Tuesday, November 24, 2009
First Snow in Seoul
At 2 am on November 14th I began to see all of the status updates on Facebook that it was snowing in Seoul. I ran outside to see a group of people staring up into the sky and pointing at the occasional flakes. I went back inside to grab my roommate, her friend, and my camera to catch their first experience of seeing snow. The two are from Taiwan and were excited to see it snow. I told them about how when I was in Elementary school we would get let out of class to to run out in the first snow and how we would stick out our tongues to try to catch flakes. They tried it too, making for some great photos.
Tae Kyun Update
Earlier I wrote about my Tae Kyun class, but I have a few funny stories to update you on-
1. A few classes ago we played these games where you tried to step on top of someone's foot or sitting cross-legged in front of one another tried to touch the top of your opponents head. I apparently freaked out all the Koreans I went up against with how quickly/aggressively I moved. I beat all of the girls and most of the guys too. Too bad they all called me "scary" though...
2. Part of the class is becoming more flexible, and what better way to do this than forced stretching?!?! We've done a few different exercises where your partner sits on your back or knees during the butterfly to force you into a complete stretch. Well I keep getting partnered with this girl who is practically half my size. She is incredibly flexible though. Its just hilarious when she wants me to put my entire weight on her back. She keeps saying "I can do it! Your full weight please!" She is such a champ, and much better at this game then me. Every time we do these my face gets really red and her or the professor keep calling out to see if I'm ok. They get such the kick when I respond in a half-breathed "Ne" (Korean for yes).
3. Last class the professor had an above average amount of information to give to students, so spoke for 50 straight minutes in Korean. I understand that since I'm the only English speaker in the class it really doesn't make sense for him to speak in English or stop to translate. Every once in awhile I would hear my name, most likely in relation to how I couldn't be understanding anything. Then at the very end he calls out "Ash-ul-ri, I love you!" and the whole class cracks up. He came up to me after the lecture and apologized for his lack of comfort speaking in English and promised to fill me in after class. He is such an animated speaker that I really wish I could understand him, but I do appreciate how much he tries to make me feel comfortable in the class.
1. A few classes ago we played these games where you tried to step on top of someone's foot or sitting cross-legged in front of one another tried to touch the top of your opponents head. I apparently freaked out all the Koreans I went up against with how quickly/aggressively I moved. I beat all of the girls and most of the guys too. Too bad they all called me "scary" though...
2. Part of the class is becoming more flexible, and what better way to do this than forced stretching?!?! We've done a few different exercises where your partner sits on your back or knees during the butterfly to force you into a complete stretch. Well I keep getting partnered with this girl who is practically half my size. She is incredibly flexible though. Its just hilarious when she wants me to put my entire weight on her back. She keeps saying "I can do it! Your full weight please!" She is such a champ, and much better at this game then me. Every time we do these my face gets really red and her or the professor keep calling out to see if I'm ok. They get such the kick when I respond in a half-breathed "Ne" (Korean for yes).
3. Last class the professor had an above average amount of information to give to students, so spoke for 50 straight minutes in Korean. I understand that since I'm the only English speaker in the class it really doesn't make sense for him to speak in English or stop to translate. Every once in awhile I would hear my name, most likely in relation to how I couldn't be understanding anything. Then at the very end he calls out "Ash-ul-ri, I love you!" and the whole class cracks up. He came up to me after the lecture and apologized for his lack of comfort speaking in English and promised to fill me in after class. He is such an animated speaker that I really wish I could understand him, but I do appreciate how much he tries to make me feel comfortable in the class.
I-Tunes Night
As much as we all complain about the I-House (and believe me, there can't help but be complaining when there is power drilling outside of your window Monday-Sunday before 7am...), we all benefit from the convenience of living in the same building and being able to hangout at a moment's notice. It's been awhile since I've lived in a dorm (erm, I mean "Residence Hall") setting, and I am enjoying the ability to knock on a friend's door and then spend the evening sharing music with each other.
A few weeks ago, that is just what my friends Maz, Hana, and I did. We started off by playing each other the most random songs we knew, and then quickly progressed to showing pictures from our lives back home. Who knows what goes on in the guys side of the wing, but for entertainment that night we each took a stroll down memory lane and busted out photos from childhood, prom, the early days of college, and ones of our pets.
