November 2021 - January 2022

1. Taiwan 101: Airports

For all intents and purposes there are only two international airports in Taiwan: the Taoyuan International Airport near Taipei, and the Kaohsiung International Airport in Kaohsiung.  Most international travelers arrive and depart from Taoyuan Airport.

During my time in Taiwan I've been through a lot of airports in North America and Asia, and I'd have to say that the Taoyuan Airport isn't bad.  It's much better than other airports in neighboring countries.  In my opinion the best, shiniest, most modern airport is the Hong Kong International Airport, and while the Taoyuan Airport isn't that good it still ranks near the top of my list.

The Kaohsiung Airport?  I've never been inside of it.  I can remember driving my father-in-law to the departures area once, but I've never had any reason to go into that place.  Flights have always been more convenient from Taoyuan, even though I live much closer to Kaohsiung.  

I always had the impression that the Kaohsiung Airport was for the "foreign workers," from places like the Philippines and Indonesia, or maybe for Taiwanese businessmen shuttling back and forth between Taiwan and China.  I've had a couple expat friends "return home" from there, but it's never worked for me.

Both the Taoyuan and Kaohsiung airports are serviced by mass rapid transit (MRT) systems.  From the Taoyuan Airport you can ride the newer Airport MRT, also called the Taoyuan Airport MRT, to Taipei Main Station.  From the Kaohsiung Airport you can ride the KMRT (Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit) to central Kaohsiung.  A taxi from Kaohsiung Airport to downtown Kaohsiung is manageable; a taxi from Taoyuan Airport to Taipei Main Station would be expensive.  There are of course also buses, but I've learned from personal experience that taking the bus can be problematic if you're arriving (or departing) at an unusual time.  I've never tried to rent a car near either airport.

In case you're interested, you can click here to see the arrivals for Taoyuan and here to see the departures.  Likewise you can click here for both arrivals and departures to and from Kaohsiung International Airport.  Thanks to COVID you'll see many cancelled flights at both airports.

There's a map of domestic airports here.  As you can see from the map (sorry about the Chinese, no English version available), there are airports in Taipei, Taichung, Jiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Hengchun (Kenting), Taitung, Hualien and the outlying islands.  Some of these airports also list international flights, but I'm not sure if these flights are for cargo, Taiwanese businessmen working in China, or both.

Be aware that getting to some of the domestic airports can be a serious pain in the ass.  Some of them are located in truly inconvenient locations, and getting from those airports to places with hotels can be a hassle.  Domestic air travel in Taiwan also isn't cheap, and if you're a foreigner there can be problems regarding ARCs, passports, credit cards and who knows what else.  The staff in domestic airports don't deal with a lot of international travelers.

If you're visiting Taiwan for the first time don't worry, the international airports will take good care of you.  I've never had a problem coming into Taiwan, and the airline and airport staff always seems very professional.  Just be sure you fill out your forms correctly, have your passport ready, and you should be on your way out of the airport - and on your way to quarantine - in no time.  

2. Some People I Know

There's a coworker I see on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.  We don't talk that often but she seems to like me.  She lives up north somewhere - possibly as far as Jiayi - and she has three kids between the ages of 7 and 9.  Her children are all terrible students, and they're almost completely out of her control.  When you broach the subject of her children's behavior she always blames her husband, saying he indulges them too much.

Many of my coworkers dislike her intensely.  She's made several serious mistakes in her work, mistakes that have cost others a lot of time and energy, but she'll never, ever admit that she made a mistake.  One time I came into the office to find her and the nurse shouting at each other, and after they'd finished shouting the office was nearly silent for the rest of the day.

There's another coworker who quit her job at my second school.  According to another person at work she's a big deal on Instagram.  She's been on TV, and is one of the cheerleaders for a baseball team.  She often came to work in very revealing clothes, and on the rare occasions she talked with me I had trouble figuring out where to look.  I have the feeling most Taiwanese men would find her very beautiful, but she does absolutely nothing for me.

She sent me a clip of her TV appearance on Line.  In the clip she's wearing a very short white dress, and basking in the male host's attentions.  Last Tuesday she told me she was going to Taipei to become a model.  I wished her the best, and told her to save her money.

My landlord is a character.  He lives in a house that he seems to have assembled on his own, full of odd bits of lumber and machine tools.  This house is also crawling with cats and dogs, and every time I go up there I notice new cats and dogs that I haven't seen before.  He tends a wax apple orchard just outside the village where we live, and within the orchard he keeps several other dogs and a cow.

He and his wife have no children.  I often think it must be hard to live in a village like that and have no children.  So much of what the people in that village do is centered around temple festivals, and on children and grandchildren "coming home."  He and his wife are good people though, and they seem like clever farmers.

South of my village is another, Paiwan village where a British guy lives.  His wife is a member of the tribe, and they have several children.  Going to his house for a beer can be fun, but I don't think that kind of life is for me.  There seems to be very little privacy in a Paiwan village.  People walk in and out of each other's houses, and freely take things from each others' living rooms.

I like his village, but I'm always glad to come back to my own.  There are some very compelling reasons that people don't share everything, and having neighbors that mind their own business can be a comfort.

I have a couple friends in Kaohsiung.  One of them co-owns a well known restaurant downtown, and another used to be a teacher in one of my schools.  I saw the guy who owns the restaurant not long ago.  I haven't seen the friend who used to be a teacher in a while, but I get Line messages from her all the time.

I've learned that life in Kaohsiung can be hard.  I used to think the way some people scraped by in Taitung was difficult, but Kaohsiung can be its own set of problems.  Money, competition, transportation, crowds - life in a big city isn't easy.

There are other people I know around here, but I don't see them as much.  There's the one other foreigner in Fangliao Township, a guy in Tunghai Village near the industrial area.  There's the teacher in Kenting Elementary School who likes to say things at meetings.  There's even the guy at the Fangliao Township Office, who talks my head off whenever we run into each other.  They're all good people, and I'm glad to know each and every one.

So am I happy over here?  Am I satisfied with the friendships I've made and the people I know?  For the most part yes, though a weekend in central Pingtung is a far cry from a weekend in Taitung City.  It's not that Taitung City is that fun, just that I'd lived there a long time and there was more stuff going on.  Central Pingtung is a lot quieter, but sometimes I appreciate that quietude.  Sometimes I feel like it's growing on me.

3. Roaming Around Checheng Township 車城鄉遊記

Checheng Township is south of both Fangshan and Shrdze townships, and west of Mudan Township.  There are at least three different explanations as to the origin of its name, all centered around words being translated from one language to another. 車城鄉位於枋山鄉 和 獅子鄉南部 , 也位於牡丹鄉的西部 .  它最少有三個不同版本的地名故事 , 都跟不同語言的地名翻譯有關係 .

According to the last census, there are 8,181 people living in Checheng. 上次的人口統計表示車城的人口是8181人 .

This field is east of Guei (Turtle) Mountain.  I like the colors. 這塊地在龜山東邊 .  我喜歡它的顏色 .

There's a nice trail to the top of Guei Mountain.  It's an easy walk, and the view from the top is good.  Just be careful of snakes. 龜山步道不錯 ,  很好走.  山頂風景很美 .  要小心蛇!

The view north, from the top.  The highway in the middle leads to the town of Haikou, and central Checheng is on the other side of the Ssechongxi River, which flows under the bridge. 北邊的風景 .  中間的公路通往海口 , 橋下是四重溪口 .  車城市區位在四重溪另外一邊 .

The view south.  That green ridge across the bay is Kenting National Park.  In the middle is the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium. 南邊的風景 .  另外一邊的山坡就是墾丁國家公園的部分 .  國立海生館位在中間 .

