As my friend and fellow Nomadic Adventurer Matt Gibson has been kind enough to allow me to hijack his blog for a few hundred words to tell his readers about my new venture, I suppose an introduction is in order.

I’m Joshua Samuel Brown, author of 13 Lonely Planet guides, and like Matt, a long-time wanderer, writer and global adventurer. The place I’ve lived the longest is Taiwan (It’s a great place for an extended adolescence, as Matt I’m sure will attest), becoming an expert on the land, its people and culture. After a few years away from my beloved island, I’m heading back next month for a new adventure.

Earlier this year I was contacted by a company called Bicycle Adventures that does luxury bicycle trips around North America and a few international locations as well. Bicycle Adventures was launching a Taiwan tour and having read an article I did a few years back for Bicycle Times Magazine about riding in Taiwan, they thought there might be some synergy between us.

I visited their office, checked out their impressive track record (they’ve been around for 30+ years) and, most importantly, their plans for creating a Taiwan trip, and accepted a gig acting as planner, guide and liaison for their Taiwan tour. It’s a unique trip, mixing luxury, culture, culinary excellence and bicycling through the most beautiful spots on an island so noted for beauty that the first Portuguese sailors to set eyes on its coast said “Isla Formosa!” – Beautiful Island, a name which sticks to this day.

And that’s where you come in. Because I’d like you, dear readers, to come along on said aforementioned adventure. And not in the “follow me on Twitter” way (though feel free – I’m @josambro), but literally.

The tours are going to be epic, even – dare I say? – life changing in the way that only exotic and challenging experiences can be. Over eleven days we’ll be riding on some of East Asia’s most awe inspiring roads, including the road leading from Taipei to the sea over volcanic Yaming Mountain, the winding east coast highway (considered one of the loveliest roads for cycling in the world), and through dramatic Taroko Gorge and beyond into the Central Mountain range.

The route has been picked specifically to appeal to cyclists of all levels, and of course, as with all Bicycle Adventures tours, our air conditioned van is always close by for riders preferring to take the easy way up any particular hill.

Time out of the saddle will be equally well spent soaking in natural hot springs, visiting tribal villages and working our way through Taiwan’s nearly infinite variety of culinary wonders. As for accommodations, we’ve chosen some excellent hotels including the Silks Place in Taroko, the Château Beach Resort in Kenting and the Grand Victoria in Taipei. (As if you’d expect less on a tour around Taiwan being orchestrated and led by a guy who writes guidebooks about the place!)

And that, of course, is another of our trip’s many added value factors: You’ll be exploring this vibrant, exotic landscape with a cyclist who writes guidebooks about Taiwan, benefiting simultaneously from my passion and experience in Taiwan and Bicycle Adventures’ 30+ years of experience in orchestrating luxury bicycle tours.

If you’ve read this far and want to go further, check out the Bicycle Adventures Taiwan Bike Tour page, which has full details about the tour-including pricing, dates, routes, activities and links to every hotel we’ll be staying.

If you mention this blog, you can get one of two discounts – $150 off the trip starting on October 24 and $75 off the one starting on November 7. Just use the code “XPATMATT” when booking.

Feel free to hit me up with any questions you might have about the tour (or Taiwan in general) at josh.brown@bicycleadventures.com.

Need a reason to cycle in Taiwan? Here’s five!

We now return you to your already scheduled blog, already in progress!

Sincerely,

Joshua Samuel Brown

Author

Vignettes of Taiwan (Things Asian Press). 

Co-Author (Lonely Planet / BBC): Taiwan (7th & 8th edition); Belize (3rd, 4th & 5th edition); Singapore City Guide (8th edition); Greater Mekong (2nd edition); Singapore Encounter (2nd edition); Central America on a Shoestring (7th & 8th edition).  Contributor: China (Fodor’s ~ 2006 edition). The World’s Best Street Foods, (Lonely Planet),The World’s Best Spicy Foods, (Lonely Planet), The World’s Best Brunches, (Lonely Planet).

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Ziplining Beside the Chompoo Wildlife Sanctuary

Image by arwcheek

I’ve never gone ziplining (soon to be remedied) but I am in love with them. They are one of the most low-impact and exciting forms of eco-tourism out there. They require few materials, prevent people from disturbing the surrounding environment (after they’re set up) and look like an amazing way to the nature.

Flight of the Gibbon is a pretty class act. They run a well-constructed 3km system of ziplines that connect 24 tree platforms beside the Compoo Wildlife Sancturary, about two hours outside of Bangkok. They will pick you up in Bangkok, hurl you across lines as long as 300m, then take you for a trek through the jungle, and drop you off for around $110 USD per person. Or, if ziplining isn’t your style, you can monkey around in their treetop obstacle course for $65 USD.

Biking from City to Shore

Image by Irvine-

This tour by Grasshopper Adventures, a well-known bicycle tour company in Asia, will take you by ferry and train out of the city cycle along the Gulf of Thailand in fishing communities. You will see mangroves, salt pans, fish farms, and, if you’re lucky, a water monitor or two. At the least,  you’re likely to encounter some mudskippers, those little cuties. The tour has received rave reviews on Trip Advisor.

This tour costs $200 USD for one rider, $100 USD each for two riders, and $85 USD each for 3 or more riders. Be warned, the 52km bike ride does require some physical ability.

Rafting Beneath the Bridge on the River Kwai

Image by FelixR

Surprisingly, the infamous bridge from the 1957 movie is very close to Bangkok. Although many companies like this one offer tours that will transport visitors to Kanchanaburi and then allow them descend the river by canoe, kayak, or bamboo raft, most of the tours are bundled with elephant rides. Many people feel that the elephants used on such tours are not treated well, and they encourage visitors not to partake in them. So, if you would rather take the trip on your own, you can catch the bus to Kanchanaburi from Bangkok’s Southern Bus Terminal. Busses depart every 30 minutes and tickets for seats on air-conditioned busses run about $3 USD each. Once in Kanchanaburi  you can rent your preferred mode of river transport from one of several local shops.

If you’re in Asia and looking for flights to Bangkok then be sure to check out my travel hacker’s guide to finding cheap flights.

Lead image by arwcheek

The post Getting Out of Bangkok: Three Awesome One-Day Trips appeared first on XpatMatt.

I shot this video using my favorite new toy, GoPro® HD Helmet HERO Camera(affiliate link). It’s small, inexpensive, fisheyed, waterproof, and can be mounted to anything. I love it!

The post Video: Cycling in Tainan, Taiwan appeared first on XpatMatt.

Today I begin my first bike trip: 1000 kilometers from Vancouver B.C. to my hometown of Cranbrook B.C., during which I will cross three mountain passes. I hope to average about 100 km per day and, after a couple of days off, finish in about two weeks.

Everything that I will take with me in the picture above. I have one bicycle that I bought for $100 here in Vancouver because my last one was stolen, one trailer that I bought fror $150, a hammock tent and sleeping bag, clothes, my camera, and my computer. That’s it.

Below is a picture of the route that I will follow today (courtesy of Google Maps). I will take the West Coast Express leaving downtown Vancouver at 3:50 pm and arriving at Mission at 5:05 pm. It costs $11.25 plus $1 for my bicycle. It will knock about 50 km off the trip. After I arrive I plan to ride the remaining 80 km to Hope where I will camp for the night.

Tomorrow I hope to bike the 120 km from Hope to Merrit. I’ll let you know how that turns out when I arrive.

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