The first time I made a purchase in Taiwan, along with my change and receipt, I received a very small sticker with a cartoon character on it. I thought it was sort of cute and perhaps a thank-you gesture from the merchant for shopping at their store. This same event[…]
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I love Asia and Taiwan in particular. The people and food are fantastic. However, I have occasionally noticed some behaviors that are quite different than those of America. One such habit among Asians in at least four countries of Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan is leaving the thing protective film[…]
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The first day I arrived in Hong Kong the outside temperature was around 55 degrees Fahrenheit (13 degrees Celsius) which was a major change from Malaysia where daily temperatures hovered in the mid 80s. To combat the temperature change, I bundled up in my winter coat and swapped shorts and[…]
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I find the name both amusing and fun at the same time. Ding Ding-ah is what locals in Hong Kong call the trolley tram that runs down the middle of the street. I’m told the name comes from the sound it makes. Each trolley has a bell that it rings[…]
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Most of the domestic help in Hong Kong homes is supplied by women from the Philippines (and Indonesia) who are paid a fixed rate salary of $3,800 HK each month for six days work (about $450) plus housing and medical care. What I found most interesting is what these domestic[…]
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In November of 2012 I bought a one way ticket from Los Angeles to Taipei, Taiwan with China Airlines which at the time was offering the best rates between the two locations. I expected the typical airline experience of seats sized for 12 year old kids, small bags of peanuts,[…]
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I’ll admit up front that the sound of a Chinese Opera is similar to finger nails on a chalk board and makes me want to run screaming out of the room. However, I would recommend attending the Chinese Opera to anyone in Asia. So the bigger question is why; what[…]
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