Fenchihu, the definitive collection

This trip to Alishan and Fenchihu happened to be about the same duration as our 1998 trip. We arrived at Alishan late on the first day, took the train down to Fenchihu mid-day the next, returned to Chiayi mid-day the next. On our trip in 2005, we really took the time to explore the Alishan … Read more

A (partial) day at Alishan

Cold and miserable, I went to sleep very early. As a consequence, I woke up very early also. The sun wasn’t quite up, but the sky had lightened and everyone else was asleep. While not cloudless, it was clear and pleasant, so I got out for a walk before the others awoke. Recently, I upgraded … Read more

Rain up the mountain

The four-hour train ride up the Alishan Forest Railway was entirely in a torrential downpour. It’s a slow, rough, precarious train ride on ancient narrow-guage tracks, originally put in at the turn of the last century by the Japanese. The train is short on amenities, but at least it has a toilet. (The first time … Read more

After the Taiwan High Speed Rail

I love the high speed train, and don’t want anything to sound like a negative, that’s why this is a different post. It’s not really about the high speed rail, but it is related. The High Speed Rail station in Chiayi is ultramodern, efficient and even has both a 7-11 and a MOS Burger. (MOS … Read more

Taiwan High Speed Rail

A second rainless morning in a row, but we didn’t have time to enjoy it. We had to catch the 11:18 High Speed Rail train to Chiayi, so we could catch the 1:30 forest railway to Alishan. The trip to Alishan is one we’ve taken several times before, but this is the first time we’ve … Read more

Shameless Self-Promotion

Finally got out for our first pizza in Taipei on this trip. I’ve placed the review over at pizzalocust, and there’s not much call for me to double-post it here. Instead, I’ll just post this picture of myself, enjoying a glass of water at Sabatini in Taipei. Technorati Tags: Blog, Pizza, Taiwan, Travel

Karen Teppanyaki – Mini-review

In the basement of the Taipei 101, like most other shopping complexes in Taiwan is a food court. While they all tend to have similar restaurants, just as food courts in malls back in the States are much he same, there is some slight variation from mall to mall depending on the clientele. The Taipei … Read more

Finally out of the house!

Saturday was the last day for Computex, and the only day they allow general admission. As I didn’t arrange my registration from overseas before we came and I wasn’t sure if the title of CIO would get me into the door (they’re mostly looking for bulk buyers) we waited for general admission day. It was … Read more

I’m so jaded.

Once upon a time I’d have killed for the opportunity to go to Comdex in Las Vegas to see the new technology and ogle the showgirls. Through no planning of our own, Computex, the world’s second largest technology show was in Taipei this week, so I made the effort to visit. Booth after booth after … Read more