Far East Adventure Travel

Audio Podcasts

I’m John Saboe, your host and publisher of Far East Adventure Travel and I’m excited to be bringing you many years of podcasts featuring my favourite places in the world. Podcasts are available on iTunes.

Far East Adventure Travel

Video Podcasts

Far East Adventure Travel Video podcast offers images, video and stories of the amazing experiences to be enjoyed in Asia and I hope they'll inspire you to visit some of my favourite places on the planet.

Far East Adventure Travel

Facebook

Traveling to the far east? Let Far East Adventure Travel inspire you with images, video, stories and travel advice for Asia and beyond.

Japan Blog Posts

Kyoto-City of 10,000 Shrines-Where To Start?
  Kyoto is located in the central part of Honshu Island, Japan and was the imperial capital of the country[...]
Cats Outshine Cherry Blossoms-Ueno Park, Tokyo – Far East Adventure Travel
Sakura season in Japan. It traditionally marks the start of Spring. Hanami is the appreciation of flower viewing, in particular,[...]
An Eclectic Selection Of Tokyo’s Top Neighborhoods
It’s called shitamachi, the old town ambience of Tokyo’s past that has survived and in fact flourishes today in the[...]

Nepal Blog Posts

Bagmati River-Kathmandu, Nepal
The Bagmati River is located in Nepal's Kathmandu Valley. It separates the ancient former kingdoms of Patan and Kathmandu. Considered[...]
A Virtual Pilgrimage To Swayambunath-The Monkey Temple Kathmandu – Far East Adventure Travel
In this episode of Far East Adventure Travel the Podcast, a virtual walk in real time up the steps to[...]

Cambodia Blog Posts

“Pearl Of Asia”-Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s Top Sites
Phnom Penh has been the capital of Cambodia since French colonization. It is the country’s largest city with a population[...]
Kampong Phluk-Cambodia’s Floating Village
Hello and welcome to another edition of Far East Adventure Travel The Podcast. I’m John Saboe your host traveling through[...]
Angkor, Cambodia’s Movie Star Temple-Ta Prohm
It was founded by the great Khmer King Jayavarman Vll in the late 12th century. It is one of the[...]

Taiwan Blog Posts

Dihua Street – Shopping For Chinese New Year
They call it grocery street. Dihua Street or the Dihua market. When I first came to Taipei, Taiwan and visited[...]
Interactive Media Arts-Takin It To The Streets Of Taipei – Far East Adventure Travel
Taipei is one of the most interesting and fun cities in East Asia with loads of activities. There’s always something[...]
Chinese New Year At Zhinan Temple On Monkey Mountain-Taipei, Taiwan
Taipei, Taiwan becomes unusually quiet for most of the Chinese New Year holiday as many who work and live in[...]

India Blog Posts

A Hundred Memories, A Simple Image From Kolkata – Far East Adventure Travel
It's amazing how the simplest images we capture while traveling can conjure up a few or even a dozen memories.[...]
The Monkey Attack Kolkata India
I recently posted a video on the some of the run-ins I've had with monkeys across Asia. One of the[...]
The Cigarette Smoking, Whisky Drinking Goat Of Kolkata
The Kali Temple, in the Kalighat section of Kolkata India. I was here with the my friend Subroto who was[...]

A Pyrotechnic War Zone

The Beehive Fireworks Festival Yanshui, Taiwan

February 17, 2014 By John Saboe

Far East Adventure Travel Magazine. Download the app in the iTunes Store and Subscribe!

I had heard about the Beehive Fireworks Festival from some of my Taiwanese friends. It is one of the biggest events on the island that helps bring to an end The Lunar New Year festivities. The other one is the world famous Sky Lantern Festival held in Pingxi, Northern Taiwan. Having seen both now I would describe them as the complete polar opposites of each other. The Sky Lantern Festival, although crowded, is a ballet in the sky. The sky lanterns glowing and dancing as they fly away with the dreams of the releasers written on their four sides.

The Beehive Fireworks Festival held in Yanshui, Taiwan could be described as a war zone with no enemy. Hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of firecrackers and or bottle rockets lit simultaneously. It’s called the “beehive” because when the firecrackers(rockets) are lit they stream out like bees leaving their hive. Wildly flying off in all directions. Spectators geared up with motorbike helmets, towels draped over the necks and heavy coats. Some wearing an extra pair of pants. It’s dangerous in the war zone of firecrackers.

I’m not exaggerating. I ignored advice from my friends and decided not to gear up. I thought if I was far enough away from the “beehive” I wouldn’t need any protection. I was lucky. That mistake could have cost me an eye, ear, or possibly even a finger. I was, I thought, far enough away from the action. But the force of the blast is so powerful firecrackers fly for hundreds of meters. I was in the street when the center of the beehive was about 200 meters away. Once I saw the firecrackers flying and heard them whizzing past me I ran for shelter.

I met a teacher from Tainan earlier in the evening who was showing me around the area. He was supposed to wait for me in this shelter. He too had no protection. But he was nowhere to be found. Missing in action. I think he was really scared. I hardly blame him. He took off never to be found.

The festival started in 1885. According to the official website for the event there was a cholera epidemic sweeping through Yanshui with little in the way of medicine to help. Locals prayed to the god of war Gaun Di for assistance. With the Gods help and the faithful lighting firecrackers throughout the streets the plague was wiped out overnight. The ritual has taken place ever since.

The video I hope captures some of the spirit of the evening. I know it helps me recall some pretty scary moments. If you see me there next year I’ll be the one dressed as a medieval knight.

Far East Adventure Travel

A stop on the rugged north coast of Taiwan while cycling the island. Taiwan is a cycling paradise!

Reviews

John's a former radio announcer so the audio on these is great - smooth pipes! The content is great if you're into traveling to exotic places, exploring other cultures, delving into your spiritual side and getting far off the beaten track. John climbs mountains, treks to far out places, explores rat palaces, caves, monkeys, gibbons, tigers, camel safaris and disappearing cultures. Highly recommended!

- Mark Bossert

Far East Adventure Travel

John's podcasts are both fascinating and entertaining. Having travelled to India, Nepal, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Japan and Taiwan amongst others, his insights are based on first hand personal experience. I would advise anyone travelling to the far east to check these out first.

- Jergig

Far East Adventure Travel