So many times here we get caught up in the busyness of life in Seoul that we really only know the surface story of each other. At best I know where someone is from, and if I'm lucky, what school they go to (When in doubt, ask which UC...). This was a great chance to get to know the musical tastes and a bit of the back story of some friends, and was an evening that could just have easily happened back on campus in Mac. It was yet another example of how sometimes the simplest of evenings can make for the most enjoyable ones.
A few weeks ago, that is just what my friends Maz, Hana, and I did. We started off by playing each other the most random songs we knew, and then quickly progressed to showing pictures from our lives back home. Who knows what goes on in the guys side of the wing, but for entertainment that night we each took a stroll down memory lane and busted out photos from childhood, prom, the early days of college, and ones of our pets.
So many times here we get caught up in the busyness of life in Seoul that we really only know the surface story of each other. At best I know where someone is from, and if I'm lucky, what school they go to (When in doubt, ask which UC...). This was a great chance to get to know the musical tastes and a bit of the back story of some friends, and was an evening that could just have easily happened back on campus in Mac. It was yet another example of how sometimes the simplest of evenings can make for the most enjoyable ones.
"Real Korean Culture"-Yongsan Army Base
Just about the last weekend of October my friend Jah Woon invited me to visit her brother at a nearby army base for his birthday. I met her in Sinchon and we hopped on the bus for Yongsan, which is about 25 minutes away. I didn't really go with any expectations, but the whole experience was just rather culturally strange to me.
When we got to the base (conveniently located just outside of the bus stop) Jah Woon signed in and had her brother called. I went to look for a restroom and couldn't help but notice the crowded room with tables on the top floor facing a wall of vending machines. It reminded me of a jail's visiting room.
Back downstairs I joined Jah Woon and was shortly introduced to more of her family. Her uncle, aunt, grandmother, and cousin had come to visit as well. After about 15 minutes her brother arrived and escorted us to the office where he works at. Since it was his birthday his superiors had allowed him to host his family there instead of the crowded visiting room. To repay the favor, half of the cake brought for him was divvied up for them and any time one of the elders walked into the room the entire family jumped to their feet.
Even though the aunt had prepared a verifiable feast, we ate the sweet potato cake Jah Woon bought first. It shocked me when she used chop sticks instead of a fork, but those utensils are extremely versatile! I was already full, but the grandmother kept telling us to eat more of the fried potatoes, rice, ribs and seaweed soup. It is tradition for Koreans to eat seaweed soup on their birthday since during pregnancy women eat it for the health of the baby.
After the extended family left, Jah Woon, her brother and I talked for a little bit. He obviously wasn't that comfortable speaking in English so soon left to get two his newest friends who both spoke English. They had only been there for two months and were just adjusting to the monotony of Army life. I kept asking them questions about what they would do, when they were able to leave the base, and how their lives had been before. It was just so strange to me that for 2 years they were practically confined to that base, with their only means of communication being to write letters or call on the telephone. The family is allowed to visit on the weekends, but it is surely awkward to have forced conversation in a room full of strangers. Jah Woon's brother told me that when he first came to the Army he wanted to be visited as much as possible, but now the meetings are fewer and further in between.
I understand the necessity for Korea to institute a service commitment, but the reality of its implementation is tough to see. There is no good time for these young men to fulfill their service-either they go after high school and are 2 years behind their peers in school, or they leave school after 2 years and return after their peers have moved on. Either way, the social interruption seems like such a great loss of youth.
When Jah Woon took me to the base she told me that this would be a real glimpse into Korean culture, and it really was. It was obvious that the family was proud of her brother's service, but there was still the forced awkwardness of the situation. I couldn't help but notice the aunt look at times from her nephew in uniform to her young son who kept fidgeting beside her as he played his video game. In the first glance there was pride and I could detect an ambivalence with the second. Perhaps I am projecting my own thoughts, but it seems that she was glimpsing into a time when her only son would be filling the boots his cousin now wore. I felt in that moment that I couldn't be the only one in the room wishing for a future in which that young boy would only wear that uniform out of choice.
When we got to the base (conveniently located just outside of the bus stop) Jah Woon signed in and had her brother called. I went to look for a restroom and couldn't help but notice the crowded room with tables on the top floor facing a wall of vending machines. It reminded me of a jail's visiting room.
