Taiwan: My first journey away from home away from home

I've recently returned from a 5 day vacation in Taiwan including Christmas. When deciding where to go for a fraction of my vacation I took a few things in account.

1.Somewhere that isn't too cold (which eliminated front runner S.Korea)
2.Somewhere where I have friends to visit (which eliminated a possible Bejing)

Taiwan was the perfect choice. Fair weather and a few friends who I haven't seen in awhile. It was also my first time going there. A lot of things stuck out at me about Taiwan in which now I will discuss.

Where do I begin? Coming from Japan Taiwan is a relatively quick flight. It was about 3 hours going there and only 2 coming back. During my visit I stayed in a hostel by the name of JV's Hostel. Good prices and fine accommodations I would recommend it to anyone taking a trip to Taipei. It's also in a really great location next to a night market and a walk from Taipei 1o1. Check them out

It being my first time in Taipei and me being famous for getting lost I decided to play it safe by taking a taxi from the airport to the hostel. Still to this day I don't quite have a grasp on the money and what is a lot so I thought 1300NTW (new Taiwan dollars) was a good deal but apparently it isn't and I learned when leaving that the bus is a much better option costing only 140$. If anything take a bus to the city (its about an hour away from the airport) and then catch a taxi from downtown to your hostel, and if you are staying in the mentioned above JV's then the taxi will run you less than 1$. (You live and you learn.)

Taipei
One think I noticed quickly about Taipei is that it is a city packed. Packed with buildings, packed with cars, packed with people. Just like most big cities but here it feels all a bit more chaotic. (Which is both good and bad.)

(It also seems to rain a lot in December)

Although Taiwan has its own government now it was once just another area of China and thus its roots are deep in Chinese culture and its appearance reflects that. In Taipei you have this big city that also feels a lot like a small Chinese village with all the local shops crammed together. This makes it feel a bit more cultural than say Tokyo which some even go as far to classify its image as separate from the rest of Japan. Even in a modern place like Taipei the culture can always be felt.

(Taipei 101, the 2nd tallest building in the world. Was once the first. Here it is on a bad day)

(And here again on a much better day)

(And to finish off the trilogy here is a night shot)

My second day there was on Christmas and boy does Taipei sure know how to dress up for Christmas.

(Its raining blue. Xinyi shopping district)

(Santa taking the Merilyn Monroe thing to a level of creepy)

(A winter wonderland without the snow)

(Human snow globe)

(Enjoying a faux sleigh ride with my friend Yuka. Brought to you by CitiBank)

Taiwan also has some interesting food to partake in. Amongst all the good ones there were two that I tried that invoke a want to vomit.Even still I am glad to have tried them. It makes me feel a tad bit more cultured.

The Bad

Zhu-Xie-Gao (Pig blood cake)

This consist of actual pigs blood steamed with rice and covered with peanut powder. The best part about this food is the peanut powder, the worst part is everything else. I almost threw up eating this.

Stinky Tofu

(The food on the bottom is stinky tofu. The top was an oyster sauce omelet)

There are some fermented foods I found good for example Kimchi, and then there are some that I am not a fan of such as Natto. Stinky Tofu falls into the category of foods I will spend the rest of my life trying to purge from my memory. It smells and taste stinky. Horribly stinky. Its also quite famous in Taiwan and many people enjoy it so I guess I'm just strange..

The Good

Dumplings

There is a restaurant called Din Tai Fung which is famous amongst travelers for its dumplings and they were indeed delicious. Inside each dumpling is a hot soup so just popping them in your mouth will get you burned. You should first poke a small whole and release the broth into your spoon and then drink it and eat the dumpling.

Fried Chicken

The first thing you will notice is that it is the size of my friggin head. Its also quite good and comes in regular and spicy flavors. There is a famous shop in the Shilin Night Market in which I picked up this baby.

Gua Bao(Steamed sandwich)

This traditional delight is made with a soft, fluffy white steamed bun stuffed with a succulent flavorful simmered pork and garnished with pickled vegetable, peanut powder, cilantro and savory sauce.

Tofu Pudding

Tofu, sweet potato balls and taro balls make for kind of dessert soup.

Chua Bin(Chipped Ice)

My absolute favorite. Super fine chipped ice with milk syrup and various toppings. As you can see I chose strawberries and bananas. Its quite a sweet treat. Japan has a similar dessert known as Kakigori but I must say the one I had in Taiwan was the best.

