Yes, five days in Sabah is nowhere near long enough, but hey, it’s way way better than no days at all! And what a great place for five days ~ hot and sunny (and nowhere near as humid as Taiwan … Continue reading Delights of Sabah 沙巴 @ Kota Kinabalu 亞庇!
There’s a ton of graffiti-style street art in Taipei, mostly in Ximending ~ and with an hour to spare yesterday lunchtime I went over there to see what’s new. Lots of new stuff has appeared since I was last there, all dated 2018. This is a mishmash (sorry, artistic collage) of 29 photos of what’s there… Ximending at lunchtime is heaving with groups of young people and couples wheeling suitcases around, checking in and checking out of hotels ~ it’s THE place to stay for independent travelers from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Korea, Singapore etc. Lively by day, and even livelier … Continue reading Ximending 西門町 Street Art, Taipei
Kaohsiung is definitely my New Favourite City. Read this post I wrote in March to see why, and see the photos of the ‘Transformation by Colour’ that Kaohsiung is undergoing! Previously I hated the place, now I love it. Can’t … Continue reading Transformation by Colour Part 2 @ Kaohsiung 高雄 Street Art ~ and more!
Every city needs some colour, especially if the city concerned is famous for being a city nobody wants to visit. Or live in. Or work in. Kaohsiung is exactly that city. It may be the southern capital of Taiwan and a … Continue reading Transformation by Colour @ Kaohsiung 高雄 Street Art ~ and more!
Discovered some wonderful new (to me, that is) street art on the walls of Tamsui Old Street area 淡水老街 today ~ including this one of Dr. George Mackay, first Presbyterian missionary to northern Taiwan (1844-1901), who arrived in Tamsui in 1872 and stayed here more or less until he died. Early photos show him going off on trips armed with dentist equipment for pulling out teeth, and Bibles to share the Gospel… wonder what he’s think of this painting done in his honour? Then up behind the famous Matzu Temple are some steps and walls painted with famous local scenes….. … Continue reading Street Art @ 淡水老街 Tamsui Old Street ~ love it!
Ximending has long been THE trendiest area of Taipei for night life and street fashion ~ and of course Street Art. I was there yesterday checking it out…. Just outside the main shopping area, down the back alleys of Kunming Street ~ and the walls are covered in graffiti of every kind. Sometimes it’s just a section of the wall…. And sometimes the whole length of the wall…. It’s constantly changing, there’s new stuff appearing all the time, so what was there last year may have long gone by the time you get to go there again. Actually, I’m very … Continue reading Street Art @ Ximending 西門町, Taipei
Rainbow Village 彩虹眷村 on the outskirts of Taichung is such an amazing place – it’s easily the most attractive set of buildings in the whole of Taichung ~ YES! It’s the last remaining few houses of a Veterans Village, built for the old soldiers and their families who came to Taiwan after 1949. Most the houses are already gone, demolished and the land redeveloped, but old Mr. Huang (Huang Yong-Fu 黃永阜), known as ‘Rainbow Grandpa’ (彩虹爺爺), was not letting that happen to his village. Now aged 95, he decided to start painting the remaining houses a few years ago, and … Continue reading Rainbow Grandpa and his Beautiful Rainbow Village 彩虹眷村!
Changhua is at the heart of rural Taiwan. Honest, it don’t get much more rural than Changhua! It’s just south of Taichung, so it’s the beginning of southern Taiwan. Flat farmland stretches for miles from the coast inland – with rice and fruit growing, and wind farms galore. Last Saturday, my good friend En-Yu (Rebecca) and her daughter took me around Changhua City and Changhua County for the day. It’s a real mix of old and new, ancient and modern – all mixed up, like this old house with painted wall… Pride of place goes to the Changhua Roundhouse, mentioned … Continue reading Old and the New, Ancient and Modern ~ Welcome to Changhua 彰化!
It was all happening at Dazhi Riverside in Taipei this morning ~ the final day of 3 days of Dragon Boat Competitions! The sun was out, the weather was warm, and everyone was rowing hard! In good weather, and with plenty of time, the best way for me to get to Dazhi Riverside from here is by U-bike from Tamsui, and so off I set! Before 7:00 am too, while the weather was still cooler. It took maybe 90 minutes of slow riding, enjoying the scenery… First stop though was the graffiti wall along by the riverside near to the … Continue reading Happy Dragon Boat Festival 2017 @ Taipei!
Catherine Lee 