Mama needed some rest and relaxation, so when Ashley told me about a special stay-for-one-night-get-the-next-night-free deal in one of the swankiest hot spring resorts in Jiaoxi, one of the rural townships within Yilan county, I jumped on it quick. Yilan is located on the northeastern part of Taiwan, an hour drive from Taipei. The influence […]
Taiwan
Day Trip to Jiufen & Keelung (and how we ran from the cops)
Yes, you’ll have to read to the end before finding out why and how we evaded the police. Our friends Ashley, Johnny and Alex invited us out for a day trip to Jiufen and Keelung, cities northeast of Taipei. Jiufen is one of the most picturesque spots in Taiwan with its red lantern strewn narrow […]
Flying to Taipei During A Pandemic (疫情旅遊)
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Taiwanese Americans were flocking to Taiwan from the United States. Taiwan seemed to be in a COVID-free bubble — Instagram photos of unmasked diners, mass gatherings for the Taiwan Pride parade and domestic holiday jaunts were enticing to say the least. We wanted Jules to have a […]
Tainan (台南): Part I
Since we have a few more days left in Taiwan, I thought, let’s go on a trip! For our last hurrah, we traveled south to Tainan, the oldest city in Taiwan. Once the capital of Taiwan during the Qing dynasty, Tainan is known for its temples, historic sites and of course, foood! Our first stop […]
Mandarin Daily News (國語日報)
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, […]
Battle of the Taipei Shaved Ices (刨冰)
Among the many foods that Taiwan is famous for, none can top its shaved ice for the refreshing factor on a hot summer day. I’ve chosen three of the most famous shaved ice spots in Taipei for a round of ‘Battle of the Taipei Shaved Ices’ — Tai Yi Milk King (臺一牛奶大王), Ice Monster and […]
Wan An Air Raid Drill (萬安演習)
Air raid drill? Say, what?!? Luckily, Aunt Ivy had warned us ahead of time for the upcoming city-wide air raid drill today from 1:30-2PM, or else we would have looked like one of these hapless tourists being forced indoors by the heavy police presence today. Since 1978 Taiwan has held an annual air raid drill […]
Yingge Ceramics (鶯歌陶瓷)
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 […]
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 […]
Alishan National Forest (阿里山): Part I
I have wanted to visit Alishan National Forest, one of Taiwan’s top tourist spots, for many years now. The thought of hours driving along narrow, tortuous mountain roads with a child in tow, though, has usually been effective at laying that idea to rest. Jules has proven himself to be a hardy traveler this past […]