potw - luzhou

One of our final events in Taiwan was the Luzhou temple celebration on October 25, 2010. The surrounding cities brought their deity costumes and held an all day procession through the streets of Luzhou. The event brought out the community as people honored Chinese historical figures and Taiwanese politicians. We were able to capture some wonderful photos and video of this annual event. Here is a full description in the daily details section. 

travel tips - 60 days out

1. Investigate passport visa requirements.

Many countries offer visa on arrival or you can easily apply for a visa at an embassy but it is always better to check your's and the visiting countries’ official government website before leaving for the most current information.

We originally hadn’t planned on visiting China but then decided to look into while we were in Taiwan. Because there wasn’t an embassy in Taiwan we would have had to send our passports back to the states costing us about $300 USD each according to one travel agency. If we looked into it before we left the States we probably would have applied for a visa entry into China.

2. Check passport expiration date.

Your passport must be valid for at least six months past the last day of trip. You will not be allowed entry into a country otherwise.

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coming to america

As Neil Diamond famously sang, "On the boats and on the planes (or trains). They're coming to America. Never looking back again. They're coming to America."

After nearly eight months and eleven countries, it's time to go home. We are up against the holidays and out of money and while both Annie and I have mixed feelings about returning, we have agreed on one thing. It will be really nice to see friends and family again. 

We currently have tickets on Malaysia Airlines to return on November 1st to LAX. While this date isn't set in stone, it is beginning to look more like a reality.

We have many things planned upcoming for the blog including finishing our Travel Tip Series as well as several video recaps. I am even considering making a movie from all the video footage I have shot during the trip. 

We are sad to see this journey coming to an end but looking forward to catching up with everyone.

taiwanese independence

10/10/10 turned out to be a pretty epic day for us in Taiwan and we decided to include a portion of our daily details post on the main page. 

5am wake up call. Big day. October 10, 2010 better known as 10/10/10. This day was the 99th Independence Day for Taiwan that happened to coincide with a large filming project I was undertaking. The project is called One Day On Earth and it is basically a video time capsule in which thousands of filmmakers are contributing footage from every country on the planet that will be compiled into a major motion picture and released on 11/11/11. The goal is to document one day on earth from as many perspectives as possible. The independence celebration was a natural subject matter and after some incredible preparation from Annie’s sister, Grace, and brother-in-law, Arnold, we were well on our way to a successful day. 

Our first stop was determined by the parade route in downtown Taipei. We decided on a location that we thought would be the best possible vantage point but knew things would be hectic and so an early departure was a necessity. The main portion of the procession was blocked off to foot traffic and you needed special clearance to enter. We didn’t have that clearance and so we set up shop right at the edge of the restricted zone and were in location by 6am. The parade would begin shortly after 11am. The next five hours were spent jockeying for position with the aggressive Taiwanese and the conditions were far from ideal. 

To read about the entire day click here.

potw - hoi an

We just wrapped up a fantastic month in Vietnam and are now in Taiwan. I uploaded the photos from Vietnam here. This photo was taken in one of our favorite towns, Hoi An. I woke up early on our final morning and took several photos along the river. This old lady flagged me over to take her picture and promptly asked me for a dollar when I was done.