Back downstairs I joined Jah Woon and was shortly introduced to more of her family. Her uncle, aunt, grandmother, and cousin had come to visit as well. After about 15 minutes her brother arrived and escorted us to the office where he works at. Since it was his birthday his superiors had allowed him to host his family there instead of the crowded visiting room. To repay the favor, half of the cake brought for him was divvied up for them and any time one of the elders walked into the room the entire family jumped to their feet.
Even though the aunt had prepared a verifiable feast, we ate the sweet potato cake Jah Woon bought first. It shocked me when she used chop sticks instead of a fork, but those utensils are extremely versatile! I was already full, but the grandmother kept telling us to eat more of the fried potatoes, rice, ribs and seaweed soup. It is tradition for Koreans to eat seaweed soup on their birthday since during pregnancy women eat it for the health of the baby.
After the extended family left, Jah Woon, her brother and I talked for a little bit. He obviously wasn't that comfortable speaking in English so soon left to get two his newest friends who both spoke English. They had only been there for two months and were just adjusting to the monotony of Army life. I kept asking them questions about what they would do, when they were able to leave the base, and how their lives had been before. It was just so strange to me that for 2 years they were practically confined to that base, with their only means of communication being to write letters or call on the telephone. The family is allowed to visit on the weekends, but it is surely awkward to have forced conversation in a room full of strangers. Jah Woon's brother told me that when he first came to the Army he wanted to be visited as much as possible, but now the meetings are fewer and further in between.
I understand the necessity for Korea to institute a service commitment, but the reality of its implementation is tough to see. There is no good time for these young men to fulfill their service-either they go after high school and are 2 years behind their peers in school, or they leave school after 2 years and return after their peers have moved on. Either way, the social interruption seems like such a great loss of youth.
When Jah Woon took me to the base she told me that this would be a real glimpse into Korean culture, and it really was. It was obvious that the family was proud of her brother's service, but there was still the forced awkwardness of the situation. I couldn't help but notice the aunt look at times from her nephew in uniform to her young son who kept fidgeting beside her as he played his video game. In the first glance there was pride and I could detect an ambivalence with the second. Perhaps I am projecting my own thoughts, but it seems that she was glimpsing into a time when her only son would be filling the boots his cousin now wore. I felt in that moment that I couldn't be the only one in the room wishing for a future in which that young boy would only wear that uniform out of choice.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Restless Musings...
In a bout of restlessness I wrote this, comparing my semester spent in Washington, DC to my time here in Korea
What on earth is it I’m looking for? I said I wanted to travel, and here I am thousands of miles away, experiencing all that a new culture has to offer. There’s good and bad, but its not like I didn’t expect that. Nothing has been so difficult that it makes me think about booking a ticket home. Not even the food situation, my being terribly “taste bud sick”, since I am able to improvise well enough on that account.
Something is just…missing.
Maybe it’s not being able to see friends, but I am able to call and message at any time. Sure, it would be great to be sharing some of these experiences with them, but I’ve found people here who I would equally classify as friends.
Thinking back, I’m trying to remember if I had the same feelings towards my time in DC. I think some of the same elements of not being natural in city life are there, but with some great differences. I still love the benefits of living near a metro, but since I don’t quite use it as often I haven’t gotten as tired of the monotony of it. The safety issues and ever-present requests by aggressive homeless people are replaced here by the extreme crowding and the aggressive ajumas pushing their way through. The brusque attitudes of wait staff and rude sales people there is interchangeable with the indifference or discrimination here. Both are equally as wearing…
Thinking about it more, I think what is missing here is the feeling that I will never be able to call Seoul home. Even if I were to become fluent, adjust to all the cultural norms I still wouldn’t fit in. I’m white and that first visual impression will always be one of a foreigner.
It will always take forever to get a taxi at night (Even when my Asian roommate asked a driver in Korean to take us to campus, he pulled away when I stepped to get into the car). There will always be some who dismiss my mistakes as being acceptable because I “just don’t know any better”, not bothering to correct me. But I want to learn and not get a free ride of immunity for sometimes small and other times glaring transgressions. If I cannot be held accountable for my actions in their eyes how can I ever be accepted?
