Today we had a nice big breakfast at the hotel and then worked on figuring out what to do with all my (still) wet clothes. I didn't think they would smell too nice if they sat in a bag for 20 hours! We finally convinced the hotel to run them through the dryer, and they didn't even charge us for it which was nice. (They wouldn't do the shoes, though, and they might just need to go in the garbage now!)
After getting all packed and checking out, Scott & I got to go do some sight-seeing together. We went to Longshan Temple (the oldest temple in Taipei), Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, and the Sun Yat-sen Memorial. I'd been to Chiang Kai-shek on my tour but we walked around the grounds more and they are absolutely beautiful. Sun Yat-sen is in the middle of the downtown area and is a nice, big park blocked off with trees from the rest of the city. Lots of people go there to relax or exercise during the day. We had a fun time and really enjoyed getting to go together.
Then it was off to the airport for the long trip back home. Jetlag really seemed to hit harder coming back and we're still not back on a normal schedule. It was a fun trip (at least for me) but we are glad to be back home in the USA and with our family.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Trip to Taiwan - Day #6
So this was my last full day in Taiwan and I knew I had to make it count. So I decided to be ultra-adventurous and headed off to a town two hours away. Travel involved a bus as well as the MRT.
The city of Wupai is beautiful -- lush, tropical vegetation everywhere! I took a log train ride up the mountain (thought of you, Dad!) and then a gondola cable car to the top of a waterfall. There was an amusement park / resort at the top of the waterfall that was very beautiful.
But now let's talk about the weather ... when I started out it wasn't raining at all and was supposed to only have scattered rain throughout the day. I opted to leave my umbrella at the hotel that day (trying to travel light) and just take a light rainjacket. I can't even remember the last time I actually used an umbrella but I also don't usually go walking for hours in the pouring rain. I learned that there are some definite advantages to having an umbrella in such cases.
Because of the rain, there were only about 6 people at the top of the waterfall and pretty much nothing was open. I only walked around for a little bit but I didn't see another person after the first few minutes. A few more minutes and I had to take my glasses off ... a few more and my feet were squishing with every step. I was TOTALLY soaked by the time I took the gondola back down the mountain.
Now, in a stroke of pure genius, I decided not to take the $2 train ride back down the mountain. It hadn't seemed very long at all and mostly went along the road, which was called Lover's Trail and was supposed to be very beautiful. I thought it would be fun to walk. The road didn't quite follow the train tracks and it was a VERY long walk. I never saw another person the entire time - maybe just 3 cars went by. The walk was pretty but the same view as riding the train. And of course it was raining the entire time. Eventually I just started whistling and singing -- there was no one else around anyway, and it made the walk a little more enjoyable.
By the time I made it back down to the starting point, I was definitely ready for a soak in the hot springs. But I missed the little stairs going down to the river and ended up walking a LONG way past the hot springs. I have to admit that by the time I turned around and was heading back, I just wanted to get back to the hotel as quickly as possible. But I found the stairs (right by the bridge I started from!) on the way back and decided to stop after all. I'm glad I did because it made the day a lot more enjoyable.
These hot springs were free and were way more rustic than the last one I went to. There were right alongside the river (I went in the river too, but it was pretty cold) and had algae on the bottom of the pools. The changing rooms were just stalls with some cloth, no showers, etc. But the water was warm and felt good (they had several different temperature pools also, and of course I went in most of them - passed on the cold ones this time.) It's been a long time since I tweaked my knee badly but there were a TON of stairs going up and back down from the waterfall and my knee was in some serious pain! The hot springs helped a little bit.
Changing after the hot spring, I had to wring out all my clothing (even the socks!). I decided to give up fighting the rain so I just wore my swim top and used my jacket to keep my bag dry. The locals found this hilarious as I walked in the rain without an umbrella or jacket. Every person who spoke any English made some comment and the rest just pointed and laughed to each other. A guy at the bus station told me people in Taiwan always use umbrellas - even when it's sunny because they don't want to get suntans, so I guess I looked pretty crazy to them.
I got back to the hotel in time for a 10-minute shower and then we were off to dinner & the night market. Dinner's delicacy was baby octopus - normally I wouldn't go anywhere near that but I was trying to be adventurous. :-) It wasn't really that bad, if you could get past looking at/thinking about what you were eating. At the night market they sold all kinds of treats - fish eyes, fried chicken legs, fried duck head, etc. I figured baby octopus was enough for one night, though, and just took pictures of the rest.
The city of Wupai is beautiful -- lush, tropical vegetation everywhere! I took a log train ride up the mountain (thought of you, Dad!) and then a gondola cable car to the top of a waterfall. There was an amusement park / resort at the top of the waterfall that was very beautiful.
