I admit it. This picture was taken a few years ago, but I think I still look vaguely like that. Depends on the day (and the time of day). And today, just before I uploaded this picture, an Indonesian English student told me how much she liked my nose. I heard that a lot in Indonesia. Apparently, a large nose like mine is a good …
Read the full story »Saturday February 5, 2011
7:50 a.m
I’m back at my favorite spot in Baling and about to have what has become my traditional café latte. They make a very good cup of café latte here. It’s got lots of coffee flavor and is very hot.
I haven’t written very much the last couple of days despite a lot happening. That’s because it has been so cold both inside …
Friday February 4, 2011
8:00 a.m. Having a coffee in Baling
I had a very interesting evening in Baling because of all the people I met. The first was a Taiwanese man in his forties named Carlson. He sat down in this restaurant where all the girls had asked me to sign their magazine. He looked over at me and asked if I was traveling alone, too. …
Thursday February 3, 2011
7:20 a.m. Cottage in the Mountains
Where to begin this latest adventure? I’m writing inside a beautiful wooden cottage high up in the mountains. I don’t really have any idea where I am because I came up here in a fog as thick as soup. It’s cold up here, and without any kind of heating, the thermometer reads 7 degrees Celsius inside the …
Wednesday February 2, 2011
11:45 a.m. Roadside Coffee Shop (sort of)
I haven’t covered much distance so far today. I keep heading off down mountain roads to the left and the right and seeing where they lead. There is so much to see right around here, that there isn’t much point racing off to points south for hours and hours.
My first side trip was off to the …
Tuesday February 1, 2011
7:35 a.m. Fushing Youth Activity Center
Life simply doesn’t get any better than this. The skies are blue, the air is crisp and cold, I have a hot cup of coffee, and I am sitting at a floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall window with a beautiful view of mountains and lakes. I also have a tremendous room with an equally wonderful view. It’s a western …
Monday January 31, 2011
Awesome Restaurant in the mountains of Taiwan
3:30 p.m.
Chinese New Year is this Wednesday, and many companies, including mine, also gave us Monday and Tuesday off, so we don’t have to be back at work until the following Tuesday. That gave me a total of 10 days. I’d normally have booked a flight out of Taiwan to the Philippines or someplace sunny like …
Monday December 6, 2010 8;45 a.m.
Formost Hotel Lobby – Kenting, Taiwan
Today is my last day in Kenting. My ticket on the High Speed Rail back to Taipei is for 7:30 tonight, but I’ll probably end up going back earlier than that. I tried to arrange to keep my room until mid- or late-afternoon, but no one really understood what I was talking about. Hotels want …
Sunday December 5, 2010
9:00 a.m. Formost Hotel Lobby – Kenting, Taiwan
My big plan for Saturday was to visit the National Museum of Marine Biology & Aquarium, henceforth known as the “Aquarium”, and it was an extraordinary experience – far better than I had expected.
I didn’t know much about the Aquarium, but it was one of the main reasons I decided to come to Kenting this …