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Puli 001 – Scootering to Puli and Sun Moon Lake

July 24, 2010 – 2:29 pm
Scooter and Helmet in the Mountains

July 24, 2010
The Puli Trip began with another snap decision based on the weather. It looked like it was going to be sunny for the weekend, so I started to cast around for a destination. I’m not sure anymore why I settled on Puli. It got a nice write-up in Lonely Planet and in lots of places online. There seemed to be some interesting temples …

Lukang 001 – HSR and Bus to Lukang

July 9, 2010 – 2:16 pm
Offerings in a Temple in Lukang

Friday July 9 2010
This time it was a snap decision to go to a small town on the west coast called Lukang. I hadn’t even heard of the place until a couple of days ago. It has a population of 87,000 and on the surface looks exactly like every other town I’ve seen in Taiwan. If someone blindfolded me and moved me to a street …

Lanyu 001 – Arrangements and Train to Taitung

March 31, 2010 – 1:31 pm
Lanyu Coast

The legendary trip to Lanyu (Orchid Island) doesn’t begin until tomorrow morning at 7:18 (that’s when my train leaves for Taitung), but I’ll begin the official account today. It’s 8:30 in the morning and I’m in a coffee shop near work. I have half an hour and a cup of coffee and Beth Orton playing on the Nano.
Other than booking the trains, boats, and planes …

Pingshi 002 – Coal Mine Museum in Shifen

March 28, 2010 – 12:18 pm
Miner Mannequin at the Shifen Coal-Mine Museum

March 28, 2010
Mr. Wang had given me some maps of the area and even a train schedule. I hadn’t planned on riding the train, but he made it sound so simple, that I thought it would be a great thing to do to explore the little towns in the valley. Mr. Wang explained everything to me and in ten minutes, I was strolling through Pingshi’s …

SCIH 009 – Epilogue in Rainy Taipei

September 27, 2009 – 10:54 am
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Sunday September 27, 9:00 a.m.
Taipei, Taiwan
Well, here it is – the final installment in this long letter. I’ve come full circle and I’m back in Taipei. And, fittingly, it is raining outside. I say fittingly because I associate Taipei with rain. It always seems to rain here. Perhaps it is also raining down in Tainan where I just came from, but I doubt it. I …

SCIH 008 – Ramblings from 7-11 and a Train

September 25, 2009 – 10:37 am
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Friday September 25 11:00 a.m.
7-11 in downtown Tainan
You’ll probably laugh to see that I am back in a 7-11. Do I ever leave these places? I actually tried very hard to go somewhere else this morning for a cup of coffee. I wanted to go to a local type of place, but all of the ones in this neighborhood only have outdoor seating. It’s extremely …

SCIH 006 – Road Ends at a Ghost Town

September 25, 2009 – 8:54 am
Bridge Destroyed by Typhoon Morakot

The real fun began a few kilometers later. I was “zooming” along on my bike when I passed a big earth mover. As I passed it, I heard a voice shout something at me, and a second later, I was at the base of a huge pile of rubble blocking the road. It seemed that I’d found the end of the road. And it really …

SCIH 007 – Back To Tainan

September 24, 2009 – 10:34 am
Too Hot for a Cotton T-shirt Today

Thursday September 24, 2009 1:30 p.m.
Moogo Drinks – Tainan
I just ordered a milk tea and I’m waiting with great anticipation for it to arrive. I had planned to get an iced coffee or something at this place called George’s Fine Coffees. I went by the place half a dozen times my first day in Tainan. I thought it would be a great place to sit …