Jonathan Biddle – Made in Taiwan

Tag: Travel

  • Dopplr 2008

    I have been amusing myself over the past year with Web 2.0 darling Dopplr.com – essentially a set of tools to help plan, track, analyse and prod your travel, and allow you to see where fellow travelly friends are likely to be. It has taken quite some time to find anyone I know that uses it, but it has slowly grown into a nice thing that I believe has some potential, with a similar amount of interaction and intensity as Linked-In. This is actually an advantage in my view – I have a suspicion sites like Facebook that demand your everyday and immediate attention will fade as quickly as they appear. But I might be drastically wrong about that.


    My raumzeitgeist. Whatever that means.

    Along with the ‘social’ aspects of the site, it has some nice tools to make you feel guilty about the amount of carbon you are using (about 7500 kg for me in 2008 – oops!) and one or two fun toys, as you can see. We’ll see how it goes, but do connect to me if you can find me.

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Hong Kong Welcoming Comittee

    After a taxing week in Shanghai on business, I busted down on a whim to visit Tanja and Michael in Hong Kong, who had moved a few days earlier. A perfect blend of hanging out on boats, swigging beer, munching great food and generally catching up, I look forward to the coming months and having the guys a bit more local – I’ll be there in time for dinner!


    Yes, Taipei has a bit of scooter fume pollution – but we happily lack the haze drifting over from Chinese factories. Perhaps one happy side effect of the economic slow down is an improvement in air quality there.


    Michael strutting off.


    Would you trust this tailor?


    Matching the trends I am seeing in Taipei regarding Chinese character grafitti … calligraphy with a spray can.

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Bali Rewind


    View Larger Map (me playing with maps as a header – how would it look at the top of the page, I wonder?)

    It’s a few weeks late, I know, but I thought I would never the less get down to writing a few words about Bali in Indonesia.

    This was the holiday that was in my targets for a very long time, and nothing was going to stop me going over there and maximising on my first two week holiday (outside of the UK) in a long time. All in all, it totally exceeded my expectations – I expected a Thao-style holiday island, but it blew me away with its multi-layered culture and religion, soaring mountain peaks, perfect waves and fantastic, fantastic food.


    Villa Klarissa, where I was able to splish into the pool as soon as I woke up. Yum!


    My sunset account is certainly in the red

    I packed my bike, flip flops and a couple of books, and let the rest look after itself. Fortunately, I was lucky enough that Rich from Taiwan moved there six months ago or so, so I was exceedingly well set up with awesome places to stay and a group of people to guide me around the back lanes – of which there were many.

    The highlight of the fortnight with Rich was stepping out for a three-day road trip around the volcanoes and lakes of the island – really very special. And this is where I turned 29 years old – staying by a lake in the centre of a volcano.


    Chips


    Chips (at 2000m wrapped up a bit warmer)


    Refuelling … chip oil?

    The island of Bali is a lush paradise. The abundance of rich, arable soil and temperate climate creates an economy that can afford to support a lavish offshoot of Hinduism, which effectively every house on the island integrates a temple. The local ‘Animism’ worships every object, so there were some pretty esoteric places of worship – I even heard of places to respect the gods of television, though this may be purely anecdotal. None the less, climbing up into the clouds, I was never anything less than impressed by the amount of effort put into their built environment.

    When stepping into the foreigner-dominated areas to the south, this care and attention on the one hand is lost, but on the other hand there is the ‘Bali Style’ architecture found in the villas, hotels and restaurants that are mimicked around the world.


    One of the many gods.


    … and one of the many, many temples.


    Rich looking cheeky.


    One of the members of the local Bintang population that we did a fairly good job of trying to eradicate.


    Sunrise over the lake… and I need to clean my lens.


    Photo of a volcano, in lake, in a volcano. This is cool.


    SLIGHT ADVENTURE – that’s exactly what I got!

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Bali Mountain Biking

    It’s been a while coming while I start work and get back into things, but I am finally sorting some photos from Bali. One of the highlights of the trip was three days mountain biking in the volcanoes in the centre of the island – an island that is much larger than I ever would have expected.


