This year, for the third year in a row, the Taiwanderful website has opened up a peer-judged blogging competition for English blogs written about Taiwan. Since I have been keeping my blog up steadily now for two months +, I figured 'Oh, what the heck' - and I tossed my name in the pile [so please feel free to vote for my blog... daily :) ] There is no physical award given... just bragging rights... and your pride.
Enough about me though. One of the absolute life savers in this modern age of travel is... blogs! I've never been much of a blog reader before, and I certainly did not write my own, but who knew that I would find blogs so useful on a pretty much daily basis?! No matter what I am up to here, halfway around the world, someone else tried it first. Someone else has been here, done that, and found the way to push through it... and hopefully... after they figure it out, they write about it! After my post yesterday, I received a comment from another Texan expat here in Taipei who had noticed my mention of a Chai Latte. They immediately messaged me and asked 'Where did you find a Chai Latte?' That's what I'm talking about! Of course, I leapt at the chance and answered swiftly... because each time someone has done similar for me, it makes my day. Beyond just answering questions about discoveries and adventures, it is the blogs that intentionally go before you... that pave the way... who offer the most insight in my opinion. So which blog has my vote for the Best of Taiwan Blog Awards? Those who've kept up with me during my time here already know my answer... A Hungry Girl's Guide to Taipei! [ hungryintaipei.blogspot.com ]
This girl's blog has all of the information that you could need or want to know about Taipei restaurants - written in English - as well as the background story about the Chinese culture and how it plays into the food. Without this blog, how would I ever find Mexican food in Taipei? Or know that some hole in the wall shops actually do have one copy of an English menu (tucked away), available on request! Or just simply know how to order and pick the best food (by pointing) at some very, very local restaurants? She reviews restaurants one by one across the city, and has them all categorized by type of food, price, and location - so it is easy to search the archived blog posts. Plus, the reviews are fun to read - lots of personality and occasional humor/sarcasm. Even though it could take me years to visit every restaurant that the author has already visited, reviewed, photographed, and summarized for my reading pleasure... this is the kind of blog that pushes me to keep going to new places and trying new things. In short, no wonder there are awards for the Best of Taiwan Blogs... with blogs like 'A Hungry Girl's Guide to Taipei' blazing the international adventure trail... what would we do without them?!
Having other blogs to read (and someone to point me to the best tacos in town) rocks my socks off. :D
Okay! Way to go. I will definitely vote for you!
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