Basilica of the Sacré Cœur

The basilica is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre (highest point in the city of Paris). Sacré-Cœur is a double monument, political and cultural, both a national penance for the excesses of the Second Empire and socialist Paris Commune of 1871 crowning its most rebellious neighborhood, and an embodiment of conservative moral order, publicly dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was an increasingly popular vision of a loving and sympathetic Christ (wikipedia).

If you only have a limited amount of time in Paris, I would suggest skipping this attraction. Yes, the view of the city is nice (since you're basically on top of it). However, the most iconic feature of the Paris skyline is not visible... and not being able to see the Eiffel Tower kind of ruins the moment. For a better view, I would suggest going to the Arc de Triomphe. Also, the panhandlers hanging out at Sacré Cœur are some of the most annoying/aggressive in all of Paris (be on the lookout for pick pockets). You will be constantly hassled to buy cheap tourist stuff, beer, candy, etc. I came here to have a relaxing picnic on the lawn as the sun went down... and ended up leaving early. Some locals warned me that the area is not the safest after the sun goes down.

These are a few photos I took before I left.

Surf Taiwan

There's no surf in Taiwan?

When I found out that I would have a few extra days at the end of a business trip to Asia, I started thinking about hopping on a short flight to Bali (before coming back to the US). However, there wasn't enough time to go back and forth... and I had never spent time in Taiwan. Therefore, I decided to stay on the island and go exploring. My first thought was to go to Taipei... but after looking at some maps, it seemed like Taiwan would have decent surf in the southeast and east. I asked some friends that lived in Taiwan about my options down south... and their response was similar: "There's no surf in Taiwan". A few people thought there might be waves near Kenting, but were not positive. That didn't discourage me though... if there were no waves, I would enjoy a little beach holiday or go hiking in the mountains down south. Taiwan has an amazing high speed rail network... so it is very easy (and cheap) to navigate the island.

Prior to my departure, I contacted a surf tour agency (The Perfect Wave) that I had used in the past to visit Fiji and the Maldives. They were based in Australia and had extensive knowledge of the SE Asia region. The Perfect Wave put me in touch with Surf Taiwan and I made arrangements for some accommodations down south in Nanwan.

The Surf Taiwan crew was great! They were super accommodating and made me feel like I was part of their family (the constant supply of Taiwan Beer was also nice). My host had the entire coastline dialed in and knew where to go for certain conditions. I was thinking I would be lucky if there were 2 foot waves... but there were waist to head high waves everyday and the water felt like a bath tub (managed to get a mini-barrel one day that no one saw). Another great thing about Taiwan is the lack of crowds... I think my friends meant to say "no one surfs in Taiwan" (instead of "there's no surf in Taiwan"). Anyways, not many people read my blog... so I'm sure that this posting will not lead to a giant influx of surfers to Taiwan.

Hoping that I can come back again soon!

Taking the HSR from Taichung to Zuoying. The commute took less than an hour (wish we had these in the US!)

The beach at Nanwan... no surfing during Typhoons  :(

What you don't see is this image is the giant nuclear power plant to the right. Surfing this place kind of reminded me of surfing at San Onofre.

Surf check!

Yes, there is surf... now let's see how fast I can run down the hill and go through the forest.

Rivermouth.

The left... good for longboard.

Lonely A-Frame reef break.

Have to be quick on your feet to make the speedy inside section at low tide.

Adios Taiwan!... hope I can visit your beaches again!

La Playa

The beautiful beach of Playa Encuentro... in front of the Hideaway Beach Resort.

A Walk Through Golden Gate Park

After eating brunch at the Cliff House in Ocean Beach (highly recommended), I had a few hours to kill before heading back down to Santa Barbara. Since the weather was beautiful, I decided to take a little walk through Golden Gate State Park. I had never been on this trail before. In the past, whenever I had gone to Ocean Beach, all I did was surf. The weather was usually quite foggy and there wasn't much of a view. However, on this particular day, the sun was shining and it was just about as beautiful as it could get... could see for miles. These are a few photos I took along the way.

