Tag Archive for ‘Taiwan’
A Proposition
I was contacted today by Lidia Nyiri, a PR Consultant for TravelGrove.com. She asked me if I would write a blog post reviewing her company which, “helps users find cheap offers on airfares, hotel and car rentals, cruise deals and vacation packages”.
She said the review didn’t have to be nice. It could be anything really. [...]
Bunk Magazine Issue 5 is out now
The first issue of Bunk Magazine was published by the Armory nearly 10 years ago, long before I arrived in Taiwan. Around the time I moved to Taiwan the last issue of Bunk, issue 4, was published. Bunk had a big influence on my decision to start Xpat Magazine. It showed me that an independent [...]
Letter from the Editor: Bunk Magazine Issue 5
The Armory is synonymous with art. The Armory itself is a work of art, having been built by a sculptor from the remains of the demolished armory that once stood in its place. Since then the Armory has hosted numerous art and photography exhibitions, usually for charity, and often paid local bands to play even [...]
Now Showing at TaiwanPhotographers.com
Yesterday I realized a small victory in my campaign to publicize my blog when I was added a feature photographer on the Taiwan Photographers website: http://www.taiwanphotographers.com. You can view my profile page here.
Taiwan photographers is run by freelance writer and photographer Carrie Kellenberger and features the work of some of Taiwan’s best photographic talent including: [...]
The Best Budget Trip for Chinese New Year
This year Chinese New Year vacation is expected to be from February 13th to 21st. It’s already a bit late to buy tickets, and many flights are already sold out, but there are still some good deals to be had.
Since Thailand and the Philippines are both relatively cheap countries with postcard beaches and vibrant cultures, [...]
Free English Writing and Editing Help for NCKU Students
The NCKU Eagle project is currently offering NCKU students free one-on-one writing and editing help from native English-speaking editors every day from 10:10 am – 4:10 pm from now until January 15th.
All you need to do is go to the NCKU Eagle office and sign up. Simple as that! Directions to the office are at [...]
Wang Yeh Burning Boat Festival Taiwan
The Wang Yeh boat burning festival occurs once every three years. Disease spreading ghosts, or Wang Yeh, are lead onto the boats by priests and mediums. The boat, sitting atop a mountain of ghost money (money burned by locals for the benefit of their dead ancestors) is then burned, sending the spirits back to their [...]
Riding the Crocodile
The Crocodile King Farm in Taiwan’s Madou Township is the most bizarre zoo I’ve ever seen. Exhibits include a random cross section of exotic animals from Taiwan and around the world, an extensive collection of reptiles, and a large number of mutant animals including two mutant goats, several mutant ducks and chickens, and a two-headed turtle. The main attraction, though, is an enormous crocodile, which may well be the fattest crocodile in the world, on which visitors are invited to sit. You can view a gallery of my pictures from the zoo here.
Bunk Magazine Issue V – Call for Submissions
Six years after the last issue was released (December 2003), the owner of the Armory, Dumei has asked me to help her make another issue of Bunk to commemorate the Armory’s 12th anniversary this December.
For those of you who never got to see Bunk, it was a small, artsy magazine put out by a group [...]
Portfolio
A gallery of my favorite photographs including selections from Taiwan, Japan, Los Angeles and Guatemala.
Crocodile King Exotic Mutant Animal Farm
A photo essay I shot on a trip to the Madou Crocodile King farm, a small private zoo in Tainan County, Taiwan, that features various exotic and mutated animals and one gigantic crocodile. The crocodile, stuck in a tiny pen for several years, has become extremely fat. Seriously. The largest crocodile ever recorded was 8.6 m long and weighed 1,350 kg. This croc, according to the sign, was 5.2 m long and 1250 kg, which puts it in the running for the fattest croc in the world. It’s so fat and slow that you can walk up behind it and sit on it. We did. Check it out.
The Kenting Aquarium
A short photo essay that I shot on a trip to the the world renowned National Museum of Marine Biology & Aquarium in Pingtung County, Southern Taiwan. Unfortunately, the light in the aquarium is very low, and flash photography is prohibited, so was a tough shoot, but I got some good pretty good pictures including [...]
Advice that I Gave a Graphic Designer that Worked for My Indie Magazine in Taiwan
Note: This is just a little humor piece that I wrote for submission to McSweeneys.net, but was not picked up. Please note that it is not true. All of the graphic designers at Xpat were of the highest moral standing. Ok, well, maybe not that high. But they were certainly above feeding ladyboys roofies (as [...]
After Typhoon Morakot Taiwan Won’t Be the Same
A story about featured on the front page of my hometown newspaper about my experience during Typhoon Morakot, the unique meteorological conditions that made it so destructive, and the ensuing rebuilding and relief efforts.
