G'day! I'm Chris. I left my home in rural Australia back in 2007 to pursue a life less ordinary.
I specialize in ambitious travel - bucket list worthy journeys such as the Great US Road Trip, the ultimate African safari, and following the length of the Silk Road.
If you’re following me on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook – you might have noticed a wee video from the Qingdao Beer Museum as I down a beer and talk about an exciting competition being run by Tsingtao Brewery.
Missed it? I’ve conveniently included it below for your viewing pleasure!
Why, yes! Tsingtao Beer, my favourite Chinese beer, are offering the chance for you to win one of five trips to the Qingdao Beer Festival at the end of August.
The contest includes international flights, Qingdao accommodation, and entrance to the Qingdao Beer Fest with all of its pageantry, festivity, and (of course) beer!
All you need to do to enter isclick hereand submit your photo or video of you with an ice cold bottle (or glass) of Tsingtao beer and you’ll be in the running to win your trip over to China to participate in the festivities.
I pose with the original Tsingtao brewery keg.
Why Visit Qingdao?
I’m writing a lengthy post espousing the virtues of Qingdao as we speak. It’s one of my absolute favourite cities in China, and not just because it’s China’s uncontested beer capital.
While there’s certainly plenty of beer related fun to be had between the Tsingtao Brewery, the Qingdao Beer Festival, and the fresh seafood and suds of Beer Street, it’s so much more than just a place for drinking.
Qingdao is something unique in China, as its German colonial roots are still very much in evidence in the architecture and ambiance of the city.
Its beaches and mountains offer something for the outdoorsman, and the Olympic Sailing Centre gives the city a foreshore that puts me in mind of Sydney or Vancouver.
When I first decided to visit Taiwan as part of my bi-monthly trips out of China for visa runs, I did quite a bit of research on what to see and do there.
I read quite a bit from Adventures Around Asia on the subject of travel in Taiwan, and her description of just how damned good the food in Taiwan was inspired me to eat all of the things. Knowing that I’d be spending four days in the capital, I also spent a lot of time researching things to do in Taipei.
One thing that was a must: trying Taiwan’s famous cuisine.
Knowing you want to try good food and knowing where to find it can be a pain in the ass though, so I partnered up with Taipei Eats to take a culinary expedition through Taipei’s many markets and eateries.
Taking a Taipei Eats Food Tour
I’d made a point of not eating much during the day to ensure I was at peak glutton levels in time for our food tour.Thankfully, there’s no shortage of things to do in Taipei, so it was easy to keep myself distracted from the rumbling in my belly.
Starting in the early evening, my stomach was definitely in the mood to eat all of the things and I was pleasantly surprised that our four hour tour would include the chance to eat 8-10 dishes. Winning!
Joined by a trio of New Yorkers, our small group was lead fearlessly through the streets and laneways of Taipei on an uncomfortably hot and wet Tuesday evening.
Our travels took us through bustling street markets, into little hole in the wall shops where you could see your food being cooked right in front of you, and to popular local spots where space was at a premium.
I love the energy of a bustling market. The warring smells and sounds can be daunting, but they’re also energising.All manner of foods – both ready to eat and ready to cook – were on display, all with their vendors shouting for your attention.Everywhere we went, smiling faces welcomed us to their stall, shop, or restaurant.Watching your food (in this case the impressively named Thousand Layer Scallion Bread) is a fun part of the experience.
With the exception of one stop – the popular and well known Koa Chi in Songshan Creative Park – most of our stops felt very off the beaten track.
That isn’t to say they weren’t popular with the locals. We’d often see our table filled just as soon as we stood up, and there was always a steady stream of locals ducking in and out to grab a bite to eat.
It’s not hard to Google ‘best Taipei restaurants’ or read the gospel according to TripAdvisor, but our tour guide piloted us coolly between places I’d likely never have found on my own. That’s the benefit of a food tour in a new city, and we definitely reaped the rewards.
