Well, I have a whole bunch of notes I was going to transcribe into journal entries with my free time, but I just read that a guy I knew in high school passed away. He wasn't someone that I hung out with all the time, but we hung out in band class and I enjoyed many a good conversation with him. So, here's to the inquisitive and caring life of David Miller. He sent me a message once saying he liked me photography. So, this next batch of uploads if for him.
These photos include photos from the visit of the President of the Republic of China, Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), adventures at a Chinese tourist trap, making ski lanterns, huge spiders, a farm, and BBQ. And, of course, more good food.
Here's a link to the album: http://picasaweb.google.com/anwilkins22/Taiwan2010#
Enjoy the photos, keep sharing this blog with your friends (thanks for all the feedback!) and I'll try and get some travel stories up soon. I realize they're not as fun when they're not real time, but I'm trying! Take care, and safe travels.
AW
Monday, July 19, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
GIS Day 1 - Conferences, Posters, and Some Serious Heat
If I had to sum up day one in just a few words, I'd choose hot, tiring, and mind blowing.
At 06:40 I picked up the phone closest to my bed (there are three in the room, including one next to the toilet): "This is morning call!" the female, Asian computer announced. I tried to hang up the phone but missed the receiver, so the phone dangled by the bed while I reached for my cell phone to confirm the horrible reality. I've since gotten used to these wake-up calls.
After the most ridiculously awesome breakfast buffet you could imagine, which I'm yet to take a picture of, we boarded another Chinatown Express-like bus for National Taiwan University at 8:00AM. I'm not kidding when I say that every single bus has a karaoke machine on it. I'm also not kidding when I say that karaoke, to Mandarin pop songs no less, is the worst possible thing when you are trying to snooze for 30 minutes before starting a 12 hour day of walking around a city so humid you could swim from place to place.
Taiwan National University, or NTU, is beautiful. Palm trees line all the streets, and tropical sequoia-like trees that have air-roots are placed in huge beds. The cool thing about these trees is that the air-roots, which are intended to absorb moisture, become another extension of the tree when they make contact of the ground. The trees then begin to take on the appearance of those that you see in movies growing around Asian temples. Truly beautiful, and very commonplace. Gotta love the tropical climates.
Here's a shot of the group under one of those cool trees I was talking about.
One element of the campus tour was visiting the major academic departments, to include a zoology museum. We listened to a presentation on different animal sounds, and then a student casually produced a box containing foam/caulk stuffed rats. Their tails served nicely as handles.
We also saw a presentation on the history of their physics department, which included one of the first particle accelerators in Asia (pictured below). Clearly, NTU has been at the forefront of education in East Asia for quite some time.
After the campus tour, we traveled to the National Palace Museum. This is the place where the retreated Republican forces, who were fleeing the Communists following successive defeats in the Chinese Civil War (post WWII), stored a large majority of the treasures from mainland China. They saved thousands of artifacts and pieces of art that represented the entire span of the regions history from the Communists. This turned out to be a huge save later on: during Mao's Cultural Revolution, young Maoists destroyed ancient temples and treasures in their fervor to shun the old and welcome in progress. In a way, the existence of the museum is sad. It was founded by the exiled Republic of China government to store the treasures until they could return to the mainland. They're still there today, representing both the care of the Republicans and the irreverence of the Communists. Pictures weren't allowed inside the museum.
After the walkthrough of the museum, which was quite long, we headed back to our hotel. I quickly donned my complimentary bathrobe, flipped on Animal Planet and listened to a documentary on meerkats interspersed with incredibly loud and raucous Taiwanese commercials (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGxgmwCuKN4).
Hard sleep followed. Life is good.
At 06:40 I picked up the phone closest to my bed (there are three in the room, including one next to the toilet): "This is morning call!" the female, Asian computer announced. I tried to hang up the phone but missed the receiver, so the phone dangled by the bed while I reached for my cell phone to confirm the horrible reality. I've since gotten used to these wake-up calls.
After the most ridiculously awesome breakfast buffet you could imagine, which I'm yet to take a picture of, we boarded another Chinatown Express-like bus for National Taiwan University at 8:00AM. I'm not kidding when I say that every single bus has a karaoke machine on it. I'm also not kidding when I say that karaoke, to Mandarin pop songs no less, is the worst possible thing when you are trying to snooze for 30 minutes before starting a 12 hour day of walking around a city so humid you could swim from place to place.