The aquarium in Checheng is excellent.  I've been to aquariums in several countries, and in my opinion this aquarium is one of the best. 車城的海生館超讚 .  我參觀過幾個國家的海生館 , 我覺得還是台灣的海生館最好 .

This is further south, on the other side of that green ridge.  The Yoho Beach Resort, in Hengchun Municipality, isn't far from this spot. 在車城南部 , 小山坡另外一邊 .  這個地點也靠近恆春鎮悠活度假村 .

Once back in central Checheng, we drove east to the Ssechongxi Hot Spring Area.  This highway also leads to Mudan. 回到車城市區之後 , 我們開往東邊的四重溪溫泉區 .  這條公路也可以開到牡丹 .

The Pingtung County Government is aggressively promoting the Ssechongxi Hot Springs.  I can't say it's my favorite hot spring area, but it's definitely not bad. 屏東縣政府很努力地推廣四重溪溫泉區 .  雖然它不是我最喜歡的溫泉區 , 但還是值得去的 .

On the hill above the hot spring area.  It was surprisingly hot that day, and I had no desire to sit in hot water for any length of time. 在溫泉區後面的山坡上 .  那一天太陽大 , 我不想泡湯 .

West of the hot spring area is York Stables, where you can learn to ride a horse.  From the stables a guide takes you into the hills on the other side of the river. 悠客馬場位於溫泉區的西部 .  馬場教練可以帶你去溪的另外一邊的山坡 .

That's one of my daughters on the right.  She was very nervous. 右邊的騎士是我女兒 .  她第一次騎馬很緊張 .

A little further down the road you'll find this large, serious, red gentleman watching over this temple. 再往下走 , 就會碰到這位嚴肅地看著他的廟的紅臉先生 .

The view from the top of the temple.  As you can see it's a good area for farming.  They grow a lot of onions around here. 廟宇頂樓的風景 .  這裡的農地很適合耕種 , 洋蔥是當地的農特產 .

Toward the southeast corner of the township is the Baoli River.  This picture was taken down the road from the Baoli Tree Farm, east of Baoli Village. 車城鄉的東南部有保力溪 .  這張照片在保力林場附近, 保力村的東邊拍的 .

Checheng is relatively small, so it was only a ten minute drive to Houwan, south of the aquarium.  This village is a strange mix of new homestays and old, decrepit buildings.  It reminds me a lot of Fugang in Taitung. 車城很小 , 開車到海生館南邊的後灣只要十分鐘 .  這個村落一半是新建的民宿, 一半是老舊的房子 .  我覺得它很像台東的富岡 .

And lastly this is Fu-an Temple, Checheng's most popular attraction.  This temple has a long history, and is considered lucky by many people.  There's a lot to eat in the area, and also many places selling lottery tickets. 最後有車城最受歡迎的景點福安宮 .  這所廟的歷史久遠 , 擁有許多的信徒 .  附近的小吃很多 , 也是買大樂透的好地方 .

4. A Report 報告 2

By the time you read this it will (probably) be week 14 of the fall 2021 semester, with about a month to go before Chinese New Year.  It will be the Year of the Tiger. 你看到這篇文章的時候應該是2021年第一學期的第十四周 .  再一個多月就是春節了 , 春節到了, 虎年就到了 .

Do I have plans for Chinese New Year?  It depends on how much time they give me.  At the beginning of this semester there was talk about "clamping down" on local foreign teachers, and not giving us as much time off between semesters.  If this proves true two things will happen: a) this year will be my last year in the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program, and b) I'll be in either Pingtung or Taitung for the 9 days of Chinese New Year vacation.  If I get more time off I'll probably head up north, to Taichung or Taipei. 我寒假想去哪裡玩 ?  這取決於學校給我多長的假 .  這學期一開始就聽到有人討論要 "控制" 當地的外師 , 縮短我們的寒假 .  如果這件事是真的話,  那這次春節我不是在屏東, 就是在台東 . 而且我下學年就不會繼續參加教育部的外籍教師計畫了 ,  如果是如一般教師放寒假 , 我大概會去台中或是台北 .

I. My House 我的房子

The landlord fixed the leak in the upstairs bathroom, and my house isn't leaking or peeling anymore. 房東修過樓上浴室漏水的地方 , 所以現在不會漏水 , 油漆也不會剝落了 .

My neighbors are much quieter now.  What happened?  Every Friday and Saturday night used to be KTV time, and now the KTV place behind our house has gone mysteriously quiet.  Did everyone lose interest in KTV all at once? 我的鄰居變得好安靜 .  發生了什麼事 ?  以前每個星期五六都是K歌的時間 , 現在我們房子後的KTV沒有歌聲了 .  大家都決定不要唱歌嗎 ?

II. My Cats 我的貓

All five of my cats are fine.  Mango and Milky are annoying when they get trapped in the upstairs bedroom.  Christmas is annoying when she eats too much food and pukes on the floor.  Jojo is annoying when she sits on my lap and makes it diffiult to read.  Smokey is annoying when she meows in my ear at night.  All my cats are either cute and annoying in equal measure. 我的五隻貓都沒事 .  只是Mango跟Milky被困在樓上的臥室時很煩人 .  Christmas吃太多而吐在地板上時很煩 .  我看書的時候 , Jojo躺在我的大腿上也很煩 .  深夜的時候 , Smokey在我的耳朵旁亂叫更煩 .  我的五隻貓有時候很可愛 , 有時候很煩 .

III. My Family in Taiwan 我台籍的家人

My wife is now working at Danlu, Tsaopu and Fenglin elementary schools, all on the Southern Cross-Island Highway between Pingtung and Taitung.  She is a special education teacher in all three schools, and yes, it's a lot of driving. 我太太在南迴公路上的草埔國小 , 丹路國小跟楓林國小上班 .  她在這三所學校當巡迴輔導特教老師 .  你想的沒錯 , 她每天開車有一段路 .

My older daughter is still at Wenzou University in Kaohsiung.  We don't see her as much lately, but she seems to be fine. 我的大女兒還在文藻大學讀書 .  我們最近見面的時間比較短 , 可是她好像沒問題 .

My younger daughter is still at Kaohsiung Hospitality University.  She was working at Cafe Grazie in Dream Mall for a short time, but quit because it was conflicting with her school schedule.  She often comes down to Fangliao on Fridays.  She seems fine also. 我的小女兒還在高雄餐旅大學五專部 .  她前一陣子在夢時代的Cafe Grazie上班 , 可是上班時間和學校的課表衝突 , 最後辭職了 .  她星期五常常回來枋寮 .  她一樣沒事 .

IV. My Family in the States 我美籍的家人

My sister, her husband and their baby moved to Reno, Nevada.  I always liked that town.  It's a great place to study human behavior, and the mountains west of there are pretty. 我妹妹和她的先生跟他們的寶寶搬到內華達州雷諾市 .  我很喜歡那個地區 .  附近的山景很美 , 在那邊觀察人們做事也很有趣 .

My brother is on tour, I think.  I tried to call him a while back, but his band was playing a show in New York and he couldn't take the call. 我弟弟還忙著他的演唱會 .  我最近打給他 , 可是他的樂團在紐約表演沒辦法接電話 .

My mom and dad are fine.  I talked to them on the phone not long ago. 我爸媽沒事 .  我最近才跟他們通過電話 .

V. My Job 我的工作

I only have 7 classes at Fangliao now, and 10 at Yuguang.  Fangliao doesn't seem to care about English the way they used to, though Yuguang is very supportive.  This is weird because Fangliao is supposed to be my "base school," while Yuguang is supposed to be my "satellite school." 我在枋寮有七節課 , 在玉光有十節課 .  這學年枋寮好像沒有跟以前一樣重視英文 , 可是玉光給我很大的支持 .  奇怪的是枋寮是我的基地學校 , 玉光是巡迴的學校 .

