The collected writings of a Renegade Tourist

Category Frozen Moments

Fort Canning Hill, 4:16 pm

Even with the lens of my camera set to the widest setting, a photograph cannot do justice to the tree in front of me. I’ve seen big trees before, ones that are much taller than average and ones whose trunk is so thick it would take ten people, their arms wide open touching finger tip to finger tip, to reach around it, but nothing like this. This is gigantic in every way. The trunk is thick and tall with knots and bulges here and there, forming a stout base that stands halfway down a slope and extends upwards, towering above … Read the rest

Meihouman waterfall 2:36 pm

It’s the type of waterfall you might read about in an adventure novel or see in an Indiana Jones movie; the stream goes tumbling over the edge some twenty or thirty meters above the valley, twisting and turning in the air then hitting a large rock at the bottom, sending plumes of spray high into the air. The sound is like that of torrential rain or a faucet opened at maximum, the rush as the water falls through the air and the deep booming when it hits the bottom. The day is still yet here at the fall the rush … Read the rest

Long Dong beach, 1:15 pm

The cliffs look kind of precarious and I’m starting to wonder if it’s possible to continue; there is a ledge but it looks dangerously thin, there are some step like formations that I could reach if I go down closer to the water but I’m not sure they are climbable. I sit down to contemplate my options for a minute then decide to go for the steps…… Read the rest

Mountain road outside Hsinchu, 4:41 pm

The rain is truly torrential now, large drops falling at a  rapid pace. The road we’re on has turned into a veritable river; dead leaves and other debris from the surrounding jungle have been washed out onto the road and gotten caught on the edges of the many cracks in the asphalt, forming little islands here and there. The road is steep enough for a current to form, it keeps splitting and reconnecting as it flows around the little islands, even building up swells as it passes around some of the bigger ones. Separate streams flow down the ditches on … Read the rest

NTU hospital, 1:04 pm

I’m half sitting in my hospital bed, not much to do except letting my eyes wander about the room. To the right, the peach colored curtain separating me from the next bed, to the left the leather clad visitor chair and the light switches on the wall marked A and B. The ceiling above with the four fluorescent tubes casting their sterile light over the room, next to it the grating covering the ventilation, the smoke detector off to the side, and the rail for the curtain running like railroad tracks through the landscape. My main companion, the cream colored … Read the rest

Sankta Maria Magdalena Katolska Församling, 2:30 pm

A woman stands to the right of the altar, her voice fills the church with clear, warm tones and the people in the pews listen to her song with rapt attention. In the front of the altar, right at the center of attention stands my friend,  turned to the side to face the singer, his arm around the woman at his side. He is dressed in a tuxedo with a white jacket, she in a light, pure white dress, her hair done up in a kind of bun, lots of little white flowers dotted throughout. The bride and groom look … Read the rest

Road 14 near Hehuanshan, 12:47 pm

The road follows a mountain ridge, not far from the top, dipping and curving with the contours of the mountains. We are just past the peak, descending into the valley. Though the slope is gentle, it’s enough to keep us rolling, and despite the thin air, I no longer need to fight to keep the bike moving. As the road straightens out a bit, I dare cast a glance to the left and the whole landscape opens up. Beyond the barrier at the edge of the road, the mountain side slopes steeply downwards to the valley below, then rises skywards … Read the rest

Central cross-island highway, 3:42 pm

It’s as if the road has been glued to the mountain side, a narrow strip of asphalt winding its way upwards along the steep slopes. To the right, a low barrier that keeps motorists from careening over the edge and beyond that the ground falls away sharply. The road follows the curve of the river below, the clear blue water cutting a perfect U through the pine clad landscape, and the banks strewn with grey boulders. It’s a picture perfect landscape, almost like driving through a Bob Ross painting.… Read the rest

Baisha beach, 8:32 pm

The sky, clear now after a cloudy afternoon, is absolutely full of stars, the three in Orion’ s belt outshining everything else in the vicinity. The waves come rolling in to the beach  just a few meters away, the black water crashing down on the dark sand with a loud booming sound that fills the air. I put my arm around my wife, feel the warmth of her body against mine as she leans on my shoulder, and just enjoy the moment. … Read the rest

The sea outside Baisha, 2:56 pm

The water is cold for a tropical island, just a few degrees above what’s acceptable for swimming. Big waves go rolling over the underwater cliffs, pushing me towards land with slow, deliberate force. The water is murky with sand stirred up by the waves, I can only see a few feet in front of me but that’s enough to explore the underwater cliff formations. The cliff below me is covered in a kelp forest, the long brownish green stems look like miniature firr trees that billow in the wind in an almost hypnotic fashion as the waves move them back … Read the rest

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