My life and other things that have happened

I seem to find out something new about Taipei and Taiwan every day. It's a country of many wonders but also some oddities! I think that's what makes it so special. People just don't seem to take themselves too seriously here.  Case in point. The  A380 In-Flight Kitchen, Taipei, Taiwan This Taipei spot replicates the in-flight experience with an interior designed to look like an airplane cabin. Servers dressed like flight attendants wheel around food and beverage carts.  I mean really.... where else in the world eh? You've just got to love it. In a previous blog post I mentioned the Modern Toilet restaurant where diners sit on toilets and are served out of miniature ones. Drinks are served out of urinals. Madness.  On another note, I am constantly astonished by Taiwan's beauty. I was surprised to learn recently that Taiwan has the second highest peak in Asia - Yushan (Jade Mountain) - which rises  3,952 metres (12,966 ft). Hiking is very popu...

Thursday was the Moon Festival or the Mid-Autumn Festival which is celebrated by various countries throughout Asia. We received some Moon Cakes from our neighbours which was really nice and enjoyed a lovely day off. This festival is the equivalent of Christmas here in Taiwan and people spend the time at home with their families. Here's the story of the moon festival which I think is really poetic.  http://www.moonfestival.org/legends/chango.htm The Legend of the Moon Festival  by Thomas W. Chinn, Historian Originally named the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Moon Festival is one of the most important holidays celebrated by Chinese communities around the world. Traditionally, it is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month in observance of the bountiful Autumn harvest. Although old rituals are no longer followed, families continue to gather for a day to relax and eat moon cakes. Upon this occasion, the legend of the Moon Goddess, CHANG-O, is often told to...

Just a short post to show you what the view is like on my commute to work every day :)

I'm sick. This is not terribly unusual however it is frickin annoying. I have the dreaded Taipei lurgi, which comes in the form of a throat infection, swollen glands, stuffy nose and general exhaustion. Went to the doctors earlier in the week and he was great. Immediate diagnosis and four different kinds of drugs. Antibiotics, tablets for the fever, something for a stuffy nose and another thing for congestion. All that for less than the cost of one NHS prescription. Sweet! I've been off work for most of the week and I was hoping I would feel better but I have to admit that I still feel like crap. I've been told that the bugs/illnesses here can be pretty nasty to newcomers so I'm not going to try and fight this. Apart from a few chores I need to do I'm going to try and take it easy.  James and I haven't been up to a whole lot the past two weeks. James came down with this bug two weeks ago and then I got it last Sunday. That's not to say that we've do...