But now let's talk about the weather ... when I started out it wasn't raining at all and was supposed to only have scattered rain throughout the day. I opted to leave my umbrella at the hotel that day (trying to travel light) and just take a light rainjacket. I can't even remember the last time I actually used an umbrella but I also don't usually go walking for hours in the pouring rain. I learned that there are some definite advantages to having an umbrella in such cases.
Because of the rain, there were only about 6 people at the top of the waterfall and pretty much nothing was open. I only walked around for a little bit but I didn't see another person after the first few minutes. A few more minutes and I had to take my glasses off ... a few more and my feet were squishing with every step. I was TOTALLY soaked by the time I took the gondola back down the mountain.
Now, in a stroke of pure genius, I decided not to take the $2 train ride back down the mountain. It hadn't seemed very long at all and mostly went along the road, which was called Lover's Trail and was supposed to be very beautiful. I thought it would be fun to walk. The road didn't quite follow the train tracks and it was a VERY long walk. I never saw another person the entire time - maybe just 3 cars went by. The walk was pretty but the same view as riding the train. And of course it was raining the entire time. Eventually I just started whistling and singing -- there was no one else around anyway, and it made the walk a little more enjoyable.
By the time I made it back down to the starting point, I was definitely ready for a soak in the hot springs. But I missed the little stairs going down to the river and ended up walking a LONG way past the hot springs. I have to admit that by the time I turned around and was heading back, I just wanted to get back to the hotel as quickly as possible. But I found the stairs (right by the bridge I started from!) on the way back and decided to stop after all. I'm glad I did because it made the day a lot more enjoyable.
These hot springs were free and were way more rustic than the last one I went to. There were right alongside the river (I went in the river too, but it was pretty cold) and had algae on the bottom of the pools. The changing rooms were just stalls with some cloth, no showers, etc. But the water was warm and felt good (they had several different temperature pools also, and of course I went in most of them - passed on the cold ones this time.) It's been a long time since I tweaked my knee badly but there were a TON of stairs going up and back down from the waterfall and my knee was in some serious pain! The hot springs helped a little bit.
Changing after the hot spring, I had to wring out all my clothing (even the socks!). I decided to give up fighting the rain so I just wore my swim top and used my jacket to keep my bag dry. The locals found this hilarious as I walked in the rain without an umbrella or jacket. Every person who spoke any English made some comment and the rest just pointed and laughed to each other. A guy at the bus station told me people in Taiwan always use umbrellas - even when it's sunny because they don't want to get suntans, so I guess I looked pretty crazy to them.
I got back to the hotel in time for a 10-minute shower and then we were off to dinner & the night market. Dinner's delicacy was baby octopus - normally I wouldn't go anywhere near that but I was trying to be adventurous. :-) It wasn't really that bad, if you could get past looking at/thinking about what you were eating. At the night market they sold all kinds of treats - fish eyes, fried chicken legs, fried duck head, etc. I figured baby octopus was enough for one night, though, and just took pictures of the rest.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Trip to Taiwan - Day #5
So we've been waking up around 5 am every morning, but this morning my body did not want to wake up at all. I slept in until almost 9 am and then cleaned up with a long soak in the bath (and read a book) for another hour or two. It was a late start to the day but I figured I'd have all afternoon to go out. It was already 1:30 when I was finally ready to go, but then I talked to Scott and found out I needed to change and meet him earlier for a customer dinner. Long story short, I'm not really sure where the time went but I ended up with very little for some reason. I had a nice walk through Taipei 101 (STILL haven't gotten to the top) and through Computex booths. Then on to a customer meeting and dinner.
They were very friendly, even though I was just kind of tagging along. The dinner was definitely an experience - Chinese Shanghai style. A sampling of items from last night's dinner: jellied pork, steamed ferns, fried seaweed & bamboo, shark fin soup, peas & lily bulbs, taro dessert, drunk chicken, red dates with sticky rice. And, yes, I tried them all!
Shark fin wasn't as bad as I had anticipated - pretty mild and not too unpleasant of a texture (but I still couldn't bring myself to have more than one bite). Lily bulbs aren't my favorite but they're ok. I knew I wouldn't like the jellied pork but decided to try everything. I could hardly even try the drunk chicken because of the bones around it. Surprisingly it was the dessert of red dates stuffed with sticky rice that turned my stomach the most. The river shrimp, dumplings, codfish, taro dessert and mushroom & bamboo were fine. My favorites were the braised pork (wonderful!), watermelon & pineapple, green onion pancakes, and surprisingly, the ferns and seaweed & bamboo.
