Archive for January 2010

DR LINDA GAIL ARRIGO – “A Borrowed Voice”   Leave a comment

I have a copy of Linda’s book in Australia and frequently read sections.  It has helped me grasp the recent history of Taiwan and some of the many brave efforts young Americans made in the martial law era. Modern Taiwan owes much to these people.   The  struggle continues as book distributors are unwilling to handle the [...]

Posted January 23, 2010 by fathomTaiwan in Uncategorized

NOBEL PRIZE – CHEMISTRY Dr Yuan-Tseh Lee   Leave a comment

(Click for larger size image) Dr Yuan-Tseh Lee has visited Australia.  Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne , Adelaide.  Perhaps Perth later.  He speaks English with a slight French accent (“I’ve been spending some time in Paris”) and is a keen follower of professional tennis. Moments after this picture was taken (with a phone camera) [...]

Posted January 23, 2010 by fathomTaiwan in Conferences Taiwan

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PHOTO MODEL – DANSHUI   Leave a comment

Arriving at Danshui one Saturday morning, it looked like a celebrity actor was pursued by a hoard of paparazzi photographers. “Nobody famous” a shop girl told me as I followed the mob. It was a photographic club (I assumed) testing their new camera’s.  They’d hired a model and a dozen keen photographers had her posing for [...]

Posted January 22, 2010 by fathomTaiwan in My First Taipei Views

LUZHOU CITY – A SMALL SCHOOL BUILDING   Leave a comment

A foreign tourist might wonder “what is that large building”?  Unless there is a local friend to explain things, you’d never know that all those huge buildings are schools. This is a good indication of a population density very different to anything in Australia.   It makes Australia look to me like a frontier country. [...]

Posted January 22, 2010 by fathomTaiwan in My First Taipei Views

TAIWAN TIME TRAVEL – BACK TO 1857   Leave a comment

This is what a happy couple may have looked like in Taipei all those years ago.  Except they would have been surrounded by rice fields rather than apartment buildings.  Many thanks to both  models for their courtesy.

Posted January 21, 2010 by fathomTaiwan in Taiwan Museums

BURDOCK ROOT – JAPANESE STYLE   Leave a comment

Burdock is used by various medical practitioners. Spotting “Burdock Root” on the menu of that famous Japanese restaurant with the 1946 “trade mark” as part of their name, was a chance to be taken at NT$200.   Address: No.36 Emei Street, Wanhua Dist.  Tel 2331 7000 Cooked in sesame oil and garnished with sesame seeds it [...]

TAIPEI MAIN STATION AREA   Leave a comment

Did Taipei need another 4 star shopping center? I watched this building being constructed from the first day, a couple of years ago  from the empty space  on the north side of Taipei Main Station.  Tonight I made a visit – to see a movie. The Bad Lieutenant had only a small crowd of patrons.  It’s [...]

UNUSUAL- NAME SHOP   Leave a comment

In an alley near a Dunhua  MRT exit was this unusually-named clothing shop. The last time I looked in 2009 it was gone.  For a number of years it must have entertained western passersby’s.   I asked for a name card when this picture was taken in 2002.

Posted January 8, 2010 by fathomTaiwan in Small Shop Value

SHARK TALK FESTIVAL   Leave a comment

Promoted on the front page of Taipei Times was the Taipei Shark Conference. Delegates from around the world attended to present ‘papers’ on various aspects of shark fishing and research.  The theme was ‘to put a halt to the wastage  associated with shark fining’. It was understandable to me why fishermen in international waters would [...]

TAIWAN CASH IS GOOD   Leave a comment

It’s enjoyable spending cash in Taipei.  Bank of Taiwan ATM issues new NT$1000 bank notes. Four digit PIN numbers is OK with Australian credit and statement bank cards – no problems.  ANZ, Westpac and Commonwealth all work. Australian DFAT (Smart Traveler web site) info was out of date in this respect the last time I looked.  I [...]

Posted January 4, 2010 by fathomTaiwan in My First Taipei Views

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