Love or Hate Your first experience on a night train can be either a nightmare of stress, worry and discomfort, or one of wonder and intrigue. Really, it all comes down to a matter of persecutive where applying the principles of the glass half full or half empty analogy is[…]
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Among the many surprises of spending extended time on a university campus in Taiwan was seeing dogs wandering around inside the various buildings. I saw them in halls of student dorms, halls and common areas of the classrooms and wandering around outside on campus. Apparently this is the norm here.[…]
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So, here is the question. What do you do if you are caught by surprise and end up with a 17 hour overnight layover in the MNL Manila Philippines airport? Well, turns out, this just happened to us, so I have some personal insight because I’m sitting in the airport[…]
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I’ve been traveling in Asia for several months now and have noticed a trend in several countries here. It seems the trend toward having a “healthy tan” in America is not the same view held by Asian women. In fact, it seems it is the polar opposite. From what I[…]
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Voilated. That is the single best word I can use to describe my first experience with a Japanese toilet. But, at the same time, I was intrigued. Maybe the whole concept of dry toilet paper used in the west was really super unsanitary and the Japanese have it right. In[…]
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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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Taiwan is amazing and I’m really enjoying my time at Nanhua University here where my girlfriend is attending school. One of my favorite things about Taiwan is the food and I am extremely fortunate to have landed right in the middle of one of the best food deals I’ve seen[…]
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I absolutely love breakfast and, on a side note, it is one of the few meals that I feel I can cook well. Psychologically, eating breakfast each day sets my emotional mood and gives me a sense of overall stability. I’m not sure why, but I seem happier and more[…]
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Giving gifts in any culture has a certain level of custom and tradition. In Asian cultures, where protocol and etiquette are the norm, it is far more important to be aware of local customs when trying to make a good impression, especially if you are giving a business related gift or[…]
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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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