2014 was beyond amazing. It was overfilled with so much love and friendship. I am especially grateful for the travel I have been able to share with loved ones this year.
Limiting my best travel moments to 14 has been extremely difficult. There are so many great experiences that didn’t make this list. Thanks to everyone who was a part of my 2014. You (my friends, readers, and family) made it one awesome year!
1. Getting stuck at home during the worst snow storm in 20 years
Yes, being stuck at home was the first great travel moment of 2014. I had travelled home from Taiwan for the holidays. When it came time to return to Taiwan, of course I didn’t want to leave. Mother Nature must have known this because on the day I was supposed to get on the plane, she delivered the worst snow storm in 20 years. The plane still took off (6 hours late), but there was no way for me to get to the airport from my Indiana home. The county had declared a state of emergency, making it illegal to be on the roads. So, I got to stay and enjoy my friends and family for an extra week!
I got to spend some extra time with this cute pup!
2. Learning how to scuba dive in the Philippines
It’s quite embarrassing, but one of my biggest fears is fish. Even though I love to be in and around the water, I cannot be near fish. I made significant strides to conquer this fear when I became a certified scuba diver this year. (Go me!) Puerto Galera in the Philippines offered a safe environment for me to learn how to dive and confront my feelings about fish. I’m definitely a scuba diving convert now. I love it!
My open water classmates and I along with our instructor Hue.
3. Finding wind lion gods of Kinmen, Taiwan
After moving to Taiwan, I was fascinated with visiting the offshore islands. I finally got my chance during a three day weekend early this year. We jetted off to Kinmen (pronounced Jin-men) to find out a little bit more about the history of Taiwan and its conflict with China. The island is a fascinating reminder of the tension between the two countries. It was the frontline during the armed conflict. On top of all of the history, Kinmen is home to approximately 80 wind lion gods. These statues, which are scattered around the island, block evil spirits from entering houses and places of worship. Finding them all is a great game and good motivation to see the entire island!
One of 80 or so Wind Lion Gods in Kinmen. Each one is individual in appearance. I think this one looks like a chipmunk!
4.1 Discovering Imma
This year, we happened across one of my favorite restaurants in the whole entire world. Yup, it’s that good. Imma Bakery and Café in Tainan, Taiwan serves up beautiful Mediterranean food. The two Israeli owners are entertaining and extremely hospitable. They will tell you what you want to eat and they are always spot on with their recommendations. If you are in Taiwan, you owe it to yourself to get to Imma as soon as possible.
Yummy Vegetarian Stuffed Pepper!
4.2 Discovering Fourplay
Another culinary delight and therefore sharing the number 4 spot with Imma, Fourplay in Taipei, Taiwan was an equally exciting discovery. You can eat here, but the stars of the show are the cocktails. All you have to tell the bartender is what kind of things you like and he will mix up a personalized cocktail just for you. Some of our favorites have been created around suggestions such as Mango, Betel Nut, and Snickers.
The drinks from our first visit to Fourplay. Clockwise from top left: Betel Nut, Peanut Butter, and Marijuana Shots.
5. Scuba Diving with 30m visibility in Lanyu, Taiwan
In case you missed it, I love scuba diving. But I have to admit that I wasn’t looking forward to diving in Taiwan. I had heard that it was subpar compared to elsewhere in Asia. Whoever told me that was dead wrong. Diving in Lanyu was amazing. Our first dive was to 30m but as soon as we jumped in the water, we could see the sunken tanker 30 meters below us. The setting and visibility were unreal. I’d definitely recommend checking out Lanyu to any diver in Taiwan.
That’s me in the bow of the sunken cargo ship.
6. Finding natural hot springs in Lalashan
Lalashan is a special place for both E and I. One of my favorite memories from our many visits is finding the natural hot springs, called Xin Xing. To reach these hot springs, we first had to find the appropriate mile marker and then hike down the mountain for forty minutes. The hike was rewarded with a nearly deserted hot spring waterfall. The hot water falls from the cliffs above and mixes with the cool river water to create pools of various temperatures. It is a tiny hidden corner or the world that we were really happy to find.
The water from this fall was burning hot making this a very uncomfortable spot to sit.
