An All New MY SEVERAL WORLDS!!

Hey Folks. It’s an exciting time for me. I’m very pleased to announce my new site is up and running. It boasts a nifty magazine style theme with loads of photos and extra features. I’m still tinkering with the new site and there are still some kinks to work out, but I’ve had a great time putting it all together. Be the first to check it out and let me know what you think.

My Several Worlds.com is here!

Taiwan Photo Journal: Shingang Harbor Fish Market in Chenggong

We came upon a lively fish market at Shingang Harbor near Chenggong while traveling along Highway —- on Taiwan’s Eastern coastline. We found it by chance while looking for the Taitung National Aquarium, and once we realized we had arrived just in time to watch the local fishermen bringing their catch in for the day, we decided to skip the aquarium. This was the first time I had my new camera out. I love wandering through fish markets in Taiwan. Not only are they a riot of colors, taste and smells, but they are usually quartered in old ships. Sharks, rays, giant tuna, swordfish and an assortment of other fantastically colored fish are all on display.

Taiwan Photo Journal: Water Running Up

The Formosa Naruwan in Taitung City treated us well after our long, tough ride over the the mountains along the Southern Cross-Island Highway. We had arrived in Taitung the previous night, after leaving Baolai at 9am and journeying for twelve long hours on the road.

The hotel is a 5 star luxury resort, featuring native aboriginal art, terrific food and a mighty nice spa center. We decided to take advantage of the money we spent and had a long, leisurely breakfast. We enjoyed the hotel’s buffet dinner and were happy to find that the buffet breakfast was included with our room. We didn’t leave Taichung until noon.

At first it looked like it we were going to have clear skies for the rest of the day, but our bad luck stayed with us and for the second day in a row, it started raining within an hour of getting on the road.

We made our first pit stop just outside of Taitung City at a place called, Water Running Up. I had heard of this place through our friendly neighborhood Lonely Planet author, Joshua Samuel Brown. Joshua was kind enough to mail me a signed copy of his 2006 anthology of short stories, Vignettes of Taiwan, which included a short story on his own journey up this same highway several years earlier.

Water Running Up, in Dulan, is a cute little place just off the highway. A small stream running alongside of a gently sloping hill is definitely running up at a disturbing angle. John and I both stooped to dip our hands in the water and followed it up the hill and around a well-manicured path before watching it disappear into some rocks. We took a few photos and marveled at the flagrant against nature and hopped back on the bike to enjoy more the Taiwan’s famous East Coast scenery.

A quick update about Joshua’s latest adventures. As I’ve mentioned before, Joshua recently left Taiwan after finishing his work on Lonely Planet’s newest Taiwan edition. He and his wife, Laurie, have spent the last few months traveling through Belize, where Joshua has been doing research for Lonely Planet Belize. He’s been blogging about his adventures at Snarky Tofu. His stories never fail to delight me. His next assignment is Singapore. Way to go Joshua! Taiwan misses you!

Macro Lily

Back-Link Loving and Some Notables

My back-at-ya’s this month also happen to be some of my favorite blogs.

I’ve done my best to keep The Bushman entertained and he has continued to throw his readers my way by including me in his weekly picks. Thanks for your support! Now here’s what I’ve been enjoying on his blog: Special Homecooked Foods (Stop will ya! My salivary glands can’t stand the torture!) Blue Sky Hoedown and Bushman Goes Guitar Shopping.

Mark Forman has started his new photoblog at TaiComp Photoblog , and sent some link love my way earlier on. I also enjoy reading Mark Forman 2.0.

After the Bushman introduced his pal, Brunty, several months back, I found myself with an intriguing new friend in Thailand. Check out Isaan Style.

My series on Taiwanese Super Writers and new kid author, Oliver Wang, has enjoyed quite a bit of fame after I found out he had a doppleganger. Check out Poplicks.com written by Oliver Wang.

One of my favorite travel writers, Gary, has been traveling for a year and has a lot to say about living the life of a full-time wanderer. Plus his photography is sweet. Everything Everywhere is one of my daily must-reads.

Last but not least, Michael Turton of The View From Taiwan included me in his weekly links a few weeks ago. Michael continues to provide first rate coverage of the political happenings in Taiwan and also features some pretty amazing photography.