Tomorrow is my second-to-last class at Nanzhou Junior High School.  My last class won't be until January.  It's an easy gig, and the students there are eager to learn.  The average level of English is low, but they try very hard. 明天是我這學期在南州國中第五次教課 .  總共六次 .  最後一節是一月的時候 .  在那邊上課很簡單 , 學生的學習態度很好 .  英文程度比較低 , 可是他們很認真 .

VI. The Pingtung County Government 屏東縣政府

Foreign English Teachers still get information from the Pingtung County Government on a very last minute basis.  I'm a bit better informed because one of my coworkers passes along messages from the Chinese-language Line group.  Even so, a lot of their meetings, activities and decisions seem very haphazard. 屏東的外師還是一樣, 縣府給的資訊我們都是最後一分鐘才被告知 .  我的狀況好一點 , 因為我一位同事會把中文的訊息傳給我 .  就算如此,  縣府的會議 , 活動跟政策似乎都是最後一分鐘才決定的 .

Last month we attended a 3-day workshop for local foreign teachers.  The first two days were at Wandan Junior High School, and on the third day we visited an elementary school and a junior high in Tainan.  My biggest problem with this workshop was the location, which was difficult for almost all of us to get to.   I also thought the teaching demo we watched at the junior high in Tainan was a joke.  They literally had the foreign teacher standing in the corner, waiting to say the names of colors while his Taiwanese coworker taught the actual lesson.  Before this teaching demo one of the speakers urged local schools to not use foreign teachers "like CDs," and yet this is exactly what they did. 我們外師上個月參加了三天的研習 .  前兩天在萬丹國中 , 第三天在台南的一所國小和一所國中 .  我參加這個研習最大的問題是萬丹國中離我家很遠 , 對大多數的外師來說交通非常不方便 .  我也覺得台南那所國中的教學示範很可笑, 中師負責教課, 而外籍教師只是站在角落等待機會說出顏色的英文名稱 .  看這個示範以前 , 有講師勸告中師不要把外師當成CD撥放器 , 可是這所學校卻是這樣做的 .

VII. Pingtung in General 屏東縣

We still go up to Pingtung City to visit Carrefour or the movie theater there.  We still go to Kaohsiung to visit our daughters.  I'll be going to Hengchun tomorrow, to have lunch with another foreign teacher living there. 我們跟以前一樣去屏東市的家樂福或是電影院 .  我們也會去高雄看女兒 .  我明天要去恆春跟另外一位外師吃午餐 .

VIII. Taiwan 台灣

I'm not a good person to ask about this, but I believe the big news story is the referendum that will be voted upon this month.  I know nuclear power is part of the referendum, but there may be other parts that I'm not aware of.  Something about imported pork?  I saw part of a debate on nuclear power not long ago, and both sides seemed to be presenting very lopsided arguments. 我不是常常看頭條新聞的 , 可是最近最大的新聞是這個月的公投 .  我知道核電是公投的一部分 , 還有其他我不知道的部分 .  進口豬肉呢 ?  我有看過部分關於核電的辯論 , 我沒看完兩方完整的意見 .

IX. The World 我們的地球

Omicron!  Honestly, I'm having trouble worrying about COVID these days.  I've been double vaxxed, and when I hear people talk about booster shots I just can't up enthusiasm for that idea.  Omicron變體喔 !  說實話 , 我最近不是很關心疫情的新聞 .  我已經打了二次疫苗 , 有人討論打第三次, 我真是沒有什麼意見 .

I will say that other countries' recent support for Taiwan has been encouraging.  Trying to exclude Taiwan from things like democracy summits is patently ridiculous. 其他國家給予臺灣的支持讓我看了很感動  .  不讓臺灣參加民主峰會真是一件笑死人的事 .

5. Pingtung in the News 屏東的新聞 (North 北) 6

There are 29 townships, 3 municipalities and one city in Pingtung County.  It's exhausting to include news from every township, municipality and Pingtung City every time, so what I'll do instead is include news items from eleven different townships or municipalities in each entry.  This way I should be able to work my way through Pingtung County every three entries. 屏東縣包含了29個鄉, 3個鎮還有屏東市.  每次討論所有鄉鎮的新聞太累了, 所以我會每次討論11個鄉鎮的報告.  這樣子我每三篇新聞文章就會涵蓋到全縣內鄉鎮的新聞.

1. Ligang Township 里港鄉

1a. Police in Ligang are tying to clamp down on trucks using prohibited roads through the area.  Many large vehicles transport sand and gravel through Ligang, where dredging of the Kaoping River between Pingtung County and Kaohsiung City is ongoing. 加強攔檢  屏東里港砂石車違規取締今年已逾1千4百件

1b. The Pingtung County government held a press conference at a temple in Ligang to draw attention to the area's Hakka history.. 六堆300年  屏縣府前往里港鄉武洛右堆開基地溯源

2. Gaoshu Township 高樹鄉

2a. Gaoshu will host the Back to Nature Marathon on February 20. 屏東高樹蜜鄉馬拉松 BACK TO NATURE 重返自然

2b. The "Liudui Ecological Museum Culture Bus," visited Gaoshu recently to raise local awareness of Hakka culture. 六堆生態博物館文化列車  何金樑領軍巡迴高樹鄉

2c. The Pingtung University of Science and Technology has joined with the Farglory Life Insurance Company to install owls roosts in Gaoshu's pineapple fields.  It is hoped that the roosts will help protect the owls, which are vulnerable to locally used pesticides. 打造貓頭鷹生態鏈  屏科大在鳳梨田架設巢箱

3. Sandimen Township 三地門鄉

3a. Representatives from the DPP held a "referendum briefing" in Sandimen, explaining to aborignal voters what the DPP's positions on the various parts of the referendum are. 屏東部落公投說明會  民進黨籲原住民不能再受騙 (1)

3b. Two villages in Sandimen were surveyed again recently, in an attempt to assess lingering damage from Typhoon Morakot. 八八水災後部落劃為安全堪虞區  中央會同專家重啟復勘

4. Wutai Township 霧台鄉

4a. No recent news out of Wutai.

5. Jiouru Township 九如鄉

5a. More residents of Jiouru are using tap water.  The township was previously reliant on groundwater, and the Pingtung County Government has been working hard to make tapwater available to people there.  At present about 60% of the township has made the switch. 屏東九如鄉自來水普及率  大躍進

5b. Police helped a woman in Jiouru find her lost dog.  愛犬 "Q比" 運動轉眼走失  女心急如焚里警500米草叢內尋獲

5c. The Pingtung County Government recently held a promotional event for locally raised shrimp and other aquaculture products at a restaurant in Jiouru.  一鍋價值7千元 !  屏東縣超豪華鱉龍王鍋

6. Yanpu Township 鹽埔鄉

6a. There was a fire at an foundry in Yanpu. 鹽埔鄉鋁合金工廠大火  集塵室付之一炬

6b. This article introduces Yanpu.  Highlights include a "green tunnel," an ostrich farm, old Hakka buildings, snacks, a park and a temple. 綠色隧道玩翻鹽埔 !  一日漫遊小鎮超有趣

7. Pingtung City 屏東市

7a. This article introduces three "Christmas destinations" in Pingtung County.  Two of these destinations, the lights in Pingtung Park and the Heping Church, are in Pingtung City.  The third is the Ssechongxi Hot Springs in Checheng Township.  Such articles can be misleading, but the lights in Pingtung Park really are worth seeing. 今年一定要去 !  盤點 "3大聖誕景點"  整片燈海會下雪還有市集