I’m not usually a fan of mochi (glutinous rice cakes), but this one with ground peanut on the outside was a nice treat.A close-up of the delicious (and piping hot) Thousand Layer Scallion Bread.Similar to Roujiamou, Gua Bao are a burger like snack with coriander and sweetened peanut. It’s an interesting mix of sweet and savoury.
The tour is not rushed by any stretch, with plenty of time to walk and people watch in between destinations. Starting at 4pm with an estimated finish time of 8pm, we actually didn’t say our farewells until closer to 10pm.
There’s a kind of amiability to it that feels like you’re exploring with a local friend rather than somebody you’re paying. Our guide never rushed us when we were enjoying a lengthy discussion of Pokemon Go or US politics or the differences between China and Taiwan, and there were ample opportunities for sight-seeing as we passed places like Songshan Creative Park and the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall.
One of my favourite stops was for savoury cold noodles. I fell in love with these in Beijing, and they’re such a perfect meal on a hot summer night.Miso Egg Drop Pork Ball Soup is a mouthful to say, but a nice light meal.Xialongbao might be my absolute favourite example of Chinese food. Soup dumplings like this are available everywhere in Taiwan.Undoubtedly the strangest dish on the menu, Tainan Rice Cake is a mix of sticky rice, fish floss, braised pork, boiled peanuts, and more.
It was a really fun evening out. The rain and the heat didn’t seem to matter so much when we were all in it together, and there were plenty of chances for us to bond over the walk or over my indecision over whether I like or dislike bubble tea.
One failing of the tour (and this could very well have been because we were such a chatty lot) is that I didn’t feel like I was learning as much as I’d have liked.
My Carpe DC Food Tour might have set the bar high when it came to a tour being educational, but I went home with a full belly and a mind that didn’t feel like it had been quite as nourished.
As I say, perhaps this was just our group never giving our guide an opening to explain the history of a given dish, so I can’t fault Taipei Eats for this. Perhaps in a quieter group, I’d have learned a whole lot more.
Our night finished with fantastic, organic sorbet. I chose wisely with the mango, I think.Doreen, like me, is an avid fan of carbs. The scallion bread was a favourite.Only two of us were brave enough to try betel nut – a local stimulant that tastes like lawn clippings.
All told, it was a fantastic way to spend a night and get an introduction to Taiwan’s many and varied culinary influences.
With a meandering pace and a lot of variety, it’s one of the more relaxed and enjoyable food tours I’ve been on.
Your Say
Have you ever been on an especially memorable food tour?
Got any favourite Taiwanese cuisines I should try out?
Disclaimer: My Taipei Eats Xinyi food tour was provided free of charge in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.
The press is full of doom and gloom when it comes to the Australian economy, as you’ve probably noticed. BT Investment Management’s Vimal Gor even recently described the nation as being akin to the ‘little weedy kid no one wants on their team’. Ouch.
You’re probably feeling it in your pocket too. With wages failing to keep up with rising costs, the average Australian’s living standards are falling – down 1.5 per cent since December 2015 alone.
Editor’s Note: One of the many reasons I left.
With all that going on you could be forgiven for thinking that a holiday is off the agenda. Yet if the economic blues are getting you down you can do something about it. Take control by searching out ways to make a few dollars. By boosting your income you’ll have extra money at your disposal that you can divert to a holiday fund.
Here are ten tips to inspire you…
Collections
Got a hobby? It’s time to get serious about it. Collections of art, rare toys or first edition books can be highly desirable. Use your passion and knowledge to your advantage to hunt down items that you can make money some serious money from. You’ll have fun searching for the best items too.
Editor’s Note: I’ve long considered digging up my collection of 3,000 or so Magic: The Gathering cards from my youth and selling them. Some cards are worth more than $100.
Markets
Daunted by the stock market? Don’t be. Tap into the knowledge offered up by the experts at IG to learn how CFD and FX trading could work for you. Modern technology – in particular smartphone apps – help you to make a quick and well-informed trading choices at a time that is convenient for you.
Sell stuff
That garage of your unused stuff? It’s time it went. Be ruthless. If you haven’t used that home gym kit in the last six months then get rid, and bank the money to put towards something you do need. The same applies to anything from clothes to furniture and electronics.
