tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20559260899000605512026-01-23T12:36:50.319+08:00A Michigander's Ramblings across the Beautiful Island of TaiwanJeff Miller 米傑富http://www.blogger.com/profile/08005891941515573626noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055926089900060551.post-39092359925566129712009-06-27T00:22:00.027+08:002009-07-04T12:05:26.865+08:00

This is part of a 4-part series on Taiwan's Central Mountains (click here to see introduction) 5. Fenqihu / Fencihu (奮起湖 see map)Where: The small town of Fenqihu is located about 7km down County Route (CR)-169, which intersects Provincial Route (PR)-18 between the 63 and 64km markers. What: The Alishan Forest Train makes its way up the mountain largely out of sight of PR-18. However, the train

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This is part of a 4-part series on Taiwan's Central Mountains (click here to see introduction)3. Yushan National Park (玉山國家公園 see map) Where: PR-21 crosses the northwestern corner of the 105,000 hectare Yushan National Park and connects Dongpu to the Yushan N.P. Visitors’ Center at Tatajia (塔塔加). PR-21 becomes PR-18 at Tatajia (located on PR-18, at the 95.5km marker) and continues on to Alishan

Jeff Miller 米傑富http://www.blogger.com/profile/08005891941515573626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055926089900060551.post-43296685813967903952009-06-11T21:24:00.035+08:002009-06-28T23:28:22.877+08:00

This is part of a 4-part series on Taiwan's Central Mountains (click here to see introduction)1. Xinyi Plum Winery and Bunun Cultural Center (信義鄉農會梅子酒莊/布農文化中心 see map)Where: A complex of two-storey buildings along PR-21 at the 90km marker, just past the valley town of Xinyi / Sinyi (信義鄉).What: The Xinyi Plum Winery ranks among Taiwan’s better local wineries, producing fermented and distilled

Jeff Miller 米傑富http://www.blogger.com/profile/08005891941515573626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055926089900060551.post-78113761372198888572009-06-04T22:20:00.053+08:002009-06-08T18:30:53.066+08:00

This post borrows from part of a series of Lonely Planet-type travel briefs introducing Taiwan’s well-known and lesser-known places that I authored, photographed and put together for a local publication. I’ll continue to put up similar content as part of a Formosaguy series under posting labels 'travel guide' (in English) and '旅遊導覽' (in Chinese). Morning Moonset over Central Mountains (Alishan /

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I’ve long taken to cycling around Keelung as a primary - rather than alternative - mode of transportation. With the exception of winters, which do get unpleasantly damp and dreary, the city and its immediate periphery are not just cyclable, but compact and ‘visually interesting’ - prompting feelings that many more people, with two good legs and an agenda not callling for heavy shopping, should

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After a sabbatical of nearly a year, I'm back with more articles and thoughts on life along Taiwan's Northeast Coast and travels around the beautiful island of Taiwan.I took the afternoon this past Sunday to collect thoughts; ponder the meaning of life, the universe and Everything and get some exercise during a spell of balmy spring weather. I frequently cycle the Keelung (基隆市) to Feicui (Jade or

Jeff Miller 米傑富http://www.blogger.com/profile/08005891941515573626noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055926089900060551.post-2597638732682372252008-05-21T21:06:00.013+08:002008-05-31T00:07:58.862+08:00

Flexible Multi-Day Cycle Rental Program Offered by GiantGiant Bicycles Corporation (捷安特), Taiwan's largest bicycle designer, builder and retailer, offers a highly attractive rental program (自行車租賃) to encourage more Taiwanese to take multi-day cycling trips across the island. The program lets you choose from two mid-range (NT$20,000 / US$650) bicycles [Great Journey 1 and CRX-2] and comes with a

Jeff Miller 米傑富http://www.blogger.com/profile/08005891941515573626noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055926089900060551.post-26597271024570035542008-05-15T01:26:00.050+08:002009-05-01T21:54:40.629+08:00

Shipwrecks and HeadhuntersTaiwan's extreme southeastern coast, still one of the most remote and lightly populated corners of this island, served as backdrop for a series of shipwreck dramas during the mid-1800s that made far off Formosa the talk of the Great Powers and got pundits in the United States, Japan and elsewhere talking about either buying Taiwan from China's Manchu rulers or simply

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Its natural deep sea anchorage and proximity to Taipei made Keelung of vital strategic importance to Taiwan's rulers for nearly two centuries. Today, while a few hilltop military posts remain manned (with at least one topped by a prominent battery of antiaircraft missiles), most former strongholds have been abandoned to weekend hikers, gardeners, fast growing vegetation ... or some combination of

Jeff Miller 米傑富http://www.blogger.com/profile/08005891941515573626noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055926089900060551.post-55739717424361618222008-02-24T21:11:00.032+08:002008-02-26T10:54:45.431+08:00

(see bottom of entry for links to higher resolution tourism page images)It started at the height of last summer with an introduction to Chunghwa Yellow Pages (中華國際黃頁股份有限公司), the newly independent former subsidiary of the national telephone service provider Chunghwa Telecom (中華電信). Would I be interested to help proofread 70 or so pages of English slated for publication in the coming year's

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Growing up in the Michigan countryside, I learned early the freedoms afforded by a bicycle. I explored fairly fully the dirt roads in and around Metamora and occasionally struck out for longer hauls to Oxford. I thought it a pretty impressive accomplishment when I finished my first round trip to Lapeer - some 25 miles away. My gold ten-speed offered mobility, exercise and a way to get to and

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-------We wish you warm holiday wishes,a Christmas infused with loveand forgiveness and a New Yearin which to help neighbors in needand invest in helping mankindlive once again within the earth'sgenerous, but limited, means.- JM

