Miaoli County 苗栗縣
On the third day of my trip to Taiwan we travelled about 2 hours out of Taipei by car into Miaoli County as recommended by our taxi driver (who conveniently spoke perfect English!). Taiwan may be a relatively small island but has much variety on offer in terms of scenery. Read more
Shilin Night Market
After visiting Taipei 101 on my second day in Taiwan we went to a restaurant with some friends overlooking the city on a rather precarious mountainside. We had planned to eat outside but as it was a windy evening and so we retreated inside to enjoy some Taiwanese hot-pot. Read more
Vegetable Overload
I’m a committed carnivore and very few days in my life have gone by without some sort of meat consumption taking place. I’m also someone who dabbles in the art of cooking (with mixed results). Yesterday evening I invited some friend over for dinner but there was a catch – one of them was a vegetarian. Meat and fish were out so it was time to learn something new… Read more
MUJI Design in Taiwan
One of my favorite shops is MUJI – the Japanese “no-brand” brand which sells a wide variety of household and consumer goods distinguished by its emphasis on minimalist design and environmentally friendly manufacturing. Read more
Taipei 101
Unlike most asian cities Taipei is relatively flat and featureless save for the majestic mountains that surround it. Architecturally there’s nothing much to get excited about but for one exception – Taipei 101 – the tallest building in Asia and second tallest in the world. Sticking out like a sore thumb at 509 meters tall it dwarfs everything around it and provides a spectacular view over the city as well as serving as an icon of modern Taiwan. On a rather murky Friday afternoon I paid it a visit… Read more
Shida Night Market
Taipei is famous for its numerous night markets dotted throughout the city where people go to shop and eat after the sun goes down, many staying open till midnight. On my first evening in Taiwan I headed to Shida night market in the Taan district (near Guting MRT station). Read more
Hotel Éclat – Taipei
Last weekend I took a short trip to Taiwan, a mere 1.5 hours away from Hong Kong but in many respects a world apart from the mainland (depending on who you ask). Arriving Thursday evening in Taipei my first stop was Hotel Éclat, a stone’s throw away from Daan MTR station. As far as posh places I’ve stayed in without paying go (1, 2) this probably tops the list for style and sheer exuberance. Read more
Social Media in Asia Presentations
While Facebook and Twitter might rule in the US and Europe it’s a whole different game in Asia. If you follow Thomas Crampton (Asia-Pacific director of 360 Digital Influence for Ogilvy) then you’ll know he’s often posting insightful presentations about Social Media in Asia. I’ve been bookmarking them for a while and thought I’d share a few of the better ones here with the key takeaways (and other miscellanea). Read more
Ancient Watchtowers of Kaiping
On my second day in Kaiping we started off the morning with a breakfast of tasty egg tarts from the local cake shop and then took the no. 4 bus out of the city towards Tangkou town where we then flagged down a passing van and negotiated with the driver (¥10) to take us the rest of the way to Li Gardens (立园) – more details here about the directions. Read more
How The Great Firewall of China Works
The “Great Firewall of China” (GFW), officially know as the Golden Shield Project (金盾工程), is the system which filters, blocks and censors the flow of information online within the People’s Republic of China as sanctioned by the government to “protect” its citizens from content it deems harmful to societal stability (or “harmony” as they call it here). Read more