Taiwan National University, or NTU, is beautiful. Palm trees line all the streets, and tropical sequoia-like trees that have air-roots are placed in huge beds. The cool thing about these trees is that the air-roots, which are intended to absorb moisture, become another extension of the tree when they make contact of the ground. The trees then begin to take on the appearance of those that you see in movies growing around Asian temples. Truly beautiful, and very commonplace. Gotta love the tropical climates.
 |
| From Taiwan 2010 |
Here's a shot of the group under one of those cool trees I was talking about.
 |
| From Taiwan 2010 |
One element of the campus tour was visiting the major academic departments, to include a zoology museum. We listened to a presentation on different animal sounds, and then a student casually produced a box containing foam/caulk stuffed rats. Their tails served nicely as handles.
 |
| From Taiwan 2010 |
We also saw a presentation on the history of their physics department, which included one of the first particle accelerators in Asia (pictured below). Clearly, NTU has been at the forefront of education in East Asia for quite some time.
 |
| From Taiwan 2010 |
 |
| From Taiwan 2010 |
After the campus tour, we traveled to the National Palace Museum. This is the place where the retreated Republican forces, who were fleeing the Communists following successive defeats in the Chinese Civil War (post WWII), stored a large majority of the treasures from mainland China. They saved thousands of artifacts and pieces of art that represented the entire span of the regions history from the Communists. This turned out to be a huge save later on: during Mao's Cultural Revolution, young Maoists destroyed ancient temples and treasures in their fervor to shun the old and welcome in progress. In a way, the existence of the museum is sad. It was founded by the exiled Republic of China government to store the treasures until they could return to the mainland. They're still there today, representing both the care of the Republicans and the irreverence of the Communists. Pictures weren't allowed inside the museum.
 |
| From Taiwan 2010 |
After the walkthrough of the museum, which was quite long, we headed back to our hotel. I quickly donned my complimentary bathrobe, flipped on Animal Planet and listened to a documentary on meerkats interspersed with incredibly loud and raucous Taiwanese commercials (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGxgmwCuKN4).
Hard sleep followed. Life is good.
 |
| From Taiwan 2010 |
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Photo Blog Update
I've updated my online album, and will be posting journal entries shortly!
Sorry for the delay - the schedule here has been incredibly full, beginning around 7:30AM and ending around 9:30-10PM. I've been falling asleep just by looking at my bed (and by listening to the terrible, terrible acting on HBO).
Anyways, here's a link to the photo album: Taiwan 2010
Journals to come soon!
Sorry for the delay - the schedule here has been incredibly full, beginning around 7:30AM and ending around 9:30-10PM. I've been falling asleep just by looking at my bed (and by listening to the terrible, terrible acting on HBO).
Anyways, here's a link to the photo album: Taiwan 2010
Journals to come soon!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Taipei Touchdown
Post Edited 7/11/2010
I made it. Finally. After a twelve hour flight, which consisted of Chinese action movies and a lot of sleeping, I'm finally checked into the Miramar Garden Hotel, Taipei.
I'll wake up tomorrow morning to write about the journey a little bit more, but here are some pictures that are a taste of travels and the hotel. Tomorrow, which is a free day, looks like it'll consist of breakfast, a bit of workout time in the ridiculously nice fitness center to include a sauna stop, and then roaming around the city to hunt for food.
The hotel itself is incredibly nice. My favorite touch of flair are the bathroom speakers that are connected to the TV so you don't miss anything you were watching, and the room's power supply which can only be turned on by putting in your room key. Leaving the room means no power, which means to power waste. I think they're on to something here.
Also, the exchange rate isn't that bad, either.
It's hard to remember that I'm here for a PoliSci conference, which begins on Monday, but I am. Definitely excited for that.
Before then, though, I need some time change adjustment.
Added 7/11
Okay, now that I've gotten a full night's sleep, with the exception of a fully animated and illuminated beer billboard that featured two giant toasting hands with pints that went "HWAAAA!" all night, I can sit down and add some of the things I wrote in my notebook while flying. Here goes, with other things added in as well.
"Ladies and gentermen, we will be arriving in Taipei shortly."
