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

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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

Visiting Tokyo’s Number One Attraction-Senso-Ji Temple
Senso ji is a Buddhist temple located in the Asakusa District of Tokyo. It is the oldest temple in Tokyo[...]
Imperial Palace-Sanctuary In The Heart Of Tokyo – Far East Adventure Travel
Tokyo is the convenience capital of the world. It's so easy to get something to eat, shop for exactly what[...]
Tsukiji Market’s Tuna Auction-Tokyo’s Hot Ticket
Far East Adventure Travel The Podcast is brought to you by Far East Adventure Travel Magazine. Get your free subscription[...]

Nepal Blog Posts

Trekking The Great Annapurna Circuit, Nepal Part II
It’s a shame that many drive through this part of the circuit for upper Annapurna trekking and stays missing the[...]
Hard Hit Newari Kingdom-Bhaktapur, Nepal – Far East Adventure Travel
Bhaktapur was one of the hardest hit towns of Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley suffering earthquake damage to many of it’s homes[...]
My Beloved Nepal-Earthquake Stories Part 2-Patan’s Durbar Square
Patan is one of three royal cities in Nepal's Kathmandu Valley, the other two are Kathmandu and Bhaktapur. All three[...]

Cambodia Blog Posts

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[...]
Bats, Buddhists And Monkeys-Phnom Sampeau(Temple), Cambodia
Far East Adventure Travel The Podcast is brought to you by Far East Adventure Travel Magazine. Download the app from[...]

Taiwan Blog Posts

Gods, Rockets, And Warriors-Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival, Taiwan-Part 3
Another beehive is finished. The palanquins are directed away from the middle of the street so oncoming emergency vehicles can[...]
Taipei, Taiwan-Top 5 Districts For Your Hotel Search
[podcast src="https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5657552/height/450/width/450/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/" height="450" width="450"]patreon.com/FarEastAdventureTravel - Please visit my Patreon page to see the latest offers. For as little as $1/month[...]
Taipei, Taiwan’s Bustling Lunar(Chinese)New Year Shopping Center-Dihua Street
Dihua Street or Grocery Street is where many residents of Taipei, Taiwan head to for stocking up on food, snacks[...]

India Blog Posts

Singalila, India-Sunrise Over Four Giant Himalayan Peaks – A Video
Sunrise-Lhotse, Makalu, Kanchenjunga, Everest This is Singalila National Park in India. It’s located in West Bengal bordering Nepal in the[...]
Mumbai, India-Beaches To Street Food-Maximum City
Experiencing the  culture of Mumbai is as easy as hopping on a bus. Daily activities like riding the bus or[...]
Sunrise Over Himalayan Giants-Trekking Singalila
Trekking Singalila Ridge Hello, Namaste and welcome to another edition of Far East Adventure Travel-The Podcast brought to you by[...]

A Pyrotechnic War Zone

The Beehive Fireworks Festival Yanshui, Taiwan

February 17, 2014 By John Saboe

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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