7b. The principal of the Sunwen School in Taipei (to some extent affiliated with the KMT), visited Pingtung City recently to take part in a political demonstration related to the referendum.  He stated that the importance of the referendum went beyond political parties, and is of crucial importance to our children's future. 孫文學校總張亞中  屏東宣傳公投 (2)

7c. This article introduces a restaurant in Pingtung City serving ham noodles.  屏東在地人帶路 , 來去七十年老食品行吃碗厚火腿細乾麵 , 配現烤肉干

8. Chang Jr Township 長治鄉

8a. Noise from modified vehicles has been a big problem on one of the roads between Chang Jr and Yanpu.  Police there have set up vehicle inspection stations to deal with the issue. 改裝車夜半狂飆  長治鄉居民凍未條

9. Linluo Township 麟洛鄉

9a. There will be a meeting at the Linluo Township Office to discuss the development of a manmade wetland in the area. 麟洛人工濕地訂於12月29日舉辦公開說明會 (3)

9b. An elderly woman passed away in her home some time ago, but her daughter failed to report this death or hold a funeral service for the deceased.  Police investigated the matter, and found the body of the old woman lying on a recliner in the house, almost mummified after remaining in the house for months.  The old woman's daughter, apparently having suffered some kind of mental breakdown, had left her mother in the house because she believed the old woman was still alive. 屏東女不信母往生  在家伴屍10個月 (4)

9c. Both Linluo Township and Hengchun Municipality will receive government subsidies to improve their drainage systems.  Unpredictable rainfall and flooding in times of severe precipitation have been a concern in both areas. 屏東縣恆春鎮及麟洛鄉雨水下水道系統檢討規劃獲補助經費 (5)

10. Jhutian Township 竹田鄉

10a. "Little yellow bus" service in Pingtung City will be extended to Wandan, Neipu and Jhutian. 屏東市小黃公車12月起延伸服務萬丹 , 內埔 , 竹田 (6)

10b. Next year's Liudui Sports Meet will convene in Jhutian in March.  This sports meet will incorporate Hakka cultural performances, and will also be a celebration of the area's history. 2022年第57屆六堆運動會3/12-13在中堆竹田舉辦

11. Neipu Township 內埔鄉

11a. Neipu will be holding its famous New Year's Market this Chinese New Year.  Vendors are hoping for an even bigger turnout as the pandemic wanes. 5天5夜不打烊 !  內埔年街市集重磅回歸  天天歡樂抽獎 (7)

11b. Several prominent local producers of Taiwanese "black pork" stood up to announce their position on the referendum recently.  They stated that the market for such pork is strong, and they're not worried about imported pork threatening their businesses. 台灣黑豬不怕競爭  屏東內埔產銷班 : 反萊豬投 "不同意" (8)

11c. Premier Su Jhen-chang returned to Neipu, his hometown, to advance the DPP's position on the referendum. 蘇貞昌回內埔  籲鄉親制止國民黨再亂下去 (9)

6. Low Points of My Teaching Career (So Far)

1. One of the lowest points of my teaching career was my first week teaching in Taiwan.  I was hired to teach a class of 20 kindergartners full-time, and at that point I had ZERO experience teaching small children.  

I arrived in a small classroom, letlagged out of my wits, and the school just left me there, in that tiny room, with an "assistant" who barely spoke English and several kids who cried almost continuously for six hours.  Looking back, I really have no idea how I got through that first week.  Between alternating bouts of insomnia and deep sleep I pondered questions such as "How do you make kids listen?", "How do you make kids line up?" and "How do you make kids stop pissing themselves?"

As someone (Nietzsche I think) once said: "That which does not kill us makes us stronger."  Or is it stranger?  Whichever one it is, I walked away from that first week with a newfound understanding of how to make kids listen, how to make them line up, and how to help most of them stop pissing themselves.

2. Not quite as low as that was the year I spent teaching at another private kindergarten in Hsinchu.  My pay there was high, and I was only responsible for a class of 5 kids.  Sounds easy, right?  The trouble was that both of my bosses were hardcore alcoholics, and they were very threatened by the facts that I a) had higher degrees than them, b) could speak Chinese, and  c) knew the business they were in better than they did.  I ended up quitting before the end of the school year, and I haven't really been back to Hsinchu since.

3. Doing sub work around Seattle also wasn't fun.  I had a steady job as a math teacher, but it wasn't enough to live on.  I had to supplement this job by subbing in the Seattle, Shoreline and Lake Forest Park school districts.  

Back then substitute teachers had to wait for a recorded notice at some ungodly hour - probably before sunrise - and only then would we know where we were working that day.  Once you clicked "accept" or "decline" on the phone, you had a choice of either going back to bed or driving somewhere far in the cold.  The schools where I got sub work were never near where I was living, and I'd sometimes have to drive to the north end of Lake Washington (about an hour away) to teach a class of kids I'd probably never see again.  The work itself - minus one, disastrous job I shouldn't have taken - was OK, but the getting up early and the epic drives were killing me.

4. One time in Taitung I was asked to "help translate" documents for an upcoming international youth baseball competition.  I ended up translating about 30 pages of small type for free, plus the speeches for the Taitung County Magistrate and other local dignitaries.  I (foolishly) did this thinking that I'd get credit for it, and that it would help me advance through the local hierarchy, but in the end one of my coworkers took credit for the entire thing.  She was given an award for her "efforts," and this award was given to her in public, at the same youth baseball competition.  

Since then I have always insisted on either money or explicit credit for any translation work I do.  This has made me less popular with certain coworkers, but that's a price I'm willing to pay.

5. A sixth grade class I taught last year was like a bomb waiting to explode.  Their behavior was so consistently bad, and they were so consistently rude, that it was hard to get mad at them.  

All you could do was shake your head and think, "Good luck with the rest of your life."  I sweated my way through two semesters of their shenanigans, and I have no doubt that I'm a better teacher for having done so.  Sometimes bad situations are a test, and other times bad situations are something to walk away from.  Thinking of that class now, several months later, I'm glad I didn't walk away.

7. Taiwan 101: Where Stuff is and How to Get There

Hold on, this is going to be long....

I. Geography

Taiwan is east of China, south of Japan and north of the Philippines.  It's about the size of Guinea-Bissau, Moldova, Bhutan and Switzerland.  In American terms, it's a little bigger than Maryland and Hawaii.  A lot of Taiwanese children are convinced that Taiwan is the smallest country in the world, but it's not even close.

Taiwan's main island - where almost everybody lives - is shaped like a tobacco leaf or a sweet potato.  As you can see from the map above, there's a mountain range running down the island from north to south.  Some of the mountains in this range are surprisingly high, and receive snow in the winter.  The tallest of these mountains, Jade Mountain, lies toward the southern end of the island.

From the perspective of human settlement, the most important part of Taiwan is the western agricultural plain which stretches from Taipei in the north down to Fangliao Township in the south.  This area has been farmed by generations of people, and this area still supports most of Taiwan's population.

The weather in Taiwan is, for the most part, subtropical.  Typhoons bring rains in winter and summer, and the other parts of the year are relatively dry.  As you approach the island's southern tip the weather turns tropical, and the native vegetation - provided it's still in place - resembles what you might see in the Philippines, Thailand or Vietnam.

All of Taiwan's outlying islands are tiny, and all have very small populations.  Some of them are so tiny that they're little more than rocks or sand bars sticking up from the ocean.  Better known outlying islands include Green and Orchid islands, Xiaoliuqiu, Penghu and Jinmen (Kinmen).

