It’s baaaack. That soul crushing Taiwanese summer heat that transforms rational, even-tempered people into a beastly state of irritability has made its unwelcome reappearance. As an adult I realize that complaining about the weather is childish and unseemly, but the sheer oppressive nature of the heat here defies all logic, so I refuse to be […]
Art
Chiayi (嘉義)
Philip’s nephew, Matthew, and his girlfriend, Katie, came to Taiwan mentally and physically prepared for the adventures awaiting them. They tackled Taipei like pros, and based on her culinary tastes we’re all convinced that Katie is part Taiwanese. Over the weekend, we headed south by high speed rail to the city of Chiayi. Chiayi is […]
Japan, Part II: Tokyo (東京)
We started our next day in Tokyo with a visit to the Tsukiji Fish Market. We opted out of witnessing the crack of dawn tuna auction and instead stood on line to wait for Kagura sushi to open its doors for breakfast. Since Jules has not ventured into the world of raw fish yet, we […]
Treasure Hill Artist Village (寶藏巖)
This enchanting hodge podge of private residences, artist studios, cafes and temple really was a treasure. Back in the late 40s, this housing community was built to accommodate military veterans, specifically members of the Kuomintang (KMT), who had fled China. Its location was chosen strategically, next to a river for easy transport of goods […]
Hanging around town
My laptop of 5 1/2 years finally died. Until I find a replacement my posts will be short on text and more visually weighted. Traveling is exhilarating but exhausting, so we’ve been hanging around town lately, exploring new sights closer to home. Here are some shots from the Huashan 1914 Creative Park ( 華山1914文化創意產業園區), a […]
‘From Ink to Apparel II’
Fashion. Art that you can wear?? Yes, please. Due to the heat and sheer laziness, I have adopted a uniform of old T shirts and oversized, droopy shorts since moving to Taiwan. So, when I came across this exhibit, ‘From Ink to Apparel II: A Crossover between Calligraphy Art and Fashion Design,” at the Songshan […]
China, Part VI: Xi’an (西安)
The last Xi’an post, I promise. We were not quite ready to leave this city, which we found to be friendlier than Beijing, more relaxed and its food tastier. For our last day, we spent the first part of the day at a quiet, privately-owned museum, the Tangbo Art Museum (唐博), housing Chinese folk art […]
China, Part II: Luoyang 洛阳
This morning we set out southwest for the city of Luoyang, known as one of the cradles of Chinese civilization due to its historical significance, having been the capital of China back in the day. Despite an early train departure, it wasn’t hard to wake up Jules since he was psyched for his very first […]