Taiwan!!

I am slowly racking up the number of countries I’ve been to. Can you believe I’ve been to seven different countries (including America haha)?! For some people, maybe that’s not a lot. I think if you go to Europe, you can bounce around from country to country pretty easily and increase your number. I have not been to Europe yet. I dream of going there, but at this time in my life, it’s just not realist or cost effective. Eventually! In any case, I feel cool to say I’ve been to seven countries, and I think it’s a lot for a 25 year old girl. I can’t stress enough how much you learn and change from going abroad.

From January 4^th to January 7^th, 2015, I took a short trip to Taiwan. Let me tell you why I chose Taiwan. I think I actually mentioned it before in a previous post. Peach Aviation is a super cheap, new airline that has sprung up in Japan. It blows the competition out of the water. Yes, there are downfalls to Peach that compensate for it being so cheap, but if you don’t mind not checking baggage, small seats, no free refreshments, etc., then it’s a perfect way to fly super cheap. However, the places you can go are very limited. There are several destinations in Japan (I’ve used Peach to fly to Hokkaido and Okinawa), but there are only three overseas locations: South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. I’m always checking the website to see if they’ve added any other places.

So if you don’t already know, you might have guessed that Taiwan was the last remaining place for me to visit using Peach. That’s why I chose it haha! To be honest, I knew basically nothing about Taiwan. I went in with a very open slate and allowed myself to be impressed by whatever I saw. Sure, I did some research before going, but overall my attitude was like, “Alright, Taiwan. Let’s see what you’re all about.” It turned out to be pleasantly surprising!

Let’s go day by day…

I arrived at Taoyuan International Airport around 6 pm on Sunday January 4^th. After going through immigration, I found the bus terminal. I bought a ticket to Taipei Main Station. My first thought was, “Taiwanese dollars are really confusing.” That’s basically what I think every time I use money from a foreign country. I think it was like 1,000 Taiwanese dollars equaled like 33 U.S. dollars. I was pretty confused the whole time.

Taiwanese Dollars.

On the bus ride, I noticed a few things. First, like in America, they drive on the right side of the road. It was hard to see in the dark, but there seemed to be a lot of big buildings with pretty lights. Once we got more into downtown Taipei, a lot of familiar places started appearing: McDonald’s, Subway, KFC, Seven Eleven, Burger King, and even TGI Friday’s and Chili’s! That’s just to name a few. However, what was even more surprising to me was the abundance of Japanese chains. I saw Family Marts everywhere, Yoshinoya, Mister Donut, Saizeriya, Watami, and more! I suppose it makes sense since Taiwan was ruled by the Japanese for a period of time. Plus a lot of Japanese tourists go to Taiwan.

Once I arrived at Taipei Main Station, my friend came to meet me. Originally I was just going to go to Taiwan alone. However, two of my other friends were interested in going. I had already bought my plane tickets and booked my hostel, so I told them when I was going and where I was staying. They decided to go at the same time as me (they actually got there earlier and left later though) and stay at the same hostel, so we could hang out together. I was really happy about that! One of them had already been to Taiwan before and kind of knew where stuff was and how things worked which was really helpful!

While I was waiting for my friend to meet me at the station so she could show me the way to the hostel, I took in the atmosphere. First, although it was January, Taiwan is subtropical, and it wasn’t cold. Coming from cold Japan to mild Taiwan was really nice. All I needed was a jacket! I noticed immediately all the young fashionable people and couples around me. Since Taipei Main Station is a big hub, I couldn’t really tell whether the people around me were native Taiwanese or tourists. I suppose it’s beside the point because what I’m trying to say is that downtown Taipei had a very cool and hip feel to it.