A garage sale can be a great way to declutter and make a little spending money. Image courtesy of Sandra Cohen-Rose.
Rent out a room
You don’t have to make much of an effort to make a little bit of money. Why not rent out your spare room to a tourist for a few nights? It’s money for (almost) nothing and capitalizes on the opportunity provided by the great number of overseas tourists who come to the country every year.
Editor’s Note: I’ll be subletting my Chinese apartment on AirBnB while I’m away from September to January. Seems silly to be paying $500 USD a month for a place that will house my excess clothes and cutlery.
Write
Companies need to rank as high as possible on Google and Google needs to see some decent content to let them do that. It’s the way of the world. That means every business needs someone to write website copy, blogs and guest articles on their behalf. If you’ve got a way with words you can earn money this way.
Editor’s Note: What a novel idea!
This is pretty much me right now. Image courtesy of Esther Vargas.
Photos
Speaking of which, that content needs to be accompanied by pictures. If you’re handy with a camera you can sell your pictures to stock image sites, which are on the lookout for a bank of images to service websites right across the globe.
Surveys
Companies don’t just need content, they also need opinions. Surveys and marketing go hand in hand and many companies will pay you to take part in their pools. You won’t get much, but if it fills an idle five minutes with a simple task that earns you cash then why not?
Tutoring
It can be hard to learn a new hobby or skill. Any talents that you have – languages, playing musical instruments, first aid, sports – will be in demand. Pass on your expertise to others to earn yourself a little extra.
Editor’s Note: This is an especially popular option in Asia. I’ve just been asked by a local kid to help him improve his writing. At nearly $40 an hour, it’s lucrative work.
Extra work online
There are many new ways of working that allow you to pocket a little extra on the side. Amazon’s Mechanical Turk is a way for you to fulfill tasks on behalf of companies that have a need. Search around online and opt for the opportunities that best suit your talents.
Services
It might seem old fashioned, but you could roll your sleeves up and spend your weekends or evenings offering a service. Gardening, cleaning, ironing, dog walking, babysitting, driving, dressmaking – whatever it is, you can make money by doing this for others. You’ll feel extra-motivated to carry out this work when you see the impact is has on filling up your holiday fund.
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If you’re prepared to work hard then your salary needn’t be the limit of your earnings. Use your talents and skills to good effect to rack up some extra dollars. Every spare second that you can give over to money making activities will make a massive difference and help to get you on that plan. The economy might be struggling, but you don’t have to.
It could be said that the true joy of a road trip is the feeling of freedom as the wind whips through your hair, your favourite tune plays on the radio, and you’re in complete control of your destiny.
It’s just you, the wheel, and the open road.
I’ve never let a small thing like my lack of a car or a driver’s license stop me from enjoying the road trip experience, even going so far as enlisting the aid of my friend and sometime wingman, Hogg for this year’s Great US Road Trip.
In fact, when you’re a travel blogger who can occasionally get stuff for free, you’d be surprised how quickly friends come out of the woodwork to ask if they can drive you around a country…
New Road Trip Ambitions
Now that I’ve achieved my life long dream of doing a road trip across the US, I’ve had to set my sights on new road trip conquests.
One country I’ve been meaning to revisit and take my time with is New Zealand and, as luck would have it, it’s the perfect country for a road trip.
With car rental in New Zealand being affordable and there being no shortage of road trip routes to choose from, it’s the perfect place to spend a week, a month, or longer exploring at your own pace.
My Dream New Zealand Road Trip
I was lucky enough to visit New Zealand on a ten day ‘break up tour’ with my first travelling girlfriend, Fallon. While the trip itself was obviously a bittersweet one knowing that we’d say our goodbyes at trip’s end, we still managed to have a memorable Christmas period travelling through the land of the long white cloud.
Our trip packed in the highlights: Auckland, Rotorua, Christchurch, Queenstown, Franz Josef, and Milford Sound.
