Taipei

Let me start off by saying that my chosen route of travel has been all across the board. Each country I have visited definitely has its own feel (generically speaking). Transportation has gone from double-decker buses to pink taxi meters to tuk tuks to MRT. Everything is very colorful in Taipei including clothing, commercials and signs. This seems to be a similar trend in some Asian cultures (remember this from last time I visited Korea). I stayed with my friend, Grant in his apartment located near his university and Tamkang (Tamsui) University is flooded with students! Classes began on the 20th (day before I left), so the fairly quiet campus resumed its active, lively feel as students began to reemerge from their one-month break.

I sat in for a couple of Grant's classes, which was quite the experience. Actually the first course sylabi was similar to one of journalism courses at St. Thomas, except the the class size was doubled or tripled with a different classroom environment. The professor had car trouble so he made his appearance late to Grant's second class. So, the students made use of the time by either mingling with one another or attempting to make a joint decision concerning a party held for "the chosen" professors. Although I did not completely understand the discussion (given that I am not too familiar with Mandarian), this is what I could comprehend with the help of Grant's roommate, Scott. There was not order to this "voting"/decision-making process, but that's what held my attention I suppose. Oh chaos can be good sometimes. :) But we ducked out early so I could explore the campus. He accomplished his task (designated by Grant) to show me the university, although I was not allowed to enter the 5-star library haha.

Following suit with the large class sizes, in general Taipei is quite a crowded city, especially compared to St. Paul, MN where everything is spread out and the population density is nothing compared to this. I suppose this is preparing me for Seoul, Korea, which will be my next and final destination. There were some Korean tourists in Taipei, but a majority were from Japan. It has been interesting to see who are the main visitors in each country. For instance, my motorbike drivers told me that Cambodia is a popular vacation spot for Koreans.

While the Cambodian "pancake" and amok were among my favorite dishes in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, it is difficult to choose just a few favorite items in Taipei. I cannot even count how many things I tried in my 4 day visit. However, the pearl milk tea (bubble tea) definitely beat Tea Garden back in Minnesota. Grant and his friends told me that bubble tea was invented in Taiwan, so I guess it seems logical that the taste exceeds anywhere else. Burgers (not typical ones you find in the US) and milk tea became part of our morning ritual (not complaints here). Basically, I never went hungry in Taipei. I don't think this was allowed. :) The only things that weren't on my top list were... shark, squid and pig stomach (in the soup)... But the other choices were plentiful so no worries. Walk through a night market and you'll be surrounded by smells (food) and venders selling an array of random items.

Some highlights:
Grant introduced me to numerous parts of Taipei life, filling each day with many sights and activities. Let's just say that I was never bored. The first day, we explored Taipei City Hall with his friend Alan, which allowed me to catch a glimpse of the modern, trendy lifestyle. And what lies in Taipei City Hall you may ask? Taipei 101, which is the tallest building in the world. We took the elevator, which holds another record (fastest elevator), reaching the 89th floor in 27 seconds. (Hong Kong is home to the longest escalator in Soho). Madde, Megan, Al and Joan, I thought of you as I gazed out from the top. ;)

Jioufen was a quite different experience, a more traditional look at Taiwan. Grant, Marcus (his friend) and I took the train (TRA) and then a bus attempting keep our step as the bus tossed its passengers back and forth. It rained the entire time we were in Jiofen, but rain does not bother me. My "fabulous" shoes (aka my falling apart gray Vans) were put to the test and passed! A warm bowl of green bean soup cures anything. :)

Somehow we even managed to visit the National Palace Museum and Longshan Temple, which received high recommendations in my Taipei books (and I understand why).

Well, now I am in Seoul, which is another story in itself, but you shall hear about this in the mere future!