My original feeling that became more apparent as time went on was that Taiwan felt very familiar. All around me were things I knew or had experienced but were arranged differently or spaced in a way that felt fresh. It took time to realize it, but for me, Taiwan was like a mix of the Asian countries I had already been to. Plus I’m sure there were things that resembled other Asian countries that I have not yet visited. For example, the structure and appearance of buildings and the greenery reminded me of Hong Kong, but the city had a very open and spacious feel to it like Korea. The lights and signs reminded me of parts of Macau, and everywhere you looked, there were things from Japan, mainly restaurant chains. I could hear familiar languages all around me: Korean, Japanese, English, and Chinese (ok, so I couldn’t tell the difference when someone was speaking Chinese or Taiwanese).

Once I arrived at the hostel, I was so very pleasantly surprised! I’ve stayed at several hostels before. There are fine hostels, and there are bad hostels in my opinion. On my most recent trip overseas before Taiwan, I stayed in the most shitty (pardon my language, but that is the best way to describe it) hostel in my life in Hong Kong. I thought it looked fine on the website, but it was not. So I did not have high expectations for my hostel in Taiwan, but I was shocked when I arrived to find the most beautiful hostel I’ve ever seen! It was nicer than some actual hotels I’ve stayed in. Everything was made out of wood. There were live plants growing inside. It was so open and spacious, and there were comfy chairs everywhere and little nooks and crannies you could relax in, including a tree house type space! I stayed in a dorm style room with a total of 4 bunk beds, but the bunks bed weren’t actually connected. It was more like cubbies in the wall. So if the person above or below you moved around, you couldn’t feel it. The mattresses, pillows, and blankets were very comfortable. Each bed came with its own little shelf, lights, curtain, and different types of electrical outlets. Each person also got an assigned wooden locker for their luggage (lock not provided, although I think you could rent/buy one). Also, in the lobby, each person has a shoe locker. You had to wear slippers once entering the common room and bedrooms. The slippers they provided were so comfortable though! Free breakfast every day was also included, and it was really delicious! The bathrooms were also nice and spacious. I would 100% recommend this place to anyone. It is called Star Hostel Taipei Main Station. The staff is very kind, helpful, and speak several languages. Perhaps the best part was that it was only around $20 a night to stay at such a nice place!

The tree house nook (and slippers).

My bunk.

Breakfast.

Enough about the hostel. Let’s get into what I did my first night. We met up with my friend’s friend and her boyfriend who are living in Taiwan as English teachers. They took us to Shilin Night Market near Jiantan station. I LOVE night markets! I got to experience them for the first time in Hong Kong. Taiwan’s night markets were a little different in that that were more food focused. I got to experience so much culture in my first night! I ate exotic fruits I’ve never seen like Taiwan’s famous “wax apple,” taro bubble tea, deep-fried whole baby crabs, and this really yummy egg/onion pancake thing with spicy sauce on it. The woman who made the pancake thing asked me how spicy I wanted it, and I kept saying, “Spicy! Spicy!” with a big grin on my face. She spoke in Chinese, but my friend’s friend translated and said that she was going to make it really spicy for me since I looked so happy haha! It was delicious!

ERMAIGERD crazy fruits!

Don't think I could manage to eat one of those.

...but the babies are ok.

Awesome lady who made my thingy spicy.

There was a small temple off of the night market that we checked out. Taiwanese temples are so different than the other ones I’ve seen in Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong. They are so colorful, detailed, and elaborate. I got to take a fortune in the temple, although I couldn’t read it. Also, there these wooden block things where one side is flat, and one side is round. You throw two of them on the ground three times and try to get the both to face the same way 2 out of three times (or maybe is wasn’t face the same way…it might have been get them to face opposite ways. I don’t remember). Anyway, if you succeed, the god will grant your wish. I tried it and succeeded, so I made a wish hehe.

First experience with a Taiwanese temple.