We even found time to stop off at Nelson for Christmas Eve.
As amazing as that trip was, it left me with a thirst to see it all again at a more sedate pace and in more detail.
Below, you’ll find my dream New Zealand road trip. I’m sure there are some glaring oversights, so feel free to let me know where I’ve fucked up.
North Island Road Trip
Auckland
I’m not alone in finding New Zealand’s largest city to be nowhere near as charming as Wellington, Christchurch, or virtually any other sizable population centre in the shaky isles.
That isn’t to say that Auckland isn’t without its charms, not the least of which is that it’s usually the cheapest place to fly to from Australia.
Auckland Museum is a fun rainy day activity. Image courtesy of Siyamalan.
It’s pretty telling that TripAdvisor’s list of top things to do in Auckland seem to be day trips out of the city, but there are galleries, museums, and memorials aplenty in the city for those who are interested in such things.
When I was last in Auckland, I stayed in the very quaint Verandahs Backpackers. It’s a bit flashier than the usual hostel, with a Colonial feel that makes it a good deal more ‘grown up’ than my usual backpacking digs.
Paihia & The Bay of Islands
A three hour drive north of Auckland, the subtropical Bay of Islands is a natural playground that I completely overlooked on my previous trip to New Zealand.
Whether it’s sedate cruises between the islands, serene scuba diving, adrenaline pumping sandboarding excursions, scenic cycling, or hardcore hiking – the area is one of many examples of New Zealand’s unmatched natural beauty.
It’s the kind of place I’d love to spend a few days exploring and just soaking it all in.
New Zealand’s east coast is an area of rugged beauty. Image courtesy of Graeme Churchard.
Matamata
One of my biggest causes for outrage on my last trip to New Zealand was that my then girlfriend would not acquiesce to my desire to visit Hobbiton.
Don’t tell me you wouldn’t love to overnight in your own hobbit hole. Image courtesy of Tom Hall.
Maybe she hadn’t grown up as enamored of the Lord of the Rings books as I had, but I was more than a little bummed that we wouldn’t be able to make a brief stop in at the filming location that introduced the world to Peter Jackson’s vision of Middle Earth.
The filming set has been kept in good order for tourists, and a cold beverage at the replica Green Dragon Inn would be a must as well.
When it’s all done, a farm stay at one of the local farms would be a nice way to see what rural life is like in NZ.
Rotorua
Onwards to the stinkiest city in New Zealand – Rotorua.
I spent Christmas Day of 2010 exploring Rotorua; taking the scenic gondola to the top of Mount Ngongotaha for a Christmas feast before racing back down to the bottom with the Skyline Luge.
The next day, we’d venture out for some Boxing Day zorbing, before finishing our time in the area with a visit to the world famous Waitomo Glowworm Caves for some blackwater rafting.
My post zorb leap of excitement after trying it in Rotorua, New Zealand.
The area has so much to see and do, and even with a fairly packed three day visit, a brief look at Rotorua Tourism showcases kayaking, white water rafting, Maori cultural tours, treetop walks, geothermal springs, and so much more to be done in the area.
Wellington
Our last stop on the North Island is the Kiwi Capital, Wellington. A far more attractive prospect for tourists than the capital, the Windy City has some well regarded museums, galleries, and attractions to compliment its natural beauty.
For me, Te Papa (New Zealand’s national museum), the Zealandia sanctuary, and the WETA Cave are all on the to do list.
On the natural beauty side of things, Mount Victoria offers up unparalleled views of the city and Oriental Bay – and the city itself is a famed haven for foodies.
Searching for symmetry in Wellington. Image courtesy of Gregory Bodnar.
It’s here we bid farewell to the North Island, taking the ferry from Wellington to Picton on the South Island. At around $300 NZD (including a car) and taking three scenic hours, it’s an adventure all of its own.
South Island Road Trip
Marlborough Wine Region
With Picton being the spot where the ferry docks, it makes sense to spend a few days in the Marlborough region to sample some of New Zealand’s best wine.
There’s something absolutely magical about wine country. Image courtesy of Peter Burge.