2. The Five Parts

Taiwan's main island is generally divided into four parts: North, Central, South and East.  The outlying islands would be the fifth part.  The only trouble with this scheme is that people often disagree as to where North ends and Central begins, or where Central ends and South begins.  People also argue as to whether Yilan is part of the East or part of the North, and that's why it's purple in the map above.

According to the map above, North consists of Keelung, Taipei, Taoyuan and Hsinchu.  Central consists of Miaoli, Taichung, Nantou, Changhua and Yunlin.  South consists of Jiayi (Chiayi), Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung.  East consists of Taitung and Hualien.

The place names used in the above paragraph aren't, by the way, the exact names of the administrative divisions they represent.  When I first moved to Taiwan the maps were a lot easier to understand: Taipei City was in Taipei County, Kaohsiung City was in Kaohsiung County, etc., but it's since changed to a system of newer designations that confuses just about everyone.

The population in the North, by the way, far surpasses the populations of the other parts of the island.  The North is where Taiwan shows its most modern face, where most of the higher-paying jobs are, and where traffic reaches astonishing proportions.  Compared to the North, the Central, South and especially the East are sparsely populated.

3. Getting Out of the Damn Airport

So, assuming you've arrived at the Taoyuan International Airport, how is one supposed to go from one of these places to another?

From Taoyuan, most people's first move is to board the Airport MRT and take it to Taipei Main Station in Taipei City.  This ride can be shorter or longer depending on whether you've boarded the express or not.  Whichever train you've boarded don't worry - you'll get there eventually.

There are of course buses that arrive and depart from the airport, but I would discourage anyone new to Taiwan and/or unfamiliar with Mandarin from taking them.  It can be cheaper depending on where you're going, but the learning curve is steep.

Taxis are possible, but the Taoyuan Airport is, like many airports, far from everywhere.  There's also the possibility that a taxi driver, seizing on a foreigner's ignorance of the distances involved, will use this ignorance as an excuse to take the long way to wherever you're going.  On this matter I speak from personal experience.

So yeah, let's assume that you've taken the Airport MRT to Taipei Main Station, and now you're bound for some other destination, such as Matsu or exotic Taoyuan.  What's the best way to go?

4. Planes, Trains and Mass Rapid Transit

If your ultimate destination is anywhere in Taipei City the answer is easy: take the Taipei MRT.  The Taipei MRT is a modern, efficient way to get around Taipei City and many surrounding areas, and there's an MRT station just below Taipei Main Station.  From its inception in the 90s it's been growing at an impressive rate, and there are plans for many more MRT lines in the future.

As you get beyond Taipei City you're looking at a combination of trains, buses, taxis, high speed rail and maybe another MRT system if you're going to Taichung or Kaohsiung.  Planes are another option, but I'd discourage most people from flying unless they're going to one of the outlying islands.

Let me say at the outset that I think the TRA (Taiwan Rail Authority) sucks.  It's an unwieldy, anachronistic organization, run by an unresponsive bureaucracy with little sense of accountability.  Unfortunately trains are still the easiest way to get to some parts of Taiwan, and most of us still have to use them from time to time.

The quality of buses varies between companies, and city or county-operated buses are very different from the privately operated tour buses that travel longer distances.  In 2021 riding a bus is more of a crap shoot, and it's possible to find yourself trapped on a bus which stops at every.  Single.  Village.  Between.  Taichung.  And.  Douliou.

With taxis you should always ask upfront how much (approximately) it's going to cost to arrive at your destination.  Then ask yourself if that amount is reasonable.  There are both licensed and unlicensed (illegal) taxis in Taiwan, and you should always have a sense of how much it's going to cost before you get in the car.  Licensed taxis should have their meters running (you'll hear it beep) once you're underway.

Be aware that you often have to reserve seats on both the high speed rail (HSR) and the faster trains.  Reserving tickets for TRA trains can be done on this site.  Reserving HSR tickets can be done on this site.  Going to Hualien City, Taitung City, or places in-between?  You'll want to take the faster train for sure.

5. The Adventure Begins...

Having discussed the major types of transportation, I'd like to discuss five destinations, and how I'd get there from Taipei Main Station in Taipei City.  What follow below are only suggestions, and of course opinions as to comfort, cost and convenience vary.

5a. Taipei Main Station to Zhubei (Jhubei), Hsinchu County (North)

You could take the HSR to Zhubei Station.  That would be fast, but that would also be expensive.  No, to get to Zhubei you'll want to take one of the regular trains, and the first step toward doing that is going upstairs, to the first floor, and looking over the big board in the huge space in the center of the station.

Headache started yet?  Yeah, that's a lot of trains, going to a lot of different places.  Instead of dealing with that, and instead of wondering whether your train is northbound or southbound, or whether a particular train stops at Zhubei or not, I'll simply direct you to this site.  Just enter info into the required fields.

If you do that, and you scroll down, you'll see a list of trains at the bottom of the page.  Most of these will be local trains, but you'll see a few "fast local trains," "chu-kuang expresses" and "tze-chiang expresses" mixed in.  Next to each train is its departure time, arrival time, the length of its journey and the price of a ticket.  Avoid local trains if you can.  They're much slower.

After you decide on a train, you can go to the window and buy a ticket.  Nervous about speaking English (or Chinese) with the man/woman behind the window?  Just show them your phone.  Tickets can also be purchased through a machine nearby, but if you're in a hurry I recommend the window.

Once you have your ticket you'll need to know which platform to go to.  This, unfortunately, isn't usually printed on the ticket.  But every train has a name and a number, and if you look up at the big board (or one of the many TV screens broadcasting the train schedules) you should be able to find your train there, with the platform listed next to it (2A, 1B, etc.).  You'll want to take one of the escalators downstairs, and find  the correct boarding area.  Again, refer to the TV screens, and if that's not working feel free to ask one of the attendants for help.  Just show them your ticket.

If you're nervous about getting on the wrong train, check the number on the side of each carriage.  This number should match one of the numbers on your ticket.

5b. Taipei Main Station to Tsaohu Village, Lunbei Township, Yunlin County (Central)

You could take the regular (TRA) train to Douliou, but it's much easier to take the HSR down to Yunlin, and from there take a bus or taxi to Tsaohu.  Taking the bus is going to be more difficult, and bus service in a place like Yunlin tends to be hit or miss, so if I were you I'd take a taxi from the HSR station.  You'll want to ask how much it is (approximately) upfront.

To board an HSR train from Taipei Main Station is easy.  Just go downstairs (near the TRA boarding areas), and visit the HSR ticket counter.  There's only one HSR line, running from Nangang in the north to Dzuoying in the south.  Just be aware that there are times when the HSR trains are sold out, and you MUST have a seat to get on the train.  If you're in doubt, reserve a ticket here.  Yunlin isn't a popular stop, but during holidays travel between Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung can be heavy.

5c. Taipei Main Station to Xinkai Village, Fangliao Township (South)

What's that?  You're coming to see me?  Great!  We'll have a beer and I'll show you around!

To get to where I live, take the HSR down to Dzuoying, the last stop, in Kaohsiung.  Dzuoying is both an HSR and a TRA stop, so after arriving all you need to do is leave the HSR area, purchase a ticket for Fangliao in the TRA area, and board the train.

My house is far from the Fangliao Train Station.  I'd tell you to find a taxi (one of the legal ones) outside the station, but we're friends, right?  Just call me when you get here, and I'll come down and pick you up.

5d. Taipei Main Station to Chulai Village, Haiduan Township, Taitung County (East)

Chulai is on the east coast, so the HSR isn't an option.  Instead you'll need to board a Puyuma train (NOT another kind of train), and take it down to Guanshan, in Taitung County.  Once in Guanshan you'll have to take a taxi up to Chulai, and that taxi ride's not going to be cheap.