7. Hiking Taroko Gorge with family
I was surprised and overjoyed when my cousin, his wife, and daughter came to visit us near the end of our stay in Taiwan. We had so much fun exploring the Taiwan’s East Coast with them. All of it was wonderful, but my favorite place was Taroko Gorge where we hiked among the cliffs to fantastically powerful waterfalls and gorgeous views. It’s definitely a week I will never forget.
Kevin, Joan, Aaliyah, and I in just one scenic part of Taroko National Park.
8. Exploring Tokyo Disney
I’m on a mission to visit every Disney theme park in the world. Tokyo’s two parks were crossed off this year, leaving me with only Disney Paris left on the list (until Shanghai opens next year). E and I had a blast exploring Tokyo Disney for two days. I especially loved the ingenuity of DisneySea. It was unique in a series of parks that often are a bit boring in their similarities. I would go back in an instant!
This is our third Disney castle photo together. (E says we’re lame.)
9. Drinking Namaste at the Dogfish Head brewery
Delaware is a state that I admit was pretty low on my bucket list. However, I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to visit my friend from Taiwan while she was home in Delaware this summer. The beaches, restaurants, and scenery were wonderful, but the highlight of my trip was visiting the Dogfish Head brewery. Of course, I am a sucker for alcohol tours and the free samples always make for a good time. The Dogfish Head tour was exemplary. I don’t think I tasted a beer I didn’t like. My favorite was for sure Namaste, a witbier. I recommend a stop at the brewery for anyone in Delaware.
Enjoying our free samples!
10. Dragging my family to the Jack Daniels Distillery
It’s not that my dad, stepmom, and stepsister don’t drink, it’s that they don’t drink whiskey. But when I heard that we would be taking a trip to Nashville, TN, I insisted we spend a day exploring the countryside and making our way to the Jack Daniels Distillery in Lynchburg, TN. Thankfully, they were good sports, tasting most of the whiskeys on our tour, and giving me one of my best travel days in 2014.
Here they are, trying to look like they are enjoying their whiskey.
11. Ziplining for the first time in Brown County, IN
It wasn’t my idea to go ziplining on our annual camping trip. It was my cousin Ashley’s, but I am sure glad she had the idea. Ziplining through the rolling hills and fall colors that define the stunningly beautiful Brown Country, Indiana was the perfect introduction to the adventure activity.
Wheeeeee!
12. Begging our way onto a plane we should have missed
I’m not sure if this should be on a list of the best travel moments or the worst. After fighting traffic for three and a half hours, my best friend and I arrived at O’Hare International Airport only 30 minutes before our flight to New Orleans was scheduled to leave. I was sure we weren’t going to make it on the plane and after sprinting through check-in and security, the gate agent told us that they had already closed the flight. We couldn’t board the plane. Cue the waterworks. Luckily, the gate agent didn’t want to listen to our sobs and decided to take a risk, letting us onto the plane even though it was closed in the computers. We were so overjoyed and shaky from the stress of the morning that we promptly ordered an overpriced Baileys and coffee even though it was 8AM. I will forever be indebted to that gate agent. (As a side note, the trip to New Orleans was worth every bit of this chaos. I struggled to pick any one particular moment from the trip for this list.)
Unfortunately, there are no appropriate pictures of us on the plane. So, here is a picture of the Candlelight Lounge instead. Great music!
13. Laughing through Bodyfly Yoga in Bangkok
I was so happy to see a familiar face in Bangkok, my friend Hayley from Taiwan. And lucky for me, she was happy to go along with my plan to try a Bodyfly yoga class. This class involves completing yoga poses while hanging from a “hammock” attached to the ceiling. It was a blast and even if I didn’t get most of the poses correct, I got a workout from the hour of laughing.
Namaste!
14. Seeing the sunrise over Bagan
Bagan was a place I had dreamed of visiting ever since I studied with two Burmese students during my last semester of university. It definitely lived up to their hype. The most magical time to experience the ancient city is at sunrise. We got up to see the sun come up over Bagan three times during our short visit. Each time was as beautiful as the last.
Bagan is known as ‘the sea of temples.’
What were some of your travel highlights from the past year? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to follow along with Every Mile on our social media pages to see what we are up to in 2015.
Psst…Check out this post on the Weekend Wanderlust link-up.
