This is a bit disjointed & disorganized, but I wanted to get down a few stories & thoughts about Taiwan before it starts to fade. So here goes – things about Taiwan that make me smile.
Category: Asia
Missing the hot springs of Taiwan (and Japan)
A long cold winter has me pining for the wonderful warmth & relaxation that comes from a day visiting hot springs. My first exposure to hot springs was the onsen culture of Japan. Starting slowly, at an indoor facility in Osaka called Spa World (check out Mike’s review here), both Mike and I quickly got […]
Earthquakes!
Although there were (very) minor earthquakes while I lived in Toronto, I cannot say I ever felt one. My experience in Taiwan, however, was a completely different story. Located near the ring of fire, earthquakes are very common there. In fact, it only took about a month to experience one! I was so excited, I […]
The Effects of Altitude
Taiwan’s mountains are huge! Seeing the peaks poke through the clouds flying in and out of Taipei gives you a little taste of their size, but even more impressive is their highest mountain pass. The highest mountain in Taiwan is Yushan (玉山) at 3952 m, and the highest mountain pass crosses Hehuanshan (合歡山) at 3275 […]
Rainy Days, the Monsoon and Taiwan
The word ‘monsoon’ may conujure up images of warm tropical rains, however the term monsoon refers to a seasonal wind that reverses direction during the year. The summer monsoon is typically a rainy season, whereas the the winter monsoon is typically dry. This is because during the summer, the Asian landmass gets heated by the […]
Rain, wind and waves… Typhoons!
Typhoons are the the Northwestern Pacific’s equivalent to the hurricanes that occur in the Northeastern Pacific and Atlantic. They are formed when a number of factors (including a warm ocean and an existing weather disturbance) come together. When a typhoon makes landfall, it can bring high winds, torrential rain, huge waves and flooding. Heavy rains […]
Cycling the West Coast of Taiwan
Many people recommend starting with the West coast of Taiwan and moving counter-clockwise when riding around the island. There are a few reasons for this – the higher population means more places to stop and fuel up and stay overnight, and more English speakers also helps with easing yourself into the Taiwan way of life, […]
Cycling the East Coast of Taiwan
Cycling the Northern Cross Highway
In addition to taking the coastal road that skirts around the edge of Taiwan, there are a few mountain passes as well. We planned to tackle the northernmost road that crosses the mountains, Highway 7, aka the Northern Cross Highway. Our route took us from Hsinchu to Luodong (near Yilan), via Guanxi and Baling, a […]
騎自行車台湾環島 / Cycling Around the Island of Taiwan
As I wrote before, the day after I finished teaching at Royal we packed up our bags and started to cycle around Taiwan, something referred to here as 環島 (huandao), meaning ‘circle the island’. Our trip can be neatly broken down into three sections: 1) the northern cross highway over the mountains; 2) the east coast […]