Some other things I noticed my first night was that there were game arcades everywhere like Japan, tons of people had cute little dogs dressed up in cute clothes that they walked around with, and there were a lot of really creepy beggars. The beggars really bothered me. They weren’t just regular beggars. They all looked like mutants. Most of them were obviously mentally or physically handicapped. I saw one guy with no hands, just nubs, kneeling on the ground in front of a cup bowing low and rapidly. He was basically smacking his face on the cement. There was one point where the street was congested with people trying to walk through, and I realized that it was because there was a guy with like a box chained to his ankles who couldn’t walk squirming on the ground dragging the box around. People were stepping over him. It was so weird and terrifying. These are just a couple examples. I felt so sad for them.

Day 2 was VERY busy, but it was probably my favorite day because we got to see so much and go to the place I was looking forward to the most. We woke up early, and after breakfast, we hopped on a bus. The ride was beautiful. Full of green mountains, old buildings, and a view of the sea. First we arrived at Yehliu Geo Park. It was in an old port town. Before heading to the park itself, we sat down to enjoy one of Taiwan’s famous sea salt coffees. It was actually pretty good despite how it may sound!

The Geo Park itself was very cool. It looked like Mars in my opinion, and there were all sort of wonderful views. It was pretty hot outside even though it was January, so I was just wearing a t-shirt! We grabbed some convenience store snacks before hopping on the next bus to Jinguashi Gold Mine Village. I got to experiment with trying some fun Doritos flavors like American Buffalo Wings and Spicy Garlic. I also have THE BEST onigiri I’ve ever had in Taiwan. I know onigiri comes from Japan, but Taiwan has added their own spin to it. I got one with salmon and little fish eggs inside. It was mixed in a flavorful creamy sauce and the seaweed on the outside was seasoned and spicy! It was so good!!

Yehliu Geo Park.

Mars.

Spicy Garlic.

American Hot Wings. Shaped like lightening bolts.

Delicious onigiri.

The bus ride was like a rollercoaster. Seriously. I almost fell on my face several times as the driver whipped around the curves of the mountain and squeezed through impossible looking streets. I thought we were going to hit things..and people..many times. One of the passengers got pissed at the driver for honking, yelled something at him in Chinese and got off the bus haha.

Once we arrived at the gold mine village, we soon found out that most of the facilities were closed because apparently the first Monday of the month is their holiday. We were still able to have lunch and look around though. Just a lot of the little museum buildings and whatnot were closed. Honestly, I didn’t mind because this place was absolutely breathtaking! The mountains were humongous and covered in lush tropical greenery. You could see small temples at the tops. The pictures I took can’t even begin to show how amazing it really was. I left the village feeling refreshed…even though it felt like my feet were going to fall off haha.

Beautiful mountians.

More beautiful mountains.

Our next destination was to the place I was looking forward to the most, Jiufen. Juifen is a small town on the ocean in the north part of Taiwan. It has gained its fame from the popular Japanase Ghibli film, “Spirited Away,” by Hayao Miyazaki. Apparently, it’s from this town that he gained his inspiration to make that film. Once you get to Jiufen, it’s quite apparent from the style of buildings, narrow paths lined with stands, and the red lanterns everywhere. Although the place is quite touristy, it still has an authentic feel. Me being the Ghibli enthusiast that I am, I was so excited to check it out!

At first I was shocked by the amount of Japanese tourists. I felt like I was in Japan. Everyone around me was speaking Japanese. You begin by entering the narrow streets bustling with people. The streets have little shops and stands selling all sorts of food and souvenirs. I enjoyed what I would describe to be a peanut ice cream crepe. It’s basically like a maze. You can hardly see the sky, but then there are times where you take a side path that ends up leading you to the open air with a glorious mountain and ocean view. At dusk, the streets come alive, just like in the movie. The lanterns begin to glow. There is a sort of energy.

The streets of Jiufen.

I loved all the lanterns.

Stray kittehs.

Jiufen coming alive.