5e. Taipei Main Station to Kinmen (Jinmen) Island (Outlying Islands)

Kinmen?  You'll have to take the plane.  After the Airport MRT arrives in Taipei Main Station, you'll want to take the Taipei MRT to the Songshan Airport stop.  Once there you'll do all the usual airport stuff, and it's only a matter of passing through customs and waiting for your plane.  I assume there are now extra, COVID-related complications related to boarding domestic flights, but I haven't flown domestically in forever so I don't know the procedure.

The list of domestic departures for Songshan Airport is here.  It probably goes without saying, but you'll want to make flight reservations beforehand.

Oh, and by the way, there are apps for a lot of this stuff.  The sites linked above were what I found using a computer at one of my schools, but sometimes using an app can save you both time and frustration.  I use the TRA app a lot, and some of the Taipei MRT apps can be helpful.  I never found a taxi app that worked well - especially not in south Taiwan - but some of the bus apps work well in the bigger cities.

8. Roaming Around Zhutian (Jutian) Township 竹田鄉遊記

Zhutian is east of Wandan and north of Chaozhou.  In older times it was one of the Hakka Liudui settlements.  It was known as the Jung (Central) Dui. 竹田位於萬丹東部 , 潮州北部 .  在客家歷史六堆的發展中 , 竹田屬於六堆的中堆 .

As you can see from the pictures below, it was a dark, cold day in Zhutian.  It even rained off and on while I was taking these pictures.  Zhutian isn't exactly scenic, but it does look better when the sun is out. 從下面的照片可以看出來 , 拍照當天的竹田又冷又昏暗 , 也零星的下了點雨 .  竹田談不上有什麼景色 , 但如果天氣晴朗的話, 一定會為它加些分 .

According to the last census, 16,342 people live in Zhutian. 上次人口統計顯示 竹田的人口是16,342人 .

The Formosa Freeway (#3) and the 88 Expressway come together in Zhutian.  This coming together divides the township into three areas: a southern area around Angel Gardens, a central area around Zhutian Train Station, and a northern area around Xishr Train Station, closer to Pingtung City. 福爾摩莎高速公路在竹田跟88快速公路連接 .  也因為這個原因 , 竹田被分成三個地區 : 天使花園附近的南區 , 竹田火車站的中部 , 和靠近西勢火車站的北區 .  西勢很靠近屏東市 .

This field is near Angel Gardens, not far from Chaozhou. 這檳榔田在天使花園附近 , 靠近潮州 .

Like other nearby townships, they grow a lot of betel nut in Zhutian. 竹田跟附近的鄉鎮一樣, 種很多檳榔 .

Northeast of Angel Gardens is this temple complex.  天使花園東北邊的寺廟 .

View from the rear of the same temple complex.  The 88 Expressway, which is pictured here, leads to Kaohsiung. 寺廟後面的風景 .  中間的88快速公路可以通到高雄 .

The area around Zhutian Train Station is more lively.  This train station, built by the Japanese in 1939, attracts many tourists. 竹田車站附近比較熱鬧 .  這個車站是日本人1939建蓋的 , 吸引很多觀光客 .

The old train station, in front of the newer station built more recently.  There's a small museum inside. 舊車站在新車站前面 .  裡面有一小小的博物館 .

Time flies? 有這隻鳥是因為time flies嗎 ?

Near the station are many abandoned buildings.  Not many people get off the train in Zhutian now, but it was once an important stop. 車站附近有幾棟廢棄建築 .  現在沒那麼多人使用竹田火車站了 , 以前這個車站具有舉足輕重的地位 .

Nearby is a lot selling antiques, mostly farm equipment and furniture.  If you see anything you like you can call a number posted near the entrance. 附近有人利用這塊空地賣古老的 農具跟家具 .  如果你有找到喜歡的東西, 可以打入口處的電話號碼連絡賣家 .

Some of the furniture inside the building. 建築裡的一些家具 .

Same area, closer to Central Zhutian. 同一個地區, 比較靠近竹田市區 .

It's a lot quieter near the Xishr Train Station further north.  Parts of this temple look very old. 在北邊的西勢車站安靜多了 .  這所廟的部分看起來滿古老的 .

And this ceremonial money furnace looks oldest of all. 這座亭好像是最古老的 .

Behind the temple are statues of various dieties/mythological beings. 廟宇後面的神像 .

Central Xishr. 西勢市區 .

More fields, more pigeon coops, and more crumbling houses.  Goodbye, Zhutian.  I'm off to Pingtung City to see a movie! 充滿農地 , 鴿舍 , 古厝的竹田再見 !  我將前往屏東市看電影 !

9. Pingtung in the News 屏東的新聞 (Central 中) 6

There are 29 townships, 3 municipalities and one city in Pingtung County.  It's exhausting to include news from every township, municipality and Pingtung City every time, so what I'll do instead is include news items from eleven different townships or municipalities in each entry.  This way I should be able to work my way through Pingtung County every three entries. 屏東縣包含了29個鄉, 3個鎮還有屏東市.  每次討論所有鄉鎮的新聞太累了, 所以我會每次討論11個鄉鎮的報告.  這樣子我每三篇新聞文章就會涵蓋到全縣內鄉鎮的新聞.

1. Majia Township 瑪家鄉

1a. A residence in Linali Village has been granted approval to operate as a homestay.  Many people living in this village were relocated there after Typhoon Morakot passed through the area, and are eager to operate similar businesses nearby.  The Pingtung County Government is working to simplify the application process and ease restrictions. 首間永久屋民宿啟用  屏東 "大家好部落" 邀賞原鄉美

1b. Aboriginal singer Jhuo Ya-mai, a native of Majia township, has released a new album and has been performing in the area.  His album (and the tour in support of it) was inspired by the trucks selling vegetables in aboriginal villages. 亞麥來了 !  推出第二張專輯開著  "部落菜車"  從家鄉開唱

2. Wandan Township 萬丹鄉

2a. Residents of Wandan gathered to protest the raising of ducks on a large piece of land in Siwei Village.  The township government approved the installation of solar panels on the land, but not the raising of ducks.  Residents are upset at the smell and pollution this duck farm will cause. 抗議萬丹養鴨種電 !  蔣月惠率村民拒汙染  嗆鄉長說話不算話 (1)

2b. A resident splashed paint on another resident's house, probably in response to an ongoing domestic dispute and divorce proceedings.  Police stated that if such an incident happens again the person responsible, already subject to a restraining order, will face prosecution. 萬丹鄉暴潑漆案  警方強力介入依法究辦

3. Wanluan Township 萬巒鄉

3a. A sensible decision.  During the three-day New Year's weekend Wanluan's "pork knuckle street" was closed to cars.  Roads leading into other local attractions were also subject to restrictions. 2022年元旦連假  萬巒豬腳街禁車輛進入

3b. County Magistrate Pan Meng-an was on hand to help Wugou Elementary School celebrate its 100th anniversary.  The school will be remodeled to reflect more of its Hakka cultural heritage. 屏東萬巒五溝國小慶百年  校園改建散發客家文化美

3c. An elderly man, missing the taste of Wanluan pork knuckle, boarded a bus in Kaohsiung and set out for the famous pork knuckle street.  He later got lost, and it was only with assistance from police officers and local people that he found his way home. 老翁為萬巒豬腳搭公車迷路  熱心員警領老翁回家

4. Taiwu Township 泰武鄉

4a. This kind of thing happens a lot.  A 47 year old man fell from a section of trail while attempting to climb North Dawu Mountain alongside two other people.  Emergency services personnel had quite a time rescuing him. 北部人單登屏東北大武山 !  男摔傷手腳發麻  明吊掛下山

