Articles tagged with: Taiwan
Lukang 001 – HSR and Bus to Lukang
Friday July 9 2010
This time it was a snap decision to go to a small town on the west coast called Lukang. I hadn’t even heard of the place until a couple of days ago. It has a population of 87,000 and on the surface looks exactly like every other town I’ve seen in Taiwan. If someone blindfolded me and moved me to a street …
Bitou Cape – Taiwan
June 19, 2010
Looking for a day trip or a weekend trip out of Taipei? You could do a lot worse than head to Bitou Cape.
This beautiful and easily accessible cape (apparently shaped like a nose, hence the name – “Nose Tip” cape) is located on the northeast coast of Taiwan about 50 kilometers from downtown Taipei – if you follow the main routes to Keelung …
Happy Dragon Boat Festival
It’s Dragon Boat Festival over here in Taiwan. This festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. That is June 16 this year on the Gregorian calendar. Last year, it fell on June 27. In 2011, it will take place on June 6. These are important facts here in Taiwan, as depending on when the festival takes place we may or may …
Fixing my 150cc Attila Scooter
One of the best things about living in Taiwan is owning and driving a scooter. They’re inexpensive. They’re reliable. They are cheap to maintain. And they are a lot of fun to drive, whether you’re navigating crowded city streets or zooming through the mountains.
I bought a 150cc Attila from another foreigner that was leaving the country. It was a legal scooter, and I had the …
Receipt Lottery Day in Taiwan
It’s my favorite day in Taiwan – the 25th day of an odd-numbered month.
On this day (which come around six times a year), the Ministry of Finance in Taiwan releases the Uniform Invoice Winning Numbers for the previous two months. That’s just a fancy way of saying it’s receipt lottery day.
In Taiwan, there is an 8-digit number printed at the top of every receipt that …
Lanyu 005 – Practical Info for Visiting Lanyu
The Many Names of Lanyu
Lanyu has been known by many names. While the Ching Dynasty controlled Taiwan (1683-1895) it was known as Hongtou, which means Redhead Island. (This refers, by the way, to a mountain which turns red during sunsets, not to redheaded people.) During the Japanese occupation of Taiwan (1895-1945), it was called Kotosho, which also means Redhead Island but in Japanese. The Puyuma …
Lanyu 003 – My Yami Underground House
Saturday April 3, 2010
So far, I couldn’t ask for a better birthday. The magic is still in the air. It is still cloudy and a bit rainy, but it adds a bit of drama to the scenery. I’m sure it would be much better if it were sunny, but the extreme weather, occasional high winds and dark clouds makes it all pretty interesting if a …
Lanyu 002 – Fugang Harbor and Boat to Lanyu
Friday April 2, 2010
I woke up to some grey skies. Those grey skies came with some wind and rain, and that meant some pretty heavy seas. The boat was quite large (I thought), but I guess large is a relative concept when you’re out in open ocean. The waves out there didn’t care how big the boat was. They tossed the boat around like it …