You Cannot Find a Café Like This in Any Other Place

BY EUGENE LIN OCTOBER 30 , 2018

When you walk into DiningBooks, you will notice the smell of coffee brewing, the sound of milk being steamed, the large selection of books, and customers eating plates of homemade spaghetti. And yet, these are not the reasons that made Lin Li Qing, the author of “Zuo Gong De Ren”, choose DiningBooks to do a four-day class on writing and share some of his unpublished stories.

DiningBooks is a café located in the middle of Taitung City. It is in a modern building in light concrete grey, with two floors and two big old-fashioned windows in front of the store.

“The café keeper was really friendly,” said Lin. “Great to get along with, and the quality of the coffee he made was really good. I see no reason not to come back again!”

In fact, he visits DiningBooks to do presentations every time he publishes a book. The café owner believes these presentations provide value to his customers.

“I hope the customers can have some sort of inspiration after each presentation,” said the café owner. “And I believe Li Qing’s presentation is one of those that inspired us.”

Lin made four presentations at DiningBooks between Oct. 7 and Oct. 10. during which he discussed his books, and some unpublished stories within his new book.

DiningBooks regularly hosts guest speakers, including a pastry chef, a head chef, and all kinds of authors and bloggers with unique perspectives.

Contact Amazing Taitung Editors about this story at TheAmazingTaitung@gmail.com

Evening in Estuary of Beinan River

BY SUNNY LIN OCTOBER 22 , 2018

Due to the Central Mountain range, it can be difficult to see the sunset in Taitung. However, Beinan River Estuary provides a spot for people who want to enjoy the sunset by the ocean on the east coast of Taiwan.

“It not only looks just like the sunset, but it is also as beautiful as the sunset in the western part of Taiwan,” said Cindy, a visitor from Tainan.

Beinan River is beside another famous location in Taitung, Flowing Lake. Many people go there to  bike around the lake, swim, or kayak.

Some people head down to the estuary after exercising to enjoy the view, have a cup of tea or coffee with family or friends, and listen to the sound of the waves. However, many others are unfamiliar with the spot.

“Most people go to the lake beside the Beinan River to have fun, but everyone forgets the beauty of this River,” said Chong Wu, a policeman who often goes there on patrol.

The site is beloved by tourists and residents alike.

“I love to experience this,” said Tracy Hsieh who has been living in Taitung for a long time. “Most people have heard of Beinan River, but not everyone knows the beauty there.”

Address: Huatai St., Taitung City, Taitung County 950, Taiwan (R.O.C.)

Contact Amazing Taitung Editors about this story at TheAmazingTaitung@gmail.com

2018 Taitung Super Triathlon

BY SHAWN TENG OCTOBER 19 , 2018

The 2018 Taitung Super Triathlon: Background Story

“There were only a few long-distance triathlon competitions in Taiwan before 2006. That’s why I founded the Taitung Super Triathlon Association (TSTA),” said Chen, the secretary general of the TSTA. “I want everyone to sense the beauty of Taitung and the excitement of triathlon.’’

This year is going to be the 12th Taitung Super Triathlon competition, which will be held on Oct. 21 and 22. The main two venues of the competition are going to be Flowing Lake and Formosan Naruwan Hotel & Resort Taitung, which are also the starting line and the finish line.

The competition consists of different levels that are 226 km, 113 km, and 51.5 km respectively. The 226 km race is referred to as “Super Iron Man’’, the 113km is known as “middle distance’’, and the 51.5 km is “standard distance’’.


Since it is a triathlon competition, there are three sections to every race. The following pictures show the maps of swimming, cycling, and running for all three races.

(swimming map)

(cycling map for 226 km 113 km)

(Running road map for 226 km) 

“Ninety-eight percent of athletes who attend the competition are Taiwanese, the other two percent are foreign athletes,” said Chen. “The percentage of the foreign athletes has remained the same over the years. Hopefully, we can get higher rates in the future.’’ 

For more information, please visit registration website here. All the schedules, athlete lists, rules, and road maps are on it. Lastly, feel free to watch or take photos of the competition and cheer for the athletes.



Contact Amazing Taitung Editors about this story at TheAmazingTaitung@gmail.com

Cozy Blue B&B

BY CHARLES FU OCTOBER 17 , 2018 

There are many B&Bs in Taitung. The Cozy Blue B&B, located near the train station, is one of these.

The B&B opened almost four years ago.

“Our goal is to create a comfortable, heartwarming, and homely feeling B&B. At the same time, we hope we can make friends with tourists.” Said Mr. Lee one of the owners of Cozy Blue B&B. “Just relax, have fun, then make yourself at home.”

This place is close to downtown. It is possible to get there by riding a bike or walking along the old railway, which is shaded by trees.

“It is an affordable B&B for most tourists,” said Beck, a guest who stayed at the B&B. “A comfortable bed plus a delicious breakfast. I’ve never experienced a high quality of sleeping in a B&B before.”

Cozy Blue offers breakfast,free wifi, and a free pickup service. The owners’ daughter also speaks English.

For more information, check out the website.

 
Contact Amazing Taitung Editors about this story at TheAmazingTaitung@gmail.com

Low Pressure Surf Shop

BY BECK HONG OCTOBER 8 , 2018

Low Pressure Surf Shop in Donghe, Taitung provides lodging and surfing lessons for tourists.

“We welcome tourists to Low Pressure to experience a different way to surf,” said Ibu, one of the owners of the surf shop. “We provide surfing lessons for beginners, and we also offer a pick-up service if you need it.”

Low Pressure surf shop opened its doors for travelers in 2007. It is owned by a Taiwan indigenous Bunun lady, Ibu, and a Japanese surfer, Jun. 
The owners wanted to open the surfing shop in Donghe because they are surf lovers and they think it is a wonderful spot for surfing.

“We met each other at a music festival,” said Ibu. “My husband is really a great surfer, so we decided to run a surfing shop for everyone to catch the wave in Taitung.”

The cost of a surfing lesson is 1,500 NTD for per person. People can find the surf shop easily as it is near the Donghe steamed bun shop.

“Please feel free to email us or just make a phone call if you have any questions,” said Ibu.

“Wow! I didn’t know there’s such a good spot to surf in Taitung,” said Noah, a surfer from Australia. “There are so many places to catch an epic wave across the world, but Donghe is the best place for beginners if they want to learn how to surf.”

If you want to know more about the surfing workshop, you can check out their website.




Contact Amazing Taitung Editors about this story at TheAmazingTaitung@gmail.com