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South Cross-Island Highway 003 – Anping District, Tainan

September 20, 2009 – 11:13 pm
Map of the Anping District in Tainan

Sunday September 20, 2009 8:30 a.m.
Dining Room of the Ta Lee Hotel – Tainan, Taiwan
When I checked in yesterday, they said something about breakfast, but I didn’t really understand it. When I came down this morning, I was very surprised to find a very nice buffet breakfast laid out in a dining room. Had I known that all of this was down here, I would …

South Cross-Island Highway 002 – Tainan & Chihkan Tower

September 19, 2009 – 11:09 pm
Chihkan Tower, Tainan

September 20, 2009
Well, I made it to Tainan without incident. The train just raced through the countryside stopping here and there. It was pretty effortless and painless. I can’t say that the scenery was anything to write home about. The east coast of Taiwan is quite scenic. There are mountains and steep cliffs and that sort of thing. But the west part of the island …

South Cross-Island Highway 001 – Train to Tainan

September 19, 2009 – 10:44 pm
Bike Sign in Train

Saturday September 19, 2009 9:00 a.m.
Train 1011 from Taipei to Tainan, Car 12 Seat 01
In typical fashion, I took what was supposed to be a relaxing few days lounging in hotels and taking pictures of historic sites and turned it into a six-day bike ride on one of Taiwan’s steepest and most dangerous roads.
It all started when I met some of my co-workers for lunch. …

Dolphin Watching at Turtle Island

July 20, 2008 – 1:43 pm

July 20, 2008
A couple of weeks ago I came across a reference to dolphin-watching on the east coast of Taiwan. It sounded interesting, and I decided to check it out. I imagined sitting on the bow of a boat (cold drink in hand) while dolphins frolicked around us and swam in and out of the bow wave – like in the commercials and movies. It …

Fushing 002 – Cycling Dashi to Fushing

November 26, 2006 – 1:37 pm
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November 26, 2006
I was up early the next morning and simply loaded my bike and cycled off. There was that extra “B” in “Jessie’s B&B,” but I didn’t want to wait around and see what kind of breakfast it might be. I had a bit of a tense moment when I got to the front of this complex and found the gate closed and locked. …

Fushing 001 – Cycling Taipei to Dashi

November 25, 2006 – 1:33 pm
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November 25, 2006
I finished the bike ride to Pingling and the east coast very excited about doing more cycling in Taiwan. Unfortunately, it began to rain and if memory serves, it rained nonstop for six months. At least it felt like that. And when it wasn’t raining, it was brutally hot. In any event, a long time passed before circumstances came together to give me …

Jioufen 003 – Jinguashi’s Golden Waterfall

November 11, 2006 – 1:31 pm
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Saturday, November 11,5:30 p.m.
First, the setting. I’m back at my favorite place – on the top floor of the castle, next to the big open window. It’s still very misty. I can see the lights along the coast, but not much else.
The man who calls me his best friend was glad to see me. He brought me up here and even set up a light …

Jioufen 002 – Tea in the City of Sadness

November 11, 2006 – 1:30 pm
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Saturday, November 11 10:00 a.m.
Hmm. I could be in trouble. I woke up very early this morning intending to go out and take pictures. I imagined a beautiful sunrise and glorious morning sun. But when I stepped outside after a quick shower and shave at about 6, it was heavily overcast and I stepped in a big pile of dog shit. Right on the verandah.
I …