Study Mandarin for (almost) Free in Taiwan
The Huayu Enrichment Scholarship is a scholarship that enables foreign students to study Mandarin for up to one year at a Taiwanese University for little more than the cost of plane ticket. This article explains what the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship is, who is eligible for it, and how to apply for it..
Get Your B.A., M.A. or Ph.D. for (almost) Free in Taiwan
Many Taiwanese Universities are actively campaigning to improve the international image of Taiwanese education by offering foreign students special subsidies. This article discusses some of the most attractive scholarships and subsidies offered, and how to apply for them..
Asphalt Angels Give Hope to Local Children
Taiwanese people are so friendly that even biker gangs run charities. I joined Robert Lo, the leader of the Taiwan Angels, on their annual Christamas Toy Run and learned a lot about motorcycles, community, and poverty in Taiwan.
Three Reasons to Teach English and Live in Taiwan
In today’s climate of financial uncertainty, where layoffs are rife and jobs are increasingly hard to find in many Western countries, more and more people are looking to Asia for employment. Taiwan is a very attractive option to many people. Here are three reasons why.
Teaching English in Taiwan: Vital Information
Many questions arise when you are preparing to go teach English in Taiwan. What if I can’t find a job? Can I find one before I go? Will I need an English teaching certificate? If so, which is better, TOEFL or TESL? Where is the best place to live? Here’s what you need to know.
Tonight I Ran Under a Crescent Moon
Xpat Magazine Winter, 2008
Tonight I ran beneath a crescent moon, thick like a section of orange, the color of lightning, surrounded by inky night speckled sparsely with stars. Golden Beach is the best place to run in Tainan. It’s relatively close to town and there’s rarely anybody on it at night.
I run there [...]
Painted Thrice and the Circle Turned: A Glimpse of Peacefest 2008
It had rained lightly and steadily for three days on the festival grounds, a small grassy plateau high in the mountains of Taoyuan County. The dance floor, if you could call it that, was a flat formerly grassy area blanketed in four inches of mud.
We all danced in the mud and rain a frolicking [...]
Thank You and Goodbye
Xpat Magazine March, 2008
I’m sitting here at my desk gazing out the window, trying to put to paper some kind of goodbye letter for my last issue behind the wheel of Xpat. But as I reflect on my time working on Xpat, and in Taiwan, I’m filled with a single emotion: gratitude. So, instead [...]
From the Desk 07.09
Xpat Magazine September, 2007
Most recent athletic feat undertaken by Taiwanese ultramarathon champion, Kevin Lin: Running 6,920 km across six countries, and the Sahara Desert, in 111 days
The average distance run per day: 62 km
Total number of Taiwanese to play Major League Baseball: 4
Number of Taiwanese MLB players, present and former, of aboriginal ancestry: 2 (Chin-Feng [...]
Change
Xpat Magazine September, 2007
I pen this letter from a remote stretch of shore on Kootenay Lake, an enormous, unmolested body of water hundreds of kilometers long, slung in a deep valley in British Columbia’s Rocky Mountains. As a child I spent countless summers running barefoot through these cedar forests. Today is the first time [...]
The Top Twenty Bizarre English Names in Taiwan
Xpat Magazine June, 2007
At least once in their career, most English teachers in Taiwan stand in the unique position of naming children, or encountering a Taiwanese person, young or old, with a desire to assume an inappropriate English name. Sometimes kindie teachers, spurred by lack of sleep and unmetabolized alcohol, give kids wacky names for [...]
The Taiwan Angels’ Tour for Toys: A Lesson in Perspectives of Poverty
Xpat Magazine June, 2007
“Some of these kids are really poor,” Robert told me. “Some don’t even have shoes. If you see it you might cry.”
I was in the Cosby Saloon in Tainan talking to the owner, Robert Lo. He stood behind the bar with his back straight and his chin up. His black shirt was [...]
A Kiss from Kiki
Published under the pseudonym Salvatore Paradisio
Xpat Magazine March, 2007
“…there’s so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I’m seeing it all at once, and it’s too much. My heart fills up like a balloon that’s about to burst. And then I remember to relax, and not try to hold on to it. And [...]
I'm a travel writer and photographer currently based in Tainan, Taiwan where I founded and edited Xpat Magazine, one of Taiwan's largest and longest-running expatriate periodicals. My writing and photography has been published in various print and online publications including Taiwan Today, the Taiwan Fun Magazine Group, and TransitionsAbroad.com. I speak English, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese (to varying degrees) and am available for assignment. I can be reached through the form on the contact page of this website, or at xpatmatt (at) gmail.com.
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