Jeff Miller 米傑富http://www.blogger.com/profile/08005891941515573626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055926089900060551.post-58327413409431957762007-12-08T22:07:00.001+08:002008-06-05T09:12:47.112+08:00

From 12/14, My daughter and I will participate in a week-and-a-half CCRA (中華基督救助協會) charity tandem bike venture starting at the southern tip of Taiwan (Kenting 墾丁 / Eluanbi 鵝鸞鼻), following the western (Taiwan Strait) coast and ending 10 days later after reaching Taiwan's northernmost point at Fuguijiao (富貴角). Nearly twenty bikes and forty people are participating and, hopefully, the ride will

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It is unfortunate that so many of the "highlights" of Taiwan history seem centered on conflict – some big (like the 17th century ousting of the Dutch VOC and the Sino-French War) and some small (such as the myriad turf battles fought between different Chinese clans, between immigrant Chinese and indigenous Malayo-Polynesians, and between local malcontents and provincial authorities). This has led

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Seductive Treasure, Shameful Secrets台灣金銅山 - 金瓜石The (formerly) rich veins of gold and copper underlying Jiufen (九份) and Jinguashi (金瓜石, also spelled "Jinguashih") are part of the legacy of volcanic and subvolcanic activity that recast northern Taiwan's landscape between 1 and 2 million years ago. While lava spouted and volcanoes piled up across much of what is now Yangmingshan (陽明山, directly north

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Dongsha lies at the northern end of the South China Sea, some 160km southeast of Hong Kong and 240km southwest of Taiwan. The halo-shaped atoll is a living coral metropolis that preserves the outline of a long-submerged ancient volcano. With the exception of sandy Dongsha Island/Islet (a 2+ square kilometer patch of dry land), the entire atoll lies just below South China Sea waves. Surrounded by

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This past spring, I had the good fortune to accompany one of Taiwan's best documentary film directors (now producer of CTV (中國電視公司)'s long-running, one-of-a-kind TV documentary, Discovering China [大陸尋奇]) and production crew to Dongsha Atoll (東沙群島, aka Pratas Atoll), one of Taiwan's two holdings in the South China Sea (南中國海). Although Dongsha remains off limits to the casual visitor, being part of

Jeff Miller 米傑富http://www.blogger.com/profile/08005891941515573626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055926089900060551.post-35715839197213620132007-11-02T12:41:00.001+08:002007-11-02T12:41:51.936+08:00

Technorati Profile

Jeff Miller 米傑富http://www.blogger.com/profile/08005891941515573626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055926089900060551.post-32865674317903248972007-11-01T19:51:00.000+08:002007-11-08T21:15:44.407+08:00

Indigo, one of civilization's oldest dyes, has tinted the robes of Egyptian pharaohs and brightened the clothing of both Chinese peasant and American farmhand (think Levis jeans). Before cotton was "King", indigo was one of the U.S. Deep South's most important cash crops. (click to open larger image)Rather than describing a particular species, indigo refers to a widely dispersed group of plants

Jeff Miller 米傑富http://www.blogger.com/profile/08005891941515573626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055926089900060551.post-17455470779832084972007-10-29T10:36:00.001+08:002008-06-05T09:11:22.740+08:00

Here is a map, using Davidson's 1903 map of Taiwan as a base, showing the location of various historic lighthouses around Taiwan and dates built. Note that the current lighthouse at Bitoujiao (鼻頭角) is a relatively modern (1960s) reconstruction ... but the scenery in and around is still gorgeous and worth the 40 minute walk from the main road! (double-click to open larger image)- JM

Jeff Miller 米傑富http://www.blogger.com/profile/08005891941515573626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055926089900060551.post-70410526724003822622007-10-27T15:05:00.001+08:002008-06-05T09:07:36.983+08:00

Lighthouses are set along magical promontories at lands' end, ... places to enjoy a bit of solitude, breathe deep and clear out some of the cobwebs.Beware: Island Ahead - Taiwan's LighthousesWhen junks (highly maneuverable, shallow-draft ships) still carried most of East Asia's sea commerce, there was little need for permanent navigational beacons. Pirates and difficult handling in rough water

Jeff Miller 米傑富http://www.blogger.com/profile/08005891941515573626noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055926089900060551.post-61085399484193228522007-10-24T16:55:00.003+08:002009-06-08T20:59:08.516+08:00

The "importance" of Keelung, as with Taiwan itself, is much more accident of history than expression of intrinsic character. Nevertheless, the human drama that has played out here over the past few centuries give it a charm, which, after scratching the surface, has held my interest and piqued my curiosity to learn more. Downtown Keelung occupies an incredibly small patch of level real estate,

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I've an ingrained enthusiasm both for the outdoors and for history.When we moved from Taipei to the outskirts of Keelung in 1999, among the practical enticements included green hills to hike (Taipei, by contrast, is largely flat and paved) and a vague notion that the port had been occupied at some point by France.Over the past eight years, I have trekked across much of the Northeast Coast and its

Jeff Miller 米傑富http://www.blogger.com/profile/08005891941515573626noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2055926089900060551.post-8002428964630262692007-08-14T16:58:00.002+08:002008-10-15T15:19:43.171+08:00

Please bear with me as I take a first few tentative steps onto the Internet.I am an American, a native of Michigan, who has, since childhood, been drawn, transfixed, perhaps, to cultures very different from my own. It was most likely simply the contrasts presented by ancient Egypt, India and other cultures that tickled a deep curiosity. In relatively rural Michigan, a long way from either

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