Taipei Day 2

Day 2 in this city started out with the most amazing hostel breakfast I’ve ever seen followed by one of the worst stomach aches I’ve ever had. The lady at my hostel wrote me a note asking for medicine in Chinese and directed me to the pharmacy. This was the first time in Taiwan I encountered people who didn’t speak English and had to fumble through the language barrier. Korea 2.0. She tried directing me to a doctor but it was closed so I came back and just asked her to give me anything. At this point, my stomach was hurting so badly I thought I had the flu. It was 100 degrees out but I had goosebumps up and down my arms. Luckily, whatever she gave me worked magic and within 30 minutes of taking the pill I was good as new.

My hostel breakfast which included a Taiwanese omelette which was almost like a crepe with egg and cheese.

So off I went to Liberty Square which holds a few magnificent looking buildings I wanted to explore. A few of them looked like temples so I was surprised to see many young teens in dance groups practicing on the platforms but upon further inspection I noticed they were theaters. It was definitely a place the locals came for a variety of activities. I was surprised by the scale of these buildings. They were huge. Just look at me with this arch way!

When I got to to the top of the main building, I saw a crowd forming and went to see what it was all about. I stumbled upon what looked to be the changing of the guard ceremony which I had read before hand you could only see by chance. It was very long and detailed. I was glad to have seen it even though I didn’t expect to.

After my walk around Liberty Square, I found a taco shop and decided a Taiwanese version of Mexican food was a good idea (it wasn’t). Then I headed to the Huashan 1914 Creative Park which turned out to be amazing. It was a huge block of shops, restaurants, and interesting exhibits you could pay to enter. I decided on two. The first was a tribute to Tokyo city. It was a rush of sounds, sights, and sensory stimuli. I even teared up a bit, not from sadness but jut astonished by the beauty. They had different areas showing different places or themes about Tokyo. My favorites were the Harajuku area and Tokyo sky scraper scene.

I also went to a second exhibit called Brosmind which was really awesome. The creators are a duo from Spain! They make goofy ,satirical, and colorful cartoons. Everything here was so fun to look at and I will definitely try to visit another one of their exhibitions in Spain!

Lastly, I went to one of the food stands and tried pistachio ice cream with their light beer. It was sold separately or as a combo, but since it was hot I had to go for the duo.

Then I headed back to my hostel and relaxed for a few hours before ending my night with something special. Two words: Vegetarian Buffet! The restaurant is called ChangChun Vegetarian online but when I arrived it was called EverGreen. Either way it was incredible! I was able to try all sorts of dumplings and steamed buns that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to. This was definitely my priciest meal coming in at $500 NTD (about $16 USD) but it was worth every penny!

Peace and Love,

Anna

P.S. Currently headed to the airport where I will work on the Day 3 Taipei blog!

Taipei Day 1

I ended my last post saying I was going to Taichung, but after seeing that there wasn’t much to do I switched my ticket to head on to Taipei. It ended up being a great choice because it was the last day during my time here without forecasted rain.

The train ride was quick and easy- taking just under an hour and fourty-five minutes from Kaohsiung. I stared out the window and watched endless rice paddies fly by.

After arriving I checked into my hostel which has to be the nicest one I’ve ever stayed in. I charged my phone a bit, then went for a walk through the 228 Peace Park. After walking around and stumbling upon a Taiwanese choir, I decided to go in the National Museum which was just in front of the park. It wasn’t anything too special but it was air conditioned so I call that a win!After waiting 15 minutes at the wrong bus stop I decided to take a taxi to a different historical area. When I got out, I realized I had left my tripod in the car. I got a bubble tea to ease my grumpiness and kept marching on. I stumbled upon the beautiful Langsung Temple . I walked through, but it was very crowded. I felt like an intruder among the many Buddhists there to pray and set out their offerings, so I exited quickly.

Next, I headed back to the main station near my hostel where they have an underground mall. Luckily, I found another tripod so my mood improved. I rested my feet for a few hours before heading to Elephant Mountain. It was still well over 90 degrees at 5 pm when I started this “hike”. I say “hike” in quotations because it’s literally just a never ending staircase of doom and death. I have never sweat so much in my life, but I did feel accomplished at the top. Also, I made a friend who gave me a cold beer which definitely improved the situation. You can clearly see the Taipei 101 which was the world’s tallest building (from 2004-2010) until the Burj Khalifa came along. Now, it’s the 10th tallest in the world!

