Oct 21st, 2009 at 5:00PM:
Hump day is upon us, and for today I have some pretty fresh, eco-friendly/Asia-themed travel reads for you. Snuggle up with your laptop and enjoy!
We'll start our tour in the Far East, where my friend Mary Jo offers up 22 things to do in Taiwan. [via Blisstree Travel]
Let's move a bit farther south to Indonesia, where both NPR and Patagonia give us an update on the state of Islam (in photos) ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Taiwan posts
Gadlinks for Wednesday 10.21.09
Oct 21st, 2009 at 5:00PM:
Hump day is upon us, and for today I have some pretty fresh, eco-friendly/Asia-themed travel reads for you. Snuggle up with your laptop and enjoy!
We'll start our tour in the Far East, where my friend Mary Jo offers up 22 things to do in Taiwan. [via Blisstree Travel]
Let's move a bit farther south to Indonesia, where both NPR and Patagonia give us an update on the state of Islam (in photos) ...Seven jobs that may soon disappear: Travel to where they are while you can
Sep 1st, 2009 at 12:30PM: With Labor Day approaching, as we think of work, consider the culturally significant jobs in the world that may not be around in the future. Here is a look at seven that are hallmarks of particular regions.
First up. Traditional Glass Blower. In one of the furnace rooms at Cam Fornace in Murano, Italy, a short water bus hop from Venice, is a black and white photo from the 1920s (or thereabouts). ...For summer, a banquet of exotic fresh fruits: Bring travel back home
Jun 26th, 2009 at 9:00AM: So you're at home this summer. Your vacation budget is bust. Sure, there are backyard barbeques with friends and family stretching out into summer, but that tropical vacation feels long gone.
Or perhaps, you have never been on a tropical vacation. Perhaps a tropical fruit to you is the canned version of Dole pineapple--the one that waits in your kitchen cabinet.
Hop to it. An exotic experience ...Life Nomadic: Building the Ideal Country
Jun 5th, 2009 at 9:00AM: As I travel I build up this myth of the perfect country that I'll someday discover, move to, and give up traveling for. Some countries do things SO RIGHT that it's hard to fathom how other countries can do it so wrong. To get the world moving in the direction, I'm posting -- free of charge -- the blueprint for a new country that does everything perfectly. Let's call it Gadlingland. Police of ...Winning an island: Even a 4-year-old can do it
Mar 9th, 2009 at 6:30PM: Imagine this. Instead of the grand prize being a trip to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, the winner of a national lottery gets an entire island. That's what happened to one four-year-old boy. This small boy landed a small island in small country--Taiwan.
The island in Pengu County isn't his forever, but for the next five months he can go there as much as he wants. The great thing is, he gets to ...Budget Travel: Hop on a bus
Feb 6th, 2009 at 11:30AM:
Depending upon the time frame you have to go from one point to the next, bus travel is a worthy option when looking for a bargain. Last summer, I opted for Greyhound as a way to get back from New York City to Columbus with my son. It was a perfect trip with few kinks. At the time, the bus fare was much cheaper than a flight, and I didn't want to drive myself.
A few years back, I made a similar ...Chaos as immigration computers crash at Taiwan airport
Jan 7th, 2009 at 1:00PM: A computer crash at Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport caused a major headache on Monday. The computer system used by the National Immigration Agency (NIA) failed, forcing immigration agents to get back to basics, taking down people's information by hand. Needless to say, lines became quite long, and frustrated expressions of passengers were commonplace. Add to that the fact that yesterday was ...Death, hunger strike, and execution reveal mounting tension between Taiwan and China
Nov 29th, 2008 at 12:00PM: The father of a family friend of mine recently passed away in Taiwan. He was a well-respected Taiwanese dignitary, and mourning his death will continue until his burial next week. In the meantime, family members leave the front door of their home open and people stop by to express their condolences. There's a lot of crying going on in Taiwan these days. Former Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian ...Taiwan phasing out disposable chopsticks
Jun 16th, 2008 at 11:30AM: Well, even Taiwan is now more environmentally progressive than the US. About 10,000 convenience stores in Taiwan will join an environmental push by withholding disposable chopsticks from hordes of customers used to getting them with take-out meals, Reuters reports.
From next Wednesday in Taipei, and by July 1 on the rest of the island, four convenience store chains will give out the wooden ...Direct China-Taiwan travel now possible
Jun 14th, 2008 at 2:00PM: Believe it or not, China and Taiwan held their first formal talks in 10 years and, productively enough, decided to allow direct weekend air travel between the two destinations as a result, BBC reports. Previously, direct flights were only allowed during four holiday periods each year. Otherwise, travelers had to fly through Hong Kong or Macao.
The weekend passenger flights will begin on July 4 ...Luxury Hotels of The World: The Lalu Hotel (Taiwan)
May 26th, 2008 at 1:00PM:
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 earthquake destroyed his house, the lot was purchased and after five years of construction Taiwan's only six star hotel, The Lalu ...Prefer your lucky rat deep-fried or grilled?
Feb 8th, 2008 at 1:30PM: 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 diner goes through around 18 kg (40 lb) of rat meat per day.
Here is the "Rat-at-Chewy" video by Reuters, depicting the ...Po Chai Pills and Other Items of Interest
Jul 5th, 2007 at 10:58AM: When I was reading National Geographic Traveler, I came across an essay by Daisann McLane, an American living in China who writes the blog, Learning Cantonese and is the "Real Travel" columnist for the magazine. Her essay was about getting sick and taking some mystery pills, meaning she didn't know what they were exactly, but the doctor- told her-to-take-them pills. They were called Po Chai and ...The Year of the Pig is Here
Feb 18th, 2007 at 11:05AM: Chinese New Year is here so the Year of the Pig has arrived. The pig, also referred to as a boar, is the last animal of the 12 year lunar cycle. There is a folk tale that explains the order the animals appear in the Chinese zodiac. If you've ever read a placemat at many Chinese restaurants you already know that each animal has distinct personality characteristics and the animal sign you are born ...