I want to feel as if I belong. It isn’t as if being the abnormal white blip on the homogenous screen bothers me, I am completely ok with that. The stares of curiosity don’t make me feel uneasy, it is only the ones that carry the expectation of sexual promiscuity that I take offense to.
What it all boils down to is thinking that where I am currently doesn’t have the potential of being home. Were you to ask me if I would live in DC my response would be an immediate, enthusiastic “Of Course!” But if you were to ask me (as I was yesterday in an interview by a student doing surveys on tourism) “Would you be willing to come visit Seoul again in the future?” my hesitant answer would be “Maybe after 5 years or so, to see how things have changed”. I have spent life as a visitor here for the past 3 months, and after one more I think I will have had my fill for a while.
I miss feeling a part of the community, whether I am in my home community or traveling in the broader American one. There is a lot of negativity that surrounds ideas of nationalism, especially when it comes to someone who carries their overt pride of being an American with them abroad. But here, I have been enlightened on the powerful comfort that comes from being a member of an extended national community.
Here I am always “the other”, unable to ever understand what it means to be Korean, whether by blood or birth. I miss the ease of identification with Americans, the ability to have common ground of some basic precepts of life. I miss living in a diverse community that still shares some of the same values and cultural expectations. I am not trying to make a value judgment to imply that our way of life is better. I mean only to say that I have been socialized to American norms and values, and I miss being able to live within a community that accepts that.
I am grateful for my time abroad. It has helped me grow in confidence and maturity. But I am only a visitor here. A grateful one at that though, thankful for the kindness of the strangers who have made my time here enlightening and pleasant. [I should note that I write this in one of my favorite café’s in Edae where a piece of warm chocolate cake helps to soothe the blues. And it is accompanied by a free cup of coffee that has a detailed cat etched into the cream].
But as grateful as I am I yearn to return to a place where my citizenship and socialization make any place within its borders a potential location for a place of residence in the future. So as much as I am learning here, as much as this will be one of the fondest periods of my life to look back on, as grateful as I am for the Korean’s hospitality in welcoming me to their beautiful country, I eagerly await passing through customs and, as I have been greeted in my previous times by border officials when returning from abroad, hearing “Welcome Home”.
What on earth is it I’m looking for? I said I wanted to travel, and here I am thousands of miles away, experiencing all that a new culture has to offer. There’s good and bad, but its not like I didn’t expect that. Nothing has been so difficult that it makes me think about booking a ticket home. Not even the food situation, my being terribly “taste bud sick”, since I am able to improvise well enough on that account.
Something is just…missing.
Maybe it’s not being able to see friends, but I am able to call and message at any time. Sure, it would be great to be sharing some of these experiences with them, but I’ve found people here who I would equally classify as friends.
Thinking back, I’m trying to remember if I had the same feelings towards my time in DC. I think some of the same elements of not being natural in city life are there, but with some great differences. I still love the benefits of living near a metro, but since I don’t quite use it as often I haven’t gotten as tired of the monotony of it. The safety issues and ever-present requests by aggressive homeless people are replaced here by the extreme crowding and the aggressive ajumas pushing their way through. The brusque attitudes of wait staff and rude sales people there is interchangeable with the indifference or discrimination here. Both are equally as wearing…
Thinking about it more, I think what is missing here is the feeling that I will never be able to call Seoul home. Even if I were to become fluent, adjust to all the cultural norms I still wouldn’t fit in. I’m white and that first visual impression will always be one of a foreigner.
It will always take forever to get a taxi at night (Even when my Asian roommate asked a driver in Korean to take us to campus, he pulled away when I stepped to get into the car). There will always be some who dismiss my mistakes as being acceptable because I “just don’t know any better”, not bothering to correct me. But I want to learn and not get a free ride of immunity for sometimes small and other times glaring transgressions. If I cannot be held accountable for my actions in their eyes how can I ever be accepted?
I want to feel as if I belong. It isn’t as if being the abnormal white blip on the homogenous screen bothers me, I am completely ok with that. The stares of curiosity don’t make me feel uneasy, it is only the ones that carry the expectation of sexual promiscuity that I take offense to.
