Category Archives: 台北

I was the only one in First/Business Class on my flight back from Taipei to Shanghai.  I asked — first in English and then, for clarity, in Mandarin — why the flight was so empty and the stewardess confirmed that … Continue reading →

The “Made in Taiwan” sign above my gate at the airport was constructed out of old motherboards.

I can’t imagine that the Dream of Hobbiton pub in Taipei had anything I hadn’t already seen in New Zealand.

This imposing building is the Grand Hotel.  Once again, we see the more-Chinese-than-China motif on a grand scale.

The solemnity of Taiwan’s Martyrs’ Shrine brings to mind Arlington National Cemetery. I haven’t seen (or at least noticed) this rolling cloud motif in Mainland China, but the Taiwanese seem obsessed with it.        Beautiful decorations throughout.   Once again, there … Continue reading →

Fittingly, I found myself at Taipei’s Liberty Square the morning after Inauguration Day. The sign above the main gate was, again, in Traditional Chinese but said something about “freedom.”  To one side of the square is the National Concert Hall. … Continue reading →

Lungshan Temple was more exquisite than any temple I have seen on the Mainland.  It even had freaking man-made waterfalls.                      Gorgeous.  All of it.  A Grade Two Historic Site?  Way to be a … Continue reading →

What’s that saying about sleeping dogs?  Something about “full fathom five” I think.

If there is one thing I took away from Taiwan it is that mangos make everything better.  Mango cotton ice, mango sherbet, mango rum drinks.  Everything.

Literally around the corner from the original Din Tai Feng is their rival, Kao Chi.  I had the best bbq pork bun I’ve ever eaten and a delicious bowl of beef noodle soup.

I wondered if the nightstand of an Asian hotel room would have a Gideons Bible or some sort of Eastern equivalent.  The answer, as it turns out, is that it has both.

Taipei 101 held the title of world’s tallest building from 2004 to 2009, but at a “mere” 509.2 m (1,671 ft) it is still considerably shorter than Shanghai’s tallest towers. Unlike those, however, it has impressive views of the neighboring mountains.  One of the building’s … Continue reading →