Here we are in Kaohsiung. It was a hassle to get here as we both had our suitcases as well as a large ikea bag filled with assorted kitchen goods and comforts of life, which nearly broke my shoulder off when I took a turn carrying it. We are staying in a most astonishing Airbnb. […]
Ring of fire
What a triumphant day today was, the day of the eclipse. This was an annular eclipse, on the day of the solstice, with a long but very narrow band of totality which happened to pass through Chiayi, the town from which went to Alishan a couple of months ago. Though knowing of course that the […]
City life
Today, Saturday. A searing hot afternoon, and we went off to the Taipei Museum of Contemporary Art. There was an exhibition on, called City Life, with the low entrance fee that is usual in this country, a pleasant change from London museums and galleries. It turned out to be one of the best contemporary art […]
Real deal
The protest we could have attended, if a show was what we wanted, no more.
Protest in the park
This morning, the GF and I went to 228 Park to join the Black Lives Matter protest there. It was a curious affair. Every foreigner in Taiwan (excluding migrant workers) seemed to be there – the crowd was about 90% non-Taiwanese, and I suspect many of those who appeared Taiwanese were Americans of Taiwanese origin. […]
Back to Beitou
Today’s Chinese lesson went better than Monday’s, when both the GF and I felt rather stupid and beaten down. It made me very thankful that I was always quite good at school, as it was a taster of how deadly it is to be made to feel like an idiot and given no time or […]
Watery Sunday
The clouds burst around mid-morning and raindrops plummetted down as though from the barrel of a gun. In a climate like Taiwan’s it would be foolish to let that get in the way of an outing so we strolled down to Gongguan for an Israeli lunch at a small restaurant where there was one table […]
New frontrunner
A new frontrunner has emerged: we are now thinking of moving to Tainan in July. The reason for this is largely practical: Taitung doesn’t seem to have an oversupply of pleasant places to stay unless one is in a small surfing village, which itself is difficult to manage without a car. Tainan is also quite […]
Actual weekend
Today is the start of the actual weekend; yesterday’s idle day was a bank holiday for the GF and a day without work for me. In the morning, the four of us went back to Serenity for another excellent meal. I must say, they have the best fried rice I’ve ever had, I would dearly […]
Home in the country
Today the GF and I went to the Lin Family mansion, in the outskirts of the city, in Banqiao. This was once a palatial countryside estate, with views of green hills and forests and fields all around. Now, there are the usual grubby apartment blocks and office buildings creeping up against the walls, with some […]