They were very friendly, even though I was just kind of tagging along. The dinner was definitely an experience - Chinese Shanghai style. A sampling of items from last night's dinner: jellied pork, steamed ferns, fried seaweed & bamboo, shark fin soup, peas & lily bulbs, taro dessert, drunk chicken, red dates with sticky rice. And, yes, I tried them all!
Shark fin wasn't as bad as I had anticipated - pretty mild and not too unpleasant of a texture (but I still couldn't bring myself to have more than one bite). Lily bulbs aren't my favorite but they're ok. I knew I wouldn't like the jellied pork but decided to try everything. I could hardly even try the drunk chicken because of the bones around it. Surprisingly it was the dessert of red dates stuffed with sticky rice that turned my stomach the most. The river shrimp, dumplings, codfish, taro dessert and mushroom & bamboo were fine. My favorites were the braised pork (wonderful!), watermelon & pineapple, green onion pancakes, and surprisingly, the ferns and seaweed & bamboo.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Trip to Taiwan - Day #4
I got a map of the bus system, wrote out directions to all the places I wanted to go, and went off exploring by myself today. I found I kept "organizing" the hotel room before leaving & realized I was a little nervous. I was planning to go to another city about an hour away ... 5 transers on the MRT station, walking around to find places once I got there, and not speaking any Chinese. But I was also excited for the adventure.
It took quite a while to figure out the MRT (light rail) system (as in even FIND the first station!), and I almost gave up and went back to the hotel, but I persevered. I realized as I was walking that I didn't have a clue what an MRT station was or looked like! I hung out at the bus station for a bit. I showed a couple my map and asked if this was the right place. The lady said yes, but later her husband came and said lots of things, but all I understood was no. I figured out that if you're lost, look for the closest hotel -- the concierge usually speaks a little English. He told me I was looking for something different from the bus and that it was 'that' way (pointing). It still took a while to find (as I had no clue I was looking for a set of stairs with no sign until I saw the light rail going above me), but from then out things were great. The city I went to was beautiful, and I got to spend several hours in a natural hot spring. :-)
The hot spring park was where the locals go (I was the only white person I saw in the entire city). There were 6 pools of all different temperatures. I made sure to go in each one. The hottest one was SUPER hot -- and that's saying a lot coming from me (Scott can't get in the baths/showers I run) -- but I proudly managed two lengthy soaks in it. I'm sure I was bright pink afterwards -- even the locals were pretty red when they got out of that one.
Okay, I admit it -- I didn't go up to my neck in the cold pool, but hey I did get in . And let me tell you, you don't need drugs to trip your body out -- just take a super cold dip after a super hot one!
The weirdest part was going hours without saying a single word (since no one spoke English) - that NEVER happens at home with the kids!! I just rode the MRT or walked around, observing & taking pictures for the most part. After several hours, I'd start feeling like a mute - odd feeling. It was enjoyable when one of the ladies at the hot spring museum talked to me in English for a while.
The evening trip to the night market got cancelled because it was raining badly and we were told most vendors would have packed up, so no shopping yet. :-( But we went to a famous dumpling restaurant, Din Tai Fung, for dinner so I still got to do one of the things on my list. The meal was good but I found steamed dumplings aren't my most favorite thing. The pork fried rice and the pork buns were wonderful.
It surprised me how comforting the rain was last night -- sounded like home (& blocked the traffic noise). Big difference, though, is that everyone carries umbrellas and opens them even if they're just crossing the street. My fellow Oregonians will probably agree that's an odd sight.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Trip to Taiwan - Day #3
Chiang Kia-shek Memorial HallDay 3: Tour of Taipei -- I signed up for a half-day tour of the city. We had an English-speaking guide, a couple from Australia & an Asian family in the group. It was really fun to see all the different sites & learn some history! The National Palace Museum had amazing jade & ivory carvings, but we didn't get to stay long. Taking a break now then off to walk some shops and visit Taipei 101 tonight with Scott.
I walked around Computex in the evening. We went over to Taipei 101 but the line to go up to the observatory at the top was really long and it would have been dark by the time we got to go. We decided to come back another day, so we had a teppanyaki dinner down in the basement (where the prices are actually affordable) and then came back to the hotel and went to bed early.
I walked around Computex in the evening. We went over to Taipei 101 but the line to go up to the observatory at the top was really long and it would have been dark by the time we got to go. We decided to come back another day, so we had a teppanyaki dinner down in the basement (where the prices are actually affordable) and then came back to the hotel and went to bed early.
Local Buddhist / Taoist Temple
Presidential Office Building(where the President of Taiwan works)
Statue in the temple
Scooters everywhere - they just weave through all the cars
Changing of the guard at Martyr's Shrine
Hallway to Martyr's Shrine
On-guard soldier at Martyr's Shrine 
Cool tree
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
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