A super-central place to stay in Tainan

We're welcoming visitors of all kinds to Taiwanfoo Homestay Apartment. Located in the heart of Tainan - within walking distance of the train and bus stations as well as several tourist attractions, it's quiet day and night as well as being clean, safe and comfortable.

National Changhua Living Art Center

National Changhua Living Art Center (國立彰化生活美學館; 3 Guashan Road, Changhua City; tel: (04) 722-2729) is a community-focused exhibition space and creativity hub. It's also an intriguing piece of architecture and a lovely place to wander around on a sunny day, before or after a visit to nearby Mount Bagua. The center's website is in Chinese only.

Books: A Foreigner's Guide to Taiwan's Indigenous Areas: Hualien and Taitung

This is the second book in a three-volume series by Cheryl Robbins, who is surely Taiwan's most knowledgable English-language travel writer when it comes to aboriginal culture and communities, as well as a professional licensed tour guide. The first book in the series (see this blog post) came out last year; the third volume, which will focus on Taiwan's north, is due out before the end of 2013.

A Foreigner's Guide to Taiwan's Indigenous Areas: Hualien and Taitung (Taiwan Interminds Publishing, NT$380) contains a wealth of easy-to-digest information plus maps and hundreds of color photos. Robbins doesn't limit herself to restaurants, places to stay and attractions. She includes several businesses where tourists can buy aboriginal handicrafts or clothing, plus music venues such as Tiehua Village in Taitung City. If a criticism can be made of the book, it's that for some of the places mentioned, details of opening times and days off aren't included.

One featured place I'd previously heard about (but have yet to visit) is the Taiwanese Aborigine Tattoo Culture Museum. Its founder, Kimi Sibal, has won renown for his photographs of traditional face tattoos.