The bicycle is a very popular means of transport in Taiwan. In Taipei, there are plenty of bike paths, and also long-distance cycling is getting more popular in Taiwan. In Taipei, there are also public bikes, which can be rented for 30min for free. Even though the public bikes worked … Continue reading
I am visiting the National Taiwan University (NTU) within my PhD studies in Vienna. Why Taiwan? Because the group I am working with here has expertise in my research area, and because I received a research grant to come here. I spend most of my time at the NTU campus … Continue reading
We took the very comfortable High Speed Train from Taipei to Tainan. Tainan literally means “Tai South”, just like Taipei means “Tai North” and Taitung means “Tai East”. With a population of almost two million, it is Taiwan’s fifth largest city and the third largest I have been to (after … Continue reading
The Maokong Gondola is a convenient half-day trip from Taipei. It goes up a hill of tea plantations and, on a clear day, allows magnificent views over Taipei. The starting point is at the end of one of the Taipei MRT lines. The gondola is integrated in the Taipei public … Continue reading
If you don’t want to read all the below, here are the important links: Learning Mandarin in one Thousand Words Growing up with Chinese Lang-8 Taiwan Digital Publishing System There are so many online language study resources that it requires quite some work to evaluate them and decide which to … Continue reading
雪山, which literally translates to “Snow Mountain”, is a mountain in Shei-Pa national park at about three hours drive from Taipei. It features Taiwan’s second highest peak at 3,886m, several hiking trails of varying difficulty, two cabins, and some shelters. The most popular and easiest trail to the peak starts … Continue reading
Last week I went with Shu-Yen to the food market. This market takes place in the early morning, which makes a lot of sense in summer since it is not as hot during daytime. It was very interesting to see the raw material of my everyday dishes. The food on … Continue reading
My friend Gill took me to her hometown Daxi, which is some 30min by bus from Taipei. Daxi produces most of Taiwan’s tofu and is famous for spinning tops. The tops are thrown onto small platforms using a string that initiates the spin. It’s quite difficult and requires a lot … Continue reading
On the mid-autumn festival’s Sunday, after visiting the palace museum, we were invited by the lab to a Japanese restaurant, where I probably ate more meat than I usually eat in three months. It was probably the best beef I have had in my life. The chicken, seafood, and fish … Continue reading
After visiting Sanxia, Jessie and Erin took me to their hometown Yingge. Yingge is famous for ceramics. There are plenty of high-end ceramics stores. Unfortunately, taking pictures was not allowed in any of them. We went to a pottery DIY (by the way, “DIY” is a term used frequently in … Continue reading
