It’s been tough seeing family and friends due to the level 3 restrictions here in Taiwan, but we wanted to spend time with my cousin, Charles, and his kids before they move to New York in a week or so. So once again, Jules and I psyched ourselves up to be one with the heat […]
Family
Alishan National Forest (阿里山): Part II
We stumbled around in the dark after our 3:30AM wake up call and were briefly revived by a cup of hot sweet ginger tea while waiting for the shuttle to take us to the Alishan sunrise viewing train. Jules was a bit grumpy due to the chilly weather, but we dutifully stood on line with […]
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 […]
Calla Lily Festival in Yangmingshan National Park (竹子湖海芋季)
Philip’s mother and sister, Kim, arrived in Taipei two days ago for a week long visit where they lucked out on unusually fabulous weather, full of sunshine and warm temperatures. We spent a day at one of our favorite local national parks a half hour drive from our home, the Yangmingshan National Park, where the […]
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 […]
Christmas in Los Angeles
The original plan was to spend the Christmas holiday in Australia. Then, we found out that my brother, Howard, and his wife, Jungha, were expecting their first baby girl at the end of November. Hello, tinsel on palm trees. We received one of our Christmas gifts early this year — Philip had Christmas off on […]
Howard 舅舅 and Jungha 阿姨
Uncle Howard and Auntie Jungha…our first visitors! Although we’re having a great time experiencing things here in our new country, it’s always nice to have a piece of home in a new environment. I realized that this is the first time my brother, Howard, and I have been in Taiwan together since we were children. […]