mystical wave in the area that may or may not exist. They have rice bowls, thick noodle soups, curry set meals, incredible shaved ice, and it’s very affordable. I don’t know what I’d do without this place. Don’t pay any attention to the Google rating, maybe that’s for the meat dishes they serve.
Address: 961台東縣成功鎮中山路55號 | # 089850135 | Google Maps
Best veggie burger
I’m not sure if that’s the actual name of this place but that’s what Google says… Anyways, this is a popular breakfast / brunch spot that is always crowded during lunch time with a young crowd. They have what I might call the best veggie burger in the city. It isn’t very large and it isn’t very typical for that matter either, but it’s a Beyond Meat burger and tastes great. In typical Taiwanese fashion it comes with a fried egg on top, and a nice charcoal bun. A solid 4.5 stars! Plenty of other breakfast stuff as well, but beware that some things use pork oil, so make sure you order from the designated vegetarian menu.
Address: 950台東縣台東市正氣路463號 | # 089330798 | Google Maps
Best Pizza in town
I first came here in 2016, and had read about the laowai who plays violin for all the customers. Sure enough, halfway through our meal (the hummus pizza was excellent), he starts making his way around with his fiddle. He played for each and every table and then…passed right by us. Haha. Pete is one of the nicest guys in town, charges big waves, and makes a solid pizza. I recommend mix and matching on a single large pie. There’s a creaky old piano and the walls are adorned with Pete’s original artwork.
Address: 950台東縣台東市臨海路一段167號 | # 0952179165 | Google Maps
Best fish & chips in the Universe
Gonna cheat here because I’m not 100% vegetarian as I do eat fish on occasion when I feel my body needs it. And I have a thing for fish & chips, haha. In fact, I might go out on a limb and say this is my favorite fish & chips in the world. Although my hometown Irish pub Kelly’s pulls a mean one as well. Anyways, you have two choices here, either classic or crispy, and the fish comes straight from the ocean nearby. The cost is a very reasonable 200ntd, and you need to pay extra for dip for your chips. And they close reallly early, at 6:30pm. Dulan is also a funky little town to spend time in and I would recommend that travelers stay up here rather than in the city.
Address: 959台東縣東河鄉146-2號 | # 0955 092 961 | Google Maps
Best all-around spot
Closed? They seem to have dropped off the map. Let’s see if they make a comeback…
As the place that I frequent the most, I’ve got no problem putting this at the top of the list. You could say it’s a Taiwanese take on fast food, veggie style. But it’s so much more than that. Not only is it cheap, but you have a very large menu with everything from Italian & udon noodles to rice curry dishes to an assortment of veggie burgers and hot dogs with fries, sandwiches, and more. It also doubles as a breakfast / brunch spot, in particular the zhua bing wraps are excellent. You can sometimes score some nice seasonal fruit from area farms to boot. The only bummer is that they close at 1:30pm and aren’t open for dinner. Say hello to the nice ladies behind the counter for me!
Address: No. 627, Gengsheng Road, Taitung City, 950 | # 08 922 2288 | Google Maps
Sadly, they are closed. RIP to the nicest falafel & pita on the island. A few photos for posterity…
Well that concludes this list!
If you have a spot that you think deserves to be here, please leave a comments.
Bon appétit!
Look no further! The City of Angels may be an expansive mess of traffic, but there’s plenty of places to escape within the city limits.
I was lucky enough to live in LA for 6 months in 2019, and used every spare moment to seek out the best trails with the best views. Every day after school (in different parts of the city), I would head to the nearest trail. I mostly used these trails for running, but they are all good for leisurely hikes as well.
And here they are…
Okay so this image may not look so special. I was on vacation with my folks over Christmas 2017, and we were taking the train downtown. I spotted this hill in the distance, and knew that I need to climb it one day. Lo and behold, I ended up living at the bottom of it in January 2019!
I recommend you start at the Japanese Gardens and work your way up the meandering hillside trail. You’ll be rewarded with and possibly the best view of the entire city. It’s hard to pick just a few photos because I have so many, but here are a few of my favorites.
You can also start at the top of the hill (opposite Norman O. Houston Park – great for basketball!) and work your way down. There is a big loop trail up there with stunning views, and the new Martin Luther King Monument as well.
On a clear day, the views up here are really hard to beat. This is looking straight north at Wilshire & Hollywood.
Runyon Canyon is just above Hollywood and quite popular with the local community. The trail connects all the way to the north at Mulholland Drive, and if you start at the south entrance, can take a short or long loop around the park.
You get a very intimate view of Hollywood, and also downtown to the east and the coastline to the west. Dogs are permitted on this trail, so you’ll find plenty of those. The trail can be a bit steep at times, so wear good grippy shoes.
Hollywood in the foreground | Downtown in the back
View of the Hollywood Hills from Runyon Park
This place fantastic. It’s slightly off the radar as most people head to the main park on the south side of Stadium way. At 2.3 miles, this loop is perfect for a quick 30 minute hike/jog, with decent views looking towards Glassell Park to the north. The trails are nice, spacious, and flat, and there’s a grassy knoll in the middle with a sliver of a view of downtown LA. Since you’re right next to Chinatown, I’d recommend you head down to Zen Mei Bistro for the best tofu dish I’ve had in the USA. Now, onto the main/south side of Elysian Park.
The Frogtown Trail in Elysian Park is slightly more rugged and gives you some nice views over the 5. There are a lot of places to hang out, BBQ, and picnic on this side of the park, and plenty of facilities and restrooms. Buena Vista Hill Park, Radio Hill Gardens, and the LA State Historic Park are all worth a visit in this corner of the park as well. Elysian has a lot going for it!
