What is Once Upon a Taiwan?

Once upon a Taiwan is a reawakening.

I have been in Taiwan for a long time, and during my first years, so many things were strange, astonishing, and completely incomprehensible. But after a while, this fascinating newness wore off. It became the usual.

Living abroad, in many ways, can be like living from where you originated.

You get up, go to work, pay bills and worry about family and friends. Everything around you becomes regular and almost mundane.

How do things so foreign and fascinating become expected? I am not sure. Perhaps we adapt to concentrate on day to day demands.

But Taiwan is anything but mundane. It is a tiny island nation jam-packed between the Strait of Taiwan and the Pacific Ocean and loaded with interesting people, stories, history, and places. 

It has a central mountain range filling two-thirds of the island with summit heights that rival the Rockie Mountains of North America.   

This tropical/subtropical island has one county with coconut trees in the west, and snow-capped peaks in winter to the east. The lower elevations include jungles, farms, crazy-busy cities, and friendly people. Heck, the place even has its own species of landlocked salmon. 

This blog is a rediscovery of Taiwan for me and about sharing what I see. I want readers to experience the diversity of this little sweet potato-shaped island, and the compelling stories that make it so intriguing.

Please join me - I hope you enjoy the journey.