Blogs from LongShan Temple, Taipei, Taiwan, Asia

My first temple visit in Taipei!... read more

I didn't do too much this past weekend, but I was able to get some of the places crossed off my sightseeing to-do list. On friday, after class, a couple classmates and I went to Ximending (think the Taipei equivalent of Times Square of Picadilly Circus, except with more teenage girls) to a Shisha bar. Going at about 5:30PM ensured that we were the only customers, which was kind of cool. After the bar, we hit up a McDonalds, which over here is a popular hang out spot, and then went back to the dorms to get ready for a night of clubbing. The club we went to was called Luxy, and its one of the biggest clubs in Taipei. I only know these things through word of mouth though because, being the scatter brain that ... read more

Contrast and travel tiredness in Taiwan How fed up can one be with noodles, rice and sweet bread; that’s what we are contemplating these days. Travel tiredness comes and goes in waves, it doesn’t seem that much related to the country we are in, it is just part of having all the freedom you ever longed for and then being tired of playing the tourist every day. Taiwan is not yet a very popular tourist destination, yet that might change. The Portuguese used to call this island Ilha Formosa, ‘beautiful island’, and that’s what it is. The first and foremost pleasant surprise in this country is the immense hospitality of the Taiwanese people. Everywhere we go, people greet us, smile at us, help us, look proud when we compliment them on their English. Our first taste ... read more

The Wanhua area of Taipei City has got to be one of the shadiest areas on the entire island. I was shouted at several times for taking photos, drunken taxi cab drivers were puking in front of their cars, and prostitutes were burning incense in front of temples asking the gods to please send more customers. ... read more