I had an epiphany moment (which I kind of explained in the opening of this post) while I was standing below a large tea house covered in sparkling yellow lights and vibrant red lanterns looking out to perhaps the most gorgeous scenery I’ve ever seen; Mountains covered in mist tailing off into the sea; Not being able to tell where the mountains, sea, and dimming sky begin and end. In this moment, I felt amazed at myself. I know there are people who are much younger than me who have been to many more countries around the world and have seen more things, but at 25 years old, having been to 7 different countries and seeing the things I have, I felt so incredible. I feel that it is such a big feat to be so young and to have seen the things I have, like these precious mountains. Things that most people in their life won’t experience. I felt so lucky and proud know that I had done most of this on my own. I still can’t help but think about how much left of the world there is to see and experience. So many wonders and treasures that I don’t know about or can even fathom. It makes my desire to travel grow so much more. I know that I can never possibly see everything, but the thought makes life seem so big and grand because I can spend my whole time living discovering new things.

I loved it here.

My epiphany moment.

Leaving Jiufen, we decided to take a taxi with two Japanese girls. It was dirt cheap and took half the time it would’ve taken by bus. Despite having such a full day, it wasn’t over yet. After making a brief stop at our hostel, we headed to Longshan Temple, one of the most famous temples in Taipei. My other friend who was also traveling in Taiwan met up with us there. We had a look around. It was beautiful to enjoy the scenery of the temple under a full moon.

Longshan Temple under the moon.

We then took a stroll around the nearby night market. We soon found out that it was not as touristy as the other one we had been to. I would describe this one as the “heavy metal market” because it was full of stands selling piles of animal organs for eating; huge cow tongues, livers, intestines, and things I couldn’t identify. Eww. No thanks. I instead searched around and found some yummy things to munch on like coconut jelly tea, jelly balls, and sugar apples (that were contrarily kind of sour).  We didn’t stick around long though. One of my friends and I decided to get a famous Taiwanese foot massage in the area before heading home. It was fun and felt good although at some times rough. It was fun attempting to speak in various languages with the workers.

"Heavy metal market."

Foot massages.

The next day was a bit more relaxed. We met my other friend again in the morning and went to Din Tai Fung, the famous dim sum place that I also went to in Hong Kong. However, Din Tai Fung is actually from Taiwan. It did not let us down. The service was great, atmosphere nice, and the food was delicious. After,  we decided to walk around the area a little bit while sipping on bubble tea (I got winter melon juice tea with bubbles), but there wasn’t much to see. We then headed to Taipei 101, the tallest building in Taiwan and 5^th in the world. We took the subway there, and it lets you out right at the base, so unfortunately, I couldn’t actually get a great view of the building. I saw it lit up a night when we were in the taxi the night before, but there were no good picture opportunities.

Din Tai Fung.

Only one of my friends and I decided to pay to go up to the top. I can’t say that it was much different from going to the top of any other building, but there was one interesting, and scary, thing. Taipei 101 has a huge 730 ton steel ball suspended inside towards the top of the building. Because the building is so close to a fault line, there are many earthquakes. This ball somehow reduces the swaying by 40%. In any case, despite the fact it was there for stability, I didn’t feel so comfortable know something so heavy was hanging in the building…how the hell did they get it up there anyway?! Science.

View from the top of Taipei 101.

My freind and I goofing around at the top,

Scary steel ball.

Next we headed to Ximen Ding which straight up looked like Seoul, Korea. It was a shopping area, and I started my shopping spree here. It was my last night in Taiwan, and I hadn’t bought anything for myself yet, so I bought myself shoes and a small backpack at first. The shoes were only like $6! This area was by far my favorite are in downtown Taipei. So much fun! The area had all sorts of fun lights, young people, fashion, foreign restaurants, and music.

Ximen Ding.

I want to go shopping here again!

Since we had enjoyed Shinlin Market (the market from the first night) so much, we decided to end the night there so we could get street food and more souvenirs. I bargained with people and got a sweater, winter beanie, and earrings. I also got a sweater for my boyfriend. I went crazy on the food since it was technically my dinner and my last chance to enjoy the night market food. I got this interesting potato thing that was basically a breaded and deep-fried whole potato that was the split open and covered in pineapple, corn, broccoli, nacho cheese, a sweet sour cream, and ham (which I picked out). I also got candied tomatoes and a mix of fresh starfruit and guava. I made sure to buy pineapple cakes for souvenirs for all my Japanese coworkers and acquaintances since they are the staple souvenir gift for Japanese people. I may or may not have indulged in a few myself.