What it all boils down to is thinking that where I am currently doesn’t have the potential of being home. Were you to ask me if I would live in DC my response would be an immediate, enthusiastic “Of Course!” But if you were to ask me (as I was yesterday in an interview by a student doing surveys on tourism) “Would you be willing to come visit Seoul again in the future?” my hesitant answer would be “Maybe after 5 years or so, to see how things have changed”. I have spent life as a visitor here for the past 3 months, and after one more I think I will have had my fill for a while.
I miss feeling a part of the community, whether I am in my home community or traveling in the broader American one. There is a lot of negativity that surrounds ideas of nationalism, especially when it comes to someone who carries their overt pride of being an American with them abroad. But here, I have been enlightened on the powerful comfort that comes from being a member of an extended national community.
Here I am always “the other”, unable to ever understand what it means to be Korean, whether by blood or birth. I miss the ease of identification with Americans, the ability to have common ground of some basic precepts of life. I miss living in a diverse community that still shares some of the same values and cultural expectations. I am not trying to make a value judgment to imply that our way of life is better. I mean only to say that I have been socialized to American norms and values, and I miss being able to live within a community that accepts that.
I am grateful for my time abroad. It has helped me grow in confidence and maturity. But I am only a visitor here. A grateful one at that though, thankful for the kindness of the strangers who have made my time here enlightening and pleasant. [I should note that I write this in one of my favorite café’s in Edae where a piece of warm chocolate cake helps to soothe the blues. And it is accompanied by a free cup of coffee that has a detailed cat etched into the cream].
But as grateful as I am I yearn to return to a place where my citizenship and socialization make any place within its borders a potential location for a place of residence in the future. So as much as I am learning here, as much as this will be one of the fondest periods of my life to look back on, as grateful as I am for the Korean’s hospitality in welcoming me to their beautiful country, I eagerly await passing through customs and, as I have been greeted in my previous times by border officials when returning from abroad, hearing “Welcome Home”.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Taiwan: The Final Chapter
Instead of journaling about the last bits of my journey while in Taiwan, I wrote post cards. So here, after a few weeks of being home, is my recollection of the highlights of the end of my trip.
Instead of going to Taroko Gorge I opted to take about a 1.5 hour trip to Wulai to visit the hot springs there. So for around $10 I had unlimited access to 4 pools. The whole bathing naked with strangers thing was weird for the first few minutes (compounded by the fact that my paleness attracted a bit of attention...), but it really wasn't that big of a deal. I had a very relaxing afternoon and will be looking into finally making it to a jimjil-bang in Korea.
That night I had the absolute best boba tea of my time there, but it took some work to order. I tried pointing at the pictures, but ended up having to look up individual words on my dictionary to get the point across. Worth it though.
On my last day I toured around Taipei. I went to the Chang Kai-Shek plaza to get pictures in the daylight, Taipei 101, and went to sample tea in Mukong. I stopped for dinner at this place that has been featured on the Discovery Channel's travel show and had some amazing dishes of fried rice and fried potato/sweet potato/pumpkin that were all tea infused. A family from Singapore offered to share their taxi the 40 minute ride down the hill so I wouldn't have to wait for the bus and refused to let me pay. I ended the night by visiting the huge Shilin Night Market. It was packed with people and vendors, but I didn't end up buying anything. The things on sale were pretty much the same as what I can find in Korea, only more expensive. There were many food stalls, but it was all in such a small area that I felt kind of sketched by it all. In all, it was fun people watching.
Guess they haven't gotten around to changing the sign...
Amazing view from restaurant
As tempting as this was, I didn't order it...
The trip was home rather uneventful. I got up early, had breakfast at Subway and took the hour bus to the airport. Check in was a breeze, the food was actually good, and I made it back to campus without incident. What an amazing week! It will surely be one of my favorite parts of my study abroad.
Instead of going to Taroko Gorge I opted to take about a 1.5 hour trip to Wulai to visit the hot springs there. So for around $10 I had unlimited access to 4 pools. The whole bathing naked with strangers thing was weird for the first few minutes (compounded by the fact that my paleness attracted a bit of attention...), but it really wasn't that big of a deal. I had a very relaxing afternoon and will be looking into finally making it to a jimjil-bang in Korea.
That night I had the absolute best boba tea of my time there, but it took some work to order. I tried pointing at the pictures, but ended up having to look up individual words on my dictionary to get the point across. Worth it though.
