Adventuring on ngmarley.com

Least-Expensive Fruit Stands in Taipei

Sat, 05 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

A Fruit Stand in the area of Dalongdong Temple, Taipei City

Being vegan who likes to eat raw whenever possible, I eat a lot of fruit.

Of course, Taipei doesn’t have too many raw food cafes (any?), but it does have a lot of fruit to offer. tropical fruits and the same “regular” fruits that we get at home (my favorite is dragonfruit — 火龍果).

Taipei - initial experiences

Sat, 28 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Wow, just wow. Where to start?

Taipei is a bit like I expected for an Asian city. Small shops everywhere, no obvious zoning considerations at all, general Asia street smell…

I found a nice tea house in the Yongkang street area (Da’an district) while I was walking around and — wait for it — waiting for another tea house to open. Guess the early bird gets the worm? Finding True Heart teahouse was a breath of fresh air.

Refresh Yourself in the Airport

Thu, 26 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000

When traveling long-distance flights with multiple connections, I always feel 100% better after refreshing myself, changing my socks and shirt.

I’ve found that it’s generally easier if I can locate the family restroom, then refresh in there. I’ll wash my feet, dry them with my Packtowl, then put on a fresh pair of socks. I also will wash/rinse my armpits and apply fresh deodorant, and change my shirt. The aforementioned Packtowl is wonderful when traveling.

In transit to Taiwan

Tue, 24 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000

The last 2 weeks of life have been a complete blur. I’ve been running around like crazy trying to get loose ends tied up in Arkansas, get assets moved around and re-allocated, and sell my big stuff (e.g. car) that I won’t need abroad.

Right now I’m in the Narita airport in Japan, about 80 or so km east of Tokyo.

And unlike my last short visit to Japan, this trip’s layover is only about 3 hours, so there’s really no time to get out and see any of Japan. So I’m staying in the international terminal, getting some food in my stomach and waiting for my evening flight to Taipei.

How to Get Your Passport (for US citizens)

Wed, 26 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0000

US Passport

Note: I wrote this back in 2010. I think the fees might have increased, and I’m not sure if the links are all working now. Get the book, not the card. The card is useless. Oh yeah, now you have the option to get the 26-page or the 52-page version. I don’t think there’s a price difference, so just get the 52-page version. Trust me on this one.

Sailing!

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000

My wife and I are now registered for the ASA 101 Basic Keelboat Sailing class through Learn to Sail Texas in Corpus Christi.

We’re currently the only 2 members enrolled for the July 28-29th course, but that’s full enough that the captain won’t cancel the class (unless there is a hurricane).

This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a little over 2 years now, so I’m pretty excited that I’m finally able to make this happen.

Life Update and Castles in Belgium

Sun, 28 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Castle at Bouillon, Belgium

I just realized that my ‘about’ page is pretty freakin’ sissy, so I’ve reverted to the old one. The image of myself on that page is pretty sissy as well, but I’ll change it as soon as I get around to it. The sissy ‘about’ page can be found at https://ngmarley.com/blog/about-2. (Update, April 2015: Not anymore. Sorry.)

Also, I’m going to immigrate to Belgium and purchase a castle there. I’ve already got some semblance of a plan in place, but currently only in my head. Here in a few days when I’m finished traveling I’ll be able to focus more on the specifics and getting it laid out and such. But basically, it’s a €10M in 3 years type thing. Don’t worry, it’s do-able.

Arrival at Quebec City

Sat, 06 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Le Château Frontenac

Quebec City (known locally as just Québec) greeted me with 20MPH+ winds whipping freezing rain into my face as I trundled out the door of the bus station, laden with only my (quite full) backpack. It was so freakin cold. And wet. But I still had to go about 15 minutes walk before arriving at my hostel. Fifteen minutes in freezing wet rain and wind that kept whipping across every exposed part of my body. But I endured. And I’m glad I did, because if I didn’t, then I would have died I guess, and that would suck. Anyway…

Traveling vs. Living

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Hobbiton

I got back from a trip to south Texas at 4:20 am this morning. A trip in which I realized that I really don’t like traveling – at least not the “traveling” part. It was a lot of driving, and a lot of my car falling apart {it now has 227,000 miles on it and makes some awful scraping noises}.

I love seeing new cultures & spending time getting to know an area, a culture and a people, but hate the actual transport part of it. I arrive to my destination tired and dirty. I don’t like being tired. Or dirty. I also usually arrive hungry, which I also don’t like being.