5. Chaozhou Municipality 潮州鎮

5a. Bids by potential vendors for spaces in Chaozhou's Chinese New Year holiday market  set a new record.  This market has proven very popular. 創紀錄 !  潮州春節假日市集5天5夜不打烊  特區最高38萬8888標出

5b. Police in Chaozhou put out a fire in a field there. 屏東潮州農地竄火苗  警 + 熱心民眾立即撲滅

5c. Police in Chaozhou also set up special parking zones for Chaozhou's new year concert. 迎接2022潮州跨年晚會  警方停車指引圖出爐

6. Xinyuan Township 新園鄉

6a. Xinyuan and Ligang townships issued 1000 NT stimulus vouchers to help local residents. 春節前的小確幸 !  屏東里港  , 新園鄉發千元振興金 (2)

6b. Residents of Xinyuan, Donggang, Shrdze and Fangshan went without water (or had their water pressure reduced) for 23 hours.  The lack of water pressure was caused by ongoing work along Highway 17. 停水23小時 !  東港 , 新園 , 獅子及枋山鄉9000戶受影響 (3)

7. Kanding Township 崁頂鄉

7a. Two cars collided near the Formosa Freeway.  One of the cars then flipped over and struck a scooter. 屏東崁頂南二高平面道路2車相撞  白車側翻滑行再撞機車

8. Laiyi Township 來義鄉

8a. Laiyi Township plans on promoting itself as a leisure destination.  This effort has included the publication of a magazine, craft markets, the painting of local river embankments and the upcoming PULAVAI Tribal Life Festival. 來義鄉將辦 "PULAVAI部落生活節"  籲大家 "好好休息" (4)

9. Donggang Municipality 東港鎮

9a. A job fair was recently held in Donggang, offering jobs with pay up to 55,000 a month. 屏東東港辦徵才活動  最高月薪達5.5萬

9b. Another New Year's Eve concert was held in Donggang, with an adjacent night market and a stage on the water.  It looks a lot more fun than the concert in Chaozhou. 東港復辦跨年晚會  12/31交管措施出爐

9c. Facing declining birthrates, many township and municipality governments in Pingtung are offering subsidies to those who have children in their respective areas.  Donggang has long offered such a subsidy, but the amount offered was low compared to other nearby townships.  The municipal government recently decided to raise the subsidy to 10,000 NT in the hope of encouraging more local births. 屏東東港22年前就推生育補助  明年加碼到1萬

10. Nanzhou Township 南州鄉

10a. A pagoda/ossuary was recently completed in Nanzhou, and berths were opened to the public.  Some residents were even waiting overnight for a chance to secure berths, and the crowds led some people to complain that the number of berths available to each person should be limited. 搶公有塔位 !  南州民眾頂寒風過夜卡位 (5)

11. Xinpi Township 新埤鄉

11a. No recent news out of Xinpi.  No news is good news?

10. Some Restaurants in Kaohsiung 一些高雄的餐廳

As you read this entry please keep in mind three things: 讀這篇文章時,請記住三件事情 :

1. I do not now, nor have I ever lived in Kaohsiung - though I do visit often. 我不住高雄 .  雖然我常常去高雄 , 可是沒有在那裡住過 .

2. Kaohsiung is a HUGE city.  There is always another new restaurant there.  Unless you're talking about something exotic like Mexican food, it's unlikely that anyone has eaten at all the restaurants serving a particular type of food in Kaohsiung. 高雄是一個超級大的城市 , 總是有新的餐廳 出現.  除了像最特別的墨西哥料理之外 , 應該沒有人吃遍高雄的某種餐廳 .

3. Like anyone, I tend to eat some kinds of food more than others.  If you ask me about hamburgers I'm on solid ground, but if you ask me about Turkish food I'm not a good source of information. 我跟大家一樣有偏愛的料理 .  如果你問我漢堡, 這我知道 , 如果是討論土耳其料理, 那我就不清楚了 .

With all of that said, on to the restaurants of Kaohsiung! 三件事講完了 , 開始討論高雄的餐廳 !

1. Hamburgers 漢堡

For the longest time T.G.I. Friday's was my fallback restaurant in Kaohsiung.  This isn't because I love it so much, just that it's a comfortable place to sit and the Dream Mall location is very convenient for me.  I think their food is incredibly average and very overpriced, but if you're trapped in Dream Mall - as I often am - it's a good place to enjoy a burger and a couple beers. 我已經去高雄的星期五美式餐廳很多次了 .  不是因為我多喜歡那家餐廳 , 是因為坐在裡面很舒服 , 而且夢時代的位置對我來說很方便 .  我覺得他們的料理還好 , 也很貴 , 如果你跟我一樣偶爾困在夢時代,  可以去那邊吃漢堡和喝兩杯啤酒 . 

Further north, near the FE 21 department store, is a restaurant called Lovss.  I think their food is terrible, and I don't know how that place stays open.  I had a burger there once, got really ill afterward, and haven't been back since. 往北 , 靠近大遠百有樂漢堡 .  我覺得他們的料理很難吃 , 不知道他們怎麼維持的 .  我吃了他們的漢堡後拉肚子 , 所以沒有再回去過 .

Someone once recommended Webberger to me, but my daughters ate there and said it wasn't good.  If they don't like it I know I won't either. 有人推薦我Webburger , 可是我兩個女兒吃過後 , 都說不好吃 .  如果她們兩個都不喜歡, 我知道我也不會喜歡 .

The Arkansas Diner is near the Aodzedi MRT stop.  It's very popular, and I like their food, but I've had issues with the service.  The foreign guy who runs it seems nice, but I've had puzzling interactions with some of the other people working there. 凹子底捷運站附近有阿肯瑟美式餐廳 .  這家餐廳很受歡迎 , 我也覺得料理不錯 , 可是服務很差 .  那邊的外籍老闆很親切 , 只是我覺得那邊有的工作人員怪怪的 .

Closer to the Athletic Stadium stop are Foster Hewitt's 2, The Lighthouse and Legends.  I've had burgers at all three, and I'd be at pains to say which one is better.  Part of my trouble is that I was drunk when I had the Lighthouse burger.  I ate at Legends (across from Smokey Joe's) for the first time recently, and the burger I had there was very good. 加楓二 , 傳奇漢堡跟燈塔美式酒館比較靠近巨蛋站 .  我吃過這兩家餐廳的漢堡 , 但不知道哪一家比較好吃 .  部分的原因是我在燈塔吃漢堡的時候已經喝醉了 .   我上禮拜第一次去傳奇漢堡吃飯 .  他們的漢堡很好吃 .

Perhaps northernmost of all is Burger King, inside the Xinzuoying Shin Kong Mitsukoshi.  I realize that what I taste in Burger King burgers is the product of chemicals, but this doesn't stop me from wanting them. 最北邊的大概是新左營新光三越裡的漢堡王 .  我知道漢堡王的漢堡滋味來自於化學的成就 , 只是我有時候還是想吃 .*

Typing "American restaurant" (美式餐廳) reveals other options.  There's a cluster of American restaurants in central Kaohsiung, between the MRT orange line and the 85 Skytower, and another cluster near the Athletic Stadium. 在Google地圖輸入美式餐廳的時候, 其他餐廳也會出現 .  有一些位在高雄捷運橘線 和 85大樓中間 , 還有一些在巨蛋附近 .

2. Pizza 披薩

Pizza Rock is... OK.  Like T.G.I. Friday's, it can be a nice place to sit down and enjoy a beer with your meal.  There are several Kaohsiung locations, but I've only been to the one near the Athletic Stadium.  I could eat two of their large pizzas with little effort.  Pizza Rock還好 .  它跟星期五美式餐廳一樣適合坐下來一邊吃飯一邊喝啤酒 .  高雄有幾家Pizza Rock , 我只有去過巨蛋附近的 .  我可以一次吃他們的兩個大披薩沒問題 .

