Thursday, December 30, 2010

Santa comes to Taiwan


Looks like he was running late... wonder where he was headed next?  Oregon maybe?

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Thanks ya'll!

All your votes paid off - we won Taiwanderful's popular vote for Best Personal Taiwan Blog and Best Central Taiwan Blog!  Thanks so much for all of you who visit and appreciate our blog.  This whole thing started, and still is primarily for, our families but we've definitely gained a lot of readers in the last 6 months.  I'm glad that we are able to share some of Taiwan and our travels with others.  

Speaking of travels - we set out for Bangkok in a few days so probably no updates on the blog for a bit.  Happy holidays!


Friday, December 17, 2010

Expat christmas


While our stockings may not be hung by the fire with care, our silver tinsel christmas trees, unique ornaments collected from near and far, and paper cut-out stars have made an appearance in our effort to be festive.  I'm on my third viewing of The Family Stone, and of course Elf is in the queue.  Hot chocolate, marshmallows and candycanes are in the cupboard.  All these things don't quite make up for the fact that we will be half-way around the world from our families on Christmas, but makes it a little easier to swallow.






Are you an expat?  How do you celebrate the season in your home away from home?


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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Are your ears burning?

I'm afraid this guy's is going to be soon!



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Sunday, December 12, 2010

Longshan Temple

We were in Taipei Saturday and got off the MRT at Longshan Temple stop, not knowing what Longshan Temple was but headed for a restaurant we wanted to try (more on that to come).  I'm glad we stopped by the temple itself to check it out - it's huge and ornate, and there was a lot of activity going on inside.




Along with burning incense and candles there was a lot of food offerings:

Outside there was a waterfall and fountains, these little girls were checking out the dragon and the koi:


Read our blog and like it?  Go to Taiwan blog awards and vote for us.  Just click the "+" sign under the number box.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Long-Tien Butterfly Museum

Taiwan has many different varieties of butterflies, about 377 in fact, maybe more.  When I was in Taitung for a field trip we visited the Long-Tien Butterfly Museum.  While this "museum" wasn't much to look at on the inside (though the family running it were very helpful and clearly passionate about butterflies), outside we were able to see many varieties of butterflies in all stages up close and personal.  



Pretty awesome!

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Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Rainbow Village

An old military dependents’ village in Taichung has been transformed by Huang Yung-fu, an 86-year-old veteran, into what is now known as Rainbow Village.  Apparently he had some time on his hands and saw the walls of these drab buildings as a huge canvas.


Recently the buildings were slated to be torn down, but after protests Taichung Mayor Jason Hu promised it would be preserved.


This area is tiny, two small alleys, but every inch is covered with paintings - it's amazing.


From the articles I've read it seems it's all been painted very recently, and he may even still be working on it.



The area was a little tricky for us to find, and luckily we found another person who showed us the way.  If you are in the area and would like to check it out yourself have a look at the map:


View Larger Map

The map and the picture below are the entrance we were shown - there may be an easier way to get there.  Follow the arrows (you will go through a small walkway between this green wall and the fence and feels a bit like you are trespassing) keep walking, veer right, and soon you will see the bright colors.


Not the most welcoming entrance, but this is your farewell image:


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Monday, December 6, 2010

Double your wardrobe

Awhile ago I wrote about preparing for cooler weather in Taiwan.  I failed to mention that you can also follow local fashion and simply wear tights or leggings under your shorts! 

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Food vendor

I think the pearls are a nice touch


Read our blog and like it?  Go to Taiwan blog awards and vote for us.  Just click the "+" sign under the number box.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

The mutual love bean?

When I saw this necklace on shu flies' blog I remembered the seeds I had safely stored in a dish on the shelf, not sure what else to do with them.  I was given the seeds at the Jhihben National Forest Recreation Area by a guide who in broken english explained to me that they were special because they were shaped like hearts.  I looked them up last night and they are Saga seeds, also called love seeds.  They are often used in making jewelery because of their amazing color and in China they are known as xiang si dou (相思豆), or "mutual love bean" (I don't know if they are known by the same name in Taiwan - perhaps someone out there knows).  I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with mine, but I sure love the color.


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Thursday, December 2, 2010

At the airport



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Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Taiwan blog awards

In the spirit of spreading the Taiwan love around, and promoting great Taiwan blogs, Taiwanderful.net is again hosting the Best Taiwan Blog Awards.  If you've read our blog and like our stuff, consider voting for us: visit this link and click the little plus sign under the number box.  Like last year, each person can only vote once per day.  Thanks so much!

(If those of you are wondering what happened to the Go! Oversees voting that happened awhile back we were ranked 4th - yay!).