Super Basketball League

Posted on January 17, 2011 | Leave a comment

SBL stands for Super Basketball League (超級籃球聯賽). The league began in 2003 after a period of about four years where Taiwan had no pro basketball.

I went to watch part of two games in Taipei. There were three games and one ticket is good for all three. Tickets cost $300NT which is equivalent to $9USD. Each team can have one import player, most likely from the U.S. The level of play is similar to Division II basketball in the States. Games are held in arenas all over the island.

Just as in Taiwanese baseball, there are no home teams. Each team has a main sponsor and is not linked to a specific city although some teams are more popular in certain areas of the island than others.

Here is the list of teams: Bank of Taiwan, Dacin Tigers, Kinmen Kaoliang Liqour, Pure Youth Construction, Taiwan Beer, Taiwan Mobile Clouded Leopards, Yulon Loxen Dinos.

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Tainan, Taiwan

Posted on January 12, 2011 | Leave a comment

If you want to see temples, this is the place, it has more Taoist and Buddhist temples than any city in Taiwan.

Tainan is the fourth largest city on the island. It is located in the southwestern corner and used to be the capital under the Qing Dynasty until 1887.

I did the historic walking tour from the Lonely Planet and stopped at least 12 or so temples before we called it a day and went to get dinner. The city itself takes up a very wide land mass because very few buildings are built over six stories. Taxi drivers here do not know any English so I had to put my little Chinese into full use. Only high school and university students will know English. The older generation, just like in most Taiwanese cities will speak Japanese due to the imperial rule.

Getting to Tainan is not as convenient as other cities along the High Speed Rail corridor. The station is about a 45 minute bus ride to get to downtown Tainan.

Tainan has several famous items for those interested in local cuisine. Those worth a try include: Oysters and Noodles (蚵仔麵線 kèzǎi miànxiàn), Dan Dan Noodle (擔仔麵 dānzǎi miàn), and the Oyster Omelette (蚵仔煎 kèzǎijiān).

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Historic Caoling Trail

Posted on January 11, 2011 | Leave a comment

Caoling Historic Trail (草嶺古道) was once an important trail that linked Yilan and Danshui. Today, it is a great place to take a weekend afternoon and enjoy a long hike while basking in some of the great views on Taiwan’s northeast coast.

The path to the trail has a lot of small rice farms and scenery to enjoy. The trail itself is primitive in some parts and rather easy to hike in others. The day that we hiked it was rather muddy in certain areas as it had just rained. After the hike, we took the train a few stops down to Fulong Beach to eat and watch a couple surfers brave the cold water. In total the hike lasted about five hours.

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Posted on January 10, 2011 | Leave a comment

Kulala Lumpur is a rather young city. It was established in the mid 1800’s and did not receive city status until 1972. The city had its beginnings when Chinese workers were hired to work in tin mines. Since the 1800’s, Kuala Lumpur has developed into a mid size city. Compared with many homogenous cities in Asia, Kuala Lumpur has a noticeably vast, racial makeup.

As far as sights to see, Kuala Lumpur is not as exciting as other Asian cities. What it lacks in historical value, it makes up for with its diverse cuisine. Food stalls are everywhere in Chinatown and Little India. Along with the standard Chinese dishes, Chinatown also has great Malay street food.

Can’t miss sights include the Petronas Towers, KL Tower, and the Batu Caves.

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Backpacking- Ubud, Indonesia

Posted on January 9, 2011 | 2 comments

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Ubud, Indonesia (Bali)

Posted on December 31, 2010 | 1 comment

Ubud is near the center of Bali and is surrounded by sloping rice paddies and village huts. Ubud is known for its incredible arts scene. Paintings, drawings, wood carvings, etc. are sold in storefronts and markets on the tight, winding, streets that weave through the forest canopy.

The overall atmosphere in Ubud is very friendly. Transport is somewhat slow because all the streets are barely wide enough for one car and a scooter but that is part of the islands appeal. Early Europeans were drawn to the island to seek adventure and explore the untamed tales of witches and mysterious societies.  Even the famous English author, H.G. Wells, sailed to Bali to stay with prominent painter, Russian born artist, Walter Spies.

My first stop in Bali was to watch a play that combines parts of the Hindu religion and local tradition. Indonesia is primarily Muslim but the island of Bali is Hindu.  The Barong play represented an eternal fight between a good an evil spirit. The Barong is a mythical animal that represents the good spirit. Balinese people believe that the Barong is a symbol of protection.

Mount Batur was another exciting stop. The volcanoes largest eruption was in 1926 and the lava that is visual now is from recent eruptions since 1974. The volcano is still active and smoking. Batur Lake, sits at the bottom and offers a great, contrasting view to the mountain. Luckily I got in a few quick shots before the fog rolled in.

One inspirational school that I wanted to visit was Green School. They actually give about an hour long guided tour twice a week but we missed it because a bridge was out and we had to take a detour. Our driver took us down a long, bumpy,  gravel road for about 45 minutes to reach another entrance point. We had to backtrack several times and ask for directions at literally every fork in the road we came to as there are no signs. Luckily all the locals had heard of the school. I came to find out about the school after the founder gave a short lecture on TED Talks. The lady I spoke to said they started receiving about 100 emails a day since the lecture was published. Anyways, check out the website or the link to the talk to learn more about the project.

The main spot for Australian and European tourists is Kuta Beach. But if you travel inland, you can discover a more remote Bali.

Ted Talk Lecture video

Green School

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Qixing Mountain

Posted on November 4, 2010 | Leave a comment

Qixing Mountain (七星山) is translated into English as “Seven Star Mountain.” It is located just outside Taipei, in Yangmingshan National Park. The mountain is part of the Datun Volcano Group and is listed at 3,675 ft.

At the top of this extinct volcano sat one large crater which has since been split into seven smaller peaks due to heavy erosion. On our hike, several paved roads and bridges were completely washed out from recent typhoon Megi, 10/24/10. The mountain is rather steep, with little undergrowth to stop quick landslides that occur with heavy rains.

The main draw to this area is the gas fumaroles that emit large quantities of sulfur. The smell is just as intense as the flourescent yellow colors. Natural hot springs form in areas that have adequate rock to trap the water into small pools. This was a great place to enjoy a half-day hike, eat lunch by the hot springs and also get in some photos.

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Backpacking-Kaohsiung

Posted on October 5, 2010 | 3 comments

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Backpacking-Stockholm

Posted on September 21, 2010 | Leave a comment

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Backpacking-Riga

Posted on September 19, 2010 | Leave a comment

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