Travel Asia – Wangechi Gitahi Travels

Asia

Cultural Wulai

By Wangechi Gitahi

Wulai means hot springs in the Atayal tribe and is a town situated in the mountain area of Taiwan. The area is cool, serene, and very beautiful. I was drawn to it more by the fact that the majority of the residents are the older generation and thus lots of history and culture to learn. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the government offers free bus rides to the senior citizens on specific days of the week to travel to and from Taipei to Wulai. My highlights were: a) The scenery The landscape which is mainly mountainous, is covered in green cover and rained while I visited. I enjoyed walking through the area and watching the descending fog cover the hill tops.This town is famous for their hotsprings but I didn’t get a chance to sample them due to the weather. b) The Delicacies: You have to sample some if…

Asia

India 101

By Wangechi Gitahi

India is officially known as the Republic of India and is located in South Asia It is bordered by Pakistan to the West, Myanmar and Bangladesh to the East, Bhutan, Nepal and China to the Northeast, and Pakistan to the West. It is the second most populous country in the world with a population of over 1.2billion people and seventh largest by mass. Mahatma Gandhi led India to independence from Britain via non-violent civil disobedience The dominant religion is Hinduism It has more than a million millionaires It has the worlds largest movie industry, Bollywood It is the worlds largest producer of tea, which is also its most popular beverage It is famous for being home to the Taj Mahal, a UNESCO World Heritage Kenyans require a visa prior to travel to India Check the below links for in depth information on my exploration of India: Taj Mahal: http://wangechigitahi.co.ke/expression-of-love-at-taj-mahal-agra/ Hoshiapur: http://wangechigitahi.co.ke/10-things-to-do-in-hoshiapur-my-home-away-from-home/ Amritsar:…

Asia

Hoshiapur-My home away from home

By Wangechi Gitahi

Hoshiapur is a little town located in the North Eastern region of India. The area is generally referred to as Punjab due to having a dominant Punjab community. The closest large city to it is Chandigarh and I was living in a little village called Boothgarh in Hoshiapur. I had traveled over 5500km, moving from a city life in Kenya to rural lifestyle in India, to volunteer teaching children in this region.This was the first time I was away from family and friends, away from my norm and truly, this area changed my life in more ways than one. I met a community that had never seen an African, and a black African at that, yet they took me in as their daughter, sister, granddaughter and friend. I made some of my greatest friendships here, I started breaking stereotypes here and I started discovering another version of me here. Below…

Asia

Homely Pingtung

By Wangechi Gitahi

After enjoying Taipei for sometime, I chose to venture southwards to Pingtung, that is also referred to as Pingdong. I really liked this place as the people were super warm, the landscape really serene and there was lots to learn about their culture, especially due to the high older generation population. The below is what I got up to, feel free to follow suit. a)Engage with the people I was privileged to have a home stay experience courtesy of my friends Katys grand parents. These two opened their hearts and home to me and I will forever be grateful that I eventually started calling them grand ma and grand pa. It was interesting watching people observe grandma and I conversing with each other, her in Chinese, me in English, yet we completely understood each other.They became my tour guides and showed me all around the town and its outskirts. May…

Asia

Taiwan 101

By Wangechi Gitahi

1.It is officially called the Republic of China (ROC) but most people refer to it simply as Taiwan. It was previously known as Formosa and its capital city is called Taipei. 2. It is an Island located in East Asia and is bordered by China in the West, Japan to the North East and Philippines to the South. 3. They dominantly speak Chinese and still use traditional Chinese characters in writing. 4. It has 14 recognized aboriginal tribes and a a population of about 23million people . 5.Their dominant religions are Buddhism and Taoism 6. The ladies are afraid of the sun and the rain. When the sun is high, they will have their umbrellas up to reduce exposure to the suns rays and when it rains, even a little, they have to be well covered in ponchos and umbrellas to avoid the effects of (acid) rain. 7.Their trash collection…

Asia

Hong Kong 101

By Wangechi Gitahi

1.Hong Kong’s official name is the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, or Hong Kong SAR. 2.Hong Kong’s official languages are Chinese (Spoken Cantonese) and English 3.It is located in East Asia and Hong Kong consists of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, the New Territories, and several other smaller islands. There are 263 islands in Hong Kong. 4.It has the worlds highest number of skyscarpers with most buildings being over 14floors 5.It is the most expensive country in the world to buy a home in 6.It is a leading financial hub, worldwide 7. Hong Kong is a generally safe country with with very low crime rates. It is safe even for females to travel at night 8.The airport staff at the Hong Kong International Airport get an A+ in customer service. When we arrived, to my amazement, I was received with a wheel chair as I was travelling with the aid of a…

Asia

Bali, a true Beauty

By Wangechi Gitahi

Bali, you are truly a wonder, everything from your deeply cultural nature, to your amazing friendly people, to your diverse scenery. It is a shame that you have been wrongly perceived as a destination only for the elite, a reason that has kept many people away from exploring your beauty. I am glad I ventured here, and confirm, you welcome all sorts of budgets.The below is what we got up to: Ubud This is my favourite place in Bali, you will be amazed by its beauty and the culture of the people. The residents of this area are very traditional and thus, it is a cultural haven, my kind of place.. This place chose to expose its beauty to me, and I now understand why people speak with such awe about it. The culture The residents of Bali have managed to keep their cultures alive in their daily living, a…

Asia

Cultural immersion in Yogyakarta

By Wangechi Gitahi

This is a city that is located in Java and it is commonly referred to as Jogjakarta or Jogja. The area is ruled by a Sultan and the communities here are still very traditional. You will be overwhelmed by the culture in this area. Highlights of my trip: 1: Visit to Borobodur: The Borobodur is a UNESCO World Heritage Site having been built in the 9th century as a buddhist temple. It has been well maintained and I highly advise a visit as it is not only a beautiful masterpiece, the carvings on the wall tell stories about their culture. I highly advise one to arrive early, so as to enjoy the place before it is thronged by people. At the entrance, everyone is given a sarong to wear across their waist as a form of respect. I only discovered that it was a buddhist temple when we walked to…

Asia

Singapore on a budget

By Wangechi Gitahi

Singapore is a very developed country located in South East Asia. It has won many accolades and is currently referred to as a financial hub. Narratives on travel to Singapore cautioned that it was too expensive and thus one should plan a very short trip. I wish I hadn’t been scared off and had opted instead to plan a longer visit as budget travel is possible. 1)See and visit the Garden by the Bay This Garden is indeed a spectacle-especially at night when the lights are on. It is made up of several tall metal structures lined with an array of exotic plants, flowers and lights. One can enjoy a great view and picture from a distance due to the great height of the garden structures. Make sure you visit the outer gardens which are free to visit, the inner ones have an entrance fee charged. You can carry a packed…

Asia

Singapore 101

By Wangechi Gitahi

1.It is officially known as the Republic of Singapore and it is such a small country that its capital city is called Singapore 2. It is located in South East Asia and its neighbouring countries are Malaysia and Indonesia 3.Their official languages are English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil. 4. It was colonized by England and Japan, and had previously merged with Malaysia before becoming independent. 5.It is one of the worlds major commercial and financial hubs 6) Singapore has one of the Best Airports I have ever visited.They have computers that you can use for free while you wait,they allow free calls within Singapore on their public phone or use of your credit card to call internationally. 7.The citizens are called Singaporeans and as per my experience, they are very impersonal. It was rare to see people laughing, talking or communicating even on public transport let alone on the streets. 8.…