Don’t forget to place your vote for Team Formosa and stay tuned for more exciting updates!
Meet your Formosa Adventurers:
PHIL DAWSON: I have been studying Chinese for several years and currently writes a travel blog in Chinese. I’ve also traveled extensively throughout Taiwan and have a vast knowledge of local culture, particularly aboriginal culture.In 2003, I graduated from Leeds University in England with a degree in maths. After I graduated, I wanted to see the world, particularly Asia. At the time, I was reading the novel River Town by Peter Hessler and it helped me decide to come to Taiwan to teach English. I never thought I would stay in Taiwan for longer a year, but I fell in love with the island. It’s six years later and I’m still here. Almost every weekend I travel to various places around the island and explore the truly spectacular natural scenery the country has to offer. For over two years I have been studying Chinese at NTNU and that has helped me to discover more places here and learn more about the fascinating culture and people. I recently started to write my own travel blog in Chinese to give Taiwanese people a foreigners’ perspective of their home.
ROSS TWEEDIE: I’d always dreamt of travelling, and the travel experiences that I had when I was in my teens and early twenties were great, but fleeting. After living in a traveller household in London crammed with Aussies I realised, ” These guys are travelling every day that they’re here”. I was determined to get on the road myself. I had friends living and working in China, Japan and Korea, so being the obstinate person that I am, I went for Taiwan. I’m still here. I left after the first year, but was drawn back. I felt I hadn’t really experienced and seen enough, and I still don’t. There’s so much to see: amazing things, beautiful things, unique things, and the ease with which I can indulge my passions and do the things I love most, whether it is hiking mountains that dwarf Scotland’s own mountainous territory or jumping into rivers for no apparent reason. It’s all here, and so am I!
MSW: How did the four of you decide to enter together as a team? How do you all know each other?
Ross: Phil and Stu are brothers, so they have obviously known each other for a long time. We all met through work or class and discovered that we shared the same passion for traveling and the outdoors. For about three years now we have been traveling all over the island together and most weekends we get out and about to try and explore somewhere new. When we heard about the competition we all immediately knew that we should do it together and pool our collective talents and enthusiasm in order to show Taiwan’s beauty to the world.
NEIL WADE: I’ve spent my whole life traveling and taking pictures. My first photography article was published at 16 and I went on my first big trip when I was 17. Some friends and I set out in an old VW camper across the US and the travel bug was firmly set. Many years and road trips later, I found myself with a Biology degree and a desperate desire to come to Asia, and not go home. Six months in Southeast Asia led me to Taiwan, where I heard life was good. I’ve been here for four years and I still don’t have any plans to return to the US. I love everything about Taiwan: the people, the mountains, the cities and the beaches.
I stay busy with photography, traveling, writing my blog, hiking, skateboarding, swimming and just living the good life. I haven’t watched TV or been bored in years, and I couldn’t be happier! Neil Wade Photography
MSW: You all have different talents and come from pretty diverse backgrounds. What do you think your respective talents will bring to the contest?
Neil: Although we all share the same passion for travelling, we each bring different skills and talents to the team. Being a professional photographer, I hope to cover the trip much like I would an assignment. After fulfilling the contest requirements, I’ll try to get our story published to help promote Taiwan. Adventurous traveling with interesting subjects always make for good articles!
Ross is the all around adventurous guy. Always ready for some action and not afraid to get his hands dirty. He also has a lot of experience filiming and editing and will be our primary cameraman for the tour. (and we needed a token bald guy)
Stu is an avid hiker and lover of the great outdoors. On the weekends, if he is not out in some far off corner of Taiwan exploring mountains and forests, then he will be busy writing his excellent and informative hiking blog. His writing talents and outdoors experience really add something to the team.
Phil has been studying Chinese for a long time and currently writes a travel blog in Chinese. He also has travelled extensively throughout Taiwan and has a vast knowledge of local and particularly aboriginal culture.
MSW: Thanks very much to all of you for sending in your bios and introducing yourselves to my readers. We’re really excited to see what happens with the contest.
Dear readers,
Don’t forget to place your vote for Team Formosa and stay tuned for more exciting updates!
Subscribe in a reader
[...] Formosa Adventurers 20 06 2009 Things are really starting to roll for our team! Thanks to My Several Worlds, we have some more publicity for our entry to Taiwan’s “Best Trip in the World”! [...]
team waakao will be a late entry. don’t hedge your bets yet
Marcus,
Don’t keep us waiting too long!
[...] We’ve also gotten some more support from the web magazine My Several Worlds!!! [...]
Thanks again for everything Carrie!
Neil and Stuart,
It’s my pleasure.
Cheers, Carrie!
Sounds like a cool contest – I heard about the Australian one and regretted being too late to enter, it really is the best job in the world. But surely any travel job must be great. Good luck to team Formosa!
i come from Taiwan
我來自台灣,希望大家多多台灣玩!!!