Oh hey Taipei

Monday, November 3, 2014

Tourist Status

A photo diary of Monica's Visit!

Selfie Statues

Shaved Ice from Modern Toilet (That's a squatter toilet)

Street Performers

Market Fishing

Tamsui

Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

Hello Kitty Bakery

Taipei 101

Observation Deck

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial

It's been a while since this trip, but it was an amazing weekend! I went on another sailing trip, but this was an overnight! The trip began again in Tainan, and we sailed to an island off the coast. It took about 10 hours to get to Cimei, definitely longer than I prefer, but it was worth it getting there! We weren't left with too much time to explore, but here are some pictures.

Leaving the next day was a little nerve wracking because of anticipated storms, but after a few minutes of rain it was smooth sailing. We didn't make it back for the last train, and ended up taking the bus back to Taipei. I hope to never do an overnight bus trip again! In the beginning, there was an odd couple fighting, and the driver actually had to go talk to them. They were both intoxicated, drinking out of a whiskey bottle in the back row. Being annoyed with them already, I was finally thinking I could get some sleep after their talk. I was wrong. Anyone who knows me well knows that I can't stand when people snore! It was awful! I was so relieved when I was finally home in my own bed! Still a great weekend with great people though!

Shrimp Fishing

It has been quite a while since my last post, but I have been keeping busy! I just hit my three month mark on the 27th, time is flying. I recently had my friend Monica come visit for a week from Thailand. We met during our time in Cambodia, and instantly bonded! She was able to visit for a week, so in between working we tried to squeeze as much sight seeing in as possible. One of the first things we did was go shrimp fishing. This is a very Taiwanese experience, and I wasn't sure what to expect. When I used to think shrimp fishing, I thought boats and nets. However, in Taiwan shrimp fishing includes fishing poles, pools, and drinking beer in lawn chairs. Here is a picture to clarify the pools....

After getting our poles and bait (preserved dried shrimp), we were ready to find our spot. We quickly learned that somehow there is skill to the process, and we didn't have it. I was shocked to see people bringing their own poles, I understand why they are open 24 hours now. It took about thirty minutes for Monica to catch the first shrimp. But once we started we got better and better. It was pretty obvious that the three foreign girls were new to this experience, and people were quick to help. The first time someone ran over happened after we all screamed when trying to figure out how to get a live shrimp off a hook. He continued to come over when we would catch something, until I finally decided to give it a go. I was able to take a couple off the hook, but gave up after one pinched me.

Another man came over, and without saying anything took our poles and started dunking them in the water. I guess there is some water to fishing line ratio we did not know about it. He also was the man that would throw buckets of shrimp into the pool, so he was sure to throw some our way each time!

The third helper of the night was at a table of about twenty enjoying dinner and Taiwan Beer. He saw us struggle, and ran right over. He then proceeded to bring us each a bowl of soup, and began feeding us with chopsticks.

After about two hours we called in quits. We ended up with 14 shrimp, much more than I was expecting! After shrimping, you BBQ the shrimp on a grill they have inside. After staring clueless a different employee came over and helped us. The process includes washing the live shrimp, stabbing them with the skewers, salting them, lighting the grill, and then you cook them. Thank goodness we were a group of girls, otherwise I don't think we would have received the same attention!

The shrimp were great and overall it was an awesome local experience!

Shrimp Bait

Checking our poles

First shrimp I took off the hook

After feeding us..

All of our shrimp

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Weekend in Taiwan

This weekend was one to remember.. Friday night was relaxed, played board games with friends at Beer and Cheese. (The serve local beers and cheese). When it was time to go we all decided to rent bikes to get to the MRT station faster. All over the city they have stations where you can rent bikes, and the first thirty minutes are free! Not a bad way to get around.

Saturday I woke up early and rushed to make the 9AM train to leave the city. I was invited to go sailing in the city of Tainan. We took the high speed rail, and made it there in about 2 hours. After stopping for some famous shrimp rolls, we made it to the marina. We were extremely lucky with amazing weather, and to my surprise there weren't really any other boats out. I was told that sailing, and boating in general isn't a big recreational activity in Taiwan. At first the water was a murky dark brown green, and suddenly we passed into deep royal blue water. The water was extremely clear, and the blue water looked unreal. After a slight warning of the abundance of jelly fish, we all jumped in. I thought I had escaped a jelly fish sting, but then I felt a pain the second swimming session. My luck ran out. I guess the jellyfish don't actually sting, they just cause more of an stinging sensation, but of course I had a nice mark for a couple of hours. After that it was time to get closer to land before the sunset. It was beautiful!

Getting back to the dock, we expected to just unload the boat and head out to dinner. To our surprise, we walked into a "dock party". A guy who owned a yacht in the marina decided to hire a DJ and have a bar-b-q. We were welcomed with open arms. They made sure we were well fed and always had a drink in hand. I even got a tour of the yacht.

Sunday was a day of exploring that included an art market and live music. Walking off the MRT we immediately saw a stage and a lot of girls screaming. Getting closer, we realized we stumbled upon a boy band concert. The audience was loving them.. I guess they are famous in Taiwan. We were about to leave when two of the guys walked by and quickly said hi. I then saw a group of girls running after them.. I guess we had a brief encounter with local celebs :). Continuing to walk, it felt like we were in a little Times Square. There were street performers, dancers, and people everywhere. I saw some familiar restaurants like Fridays and Chilis, and even checked out Modern Toilet. The chairs are toilets, and the food is served in toilets. I'm sure I will eventually make it there to eat!

I am still shocked with how great the people here have been. My friends called it Taiwan Hospitality. So far I am having an amazing experience. ..