NOTABLE MENTIONS:

My friend, Marco, has started a new photoblog called Antithesis Photography. So far, it looks great. I see great things coming from him. His photography exhibits a special artistic flair for the unusual. I find his work visually appealing and always a welcome surprise. I like his latest ghoulish approach.

Stopping To Smell the Roses is written by Jeffrey Alan Miller, a fellow ex-pat, world traveler and ESL teacher in Korea. I’ve especially enjoyed his posts on Laos.

Fili has all sorts of interesting India goodness happening at Fili’s World. In addition to providing me with my weekly entertainment on a regular basis, Fili was kind enough to give me a hand with a project I’m working on. More on that later. Just wanted to say, “Thanks!”

Come To My Window

This one is my personal favorite from last night.

John and I are rarely home on weekends for very long.  This one was an exception.  I was hoping to go to Hukou to see my friend, The New Hampshire Bushman, but I’m still feeling weak from my ordeal.  I thought it was going to be a super boring weekend indoors, and I’ve been feeling quite poorly because I have a brand-new camera and haven’t been able to put it to much use.  

As luck would have it, yesterday we were treated to some sort of festival that began at 10am right outside our building and lasted late into the night.  I wasn’t feeling up to going down and mingling with the crowds below, but we had a birds-eye view from our apartment on the 24th floor.  We watched a full-day procession parade by all day and as soon as it grew dark, we were treated to a fantastic display of fireworks right outside our window.

I used the lens (18-55m) that came with the kit and I’m impressed that it turned out as well as it did from the 24th floor.

This is the Daan bridge going to Xinzhuang City.

Wedding Countdown: Nine Months To Go!

Nine months from today, John and I will be getting ready to tie the knot in Cancun, Mexico at the Moon Palace Golf Resort and Spa. I’m still pinching myself. This dream is so close to coming true and we are so incredibly excited. With such a short amount of time left, we’re obviously becoming a bit more anxious with the details.

According to my bridal planner, I’m supposed to be focusing on these details this month:

• finalizing the guest list
• choosing flowers
• making final gown decisions

Despite what everyone else thinks, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that we are ahead of schedule. Our guest list is finalized. Our invitations arrived at my parents home last week. My Mom and sister, Shauna, will be helping us address the invitations. Once we checked the cost of shipping the invitations to Taiwan and then shipping them back out, we realised it just isn’t feasible. Besides, my Mom has the most amazingly, perfect handwriting. I’m secretly relieved that she’s helping us with this as I know her penmanship is much much better than mine. Our invitations are going to look top-notch.

I don’t need to worry about flowers as this will be decided when we meet with the wedding coordinator in Mexico. Plumeria and orchids are both native to Mexico and I love both. I wish I could have some peonies, since they are my absolute favorite, but a girl can’t have everything.

Gown decisions? Done and done. My wedding dress arrived in Canada last week and is currently being stored at the bridal house I purchased it from. Its arrival prompted new questions about transporting it. I’m flying with the dress from my home in Ottawa, Canada to the Minneapolis for a few days before flying on to Mexico with John’s family. At the moment, I’m busy investigating how one goes about packaging and transporting such a costly and fragile item. If I get my way, it won’t leave my sight.

We’re down for the eight month mark and raring to go!

A Quick Update

Back on the 26th of February, I came down with an ear infection that knocked me on my ass. I’m just starting to get my strength back after missing a week of work and all of my Chinese lessons since then.

On the 29th of February, a friend of mine helped me find an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) specialist, who diagnosed my condition for the first time in twenty years.

Unfortunately, we didn’t catch the infection in time and in addition to perforating my eardrum, it moved into my sinus cavities and throat on the 29th. I saw the doctor everyday for six days straight, and have been on massive bouts of antibiotics to get it under control. Some of my hearing in my left ear returned two days ago, and the doctor is hopeful that most of it will be restored. My eardrum is going to take a minimum of two months to heal. At this point, the doctor does not see any point in surgery. We’re going to see if it will heal naturally first before considering surgical options.

Thanks to everyone for your messages of support. I’m definitely on the mend and will be posting more from our travels over the next week. I know you’re all dying to see what I’ve done with the new camera.