Live Asia, Travel Asia

Hi, I’m a Brit living in Asia. I’m currently based in Taipei, Taiwan, a modern place with the world’s tallest building (opened one at least)), great food and access to some stunning scenery. Saying this I’d love to try out other places in Asia too – Japan – to see if I can comprehend the place; China because increasingly it seems to be regaining its ‘heavenly kingdom’ status and it’s home to an incredible variety of cultures; Bangkok because it’s home to the most unique and maybe the most effective language program around, the Philippines – a tropical paradise, Vietnam, India, Korea – well the list just goes on.

Asia is also a place to gain experience. Many years ago I taught English in a refugee camps in the jungles of Thailand. I’ve never experienced anything like that before or since. Life is very different without electricity and concrete, with a constant threat from a murderous enemy and when your only access to a road is to wade through paddy fields for 20 mins so that you can get a hitch to the nearest town. Other friends have found their footing by trying to transform English Teaching into a more productive and enjoyable experience for kids. One friend has been busy writing and running English theme camps, which uses videos, computer games, real games and various challenges to make English come alive (a welcome break from book learning!).

Other people have become travel writers, photographers, bar owners from salons to girly bars, guest house owners from the luxury to the chaotic, TV presenters, radio stars and so on.


I’ve traveled quite extensively in the Far East and South Asia but there are many gaps even in countries where I’ve spent a lot of time. And despite advances in technology prompting many to say the world is getting smaller, we also have access to much more information than before, which makes me feel that the world is still an enormous place.

Anyway, this blog isn’t meant to be for me. It’s meant to explore the possibilities of living and traveling in Asia. The orient will be the focus but I’m open to Central Asia, the Subcontinent and the Middle East. It will provide information and access to cheap flights, travel and opportunities through the region.
One thing I’m especially interested in is learning in different places – or something called ‘mini-retirements’. This is when you take anything from a few months to a year off to pursue a life dream, which could be to learn another language, learn to cook, learn a marital art, become a dancer, do a photography project or whatever it is that makes you tick. Many Asia countries are ideal for these mini-retirements as they have a low cost of living and yet can still provide all of life’s necessities.

Also I would love to find out what other people are doing in Asia and how they are making Asia their own.