Island Adventures

Emma Benack shares some more suggestions for the best day trips in and around Taipei. She talks about visiting the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, where there's always new, interesting exhibitions, and also speaks with travel vloggers Lukas Engström and Myrthe Jonker about hiking Teapot Mountain and exploring Yangmingshan National Park.   Lukas Engström: https://www.youtube.com/@LukasInTaiwan/featured Myrthe Jonker: https://www.youtube.com/@MyrtheJonker

Emma Benack shares some of her favorite places to visit around Taipei and talks with other travel bloggers about their own recommendations. PJ from The Travelling Welshman and vlogger Myrthe Jonker share about their experiences visiting the old streets of Jiufen and the teahouses and museums in Pinglin.   The Travelling Welshman: https://www.youtube.com/@thetravellingwelshman/videos Myrthe Jonker: https://www.youtube.com/@MyrtheJonker

Emma Benack speaks with fellow RTI host Brendan Wong about his bucket list pertaining to exploring the water and smaller Islands that surround Taiwan.

Emma Benack speaks with fellow RTI host Brendan Wong about how his perspective of Taiwan changed after returning home from studying at an American university. Brendan also talks about some adventures that are still on his Taiwan bucket list, like riding a bike all around the island.

In the second half of this interview, Emma Benack speaks with Julie Chou, an artist who has collaborated with the various communities in Taiwan like Treasure Hill and the Taipei Artist Village. Julie describes how she got started on her first art projects that she used to apply for international grants, and how she eventually found her way back to creating a new kind of art in Taiwan. To find out more information about Treasure Hill and Julie Chou, you can visit ​​​this site: https://www.artistvillage.org/artist-detail.php?p=4107

Emma Benack speaks with Julie Chou, an artist who has worked on projects with Treasure Hill Artist Village for many years. Treasure Hill is a former veteran's community in Taipei that has transformed throughout the 20th and 21st centuries into something that is now open to the public as an artist village. It's a place where the public can explore various art studios and exhibitions and also interact with artists who live there as a part of a special grant. Julie talks a bit about her journey with Treasure Hill from the village’s initial opening, and later goes into talking about the site's earlier history and her own journey as an artist.   To find out more information about Treasure Hill and Julie Chou, you can visit ​​​this site: https://www.artistvillage.org/artist-detail.php?p=4107

In the last segment of this interview, Emma Benack speaks with travel blogger Arseniy about his trip to Tainan, the original capital of Taiwan. Arseniy talks about visiting the Ten Drum Cultural Village in Tainan, and the various activities visitors of all ages can enjoy.

In a continuation of last week's interview, Emma Benack speaks with Arseniy, the Russian creator of the blog Eat Travel Taiwan, who has lived in Taiwan for more than 8 years. On this episode, Arseniy talks about his camping trip to Mt. Qilai, which is known for being one of Taiwan's most accessible and popular mountains that's part of the Hundred Peaks trails. Hiking Mt. Qilai involves applying for permits and arranging public transport but Arseniy's descriptions make the trek sound completely worth it.

Emma Benack speaks with Arseniy, the Russian creator of the blog Eat Travel Taiwan, about his adventures around two of Taiwan's archipelagoes - Matsu and Penghu. Arseniy explains a bit behind Matsu's history and describes some of the various attractions including fresh seafood markets, opportunities for snorkeling and scuba diving, deer parks, as well as beautiful beaches and architecture.   Check out more of Arseniy's adventures and travel tips by visiting his blog: https://www.facebook.com/Eat.Travel.Taiwan https://www.instagram.com/eat_travel_taiwan/?fbclid=IwAR1SKgORXDSZpORsN7uyXLvWZVoGs4onfn7qASQwYull6Mu4oaA1WifuOhs

In the second half of this interview, Emma Benack speaks with the editor-in-chief of Travel in Taiwan, Johannes Twellman. Johannes shares about some of his travel experiences learning from Taiwan's Indigenous people on the East coast, and differences he's observed between how Taiwan and European countries have grown over the past 20 years.

Emma Benack speaks with Johannes Twellman, the the editor-in-chief of Travel in Taiwan, which is the official English language magazine of Taiwan's Tourism Bureau. Emma talks with Johannes about and how he got started working with the Tourism Bureau, as well as how Taiwan has changed throughout his past twenty years of living here and some of his memorable trips with the magazine, like hiking the historic Raknus-Selu Trail.   If you're interested in finding out more tourism information from Travel in Taiwan, you can visit their site: https://travelintaiwan.net/

Emma Benack speaks with fellow RTI host Brendan Wong about where he'd consider living in Taiwan outside of Taipei, and how his passion for photography has grown throughout his travels around the country. Brendan also talks about witnessing the "Sea of Clouds" at Alishan and exploring Taiwan's islands.

Emma Benack interviews fellow RTI co-host Brendan Wong, who grew up Taiwan and went to university in the United States. Brendan eventually returned to Taiwan to complete his military service and then later came to work at RTI. Brendan shares travel recommendations as well as his valuable outlook as a Taiwanese returning from abroad with a new perspective.

Today marks the first episode of Island Adventures after Taiwan has finally lifted its indoor mask requirement! For many people, that means traveling more whether it's within the country they're already in or going abroad. Emma Benack talks to Manu Chen about how he works with musicians to find opportunities for them to explore their talents in other parts of the world like Europe, as well as his experience putting together larger events in Taiwan like master classes with international musicians.

Emma Benack speaks with the owners of the bar Bad Mama in Keelung: Adam Hunt and Gemma Lin. Gemma and Adam spent about 10 months designing building and renovating this bar, which started out as 150-year-old derelict building in a tiny alleyway. They talk about their vision for Bad Mama as more than just a bar, designing handmade furniture to create an interesting atmosphere, and their business plans for the future.   You can find out more information about Bad Mama by visiting:  https://www.facebook.com/BadmamabarKeelung/

2023-02-12

In the final part of this interview, Emma Benack speaks with Kayla Cosmos, an American travel vlogger, about getting her diving certification in Taiwan and the places she can't wait to visit the next time she gets the chance to return. In the second half, Emma shares some traditions and events associated with the Lantern Festival celebrated this month.   To check out more of Kalya Cosmos's content, you can visit her Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM4BPP1iHW0pGn-rjaj-MbQ  

Emma Benack speaks with Kayla Cosmos, a travel Youtuber, about her decision to leave Taiwan's small island of Kinmen and move to the main island's southern coast in Kaohsiung. 

During the second half of Emma's interview with Kayla Cosmos, a travel vlogger, Kayla talks about Kinmen's tense history as a Taiwanese military base sitting right next to China. Kinmen's atmosphere is very different from some of Taiwan's other outlying islands like Xiaoliuqiu and Green Island, and Kayla shares some of the places that left a deep impression on her.   You can check out more of Kayla's adventures on her Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM4BPP1iHW0pGn-rjaj-MbQ

Emma Benack speaks with Jake Hannah, the creator of the blog Taiwan Foreigner, about his home for the past few years: Anping in Tainan, the oldest district in the country. Jake explains some of his favorite things to do in the areas and shares a favorite hiking spot outside of the city limits