Well, the typhoon is pretty much over, although we’ve still got some rain falling today. This typhoon was much stronger than Kalmaegi, which killed 20 people last week, yet so far only 2 deaths have been reported for this one. I think the preparation level was much higher this time around, as Kalmaegi was not [...]
Fung Wang looks set to hit mid-Taiwan head on, so I’ve cancelled my private classes today and invited my buddies over for a tea party tonight! With any ‘luck’ tomorrow will be a day off as well. While last week’s typhoon was mild but brought heavy rains, this storm is predicted to have much stronger [...]
Well, here we go again. Our last typhoon was a bit of a wash in our area - just some general rain, little or no wind, but central/southern Taiwan saw a lot of flooding & landslides, and 20 people died, which is quite a lot for us. Now, typhoon Fung Wong is approaching (more quickly [...]
I’ve found that I sometimes get general comments or questions in responses to different posts, so I’ve put in this post as a place for feedbac, ideas for future posts, etc. Feel free to let me know what you think (good and bad). Don’t forget to drink lots of tea!
I had a question the other day about the types of tea sets common in Taiwan. Here are some photos I took at a couple of teashops lately that provide good examples. Some people go for basic sets with a pot and cups, others like full matching sets, and hard-core fans usually by separate components [...]
I recently got a new ride (see picture) and needed to take it for a test ride, so I decided to head out to the Baojong tea capital of Taiwan, Pinglin. This is the town that held the Baojong Tea Festival, and also has ‘the largest tea museum in the world’, or at least Taiwan. [...]
Pinglin is the baojong tea center of Taiwan, and I recently rode through there on a bike trip (see Pinglin Road Trip). I plan to do a more in-depth report on the town in the future, but here are a few pictures for now. The town is a lot like small rural town in the US. [...]
On my recent Pinglin Road Trip, I was lucky enough to drive by some locals drying some fresh-picked oolong leaves in front of their home. I stopped and chatted with them a little, and they agreed to let me take some pictures of their tea.
You never know when a great opportunity to share some classic Taiwan culture is going to jump up and bite you on the butt, but it’s always a good idea to get some pictures when it does! On my recent Pinglin Road Trip, I found myself in need of taking a rather urgent meeting, and fortunately, [...]
Our second typhoon of the season is heading towards us (from the Philippines). This one isn’t too big yet, and is predicted to hit us on the northeast part of the island, around the Ilan - Keelung area. The strongest winds and damage will likely be along the coastal areas. It seems to be moving [...]