Travel

Today was a long day! It started at 4:20 AM when we got our wake up call from the hotel. At precisely 4:50 the hotel bus leaves for the train station taking most of the guests up to a vantage point on Chushan where you can witness the spectacular sunrises. I’ve mentioned this before, this … Read more

As I mentioned earlier, the Alishan House Hotel has gone through an amazing transformation since last we were here. In fact, this hotel is wonderful, even more amazing in comparison to the sparse, utilitarian place it was last time. It’s so amazingly improved, I would go so far as to say I simply couldn’t believe … Read more

It’s 9:30 in the morning, I’m sitting on the balcony of our room, looking out over the beautiful mountains and valleys. What could be better than writing about a beautiful day in the mountains? Oh yes, enjoying a beautiful day in the mountains… better get on with it.

I left a request for an early wake-up call, but didn’t get it. (I’m told I did, but said, “ok, ok, I’ll get up.” and then didn’t. I can’t believe Irene fell for that, the oldest trick in the book – the old sleep-talking to stop someone waking you trick. Anyway, we didn’t have much … Read more

Today was a national holiday here in Taiwan. I’m not even sure what the exact name of the holiday is, it’s always just called Double-10. It is, in theory, the day that celebrates the over-throw of the Qing Dynasty in 1911 and the formation of the Republic of China. In Taiwan, nothing is that simple, … Read more

We did go forage for food later, and I had another tasty meal at the Indian place in the night market. I tried a different type of food and I’m still convinced, with a little tweaking, this could be big. We took some extra time to look around and came across this booth for candling. … Read more

This afternoon we had a bit of a surprise. Michelle started speaking Chinese. I suppose out of necessity she made the switch… wish I could do that. Yesterday evening’s excursion was a bit much for my back, so I took it easy today, but we still went out for lunch (MOS) and a trip to … Read more

I’m recycling this picture, but it fits perfectly with the theme. Last time we were here, MOS had this complicated recycling station, which seems a bit excessive. There are places for trash, cardboard, cups, ice, certain types of plastic and food waste. MOS being a Japanese chain, you just naturally expect something excessive and quirky … Read more

The Xiobitan station has several pieces of art, even the patio is considered a piece of art. With all civic art, you have to explain it in massively pompous ways to justify the complete waste of tax money it represents. Here are a couple from Xiaobitan: This is the patio… Eastside Square; The Sweeties “Time … Read more

Nights are the worst. That’s beginning to be my mantra. Sometime around 1-3 AM each morning I awake with a coughing fit. This morning it happened twice, both times I had nosebleeds because my nose is so weak from constant blowing. I had to get up and leave the room, so I spent time on … Read more