I visited Houtong Cat Village 猴硐貓村 with my situationship Jonas on the 18th of May, 2026. We departed by train from Taipei and continued on by train to Xinchen Taroko near the Taroko Gorge. This is part of our trip around Taiwan Planning our First Train Route in Taiwan I knew the minute I’d read about Houtong Cat Village that I wanted to visit. Jonas was also down, before our relationshit hit the fan on the 12th of May, and also after. After all, it was me who taught him the benefits of cats and how to love them back inContinue reading
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Penang Cat Cafés: Get Your Caffeine + Feline Fix in George Town
All Cats Are Beautiful. That’s why I not only take care of cats while their owners are away, but I also occasionally volunteer at cat shelters, do trap-neuter-return (TNR), and show street cats much love. Still, cat cafés are also a nice way to hang out with cats without taking on a burden of responsibility. During another long stay in Malaysia, I visited Penang cat cafés (😻) and cafés that happen to have cats (☕). Here are my recommendations, a map, plus tips to make your stay in Penang impactful the many street cats CATONOMY: Weekly Cat Meetups 😻 OpeningContinue reading
Gedser Odde: A Hike to the Southernmost Point of Denmark + Scandinavia
Jonas and I took a day trip to Gedser Odde by public transit and on foot on Monday, the 8th of September, 2025. The southernmost point of Denmark – and by extension the southernmost point of Scandinavia – is located on the island of Falster. Planning the Trip to Gedser Odde We are doing a catsit in a village on the Danish island of Falster for almost one month. During our stay, we do a few day trips in the Lolland-Falster region. The one trip I wanted to do most is to Gedser Odde, which is the southernmost point ofContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 69: Calafat to Vidin – Border Crossing from Romania to Bulgaria by River
This kayak day happened on Sunday the 9th of June, 2024. We kayaked from Calafat in Romania to Vidin in Bulgaria on the Danube River. Though both countries are in the EU, they weren’t completely part of Schengen at the time. That’s why we needed to deal with bureaucracy and get a new ship manifest for Zucchini. Leaving Romania by Boat: Lazy Saturday in Calafat The day after we kayaked more than 70 kilometers down the Danube, we wanted to see if we can leave Romania via the Danube. Calafat also has a road-rail bridge to Vidin, but the border controlsContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 51: Apatin in Serbia to Erdut in Croatia – Straddling Schengen
The events in this story happened on Tuesday, the 2nd of April, 2024. We paddled our inflatable canoe Zucchini from Apatin in Serbia to Erdut in Croatia. This was our second kayaking day down the Danube of 2024 and the 51st in total. Since Croatia is in the EU and Schengen and Serbia isn’t, we had to deal with immigration—on one side of the river… Preparing to Cross Back to Schengen Starting to Erdut from Apatin In the morning, we smashed a slightly underripe banana and a cup of instant coffee. Though we’d prepared a lot the evening before, weContinue reading
Accommodation in Slovenia: Ljubljana, the Best Airbnb We’ve Ever Stayed in + Brežice
What to expect of accommodation in Slovenia as a digital nomad? We stayed in Slovenia from the 4th till the 14th of March, 2024. These are the places we booked to both work online from and have fun kayaking day trips in Ljubljana and Brežice. That Cat Flat in Ljubljana: Our Best Airbnb Experience in Over 200 Stays ⭐ Duration: 10 nights I can’t recommend this place enough and you’ll be lucky to claim a spot. Fair warning: this place is not suitable for people who are allergic to cats. Please don’t book this place if you have a catContinue reading
Why We Started Catsitting + How to Start Housesitting to Travel
It all started with a cat named Monday. At least, that’s what we called her. And after finding a forever home for her, we wanted to have more cats in our lives without the drama and the tears. More happy stories of beloved felines that receive regular veterinary care. Fewer stories of kittens discarded on a hiking trail or born in a colony on a rooftop. Just taking care of cats for a few days or weeks or months and then handing back the responsibility to their pet parents who missed them dearly and are grateful for the help. ThatContinue reading
The Van Cat Sanctuary (Van, Turkey)
When my hosts in Van told me that there’s a Van cat sanctuary, I knew I had to visit. The Van Cat is a special type of cat that hails from this area around Lake Van in Turkey. They have a white coat and often have one blue eye and one green one. This place is like a sanctuary for these cats, which are quite rare in the world and need extra protection. As I understood it, they’re here for protection and local heritage, not breeding. Back on the Isle of Man, I visited the Manx Society for the PreventionContinue reading