Wedding... "Fiji Style"

As I was paddling around the lagoon between two islands in Fiji, I noticed boats carrying supplies back and forth from a sandbar in the middle of the ocean. After watching them for a little bit, I realized that they were setting up for a wedding. Imagine having or going to a wedding in the middle of the ocean... I think it would be pretty incredible. I thought about sticking around to watch the ceremony, but I had already gotten a lot of sun and decided to cruise back to the shade of some palm trees. However, before I bailed, I decided to take a few photos.

My Fijian Adventure - Exploring the Ocean

About a mile out to sea (from Malolo Lailai Island in Fiji), a sandbar forms between two reefs at low tide. I decided to take a kayak, my camera, some snorkel gear, water, and A LOT of sunscreen with me to this amazing spot. I started my journey around medium tide... so the sandbar had not shown yet. However, I scouted out the spot the day prior (when I was passing by on a boat to go surfing) and had a pretty good idea where it would form. A mile paddle on a kayak is relatively easy in calm seas... but I had a lingering fear that my camera would fall out and get destroyed. Therefore, I went a bit slower than I otherwise would have (and wrapped my camera up in several plastic bags, a camera case, and a backpack).

When I floated up to the spot, a sliver of sand had started to show (as seen in the top image). It was incredible to be in the middle of the ocean with no one else around me... and no sounds other than the ocean and an occasional boat. As the tide continued to drop, the sandbar continued to grow... at its biggest, it's about a half mile in length. However, like anything in the ocean, it's constantly changing... and by the day I left, it had shifted a couple hundred meters to the south.

Surrounding the sandbar are coral reefs... and just outside the reefs, the ocean depth drops rather significantly. This made for some incredible snorkeling! (which is why I brought the snorkel gear) I did some free dives down to the ocean floor and was surrounded by hundreds of colorful fish. It was a pretty rad experience.

In the second image (with sailboat), you can see how shallow the ocean is in this area. During low tide, boats coming to/from the island had to take a much longer route to avoid the reefs. If I had wanted to, I could have walked all the way to where that sailboat was.

My Fijian Adventure - "A Million Dollar View"

About a mile out to sea (near Malolo Lailai island in Fiji), there is a sandbar that forms between two reefs. The sand only shows at low tide, but it's no more than ankle deep in most areas. I took a kayak and some snorkel gear out to this spot at medium tide and just relaxed as the water drained. When I first got here, I was completely by myself (all I could hear was the ocean and an occasional boat). It was quite a surreal experience... truly a "million dollar view".

Float On

I really liked the perspective and lighting of this photo... was actually rather surprised when I first saw it. The cherry blossoms looked like they were floating. 

Spring Into Spring (2012 Edition)

Everything is starting to come back to life again after a relatively mild winter in Boston... flowers are blooming, temperature is staying above 50F, outdoor patios are open, and farmers markets will be starting soon.

 I'm planning to dedicate the next several days to posting images related to spring time. Enjoy!

A Frigid Barrel

You may not believe your eyes, but this shot was actually taken in New Hampshire... and yes, that is a barrel. A cold front had passed through the area and it left us with about a half day of swell. I got to New Hampshire in the early afternoon and immediately went to a "semi-secret" spot (that's not really a secret). I really only refer to it as a secret spot because it hardly ever breaks well... and no one bothers to check it on most days. Anyways, the wave was breaking quite well this day and was actually barreling at take off. The water was cold, but no one was out... fun times! As with most swells in the Northeast, it was extremely short lived... and this spot was completely flat the next morning.

Shorts Sands Symmetry

Nothing too special about this image... I just liked the symmetry and angles that the sidewalk and lampposts made. Photo was taken at a little beach community in York, Maine (Short Sands).