Nestled away between mountainous valleys southeast of Taipei City, lie the frothing hot springs of Wulai, a place noted for its transparent, odorless water. This geothermic byproduct is siphoned into public bathhouses, private hotels, and soaked-in naturally by visitors of all ages. Wulai is known as “hot and poisonous” which is a translation of the Atayal phrase kirofu …
Category: North Asia
Exploits in North Asia
Fear and Loathing in Macau
Down the cobblestone alley, a block from the ruins of St. Paul’s Cathedral, a heavy-set British woman is being served a Portuguese egg tart by a Chinese street vendor. The air perfumes of pork cutlets that transcend slowly up towards the yellow- and white-trimmed colonial building at the base of a manicured hillside. It is neither …
Stinky Tofu, Typhoons, and other Perils of Taipei
The island nation of Formosa, known to many across the globe as Taiwan, is known more officially in Beijing as The Republic of China. Taiwan has never achieved independence from Beijing and – some contend – never will. Although Taiwan has its own currency, democratic government, and unique dialect, the mainland Chinese government has vowed to keep …
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Korean-Japanese Relations Show Continuing Tension
Note: The following article appeared in The Groove on March 7, 2008, and is recreated here for archiving purposes. The 15th of August marks the day the Korean Peninsula was liberated from Japanese control at the end of World War II in 1945, a holiday celebrated by both North and South Korea. Unlike many other countries, Korean …
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The Hagwon Racket – Teaching English in Korea
Criminals, social abstracts, and travelers: these are the types of people that generally make the decision to travel across the planet to teach English in Asia. It was my greatest hope upon arrival that I fit into the later of these categories. The recent clamp down on Korean immigration has come mostly in direct response from …
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Justin Calderón 