Happy Birthday Kai Boy ! 12 today ....

Here's wishing the Monkey Man a very happy 12th birthday.

It was an early start this morning as we headed to the airport for the flight to Phuket.  We had a decent Dim Sum breakfast to get things underway!

Kai boy has already made good start on his early (Thursday) birthday present - Playstation 4 with the FIFA14 game. He's been thrashing us all at the football game and demolishing everyone in his path on the car game.

The style master is hard at work today with his birthday hat & sunglasses, new baby G to boot .....

Kai boy we love you lots xxxxx mum,dad & Jenaya

Chilling out ....

Hong Kong - beautiful one day , perfect the next ?

View from the verandah this eve

Nic has a better one which will be on the Daily Pics

Sunday slothing ........

A very lazy Sunday has been overdue for some weeks

A very Happy Mother's Day ..... Yes the blog is late ...

Happy Mother's Day Nicole !

And a very happy Mother's Day to nan and grandma too ...   Apologies all for the late post but it got a little crazy.  And that would be different from when?

The kids had great gifts organised for Nicole and I think they did a great job of making her "day off" a very special one.   Even if she did help Kai to win rummykin.  Bacon and eggs BBQ breakfast , and bottle of champagne for the 5pm happy hour out on the new outdoor furniture just in time for summer. Oh yes we even managed to arrange that beautiful one day - perfect the next weather you requested.

We love you so much and you're a great mum and very special wife,  thank you again for the two special (no, not like that ..) kids ....

Taroko Gorge

A lot of wow moments, and as you can imagine the photos will never do it justice.

Trying to stay on top of things

Moose clan loose in the mobile today driving the inland route first via East Coast in the valley heading south and inland to Wulu gorge. Back through Antong and a significant tunnel back down into the coast road

Amazing country and the photos don't do the mountains justice. Couldn't get close enough to Mt Jade (3900m) or the other majors to photograph but the gorge is awesome and it would be great to be back here hiking one day

Will finish these notes later but here are some quick shots

Xie xie ...

Tuesday - Taipei.  We have thoroughly enjoyed Taipei and yet really only just scratched the surface.  So it's a bit weird to leaving so soon. Our morning starts with the Hotel checkout and last wander down to central station to book our train tickets. Train departs like clockwork at 1pm and we Head down to Hualien for four days, explore the east coast and one day up in Taroko Gorge.

We are staying just out of town in Shoufen in a small B&B right on the coast.  Excellent so far and the owners dropped back into city for dinner at a local Taiwanese diner and tea house. We wandered around town for an hour afterwards - we couldn't figure out why the heart of town was missing. It was odd .....  Then we found the small triangle of mid town and all the shops and market.  Still, it does seem to be missing a lively restaurant scene .... So perhaps we haven't got it sorted out yet.

Wednesday plan. Car hire with Moose driving and down into the East Rift

Taipei Central station

Monday - itis in Taipei

The hotel Okura has been excellent. Great choice Niccos !  The front desk has been very helpful and full of suggestions for food or haircuts (now that's a funny story).  Nic and I had a margarita for Karens birthday this evening.  Meanwhile the kids have renamed the bidet (Wall-e) after all the movie like sounds and Japanese remote control.  Who thought you could control a dunny from the lounge ?  Anyway I digress.  It's been a busy-ish day and I've come to the realisation I never remember to take the iPad to dinner so you will have to wait for photos of  Taipei's "best" beef noodle soup.  I guess that's a good thing.

We nailed the buffet breakfast with Mr Butter Chicken in ever present form.  Noodle led the charge for the taxi as we headed for The National Palace for he cultural day of this tour.  A ton of Qing Dynasty artifacts were on offer - sorry no photos allowed.  We scrummed with the best the mainland had to offer   For a country with no rugby team I was surprised how strong some of them were in the rucks around the jade and porcelain. ANYWHO ......

Back into the city and old part of town for some original Taipei market action.  Some of it was fun but we were pretty surprised by the size of the shark fin trade. Being a surfer I've no great affection for the Noahs but I certainly accept the fate for what it is.  Kai and I wandered amongst the traders but they were onto us and we're not happy about us trying to grab some photos.

After walking out of Dxxxx St back and almost back to the hotel we succumbed to one of the amazing patisseries that seem to pop up everywhere they shouldn't !   Dinner this evening has been I the hotel Chinese restaurant which sounds like a copout but has been quite a treat and saved a bit of walking.  Pepper beef , chilli chicken , rice noodles and pork , lotus and mixed veges with truffle oil.  It works ......

Tomorrow we head to Huilian and Taroko Gorge

The didn't want us snapping this one, but we got it anyway the places was full of fins in 

every conceivable size.  You read a lot about this fin trade.  Trust me it's massive

Street markets

The National Palace was full of spectacular artifacts

Kai's first beer?

Ok maybe there was a chocolate milk behind .......

Taipei - Sunday

Hot and sunny. 36c hot and sunny they reckon.  It was a slow start and everyone needed the sleepin.  Kai managed to ensure the family got value from the buffet breakfast ! Mr Butter Chicken has an appetite for hotel food .... And he found some new pets today that he wanted to bring home (not a chance matey).

The plan today was bikes down and along the river,  Confucious temple , some local food, see what happens this afternoon and then back to the hotel for a swim. Food tonight may well be from the night markets once we agree on which one - we were under the impression there was a couple of main ones but now we know of several smaller ones it could be fun to get off the beaten track.

The kids have been fantastic to have with the mandarin skills coming in handy many times already. Both Kai and Jenaya have been happy to step up and get talking when required. But so far everything we heard about the friendly and helpful locals has been 100 per cent correct with a few people jumping in to help us with taxis, the U bikes, and directions in general.  Makes for a great holiday.

Dinner was in a hotel reco Taiwanese Chinese restaurant complete with owner and Jacky Chan photos. Food was awesome

Here are some pics from the day ....

Travel blog ! Taipei day 1

Greetings from hot and sunny Taiwan .... Day one in Taipei after an early start. Hotel checkin and hit the streets for a wander, some photos and some food.  Found our way down the subway and across town to  Taipei 101 (yes we walked to the top)  Originally it was part of our Monday plan - but since we're here ....  Might as well

Back to hotel fir some feet up before we head out to find dinner !

Moose clan on tour .....