The announcement on the China Airlines 747-400 was loud enough to stir me from a bizarre dream about taking a tugboat from North Carolina to South Africa to protest bad calls in the World Cup. The flight had been, well, bearable, and it remained as such until we landed. I opted to try the "Chinese Breakfast" when given the choice between a cheese omelette and the more cultural plate. A Chinese Breakfast, at least China Airlines' Chinese Breakfast, was a sort of porridge with ground pork, peas, and carrots. On the side was a roll, some sort of candied pork thing, fruit, and a cup of tea. As much as I tried, I could not finish the Chinese Breakfast. The sticky, white porridge with assorted veggies didn't settle too well with me. So, naturally, I turned back to the movie I had chosen for that particular moment (I watched two in between sleeping periods), Fourteen Blades.
I'm not a movie reviewer so I'll spare you a poor attempt, nor do I speak Chinese. However, I had a hell of a hard time following the plot, even with what seemed to be pretty good English subtitles. Set in what I gathered was a post Qin-dynasty China, the film was about a guy who commanded the Emperor's personal assassination team. They weren't a secret team or anything, so everyone knew who he was, which is quite a departure from our Western style films. Since this guy was out in the open everyone respected him, feared him, loved him, wanted to buy him drinks, yadda yadda yadda. He was then betrayed by some prince who wanted to be emperor and the guards turned against him, so it was basically a "good guy trying to complete his mission while avoiding death at the hand of his friends" type film. The "Fourteen Blades" mentioned in the title where kept in a tidy box by the protagonist, and he chose from them depending on the type of bad guy he was killing (each stood for different virtues, all of them related to filial piety and respect for the government) and they could do cool things like fly through the air, explode, and still remain perfectly intact.
Anyways, after that I fell asleep again. Cool. No dreams this time. About an hour later I was stirred by the flight attendant to turn off my iPod because we were getting ready to land. If anyone knows why things like iPods have to be turned off before landing, please enlighten me. I always comply, but I have a hard time figuring out how the smooth sounds of Ben Folds could bring the whole plane down. Anyway. I silenced Ben and looked out the window, and I experienced a rare, breath-taking moment. Either we were staring at the night sky in the middle of a cool, welcome-to-Taiwan barrel roll courtesy of the pilot, or the ocean was covered in little tiny lights. I looked closer, and I could discern hundreds of little fishing boats with their yellow, blue, and white lights tinkling and bobbing on the Taiwanese coast. This was the sort of thing you imagine when reading about Imperial China and the fishing communities of Eastern Asia, and I'm guessing the images created by the authors, poets, and directors were spot on. It was absolutely beautiful. I was transfixed by this simple light show until the wing flaps went up to slow us down. I sat back in my seat and did not dare look out the window again - I hate landing in planes.
Thankfully, it was one of the gentler touchdowns I've experienced and the de-planing process went very quickly. The fourteen hour flight was rather empty, and everyone had an empty seat next to them, so that helped. Since I had nothing to declare (for some reason, that makes me feel inadequate) the customs process was easy and we were greeted on the other side of the one-way doors out of the sterile zone by incredibly excited National Taiwan University students. Note: There were signs all over the airport for "The Beagle Brigade," which are their bad-person detecting dogs. I did not see one, and was incredibly disappointed. Hopefully the airport will read this before my flight out and have some hanging around the concourse before I get on their plane and eat their breakfast porridge again. The posters were the cutest thing: little beagles, almost smiling, standing next to pictures of guns, meat, plants, and drugs saying "Declare or be fined!" I can't think of a better way to threaten someone with the book.
We rode to the hotel on a bus that was the realization of my imagination's version of the United States' East Coast Chinatown Express. There were avocado green curtains with little tassels hanging in the windows, flat screen TVs that were probably added to the roof of the bus by the driver, a shiny faux chrome ceiling, and little lacy things on the head rests. I loved it. After a delightful welcome to Taipei by the Taiwanese students/program directors, I stared out the window at the tide of scooters that dominates the highway 24/7 (so I'm told). I then made it to the hotel, was blown away by the luxury (Have I mentioned the tiny micro-garden in the corner by the door? There's a little ceramic dish with pebbles, water, and a few plants growing in it.), enjoyed a pre-bed snack in the restaurant with two other Davidson guys who are here for the conference, and went to bed.
This entry was a little long, partly because I had a lot to say and partly because I woke up too early and had a hard time falling back to sleep. This seemed like an appropriate way to fill the time. Next on the schedule: get breakfast, check out the sauna at some point, and explore the city. I can't wait to see what lies beyond the HWAAA! board.
