Spirited Away on a Hike in Jiufen
A day trip to the far reaches of New Taipei, to the old mining town of Jiufen (九份), which was the inspiration for the town in the movie Spirited Away.
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What Do Androids in Taipei Dream of?
“The electric things have their life too. Paltry as those lives are.” ― Philip K. Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? On the final day of the Chinese New Year holiday, I headed to the main shopping area — ATT 4 Fun, which is the large mall that attracts locals and tourists with its
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Happy Year of the Sheep
新年快乐, dear readers! February 19 marked the beginning of the Chinese New Year (as well as other Asian nations’ lunar new year). This is the year of the sheep/goat/ram and it happens to be my year, so I should probably go out and buy some lucky red underwear (seriously, this is a thing in China/Taiwan).
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Discovering New Beer in Taiwan
Last time I was in Taipei, I lamented the lack of local beer. When I returned, I was introduced to more local brews that I had either missed or that had finally become available in bars nearby.
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Lost at a Taiwanese Temple
The other day I headed out for an afternoon of art at the Kuandu Museum of Fine Art in northern Taipei’s Beitou District. I had some rough directions thanks to Google Maps, which still hasn’t fixed its maps here (MRT line 3 was on the map when I arrived back in late November, but it
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Short Stay in Phnom Penh
“Behind them were the lights of the market, the lanterns and candles and witch-lights and fairy glitter, like a dream of the night sky brought down to earth.” ― Neil Gaiman, Stardust The New York Times reminded me of what to see and do with their “36 Hours in Phnom Penh” feature. The video online
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Traveler Reads: The Body by Hanif Kureishi
“I’d been alive a long time but my life, like most lives, seemed to have happened too quickly, when I was not ready.” I was introduced to the work of Hanif Kureishi when I studied in London — a course on colonial literature included his first novel, Buddha of Suburbia, which I found thoroughly entertaining.
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Recalling Winter
“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” ― John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America While friends and family have endured the winter storm that wasn’t in the New York/New Jersey area, I’m reminded that I haven’t experienced winter since the beginning of 2013
Travel Necessity: Making Coffee on the Road
The most important necessity for me to have while traveling is coffee. I couldn’t live without my travel coffeemaker.
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Staring at the Lion’s Feet in Shanghai
“Sometimes we don’t even realize what we really care about, because we get so distracted by the symbols.” ― Tom Wolfe, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test Back in 2006, just before my first Spring Festival celebration in China, I wandered the streets of Shanghai. My travel companion was busy most days with her friend, so
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Witnessing Changes in Shanghai
After 9 years I returned to Shanghai to witness the changes in the city first-hand. Shanghai is no longer the city of my memory, nor should it be.
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Experiencing the 72-Hour Visa-Free Stay in Shanghai
“Look on every exit as being an entrance somewhere else.” ― Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead I had planned to take a weekend in Hong Kong — the flight was cheap and I didn’t want to wait until my visa-free stay in Taiwan expires just before Chinese New Year when the ticket prices
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Nationality Spotting Abroad
In response to Yahoo’s How to Spot an American Abroad, here’s a sarcastic look at how to spot other nationalities while traveling.
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A Crowded View in Taipei
“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity.” ― John Muir, Our National Parks On New Year’s Day, I headed to Xiangshan — Elephant Mountain — in southeastern Taipei. I’ve hiked this “mountain” before in much warmer weather. This
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EFL Jobs Abroad: The Interview
“I’m not a teacher: only a fellow traveler of whom you asked the way. I pointed ahead–ahead of myself as well as you.” ― George Bernard Shaw As I’ve re-entered the job market in Asia, I’ve looked at returning to teaching English as a foreign language (EFL); it’s a job I’ve enjoyed at times in
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