To fully experience Taiwan's natural beauty, there's one destination that is universally praised: Sun Moon Lake.
It's the largest lake in Taiwan, and is so beautiful that Chang Kai Shek, Taiwan's first president, built a house there to vacation.
In 1997, after an ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Taiwan
Luxury Hotels of The World: The Lalu Hotel (Taiwan)
To fully experience Taiwan's natural beauty, there's one destination that is universally praised: Sun Moon Lake.
It's the largest lake in Taiwan, and is so beautiful that Chang Kai Shek, Taiwan's first president, built a house there to vacation.
In 1997, after an ...Bring mom to flowers for Mother's Day
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Several botanical gardens are having Mother's Day events this Sunday. One of the advantages of going to a botanical garden, I've found, is that they usually have wonderful gift shops that are perfect places for picking up that last minute present.
If you've forgotten to ...Earth Day Kite Flying: 10 suggestions
Every year when the temperature warms and the wind picks up, we buy a cheap kite to fly for a day or two before we get too busy to head to an open field. As an Earth Day Celebration, what could be more environmentally friendly than kite flying? Except, of course, for the gas ...A Passover Seder in Taiwan (and other places)
One of the more interesting aspects of living in another country, I think, is going to a cultural event that is not part of ones own culture or the culture of the host country. In each place I've lived, there have been people from other countries who are also transplants who ...Chinese restaurant food: What's not authentic?
The fortune cookie isn't the only food that is not authentically Chinese. There are others--some I knew about just because many dishes served at Chinese restaurants in the U.S. didn't originate in China, or if they did, have been altered to suit American palates. Most of the ...Cathay Pacific's 2008 All Asia Pass
If you have 21 days between now and May 15 and August 20 through December 1, Cathay Pacific Airways has the All Asia Pass that gives travelers a chance to visit Hong Kong and up to four more cities in Asia. Prices range from $1,099 with two additional cities; $1,399 for ...April showers are early: Here's help
We're getting rain --again. When I drove up SR 23 Monday night after a quick trip to southeastern Kentucky, I could see the river 's waters shimmering, higher than normal. These are the days when having a decent umbrella on hand can save you from getting drenched and ...Getting a travel agent--or not
Yesterday I ran into a woman I know who is an avid traveler. Her trips are the type where you learn a thing or two--historical trips of famous European paintings, or something. I can't quite remember, but I do know they are themed versions that she researches herself based ...Living in IKEA: It can be done
Anna's post about IKEA brought back fond memories. Going to IKEA in Singapore and Taiwan were wonderful outings that helped us add affordable, aesthetically pleasing items to our apartments. IKEA saved me from despair in Taiwan. Not that I didn't absolutely love our Taiwan ...
Prefer your lucky rat deep-fried or grilled?
To welcome the Year of the Rat, some people in rural Taiwan and China have increased their rat consumption accordingly. Reuters reports that a rural eatery at Taiwan's Chiayi county, serves 10 rat-themed dishes, including rat soup, black pepper-dipped and deep-fried rat. The ...Chinese New Year: Sing like you're there
There is a Chinese New Year song my daughter learned when we lived in Taiwan that we used to wheedle her into singing for guests when she was younger. Eventually, we had to promise to never make her sing it again.
While I was looking for a YouTube video of the song, I came ...
Photo of the Day (1/23/08)
This shot by Kevinlin034 brought to mind a few of my encounters with children when I've traveled. Doesn't this child's face make you want to make the same face back? Watching kids haul stools and serve food is quite common in family run businesses in Asia. I don't know if ...How to live like Matthew McConaughey
Living like Matthew McConaughey may involve taking your shirt off, as Matt Damon says in his hilarious impression of the often shirtless star while Damon was a guest on David Letterman. (Here is the YouTube video. It explains why I chose the photo I did.)
Another way that ...Brain feeling blah? Exercise it.
On New Year's Eve I spent an hour or so engaged in the board game Battle of the Sexes with friends. I think that was the name of it. We were on vacation at their house in Ottawa, Ohio. A few hours before the game, the female half of this couple took me on a drive through ...Photo of the Day (1/2/08)
One of the most stunning places I've traveled was Taroko Gorge in Taiwan. When I saw the photo LadyExpat posted to Gadling's photo pool on December 31, I thought, "Yes! I know that place. I've walked along that very trail to this very shrine. As LadyExpat notes, it was ...Cultural sensitivity and conference travel
My dentist told me all about her trip to Dubai for a dental conference when she was replacing a crown. Although my questioning capabilities were hampered by a few dentist gadgets, I wanted to get her impressions. It's a habit. Whenever anyone tells me of a trip, I want the ...Travel experiences via medical care
I've had a filling replaced in The Gambia, a root canal and a crown put on in Taiwan, a root canal in New Delhi, and stitches taken out in Great Britain. When I was living in Denmark with a family as a college student, I hurt my little toe at a swimming pool and went to the ...The Toilet Restaurant
I once heard that you shouldn't eat in the bathroom. I don't know if that's true, but here's a twist. How about eating out of a bowl that looks like a toilet while you sit on seat that looks like a toilet? If that's not enough toilet for you, dishes are also shaped like ...Interactive Map of Regional Foods: Where is Goetta?
Almost every time I head to northern Kentucky to visit my aunts I swing by Kroger for oatmeal sausage. It's one of my childhood favorite foods that my grandparents served. The quest for oatmeal sausage, also called goetta, has been a lifelong venture. When we used to live ...Stop in Taipei, Save $100
Good deals abound for the traveler willing to take a Taipei pit stop. Not only will the usual $100 landing fee surcharge be lifted, but if you stay two nights you can get a $79/night deal at participating hotels. The "I Land Paradise" promotion (which applies to any ...