I made it. Finally. After a twelve hour flight, which consisted of Chinese action movies and a lot of sleeping, I'm finally checked into the Miramar Garden Hotel, Taipei.
 |
| From Taiwan 2010 |
I'll wake up tomorrow morning to write about the journey a little bit more, but here are some pictures that are a taste of travels and the hotel. Tomorrow, which is a free day, looks like it'll consist of breakfast, a bit of workout time in the ridiculously nice fitness center to include a sauna stop, and then roaming around the city to hunt for food.
The hotel itself is incredibly nice. My favorite touch of flair are the bathroom speakers that are connected to the TV so you don't miss anything you were watching, and the room's power supply which can only be turned on by putting in your room key. Leaving the room means no power, which means to power waste. I think they're on to something here.
 |
| From Taiwan 2010 |
Also, the exchange rate isn't that bad, either.
It's hard to remember that I'm here for a PoliSci conference, which begins on Monday, but I am. Definitely excited for that.
Before then, though, I need some time change adjustment.
Added 7/11
Okay, now that I've gotten a full night's sleep, with the exception of a fully animated and illuminated beer billboard that featured two giant toasting hands with pints that went "HWAAAA!" all night, I can sit down and add some of the things I wrote in my notebook while flying. Here goes, with other things added in as well.
"Ladies and gentermen, we will be arriving in Taipei shortly."
The announcement on the China Airlines 747-400 was loud enough to stir me from a bizarre dream about taking a tugboat from North Carolina to South Africa to protest bad calls in the World Cup. The flight had been, well, bearable, and it remained as such until we landed. I opted to try the "Chinese Breakfast" when given the choice between a cheese omelette and the more cultural plate. A Chinese Breakfast, at least China Airlines' Chinese Breakfast, was a sort of porridge with ground pork, peas, and carrots. On the side was a roll, some sort of candied pork thing, fruit, and a cup of tea. As much as I tried, I could not finish the Chinese Breakfast. The sticky, white porridge with assorted veggies didn't settle too well with me. So, naturally, I turned back to the movie I had chosen for that particular moment (I watched two in between sleeping periods), Fourteen Blades.
I'm not a movie reviewer so I'll spare you a poor attempt, nor do I speak Chinese. However, I had a hell of a hard time following the plot, even with what seemed to be pretty good English subtitles. Set in what I gathered was a post Qin-dynasty China, the film was about a guy who commanded the Emperor's personal assassination team. They weren't a secret team or anything, so everyone knew who he was, which is quite a departure from our Western style films. Since this guy was out in the open everyone respected him, feared him, loved him, wanted to buy him drinks, yadda yadda yadda. He was then betrayed by some prince who wanted to be emperor and the guards turned against him, so it was basically a "good guy trying to complete his mission while avoiding death at the hand of his friends" type film. The "Fourteen Blades" mentioned in the title where kept in a tidy box by the protagonist, and he chose from them depending on the type of bad guy he was killing (each stood for different virtues, all of them related to filial piety and respect for the government) and they could do cool things like fly through the air, explode, and still remain perfectly intact.
Anyways, after that I fell asleep again. Cool. No dreams this time. About an hour later I was stirred by the flight attendant to turn off my iPod because we were getting ready to land. If anyone knows why things like iPods have to be turned off before landing, please enlighten me. I always comply, but I have a hard time figuring out how the smooth sounds of Ben Folds could bring the whole plane down. Anyway. I silenced Ben and looked out the window, and I experienced a rare, breath-taking moment. Either we were staring at the night sky in the middle of a cool, welcome-to-Taiwan barrel roll courtesy of the pilot, or the ocean was covered in little tiny lights. I looked closer, and I could discern hundreds of little fishing boats with their yellow, blue, and white lights tinkling and bobbing on the Taiwanese coast. This was the sort of thing you imagine when reading about Imperial China and the fishing communities of Eastern Asia, and I'm guessing the images created by the authors, poets, and directors were spot on. It was absolutely beautiful. I was transfixed by this simple light show until the wing flaps went up to slow us down. I sat back in my seat and did not dare look out the window again - I hate landing in planes.