Besides food another thing Taiwan is known for is its Night Markets. Dozens upon dozens of small shops all concentrated in a small area. Within a Night Market you can find all sorts of interesting foods and snacks as well as good deals on clothing and other merchandise and if you are in the mood you can even try bargaining with the shop owner the even cheaper prices. Just looking unsure about an item can get them to lower the price. Generally a Night Market is open daily from 5pm-Midnight. You don't go to Taiwan without visiting a Night Market. It is Taiwanese culture.

(The most famous and largest of these markets is the Shilin Night Market.)

Famous spots of Taipei
Like any big city there are a plethora of places you should go to as a tourist. Ranging from temples and museums to shopping districts and memorials the city of Taipei has a lot to see.

(C.Y.K Memorial. ChiangKai-Shek. A monument to the first president of Taiwan)

(Outside of the CYK memorial)

(Inside of Longshan temple)

(Outside of Longshan temple)

Along with Taipei I was also able to visit a small famous village known as Jifuen and the seaside like area of Danshui and Bali.

Jifuen
Apparently Hayao Miyazaki of famed animated movies such as My Neighbor Totoro and Nausicca was inspired by this village and its easy to see why after one visit. Once a thriving mining town Jifuen is now a magical tourist spot which also includes Keelung Mt. Getting to Jifuen is rather easy. Take a Keelung company bus from Zhongxiao Fuxing station located on the blue line in Taipei. The bus stop is located at exit 1. The trip itself is just a little over an hour and well worth it.

(One of my favorite shots from Mt.Keelung)

(Mt.Keelung from afar. I would soon climb it)

(Jifuen from above)

(View from the top of Mt.Keelung)

(Magical isn't it?)

(Everyone wanted this shot)

Danshui/Bali
From Taipei main station you can hop on the red line and ride it all the to the end which is Danshui station. It takes about 45 minutes. Bali is a small island which can easily be accessed by ferry from Danshui. An inexpensive trip as well.
Danshi/Bali are pleasant places to go when the weather is nice. The water is wide and there are little beach areas as well. In Danshui you can also visit Fisherman's Wharf along with some temples and the Red Castle which has European history.

(Hanging out in Bali)

(Temple of the Master of the Chinswee Caves)

(Red Castle)

(The ferry ride to Bali)

(Bali docks)

(A strange sight to behold. 11 dogs in total relaxing out on the beach.)

( Danshui is known for its sunsets)

There are a number of things I learned and found interesting during my time in Taiwan.
1. There seems to be a lot of dogs. It felt like every shop keeper owned a dog a long with what appeared to be a lot of stray dogs. I've seen similar situations with cats but never with dogs. Fortuantely they all seem to be rather friendly.
2. There is a grittiness to many of the shops and restaraunts. Honestly many people in America would see this as dirty but I liked it and thought it gave the place personality and culture.
3. People assume you speak Chinese will talk to you extensively in Chinese. While I don't know Chinese I appreciated that they didnt attribute me being foreign with not having the ability to learn their language as happens often in Japan.
4. People will also effortlessly try and speak English to you to help you. Many seem to have some level of English and even if its not so good at least they try.
5. There are some aspects of Taiwainese behavoir that felt a bit too rude for example they didn't really seem to care too much that I was standing somewhere and I was always forced to move out of the rain even though I may had been standing somewhere first. They can also be quite blunt with their emotions. I think its a apart of the Chinese culture and so I try not to get to offended by it but for an outsider its something to be prepared for.
6. The metro is super clean and a lot of this is in part to a rule that you are not allowed to eat or


All in all it was a great trip. I got to see some good friends and visit some great places. The weather was much better than Okayama in December and things were cheaper. A blessed trip and I wouldn't be surprise if I make my way back to Taiwan again someday.
I leave you with a few more pics of interests and videos.

(There are a huge number of people riding scooters and motorbikes in Taipei and its not unormal to see a family on one of these things)

(10 minute massage, also known as the most painful 10 minutes of my life. These are apparently suppose to make you feel great but one time was enough for me to swear them off. It felt like the man had a grudge against me.)

(Rocking out with my friends in the Miramar Entertainment district)

(This was pretty cool. The green traffic light is an animated man walking. When the timer hits 10 secs the man begins to run and the red light is a little red man standing still upright)

(2011: Year Of The Rabbit)