I first developed a love for the grape when I took a wine tour of Broke, and have since added to my limited knowledge with wine tours in southern California.
With more than 150 wineries responsible for more than 75% of New Zealand’s wine output, spending a few days soaking in the ambiance (and the wine) sounds like heaven to me.
Franz Josef Glacier
I was lucky enough to climb Franz Josef Glacier on my last visit to New Zealand, and it remains one of the most remarkable experiences of my travelling life.
Enjoying my lunch on Franz Josef Glacier
We opted for the full day hiking experience on my original visit, and I’m so glad that we did. Standing atop such an ancient and powerful force of nature was a humbling experience, and the view was just surreal.
The nearby town of Franz Josef is a quaint little mountain town without a whole lot going on, but it’s hard to match that serenity.
Queenstown
Nestled on the shores of beautiful Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown remains one of my favourite towns on earth. It’s just epitomises the idyllic mountain town, and its tourism industry means it packs a lot to see and do into a small package.
In addition to local activities like zip-lining, hiking, and water sports, Queenstown is the unofficial capital of extreme sports in New Zealand. It’s here you’ll find world-class bungee jumping, canyon swings, and much more.
Queenstown might be the most picturesque town I’ve ever visited. Image courtesy of Andrea Schaffer.
Fiordland National Park
While it’s certainly possible to see and experience a fraction of Milford Sound’s majesty with a day trip from Queenstown, the park itself warrants far more than a cursory examination.
At over 1.2 million hectares, the Fiordland National Park is far more than just its 8th Wonder of the World contender – although you’d be forgiven for thinking it might be hard to top the soaring cliffs and deep waters of the famous site.
Doubtful Sound (sometimes amusing called the Sound of Silence) is a beauty all of its own, and the park’s legendary hiking tracks range from the picturesque to the downright grueling.
Like something out of fantasy, right? Image courtesy of Andy Maw.
Invercargill
From the Fiordlands, it’s the Southern Scenic Route down to Invercargill at the very foot of the country.
Not so much a tourist spot as a place to unwind away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist trail, it’s also an important stop on the aforementioned Southern Scenic Route.
Dunedin
With some of the best preserved Victorian and Edwardian architecture in the entire southern hemisphere, Dunedin could easily be confused with its northern hemisphere equivalent.
There’s something very appealing about the idea of wandering the streets and laneways of Dunedin, visiting New Zealand’s only castle, and exploring the surrounding land on foot or on the famous Taieri Gorge Railway.
There’s beaches, breweries, and a whole lot more. I’m actually ashamed we didn’t hit Dunedin first time around.
Like something out of the Scottish Highlands. Image courtesy of Sally.
Christchurch
I’ve saved one of New Zealand’s best for last.
Despite its continued bad luck with natural disasters, Christchurch remains one of the most beautiful cities in the country. While it’s definitely showing signs of wear after its bad run with earthquakes, there’s still a sense of peace and creative energy to the Garden City.
Christchurch was actually my very first backpacking destination.
Regularly ranked highly in tourism journals as one of the world’s must see cities, Christchurch is creative, bohemian, resilient, quirky, and wonderfully serene. It well and truly won my heart first time around.
It’s from here we’d fly on home or to our next stop.
Your New Zealand Road Trip
What would be on your dream NZ Road Trip? Have you made one before?
Did I miss anything that you’d have included?
Have I included something that you think is woefully overrated?
By the time we rolled into Washington DC, the Great US Road Trip was into its fifth and final week.
Coupled with the fact we’d just made the marathon 10 hour (without stops) drive from Nashville, we were feeling understandably saddle sore and weary by the time we found our accommodations and found a place to park the Mustang.
Despite this weariness, I was quite excited to see the hotel. I’d partnered with Modus Hotels for our two nights in DC, and was intrigued to see what a ‘lifestyle hotel’ was.
One Washington Circle is (obviously) located on Washington Circle, putting it at the beating heart of the US capital. Emphasizing health and wellness, the all-suite hotel provides local jogging maps and complimentary passes to local gyms and yoga studios to its guests – a feature we were in no shape to capitalize on after our long day on the road.