Thankfully, it was one of the gentler touchdowns I've experienced and the de-planing process went very quickly. The fourteen hour flight was rather empty, and everyone had an empty seat next to them, so that helped. Since I had nothing to declare (for some reason, that makes me feel inadequate) the customs process was easy and we were greeted on the other side of the one-way doors out of the sterile zone by incredibly excited National Taiwan University students. Note: There were signs all over the airport for "The Beagle Brigade," which are their bad-person detecting dogs. I did not see one, and was incredibly disappointed. Hopefully the airport will read this before my flight out and have some hanging around the concourse before I get on their plane and eat their breakfast porridge again. The posters were the cutest thing: little beagles, almost smiling, standing next to pictures of guns, meat, plants, and drugs saying "Declare or be fined!" I can't think of a better way to threaten someone with the book.
We rode to the hotel on a bus that was the realization of my imagination's version of the United States' East Coast Chinatown Express. There were avocado green curtains with little tassels hanging in the windows, flat screen TVs that were probably added to the roof of the bus by the driver, a shiny faux chrome ceiling, and little lacy things on the head rests. I loved it. After a delightful welcome to Taipei by the Taiwanese students/program directors, I stared out the window at the tide of scooters that dominates the highway 24/7 (so I'm told). I then made it to the hotel, was blown away by the luxury (Have I mentioned the tiny micro-garden in the corner by the door? There's a little ceramic dish with pebbles, water, and a few plants growing in it.), enjoyed a pre-bed snack in the restaurant with two other Davidson guys who are here for the conference, and went to bed.
This entry was a little long, partly because I had a lot to say and partly because I woke up too early and had a hard time falling back to sleep. This seemed like an appropriate way to fill the time. Next on the schedule: get breakfast, check out the sauna at some point, and explore the city. I can't wait to see what lies beyond the HWAAA! board.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
On The Road Again
Last time I used this blog, I left it a little incomplete. My trip to Switzerland ended wonderfully, and I had memories that I probably will never forget. At least, I hope not. But, in case I do, I've got lots of photos that I will upload once I return from my next trip to my web album, located here, on Picasa.
However, the resurrection of this blog is not just to tell you that I made it back safely from Switzerland: it's to provide a new place for me to write about my two-week adventure to Taipei, Taiwan! While there, I will participate in a Political Science conference of sorts called The Global Initiatives Symposium 2010 in Taipei, hosted by the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the National University (NTU). I'm really excited about it. I'll get to listen to lectures and collaborate with other students on important issues such as green energy policy and East Asian Development. Cool stuff!
Right now, I need to hit the hay. It's about 11:11PM EST, and my flight leaves at 8:00AM tomorrow. After that, I've got a lot of traveling to do - approximately two days of it, to be exact! That includes a delightful, 12+ hour flight from Los Angeles to Taipei. Here's to hoping the inflight movie selection is more rousing than other carriers (I'm calling you out, American Airlines - no more of that "How I Met Your Mother" crap for me).
Now that I'm packed and ready to go, it's time for bed. If you'd like to contact me while I'm gone (or give me some travel suggestions), my address is anwilkins@davidson.edu. As always, all photos are clickable and link to a larger version and to my main photo album. If you like any pictures and would like to reuse them, please contact me first. Images may not be legally copied with out my explicit, written permission. Respect, yo.
Ciao!
AW
However, the resurrection of this blog is not just to tell you that I made it back safely from Switzerland: it's to provide a new place for me to write about my two-week adventure to Taipei, Taiwan! While there, I will participate in a Political Science conference of sorts called The Global Initiatives Symposium 2010 in Taipei, hosted by the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the National University (NTU). I'm really excited about it. I'll get to listen to lectures and collaborate with other students on important issues such as green energy policy and East Asian Development. Cool stuff!
Right now, I need to hit the hay. It's about 11:11PM EST, and my flight leaves at 8:00AM tomorrow. After that, I've got a lot of traveling to do - approximately two days of it, to be exact! That includes a delightful, 12+ hour flight from Los Angeles to Taipei. Here's to hoping the inflight movie selection is more rousing than other carriers (I'm calling you out, American Airlines - no more of that "How I Met Your Mother" crap for me).
Now that I'm packed and ready to go, it's time for bed. If you'd like to contact me while I'm gone (or give me some travel suggestions), my address is anwilkins@davidson.edu. As always, all photos are clickable and link to a larger version and to my main photo album. If you like any pictures and would like to reuse them, please contact me first. Images may not be legally copied with out my explicit, written permission. Respect, yo.
 |
| From Taiwan 2010 |
Ciao!
AW
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
