Totally surrounded by vegetables, that is! Cannot fail to be impressed by the man at his stall in Taipei’s Dongmen Market who is, yes, totally surrounded by his produce. And just down the market from him is this big tub full of Stinky Tofu on the boil – it’s called Stinky Tofu for a good reason, but it’s not often that the smell is quite so noticeable first thing in the morning! aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh! Continue reading Totally Surrounded @ Dongmen Market…
Pro-independence opposition candidate Tsai Ing-wen is elected Taiwan’s first female president, setting an uncertain course for future relations with China. Source: Tsai Ing-wen elected Taiwan’s first female president – BBC News Continue reading Tsai Ing-wen elected Taiwan’s first female president – BBC News
Tomorrow is Taiwan’s Election Day! Jan. 15 (CNA) Taiwanese voters will go to the polls Saturday to elect a new president and a new Legislature, and the results are expected later in the day. Source: Taiwan to elect new president, Legislature Saturday | Politics | FOCUS TAIWAN – CNA ENGLISH NEWS Continue reading Taiwan to elect new president, Legislature Saturday | Politics | FOCUS TAIWAN – CNA ENGLISH NEWS
Wonders will never cease ~ check out this article… The Southwest Coast National Scenic Area has constructed a glass wedding chapel, 17m tall and 11m wide, to attract couples to hold their nuptials in Chiayi’s Budai Township (布袋). Source: Shoe-shaped chapel aims to attract couples, visitors – Taipei Times Plus this article from Britain’s Daily Mail… Continue reading Shoe-shaped chapel aims to attract couples, visitors – Taipei Times
The deadliest typhoon in Taiwan’s history, Typhoon Morakot on August 8, 2009, resulted in the deadliest mudslide ever, in the Pingpu village of Siaolin (Xiaolin) 小林, up in the mountains of southern Taiwan, about 90 minutes drive NE of Kaohsiung City. A stunningly beautiful area – but on that tragic day in 2009, disaster struck and up to 700 people lost their lives when the village was completely buried by the mud, as were the roads, bridges, agricultural land, schools and temples…. Now 7 years later, and a huge amount of reconstruction has been going on. People have been rehoused in several … Continue reading 7 years after Typhoon Morakot ~ up beyond 甲仙 Jiasian to 小林 Siaolin and 錫安山 Holy Mt. Zion!
And the highlight of waiting for a bus there is the creative use of English at the sushi bar…. It certainly always helps to be ‘optimistic and then dip’ in whatever situation, whether choosing sushi – or waiting for a bus! Continue reading Lost in Translation @ Taipei Bus Station!
In today’s Taiwan News Reports….. Taoist deity Shennong (神農大帝, God of Agriculture) was yesterday conferred with a distinguished honorary doctorate by the Chiayi County-based National Chung Cheng University in a gesture of gratitude for a local temple’s donation of land during the university’s founding. Source: Taoist deity conferred with honorary doctorate – Taipei Times Continue reading Taoist deity conferred with honorary doctorate – Taipei Times
Taiwan elections coming in only 2 weeks – watch this space, read this article, and please pray for Taiwan! The BBC’s Cindy Sui explains why this might just be one of its most significant elections for one of the world’s feistiest democracies. Source: An election battle for the identity of Taiwan – BBC News Continue reading An election battle for the identity of Taiwan – BBC News
‘Far over the misty mountains cold / To dungeons deep and caverns old / We must away ere break of day / To seek the pale enchanted gold’….. And so we did ~ venture forth that is, in the footsteps of The Hobbit and his friends, to the misty mountains cold, dungeons deep and caverns old ~ there’s plenty of them in the mountains above Keelung, and plenty have sadly lost their lives in those caverns mining the gold. And copper. The old gold mining town of Jinguashi 金瓜石 is located right there, right in the misty mountains, and just above it is Teapot … Continue reading Teapot Mountain 茶壺山 ~ very misty, very muddy, but hey, very fun!