What we did capitalize on was the luxurious suite we’d been afforded. Check out the view from our balcony below!
The suite featured a fully equipped kitchen (complete with the ability to order groceries to stock it), a large living/dining space with accompanying grand piano, two bathrooms, and a massive King bed that I could easily have shared with Hogg.
I didn’t – I made him sleep on the fold out bed, but I totally could have shared it without any risk of unwelcome bonding.
The impressive suites at One Washington Circle were a welcome retreat after a long day’s driving. Image courtesy of Modus Hotels.
Too tired to do any exploring, we contented ourselves with a little late night dueling piano shenanigans and some locally brewed beers courtesy of the hotel’s management. What a nice treat after a long day cramped up in the car with pro-wrestling podcasts for company!
Caramel popcorn and some local beers as welcome? Yes, please!
Perhaps the best thing about One Washington Circle was its central location, putting us just a short cab ride (or walk, if we weren’t so lazy) from major local attractions like the National Mall and the White House.
The one drawback to our stay was the combination of a late arrival and an early morning tour. We didn’t get to experience the hotel as I’d have liked, but what we did experience was amazing,
A DC Food Crawl
The highlight of our first day in DC was undoubtedly a Washington DC food crawl with Carpe DC Tours.
I’ve written at length in the above post about the experience, but it really was a fun way to learn more about the city than just its political history.
It was a fun way to experience DC through different eyes, having already done the memorials and Smithsonian on my previous visit in 2012.
One of the best chili cheese dogs I’ve ever had. Perfect serving size for a busy day’s eating too.
Avenue Suites
We moved to another Modus property for our second night in DC, taking the short walk down the street to Avenue Suites.
The two are literally a five minute walk apart, with Avenue Suites maintaining the same standards while managing to have a totally different feel to its sister property. Located on the very fringes of the city’s Georgetown district, it has a more breezy and West Coast feel to it than One Washington Circle.
The entrance and ground floor of Avenue Suites has a really trendy, Hollywood theme. Photo courtesy of Modus Hotels.
Our room here was a comfortable twin setup, with a pair of queen sized beds, a separate sitting area, and the same warm welcome we’d experience at One Washington Circle – albeit with a bottle of good white wine rather than local IPAs.
The most spacious twin room I’ve ever been in. Photo courtesy of Modus Hotels.
Another highlight of the hotel for me was it’s comfortable lounge area, which spans both indoor seating and outdoor seating in a cute little garden area. I tried to snap artsy photos of both, but neither turned out especially well, sadly.
DC by Night
Being so close to the National Mall made it easy for us to get out and explore the various monuments for which Washington DC is famous, and with our day filled with a food tour – we did this by night.
Guided by one of Hogg’s former study abroad buddies, we spent a few hours wandering the darkened paths between the towering statues and moving tributes that comprise this fascinating corner of the city.
From the iconic Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument to lesser known but no less beautiful monuments such as the haunting Korean War Memorial, it’s a really fun walk even when it’s dark out.
Hell, I especially enjoyed it at night, as you didn’t have to contend with crowds of people when it came time to snap a photo or two.
The downside, of course, is that night photography on an iPhone can be tricky business. Even with a good night photography app (I like Cortex Cam), it’s difficult to capture the majesty of these towering edifices and do them justice.
Phallic? Perhaps. But an impressive monument all the same. I’m just glad no Super Mutants tried to shoot me as I drew near.He wasn’t lecturing me about how to win a public speaking competition, but Honest Abe made an impression.
Never Enough Time
Like every other stop on the Great US Road Trip not named Las Vegas, we didn’t have nearly enough time to do DC justice.
We didn’t have time to check out the Smithsonian and could only manage a rushed tour of the Capitol Building, but managed to enjoy the US capital all the same.
A huge thanks to Modus Hotels for helping to make the visit possible. I only wish we’d had more time to avail ourselves of the properties and their on-site restaurants!
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