As you can see from this picture, I made it to the “Pastureland Resort Experience Area” but if you think I’m going to tell you about it straight away, you’ve got another think coming. It was a long day to get to those cows, and it’s going to be a long blog post to get … Read more
Taiwan is a different place. Oh, I know, that’s not the single most insightful thing I’ve ever written, but neither is it as fatuous as it sounds. Regular readers of my blog may remember my last trip to Taiwan where we went to visit a major tourist destination: a sheep farm. It was pleasant and … Read more
Our first day in Taiwan passed somewhat uneventfully. We ate, we went to the park, we fought the insidious effects of jet lag – rather unsuccessfully, as, while I managed to stay awake until around 8:00PM local time (5:00AM AZ time) I awoke just before midnight feeling refreshed, wide-awake and hungry. The rest of the … Read more
The first part of any Arizona to Taiwan trip is a misery. There’s no long and short of it, it’s just a royal pain. Arrive two hours early (at 5:30AM) for a 7:30 flight. Flight to LA, 1 hour. 6.5 hour layover in America’s most miserable airport – no thanks, we decided to take a … Read more
In a couple weeks, we’ll be in Taiwan. I’ve upgraded (or downgraded, depending on how you look at it) all our travel video gear. This year, in addition to digital cameras and phones that can record video, we’ll be carrying two different mini-HD cameras. Chu-Wan has a “Flip MinoHD Camcorder, 60 Minutes (Black)” (Flip Video) … Read more
It seems like just yesterday when I was waxing poetic about my thoughts on environmentalism, recycling and the Taiwanese psyche about finding news ways to skirt any inconvenient laws. I’m humorously reminded of it in this article Taichung: No More Full of Sh*t at The View from Taiwan. In it, Mr. Turton explains the city … Read more
Here’s an amusing little video from Taiwan (fortunately, I don’t think anyone was too badly hurt.) In Taiwan, scooters are supposed to drive on the right, and when they want to make a left turn they are supposed to cross straight across the intersection, then stop, reposition their scooter and continue to the left when … Read more
I’ve been waiting for just the right moment to blog this one for a couple of months now. I think in keeping with my earlier post about the Out-Of-Office notice, that we should be reminded that it isn’t just the English and the Welsh that don’t always get their translations sorted out. This photo, from … Read more
Hat tip to Michael Turton over at View From Taiwan blog for this picture. (Posted to flickr) Many, many times I’ve wanted to capture the very essence of the nearly ubiquitous Taiwanese open-front restaurant, with it’s little plastic stools, fold up tables, metal work area, that strange metal box thing in the back and the … Read more
It wasn’t intentional (at least not on my part), but I managed to get several similar pictures on this trip as I did on my original trip to Alishan in 1998. In this one I’m demonstrating on the train, traveling in style in 2007. These purple flowers are all over at Alishan. I’m quite certain … Read more