Crazy potato.

Guava and starfruit.

Candy tomatoes.

I would say that my last day was quite uneventful seeing as it consisted of me just getting up, going to the airport, and going home, but there was something a little disturbing…besides the dang airport staff confiscating my Colgate toothpaste for being too big for my carry on (I was so pissed because I was so stoked to find Colgate in Taiwan!!). But the real disturbing thing was the couple I got sat next to on the plane. I think they were Taiwanese or Chinese. Anyway, they were a young couple, maybe around my age or younger. One was a prissy looking girl wearing loads of makeup, tons of jewelry, pink skimpy clothes, and just looked fake. Then her “boyfriend” was dressed like a normal guy but a little more fashionable. I put “boyfriend” in parenthesis because I’m not sure the boy was actually a boy. His voice was higher than the girl (like shockingly), his hands and whole body in general was smaller than the girl (the girl was already pretty small), and his face looked like a girl. Honestly, whatever he was, I don’t really care. I have nothing against people with sex changes or cross dressers or anything like that, but what I was disturbed by was the amount of pda going on inches away from me. Slobbery, loud, making out kisses that were in no way discreet. Giggling about it. Looking at me every few minutes. I tried hard to not look their way as much as possible. It didn’t end there however. The guy was blatantly feeling the girls boobs up and rubbing her nipples with his fingers. God I felt so uncomfortable. Ewwwwww! So ya, that was fun. One cool thing about the flight home though was that I could see the whole island of Awajishima from the window. I plan on going there with Shinya sometime this year. Connecting Awajishima to mainland Japan is the longest suspension bridge in the world which I could also see from the window. It was neat.

Before I end this long post about Taiwan, there are things I want to tell you about Taiwan in general that didn’t fit in anywhere in my story:

1.       I actually actively used Chinese by saying “Hello (Ni Hao),” “Sorry (Da Bu Qi),” and “Thank you (Xiexie).” One thing I really liked was that people attempt to speak to you in Chinese where as in Japan, they assume you don’t know their language and just try to speak broken English to you before giving you a chance.

2.       I didn’t get the rude feeling like I got when I was in Hong Kong. In fact, from day one, I felt totally comfortable in Taiwan! I think it would be a fun and easy place to live if it weren’t for the unbearable heat most of the year.

3.       There are stray cats and so many stray dogs everywhere. Maybe some of them belong to people, but they are not leashed and walk around weaving in and out of people casually like they own the place!

4.       On the topic of dogs, I actually briefly mentioned this, but people owning little toy-sized dogs in which they dressed up like cute little princesses and carried around in their arms was very common. You could see an old men walking around carrying little terriers dressed in sweaters with bows in their hair. It  was amusing.

This dog actually had a collar, but it was just walking around
like whatever.

5.       There are motor scooters everywhere!!! It has to be the most popular form of transportation. At the stoplights of intersections, like 20+ scooters will gather in front of the cars and zoom off as soon as the lights turn green. A lot of dogs rode between their owner’s feet which scared me. Seemed like they could just jump or fall off easily.

Scooters!!

6.       Despite it being past the New Year already, Christmas decorations were still thriving.

7.       Last, you weren’t supposed to flush toilet paper down the toilets because of low water pressure. There were garbage cans in each stall in which you were expected to throw away your used toilet paper. I didn’t enjoy that. Also, many times there was no toilet paper.

So that basically sums up my trip. It was so much fun! I feel like Taiwan is a little underrated, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Taipei, at least, is very foreign friendly and easy to navigate. It was clean and felt safe. I don’t know if I’ll ever get the opportunity to go back, but if I do, I will excitedly return!