Back in November last year news came to light that the Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Kansas, a one Jacqueline Liu (劉姍姍) had been treating her hired help like slaves. No surprises there of course, but she made the mistake of upholding this fine Taiwanese tradition on US soil, rather than [...]
I’ve always felt that there was something lacking in my choice of underwear. Something I haven’t ever been able to quite put my finger on. Was it the size? The color? The fabric…? Why on Earth wasn’t I satisfied??? I’ve struggled with this shortcoming for most my adult life, but all that changed when I [...]
Apart from solving crime and catching criminals, police serve a number of additional functions within the community. Traffic management, patrols, responding to disturbances, witnessing the signing of documents, escorting high-profile persons and the list goes on and on. Here in Taiwan, aside from the usual tasks performed by the police around the world, they are [...]
The live music scene isn’t all that big in Taiwan but if you hunt around long enough there are a few places to be found that can indulge you. One such place is Sappho. Walking into Sappho I kinda felt like I was entering a venue that hadn’t left the 70s…
When we first found Leela in the mountains of Miaoli County she was small and cuddly and fitted nicely inside a bicycle pannier. And then she grew…and grew… and grew. At around 11kg I decided she was getting too big for my bicycle pannier and constructed a bucket DIY pannier for her that gave her [...]
I was waiting at a red light on the Long Haul Trucker and after glancing off to the side, cut through the rumble of idling engines with muffled hysterics. 700-CUM. It sounds like a dodgy phone number you’d give out at a bar or something. I know I’m the most mature of people at the [...]
If you head down to south Taipei around the Zhonghe area and look towards the mountain range that marks the south boundary of Zhonghe District, it’s hard to miss the giant state of Fude sitting atop the temple there.
Wulai Waterfall is great to spend a bit of time looking at but unless you’re keen to hit the local tourist shops, there’s not all that much do to in the immediate area of the Waterfall Shopping Street. Aside from venturing out into the greater area surrounding Wulai Township to hit some hiking trails or [...]
Less than a month ago I couldn’t believe my luck when I happened across a taxi driver paying for some cigarettes with a $200 TWD banknote. Rushing back to my bicycle to pull out my wallet, I was ecstatic when the 7-11 clerk had no problems giving me the note in exchange for two $100 [...]
When I think working holiday, apart from money there has to be opportunity and some degree of functionality. Picking mushrooms and working the orchards might not be the most tantalizing work… but at least it pays well. And if you don’t like the outdoors there’s always the hospitality industry, tourism and if your English and [...]
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