    Bikes locked and loaded.

    The guys at Bali Trailblazers had a pretty thorough set-up with good staff and equipment, in stark contrast to my adventures in Thailand where pretty much everything that could go wrong very much did so. The guide over the three days was Bali champion, and previous Indonesia #1, and boy did he give me a workout. Indeed, for the whole time I felt like he was in training, which may not have been too far away from the truth.


    Pointing towards volcanoes.


    Altitude.


    The green, green fields of home.


    Paddy’s Day


    Road to Dell


    Fields. No more comment.


    Looking pretty pleased with myself!


    Gratuitous bike photos at the end of the day.


    View Larger Map

    And finally, a map of some of the riding and places that I was staying in on the island.

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Shanghai Rendez-Vous

    In the spirit of big surprises, it was only fair to jet into Shanghai to see Anke & Lars off before they head back to Germany to pop a sprog. So, an entirely self-indulgent choice for an expensive weekend that was worth every penny to see these guys in their natural setting.

    Michael & Tanja had flown in from Singapore also for a nice weekend and we had just about managed to persuade A&L; that there not going to be any surprises, when I turned up at her door, loaded down with luggage bulging with Taiwanese bullshit that would surely set off multiple airport alarms if only they knew.


    Street racing in Shanghai

    The weekend was structured as a series of alcohol-fueled toboggan rides around the city, punctuated by extended periods of indulgent massage, good food and generally tuning back into the experiences we all shared in Taiwan together – which took all of 3 seconds.


    Taxi rage

    Shanghai is not the most walkable city, so taxi rides in all directions are necessary if you hope to actually get anywhere. The drivers in Taiwan and China do share a certain love of attempting to scare their passengers at every opportunity – usually by jumping red lights or feigning swerves towards static objects or oncoming lorries.

    Where they diverge is in their respective communication and friendliness towards their clients – Taiwanese cabbies are a friendly bunch, and the diametric opposite of their colleagues across the water who verbally maul their passengers. In our case we can hardly blame them – we told him to ‘follow that cab’ that contained the lead group and was piloted by the Chinese Fernando Alonso. Particular skills were displayed in lane changing, cornering, and sudden braking. He also had no clue he was being followed, and knew only that he was in a rush to a vague destination. Our driver, on the hand, knew full well that the only person with the address was in the front car, and he desperately tried to keep up, until he exploded with rage, pulling alongside the other car and battering expletives to the bemused driver, all accompanied by a background soundtrack of snorting belly laughter and the flashing of cameras recording the event.


    Hangover cure no. 163 – great food at a cute little Italian restaurant


    Nice doorways in the area that is being saved, reclaimed and protected by the local design industry – much to the bemusement of the locals who would probably prefer a new shiny apartment building.

    Inevitably, with Anke and Lars and a farewell party, a trip to a hot spring was in order for the afternoon. Now, I am usually (and perhaps slightly inexplicably) slightly ambivalent about these places, but I knew we had our heads screwed on when I saw the neon rising above the skyline. Think Club Med for Chinese people, combined with the very worst neo-classic Gothic / Greek / Holiday Inn architecture, and several thousand locals running around in ridiculous day-glo pyjamas. Welcome to Shanghai, traveler.


    The boys are back in town (but sadly missing Markus, although we all spent the entire time terrified that he would storm in on us … especially while sitting butt naked in the sauna!)


    “I would like to add one thing”


    I can see you!


    Happily detoxed, I was happy to see that retoxing services were also available inside the premises.

    Luckily, Gerhard and Klara had planned a big house party in his place for the middle of the weekend, and in full Easter theme, they had dressed up as rabbit and chicken. As the alcohol flowed, the costume somehow managed to migrate its way round the party, inevitably ending up with Michaell Lars and I, and predictably howling laughter from the ladies.


    The Easter Bunny


    Das Rabbit


    Abused animals

    Luckily, the guys had planned a final Oesterbrucker (or however it is spelled) and this capped off a really great weekend of good food and good people and bad alcohol (I can still taste the Jagermeister, Gerhard). With any luck I should be able to pop in to see the guys again while on business in a week or two, and of course I am sure to see M&T; before too long in Singapore. But what a weekend.


