This post is an unpaid plug for what I think is the best Mandarin learning program in Taipei. One of the reasons why I wanted to move to Taiwan was to improve my Chinese reading and writing. I checked out a couple of different programs before choosing Mandarin Daily News (MDN). It wasn’t a choice, […]
CAFE
Japan, Part I: Tokyo (東京)
Hundreds year-old traditions, impeccable food, polite-to-a-fault natives and cherry blossoms? Count me in! Since Philip’s mom and sister, Kim, were arriving one week into Jules’ spring break from school, we had exactly seven days to squeeze in two weeks’ worth of fun in Japan beforehand. Here we go… Landing at Haneda International Airport and figuring out […]
Lunar New Year 2018 (農曆新年)
新年快樂 (xin nian kuai le), or Happy New Year! Although we would have loved to explore more of Vietnam it was more important to return to Taiwan to celebrate the new lunar year with my family. This was the first time of my life ringing in the new year with my family here, so I […]
Vietnam, Part VI: Hội An
A day of rest. We slowed down the pace a bit today and meandered through Old Town, popping into the odd shop and enjoying cold beverages while writing postcards in one of the quiet cafes overlooking the river. I couldn’t resist leaving Hoi An without one of its famous fabric lanterns, so we stopped in […]
Vietnam, Part I: Hà Nội
Drawn by the prospect of delicious food, friendly people and beautiful scenery, Vietnam exceeded our expectations in all three areas. Our trip began in the northern part of Vietnam in its capital, Hanoi, where we stayed in the Old Quarter. First, lunch. We sat down with locals at Banh Cuon Gia Truyen and feasted on […]
Getting into Genki Cat Cafe (元氣貓主題咖啡館)
WARNING: If you’re not into cats, then you may want to skip this post. A momentous afternoon as Jules and I got past that red velvet rope that bars children under 12 from entering the more exclusive cat cafes in town. Here’s how it went down: Jules: Mommy, look it says ‘cat cafe,’ maybe we […]