I've only had pizza in two other places: 1) Yangcheng Italian Restaurant near the Sanduo Sogo and 2) Foster Hewitt's.  I remember the duck pizza at Yangcheng being both surprisingly good and surprisingly expensive.  The pizza at Foster Hewitt's was also good, but not nearly as expensive. 我只吃過另外兩家的披薩 , 三多太平洋附近的洋城義大利餐廳跟加楓二的 .  我記得洋城的鴨肉披薩好吃又貴 , 加楓二的披薩也好吃 , 而且比較便宜 .

Oh, and I forgot the pizza at Cafe Grazie.  Don't bother. 啊 !  我忘了義式屋古拉爵的披薩 .  浪費錢 !

3. Japanese Food 日式料理

The best Japanese food I've had in Kaohsiung was at this restaurant, near the Ikea.  Aside from that I've had a lot of forgettable Japanese food in department stores.  For a while this restaurant, in Taroko Park, was good.  Is it still good?  Is it still there? 我在高雄吃過最好吃的日本餐廳是這家 , 靠近Ikea .  除了那家之外 , 我吃過很多在百貨公司裡不怎麼樣的日本料理 .  有一陣子這家在大魯閣裡的日本餐廳不錯 .  還是一樣好吃嗎 ?  還營業嗎 ?

4. Indian Food 印度料理

I got really, really ill the last time I ate at Maharaja, the big Indian restaurant on Jungshan Road.  They've since moved to another location near the Athletic Stadium.  Rawat Indian Kitchen, near the 85 Skytower, is alright. 我上次吃了中山路上的瑪哈印度餐廳後拉肚子 .  他們之後搬到巨蛋附近 .  85大樓附近的拉瓦特印度廚房的料理還好 .

For those unused to eating Indian food in Taiwan, be aware that opinions vary widely.  A Western person will eat at an Indian restaurant, think it's amazing, and be greeted by looks of disgust from the Taiwanese people in his/her party.  Likewise a Taiwanese person will rave about an Indian place, while a Western (or at least non-Taiwanese) person will visit the same place and think it's terrible. 不習慣在台灣吃印度料理的人要知道 , 印度料理的評價不一 .  西方來的客人覺得某家印度餐廳很好吃 , 卻發現與他同行的台灣朋友都覺得很噁心 , 相反的可能是台灣人喜歡某家印度餐廳 , 而國外的客人都不喜歡 .

5. Mexican Food 墨西哥料理

Opinions on local Mexican restaurants vary even more widely than those on Indian restaurants.  There are many, many people in Taiwan who have NEVER eaten Mexican food. 對墨西哥餐廳的評價甚至比對印度餐廳的更不同 .  很多台灣人從來沒有吃過墨西哥料理 .

My opinion?  If you're looking for Mexican food in Taiwan set the bar low.  This way you won't be disappointed.  Occasionally you'll be surprised (I once had awesome Chilean food in Taipei - not Mexican but close), but more often than not it'll be Mexican by way of whatever canned goods they were able to obtain. 我的意見呢 ?  如果你在台灣找墨西哥料理, 標準不要設得太高 .  這樣子你才不會失望 .  有時候會發現驚喜 (我有一次在台北吃到好吃的智利料理) , 只是大部分的墨西哥料理來自罐頭 .

The main Mexican place in Kaohsiung seems to be Don Burrito.  I've had it; it's OK.  Across from their location near the 85 Skytower there's another Mexican restaurant, Mi Casita, which is also OK.  I think Don Burrito is a more comfortable place to sit. 高雄最受歡迎的墨西哥餐廳好像是登布利多 .  我有吃過 , 覺得還好 .  在他們的對面, 85大樓附近, 還有另外一家墨西哥餐廳叫米卡希達 , 一樣還好 .  我覺得坐在登布利多裡面比較舒服 .

I've also been to this restaurant near the Yanchengpu MRT stop.  I didn't think it was very good. 我也去過鹽埕埔站附近這家餐廳 .  我不是很喜歡他們的料理 .

7. Hong Kong/Cantonese Style Food 港式料理

This restaurant, near the Formosa Boulevard MRT stop, is now one of my favorites.  Awesome food, but you have to make a reservation.  You'll probably walk up to it and be put off by its exterior, but give it a try. 美麗島站附近的這家餐廳是我最喜歡的餐廳之一 .  他們的料理很好吃, 可是一定要訂位子 .  你走到它門前可能會因為它的外表不想進去 .  但值得試試.

8. Bars 酒吧

Don't ask me about Brickyard.  I walked in there once, didn't like the vibe, and walked right back out.  It could be that I'm just too old for that place, but age doesn't seem to stop a couple other foreigners I know.  I gravitate toward places with less noise. 不要問我紅磚地窖好不好玩 .  我走進去過一次 , 覺得不適合我後就離開了 .  可能是我的年紀太大了, 可是我還有兩位年紀相仿的朋友喜歡那個地方 .  我比較喜歡可以放鬆的酒吧 .

My new favorite place to have a beer is BeerTalk, an ENORMOUS bar in the Pier 2 Art Center.  Be warned, however, that they only sell Belgian beer, and none of this Belgian beer is cheap. 現在我最喜歡的酒吧是駁二藝術特區的BeerTalk .  注意, 他們賣的都是比利時啤酒 , 不便宜 .

Other bars?  Almost of all the American restaurants double as bars.  Entering "bars" (酒吧) into Google Maps reveals a cluster of places, all south of the MRT orange line and north of the FE 21. 其他酒吧呢 ?  大部分的美式餐廳也兼酒吧 .  在Google地圖輸入酒吧會看到一堆酒吧餐廳在捷運橘線和大遠百附近 .

9. Coffee 咖啡

There's no end of places to have coffee in Kaohsiung, so I'll just mention the two places I visit most often. 高雄的咖啡廳超多 , 所以我只提自己最常去的那兩家就好了 .

If you're in the Sanduo Shopping District the Starbucks across from Sogo can be a good place to find a seat.  I don't know why, but when all the other coffee places in that area are full that place always seems to have an extra table.  Part of the reason might be the other Starbucks, inside the FE 21. 如果在三多商圈的話 , 太平洋百貨對面的星巴克常常有位子坐 .  我不知道為什麼 , 通常附近的咖啡廳都坐滿時, 那家星巴克還有位子 .  大概是大遠百裡面還有一家星巴克 .

I also like Goodman Coffee on Jungshan Road.  Their coffee is NOT amazing, but it's right across from Central Park and there's plenty of outside seating.  If it's not too hot it's a fun place to sit and watch people.  The staff there have always seemed very friendly to me. 我也喜歡中山路上的古德曼研磨咖啡 .  他們的咖啡不是最好喝的 , 可是位置在中央公園對面 , 還有很多室外的座位 .  天氣比較涼快的時候坐在那裏看 "人景" 不錯 .  服務人員也很親切 .

10. Thai Food 泰式料理

I 've never had good Thai food in Kaohsiung.  Maybe I just have bad luck?  The last time I had Thai food was in the FE 21.  It was really bad, and also not cheap.  If you know of a good Thai restaurant in Kaohsiung let me know. 我沒有在高雄吃過美味的泰國料理 .  我的運氣不好嗎 ?  上次去大遠百的泰國餐廳吃飯, 又貴又難吃 .  你知道高雄哪家泰國餐廳好吃嗎 ?  請告訴我 , 我改天去試看看 .