Today’s ‪‎must-see‬ sights of Taipei!

Early this morning and a huge ‪‎inflatable Rev. George L. ‪Mackay‬ ‪馬偕博士 ‬ clutching a large ‪molar‬ was awaiting installation for tomorrow’s inauguration of Taiwan’s new president ‪‎Tsai Ing-Wen‬ ‪蔡英文‬ outside the ‪Taiwan Presidential Palace in ‪‎Taipei … ‪ Mackay was the first, and most famous early missionary in northern Taiwan, arriving in ‪‎Tamsui‬ ‪淡水‬ in 1872 from ‪Canada ~ he started as a ‪‎dentist and helped found the ‪Presbyterian Church in Taiwan ‪(‎PCT‬) which has been at the forefront of Taiwan’s democracy movement, and actively supports the ‪‎‎Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Taiwan’s first ever female president, Tsai Ing-Wen … Continue reading Today’s ‪‎must-see‬ sights of Taipei!

Alishan 阿里山 2016

Alishan has two 7- Eleven Stores, and claims they are the second highest in Taiwan ~ and Taiwan’s #1 highest post office too. Another must see! And Taiwan’s #1 highest elementary school.  Wow, that’s quite something!  2,195 metres above sea-level, that’s over 7,000 feet. Imagine that eh? But of course, none of these reasons are really why Alishan is so popular.  It’s very well up on the list of THE places to visit in Taiwan. Tourists from all over Asia and especially Mainland China, zillions of people have it on their list.  Alishan is famous, very famous. We’re talking about an area of … Continue reading Alishan 阿里山 2016

The TS Taipei Shipwreck ~ 6 weeks later…

Six weeks ago, the container ship, TS Taipei grounded itself just off the northern tip of Taiwan, in Shimen District, and broke in two. This is the scene this afternoon…. And this was one of the reports at the time…. The T.S. Lines freighter, is grounded on rocks close to shore after losing power in bad weather shortly after departing from Keelung Harbor en route to Hong Kong. Breaches to the hull resulted in flooding of the engine compartment and damage to a fuel tank. After grounding on March 9, 2016, rough conditions hampered efforts to approach the ship, but … Continue reading The TS Taipei Shipwreck ~ 6 weeks later…