After the grueling climb, I was starving and headed for my DVB (Daily Vegan Burger). This one was at a place called Miss Green which was a little more expensive but definitely worth it. The burger itself was bean based which was a contrast to the other two soy based burgers I had eaten previously.

After that I went back to my hostel, barely able to pick up my feet after the twenty-four thousand steps of the day. I think this calls for a foot massage.

Kaohsiung Day 2

Day 2 started off with me waking up obnoxiously early. I decided to get a head start on the day and grabbed my free hostel breakfast before heading to the MRT. A cheese “burger” sans the burger which was a piece of ham (so basically a cheese sandwich) and my first of my many green teas of the day.

I headed to the Lotus Pond (already sweating) at 8 am and spent an hour or so walking around some of the most beautiful and colorful pagodas I have ever seen. It was stunning and a definite MUST SEE for anyone traveling to Taiwan.

I stopped for another lemon green tea before trekking back to my hostel to charge my phone and figure out my next destination. I decided lunch was a good idea so I headed to this place I saw advertised for having vegetarian lunch. I had salted egg yolk and bamboo shoot fried rice, vegetable dumplings, and black tea. Pretty sure my blood was tea by this point.

I decided my next big move was Foguangshan, a huge Buddhist temple and museum. I ran out of my hostel quickly in order to catch the special tour bus that took you right to the entrance. I had seen this place on Instagram but wow was it more beautiful in person. So majestic and regal! The pagodas and murals showing Buddha’s good works line the pathway to his golden statue. After walking around the grounds and in all of the buildings, I went to the food court area for…. yup you guessed it…. another lemon green bubble tea!

The bus leaving from Foguangshan took longer since we had to pick up a few other tourist groups at different locations. It was a nice drive and I got to see some different views of Taiwan which was nice. Even though my feet were killing me, I realized that I hadn’t eaten in almost 6 hours so I decided to go for another vegetarian burger but this time at a different location called Ecoburger!

This was definitely the best fake chicken burger I have ever had. I stopped midway through because I felt like I was actually eating real chicken and had to double check before continuing. It had a fried egg on it which added to the goodness. I scarfed it down so quickly I couldn’t even finish my french fried which is a shocker if you know me.

Then I went back and fell asleep almost immediately. It was a beautiful and eventful day. Now, goodbye Kaohsiung and off to Taichung!

Kaohsiung Day 1

Day 1

After extreme rain warnings and a flight delay, I arrive in Kaohsiung to a bright blue cloudless sky. It came as such a shock to me seeing as I had checked the weather app every day for the last month and had not seen one day without rain. I headed to the metro and was easily and quickly able to make my way to my hostel. I dropped off my bags and headed to explore my neighborhood (Central Park).

First stop, boba!!! Taiwan is the home of bubble tea which has been my favorite thing ever since my cousin introduced it to me back in 2008. Being in Taiwan where you can find it on every corner for very cheap is amazing. I got a lemon flavored green tea and headed into the park to see what the locals do on a Sunday afternoon in Kaohsiung.

After a little photoshoot/stroll around the park, I found a few interesting gatherings. One was a group of teenagers (maybe 50??) doing some sort of dance game. A song would come on and those who wanted to or knew the choreography ran in and danced for about 15 seconds until a new song came on and new dancers ran in. It’s safe to say Kpop is a global phenomenon as almost every song they danced to was from a Korean artist.

Then I saw what I think was some sort of bird competition! A huge group of people all with parrots or other kinds of exotic birds were standing in a group! I didn’t stay very long to see what was happening but it was interesting.

Finally, my room was ready so I headed back to my hostel and got to see my little room which I love. It’s like a pod room but with with a curtain instead of a door.

After charging up my phone, I headed to Pier 2 which is an art center by the water. It was so nice to walk around inside all the cool shops and get a glimpse of the intriguing art pieces. Even though I went near sunset, it was still scorching and the stores provided me with a brief escape from the hellish temperatures.

At the end of Pier 2 is a large park where you can buy a kite or play with giant bubbles. There are still more sculptures scattered around too. It was a perfect place to catch the sunset.

Finally, I got some dinner at Ye Shu Shu Shi American Restaurant. I had a spicy chicken burger with french fries and it was so good! One of the waitresses asked if she could sit and practice her English with me. It was so nice just to sit and eat with someone. People can be so scared of traveling alone but when traveling solo, you are never truly alone!