Travel Blog Posts
right through the very heart of it - taipei, taipei
Published: December 10th 2009Asia » Taiwan » Taipei
December 10th 2009
wow. it's been ages hasn't it? Much has been coming, going...doors closing, opening. At this very moment, I have the day off, (due to the prevalent foot & mouth disease (or I'd like to dub "hoof" & mouth) that has shut my kindy class down) and sitting at a quaint cafe called Cafe Bastille in the heart of shi-da night market. A small pitcher of chamomile honey tea is staring at me through condensed glass and a christmas tree is flashing its pretty lights in anticipation of the coming holiday. Recently I have been extremely ungrounded; from general decisions to my own overall well-being...swaying this way, that way - unable to even decide where to have my 1st chinese tutoring lesson! But this is all coming to a head after a month & 1/2 of picking ... read more
September 18th 2008
Hey all. I am writing this article in the beautiful and oldest library in taiwan (90 whoppin years old) - the National Taiwan Library (for more info: http://www.ntl.edu.tw/en/home1.php?MainPageID=-1). The website has some interesting history of the library - through the war with the japanese, etc. Sooo yeah - I am writing this entry as a woman w/a new job & a new rooftop studio apartment in Chong Huh. :) - I got both job & home within 24 hours (who's the woman?!) I'm working @ Joy English School (a corporate chain in Taiwan & China) in Yong Huh. I work in the afternoons with Joy and sometimes in the morning, I'm a sub for kindegarterners in Alphaville. Yess - chinese babies are soooo cute! The Alphaville subbing & apartment happened b/c I met a wonderful new ... read more
September 3rd 2008
The western side of me is sometimes thrown off guard with certain things & underlying judgements that manifest from my day-to-day life in Taiwan. For example, today....Yours truly was in Jung Hu (pronounced Yung Huh) today, wondering around the beautiful park & library (I applied for my 1st taiwanese library card - yay!), when I saw a blood mobile. So I said why the heck not? I haven't given any blood in Taiwan...(I gave blood bi-annually in the states). I manage to complete the chinese form all by myself (OK...almost all by myself). The nurse, named Amber, then proceeds to ask me more personal questions about my sex, drugs & rock & roll lifestyle...because according to the taiwanese medical system, no matter how many tests & checks one may have, one's blood can never be safe ... read more
August 24th 2008
No wait - you can't cuz there's a friggin typhoon! Arrghh For those US passport holders who might be interested in visiting Taiwan, please note that w/o a visa, one is allowed to stay for 30 days. After 30 days, one must go for a 'border run' - which is what I had to do before 8/23. And thanks to the typhoon and a 2 hour wait @ the airport for a plane that never showed, I went home & rebooked for a day trip the very next day. (Yes, now I am truly a jetsetter...) Another thing to note is that one is given 3 extra days to cross the border in the case of a typhoon, which is what i had to use. anyways, on maybe 3,4 hours of sleep, I groggily set out ... read more
August 22nd 2008
In the name of randomness - here is one.... Went to Karoke w/the pops & his ol' lady. I was expecting a private room w/a big screen tv & plenty of beverages & snacks (in movies such as Lost in Translation, etc.). Little did I know...we went to this place where my dad's gf knows the woman (sold houses for her). It was a hole in the wall w/no ventilation & complete w/disco ball & karoke girls who sat w/the men (drinking & singing). Wow. There was about 10 songs in the 10 lb. song binder. Nonetheless, I had fun...downed a bowl of pistachios while my dad & his gf sang taiwanese songs. I attempted several chinese songs...some with more success than others. But it was easy to get away with on the echoing effect on ... read more
August 20th 2008
Helloooooo from Taiwan! Went to Da Xi - a 2nd home (1 of MANY) for the infamous, fighting hero of the island of Formosa - Chang Kai-Shek. It is absolutely beautiful...I can see why Mr. Chang chose the spot. (I would too!)We stopped at this cafe that had a great 270 degree view & just chilled for a bit. We had some tea & some great smoked tofu w/sweet & hot sauce. As you see from the pics & the video, the scenery...it's just so thick & green. A beautiful river runs through the valley. My dad's gf's god sister was explaining to me about all the places in Taiwan where Mr. Chang had 2nd homes. But I guess when you form a whole new country/government, you have certain privileges. Many original islanders work and dwell ... read more
August 4th 2008
Greetings all. I have landed in the mother land - TAIWAN...& I must say it's been a bit tough acclemating & getting back into the flow of it all, thus the delay in creating this entry. A quick update: 6 days before I left Indian soil, I went ahead & did more than half of a vipassana (10-days of noble silence & meditation - goenka style). On the eve of the 3rd or 4th nite, a horrible skin rash broke out! I believe not only was it my subconscious mind purifying but also the intense heat of Southern India. The rash was quite odd - as it would flare up, causing me to scratch my skin pig-pink...but once I sat down & "observed" the sensation, it would subside. It was only fate that I left the ... read more
June 27th 2008
A bit belated, but nonetheless - happy bday to me! =) I spent my birthday in Thiruvannamalai, walking the Arunachala mountain barefoot (wellllllll...half of the 4 miles of it) w/my buddy jorge from ecuador - it's called Giripradakshina (pronounced giri-productiona). It was good times. A bird pooped on his shirt (good omen) & a holy woman gave us darshan. =) Then I just spent the day hanging out...enjoying thiru, as I had arrived the day before. Have been in Thiru (pronounced 'tiru') for the past week & a half- teaching/doing yoga, reading, meditating, cooking up healthy food, & hanging out w/my pals aaron & jorge. It's very quiet now in thiru as it's off season & only 'serious' ppl are here, absorbing energy from arunachala. Jorge & i went on a nice hike up the mountain ... read more
June 8th 2008
Vanakam. Sak yama? (Hello, how are you? In tamil - the language of the south) So i'm going into my 1st week of Auroville - the conceptual town that the Mother has created - with the foundation that everyone works/thinks as a collective whole w/no ownership, & not as separate people from different countries. It's been very, what's the word, interesting. Meeting ppl who have lived in this town from 30 years +. And it's really cool to hear the blood, sweat, & tears that went into building this town - as when it was first being settled, this region of tamil nadu was virtually turning into a desert. There were forests before, but b/c it is so flat & dry, it quickly dried up. And eventually, only the poorest of poor lived in this area ... read more
May 30th 2008
This page is dedicated to all the amazing people that i've encountered, thus far, in india. Through the good, the ugly, the shitty, the amazing, the funny, & the happy - it's been nothing but perfect. Thanks all. All of you are so dear & close to me...undugu, sandy candy, emma "shoulder bindhi-anada,", neil "semi-cynikananda", & many more.... muaaaaaaaaaah... read more
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