Here at WoWasis, we’ve found great art in so many far-flung areas of the globe that seemingly nothing surprises us anymore. Artists and artisans can’t create without that secret sauce called “artistic temperament,” so they live where they want and damn all converntions. Which brings us to Kan Hsin-Yi of Taiwan. He lives in a […]
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WoWasis visits Jioufen: a Taiwanese town with one of the best market walks in Asia
At first glance, it’s easy to disregard Jioufen. Initially appearing to be yet another hillside town of nondescript buildings, the town unveils itself under the cover of a series of narrow alleys lined with shops, selling everything from calligraphy to condoms. Walking through the alleys of Jioufen takes the better part of an afternoon, and […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits Wulai: an aboriginal cultural village & hot springs in Taiwan
WoWasis drove to Wulai, only 40 minutes south of Taipei. The trick, once we got there, was finding the Atayal-run Wulai Aboriginal Cultural Village. Wulai is a village noted for its hot springs, and there are plenty there from which to choose. The Atayals, who run the cultural village across the river, are one of […]
Read the rest of this entry »Renting a car and driving in Taiwan: easy if you know how to do it
Taiwan is a gorgeous country where, outside of a few major population areas, relatively few speak English, a difference for the Westerner used to being understood in Southeast Asia or Asia Minor. Unlike Thailand or Turkey, asking directions on the streets in Taiwan generally won’t even get you fractured English We here at WoWasis wanted […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘Dragon Lady’ by Sterling Seagrave
China’s Dowager Empress Tzu Hsi (1835-1908) was truly the stuff of legend, but as veteran Asian historian Sterling Seagrave (along with co-researcher Peggy Seagrave) points out, most of the legend was false. In Dragon Lady: The Life and Legend of the Last Empress of China (1992, ISBN 0-679-40230-6), the author debunks the myths that unfairly […]
Read the rest of this entry »Pa Farang on taxi scams in Bangkok
The Good Manner: Advice on Thailand from WoWasis’ Pa Farang This week’s dilemma: My taxi driver refuses to turn meter on: taxi scams in Bangkok Dear Pa Farang, What gives withBangkok taxis? Half the time the driver refuses to turn the meter on, and quotes me a rediculous price. Am I being taken to the […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis on fashion: a great-looking environment-friendly bikini from Aqua Green
Here at WoWasis, we’ve been championing natural fiber clothing and accessories for some time. Travel socks made from bamboo, for instance, are the ones we always use at home and on the road. Eco fashion is now a buzzword making the rounds, and designer Linda Loudermilk has crafted a bikini that is totally “green,” in […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Guidebook for Taiwan by National Geographic
Whenever we’re in a foreign country, we here at WoWasis always travel with a guidebook: they’re easier to use and markup than online guides, and we always end up running across stuff by accident that we wouldn’t have discovered otherwise. Our local bookshop only carried one guidebook for Taiwan, and that’s how we acquired (and […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis sex book review: Lujo Bassermann’s ‘History of Prostitution’
We here at WoWasis were skeptical at first: would this be just another titillating tome, or would there be real substance here? We were thrilled, because Lujo Bassermann’s The Oldest Profession: A History of Prostitution (1967, ISBN 0-88029-248-2) is scholarly, well-written, and readable. And it’s not a history of prostitution so much as it is […]
Read the rest of this entry »Bachelor in Bangkok: Khun Lee on Western men who’ve lost perspective on Thai women
One of the most amusing aspects of living in Paradise is watching the bizarre antics of the western guys here in regard to their relationships with the ladies. At any given period of time one can see a 55 year old man being reduced to a sniveling, emotionally distraught 5 year old boy by a […]
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