Tainan, Taiwan Aug 19, 2026 There are more temples in Tainan than in any other city in Taiwan. Sixteen hundred of them at last count, they come all sizes. Some are sandwiched between apartment buildings and businesses while others stand in isolated grandeur. At the Tiantan Tiangong temple, the Jade Emperor is worshipped using a … More A City of Temples
Kaohsiung, Taiwan Aug 15, 2026 Not visiting Lanyu means I have a few more days left to wander in Taiwan. I had not intended to visit the west coast on this trip but figured I might as well complete the loop back to Taipei. Kaohsiung is next on the itinerary for no other reason than … More Enter the Dragon
Taitung, Taiwan Aug 13, 2026 The Taiwan Museum of Prehistory has a section on Austronesian migration with a large map showing the swathe of these journeys over hundreds and thousands of years. Somewhat child-centric, a few audio-visual displays traces the similarities in origin stories and how some foods like rice and sweet potatoes traveled the … More Dolphin’s Decree
Taitung, Taiwan Aug 10, 2026 Close to the northern edge of Taitung there is an extensive area that was once home to the Peinan tribe. Although the local Puyuma indigenous population call themselves Peinan or Beinan, some anthropologists believe that it is the Paiwan who were the original inhabitants of this site, based on the … More At the Peinan Homeland
Haiduan, Taiwan Aug 9, 2026 “It is a very small place. It is deep in the countryside and there is nothing there” was the discouraging comment I heard from locals in Chisheng which itself is hardly a teeming metropolis. But there was a Bunun cultural center there and I meant to try to get some … More Whispers of the Bunun
Cipuwa, Chishang Township, Taiwan Aug 8, 2026 The Ilisin or Harvest Festival is celebrated by the Amis community, sometimes jointly but more often by each village separately. Outsiders are not always allowed in and even if they are, some of the sacred ceremonies are still off limits. Excited to have finally found a festival nearby, … More At an Ilisin Harvest Festival
Chishang, Taiwan Aug 7, 2026 Aboard a comfortable express train I head out of the urban sprawl of Taipei, taking the scenic route. The train tracks avoid the central massif of Taiwan and skirt the island. Heading east, the hilly terrain is shrouded in a mantle of green dotted here and there with towns and … More Jade Green Fields
Taipei, Taiwan Aug 4, 2026 Figuring that the Taiwan National History Museum would be a good place to start, that’s where I headed. A small museum, it had a tiny section for indigenous cultures of Taiwan. A display of a recreated interior had as its central piece, a carved wooden totem pole. It was startlingly … More In Search of the Indigenous Tribes
Taipei, Taiwan Aug 2, 2026 Temperatures soaring in the mid 90s Fahrenheit with humidity in mid 80 percent range are not exactly a recipe for blissful wanderings and I have to take little breaks. Darting into air-conditioned comfort of cafes are interspersed with breathers in the green spots dotted around the city. The largest is … More Night Markets Galore
Taipei, Taiwan Aug 1, 2026 Broad streets are lined by tall buildings of steel and glass but there are pockets of older neighborhoods hidden among them. Mostly from 18th and 19th centuries CE though, they are not that old in the grand scheme of things. Some buildings from the colonial era, today ear-marked for official … More Snapshot of Old Taipei
ITCHY FEET TRAVELS 