    Preparations


    View from their apartment down to the boats chugging by below.


    Team Taipei (minus Markus) in full effect … with ‘Made in Taiwan shirts that I believe everyone will cherish for eternity.

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Hot Crossed Buns


    Inexcusable behaviour by ‘fake’ flat eric and the Easter chicken

    Here I am, sitting in Hong Kong airport eating a hot crossed buns
    (two, if I am being truthful) for the first time in four years. Part
    of the collateral damage of living abroad is losing connections with
    the festivals and annual habits from home that help form your own
    personal calendar.

    I am no religious person, but Easter is one of those times of the year
    that helps punctuate the start of the good weaker, and living in a
    culture where that does not exist can be quite hard -especially as the
    disappointment usually sinks in on November 6th that you just missed
    Guy Fawkes night. Again.

    And Easter? Well I don’t even like chocolate that much, but what I do
    love is a toasted hot crossed bun laced with melted butter and served
    steamy hot. I didn’t get the toasted bit, but I did make up for it
    with the butter. Happy Easter everyone!


    Destination: Shanghai (Secret) … photo by the Helds

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Vietnam – Wrapping Up

    I had a few photos left over to post from my time in Hanoi, Vietnam, so here they are below. I have to say I was really taken with the city (along with the excellent French bread available everywhere), and I believe I should come back some day to experience some of the nature.


    Crowds at the Hoam Kien Lake in the middle of Hanoi


    Lovers look to the future


    Making wishes for the future


    The Cathederal by night


    Ubiquitous telephone wires – which is ironic, seeing as I had WiFi access for the whole time walking around, amazingly!


    And I thought the tangle of cables under my desk as bad


    Advertising on the walls for tradesmen and other services


    Ho Chi Minh’s shrine


    A lady walks through the square – the weather was hazy but her had somehow stood out


    Cell phone usage, like everywhere else in the world, seems near universal


    Views out of the airport across what is surely the shiniest floor in Asia

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • The Old Quarter – Hanoi


    Hangin’ in Hanoi

    I spent the morning wandering around the ancient back streets of Hanoi’s old merchant district, and despite the hazy weather, the sights (and sounds) are pretty intoxicating.

    It’s quite hard to form a fully rounded opinion, but from looking at the buildings and seeing people riding their real Vespas, I am getting the impression that the Vietnamese have taste. This is sure to evaporate as soon as major wealth hits the middle classes, but for now I am quite impressed.

    The buildings are surely my favourite thing about the place, and there is a really rich tapestry of elements and influences that make for super hustle and bustle semi-European feel. It’s no surprise, but it really reminds me of some of the French quarter in Shangha, and although it might be a vain hope, I do hope it avoids the wrecking ball. A generation of development and this could turn into te best
    cafe district in Asia.

    Anyway, enough from me. I am still amazed that I seem to have wireless access wherever I go


    A close shave

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Tales of Hanoi

    Here I am, sitting on a street corner in Hanoi,Vietnam, having a beer
    and rattling off a blog entry on my iPod while hitching a ride on
    someone’s open wireless Internet connection. Certainly, at times like
    this – with the night traffic streaming through the French collonial
    streets in front of me – I think that modern communication is simply a
    miracle. Or maybe that is just the second beer talking.

    Observation: in the window is the Arsenal / Birmingham Premiership
    match, and a small crowd is gathering in the street to watch. Amazing
    really.


    Crossing the street is usually a pretty intense experience, and pretty much goes against everything I was ever taught about crossing the road as a child.

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Tokyo – Some Random Photos

    Some pics, for you, loyal reader…


    Commuting to work – these guys looked super cool as they cruised around, and seemed confused as to why I would find it strange or funny – is this the future of electric transport?


    Meiji Shrine – wetter than last time!


    Cool trains


    I love the Tokyo Taxis – Toyota Crown Victoria, lifted straight from a retro kung-fu movie, and sporting automatic doors in the rear!

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…