On my last day I toured around Taipei. I went to the Chang Kai-Shek plaza to get pictures in the daylight, Taipei 101, and went to sample tea in Mukong. I stopped for dinner at this place that has been featured on the Discovery Channel's travel show and had some amazing dishes of fried rice and fried potato/sweet potato/pumpkin that were all tea infused. A family from Singapore offered to share their taxi the 40 minute ride down the hill so I wouldn't have to wait for the bus and refused to let me pay. I ended the night by visiting the huge Shilin Night Market. It was packed with people and vendors, but I didn't end up buying anything. The things on sale were pretty much the same as what I can find in Korea, only more expensive. There were many food stalls, but it was all in such a small area that I felt kind of sketched by it all. In all, it was fun people watching.
Guess they haven't gotten around to changing the sign...
Amazing view from restaurant
As tempting as this was, I didn't order it...
The trip was home rather uneventful. I got up early, had breakfast at Subway and took the hour bus to the airport. Check in was a breeze, the food was actually good, and I made it back to campus without incident. What an amazing week! It will surely be one of my favorite parts of my study abroad.
Taiwan: 10/24/09
Today has been filled with touring around Danshui and Beitou with Kiki and Angel. It has rained on and off, with progressively stronger wind gusts throughout the day. I had heard after I bought my plane ticket that there was supposed to be a typhoon on Wednesday, which is why I went south right when I got here. Go figure, the worst weather of the week in Taipei would be when I returned for the weekend.
Danshui is a port town where the river and sea meet. Although there were many clouds blocking the horizon , I was still able to get some pictures of the Taiwan Strait. They took me to the major historical sites-Consular House, French Fortress, the street that has schools from kindergarten to university, and along the old shopping street. They joked last night that they took me to the best University (Taiwan National) and today the worst (Danshui's college). The campus was gorgeous though, and the church there is home to the largest organ in South East Asia.
The river and sea meet off to the right
Private high school campus that kind of reminded me of Pomona College
Props along the pier
As with last night, food was a prominent part of the tour. I had A-Gei for breakfast at the most famous store. It is a fishball filled with glass noodles in a soup with hot sauce. As a treat the owner gave me a fish dumpling, the other local delicacy. Later I had Bubble Tea at the most popular store (even though the boba was just freshly made, I like the one from the night before better) and rice cakes at the famous store. They gave free samples and after trying that and 3 different types of Chinese moon cakes I ended up liking the traditional one the best. I bought that for around $2 to have as a snack later on in the weekend. They were impressed with my knowledge of some of the foods and that I liked them-the good remnants from my time spent with those who I came to think of as my California Family.
After touring Danshui we went to Beitou, famous for the hot springs that the Japanese had made. We ran into a sort of Hot Springs expo by the MRT station where there was a long corridor of booths hawking their respective place's services. The most clever set of people passing out fliers were wearing bath robes. We went to see the new Beitou library and the hot spring museum where Kiki used to give tours as a volunteer in high school. They showed me the public spring nearby, and time permitting I will try to go back before I leave on Tuesday.
Before heading home they took me to the National Palace Museum, the Smithsonian of Taiwan. The entrance is free on Saturdays 5-8:30 PM and it is one of those things you can't have come to the country and not seen. I am writing this from a cafe there now, sipping on a cup of delicious Oolong Tea. I am truthfully exhausted and not really in the mood to be tramping through art galleries soaked from the shins down, but I can now check this off my list.
I am trying to decide now what I will do tomorrow. I am supposed to head to Taroko Gorge, but with the weather hear it might be dangerous. The idea of taking a 6 hour round trip to visit a gorge in the rain that is known to have falling roccks is less than appealing right now. Especially since the travel time would mean maybe not seeing other things in Taipei (I have to at least make it to Taipei 101, the world's tallest building. All the things closer may have been impacted by the recent earthquake (train to Alishan, of the most beautiful rail routes, has been closed due to the quake's effects) or not as nice due to the weather. So decisions, decisions. I'm off now to find dinner, contemplating whether or not I want to head to the famous night market in this weather...
Danshui is a port town where the river and sea meet. Although there were many clouds blocking the horizon , I was still able to get some pictures of the Taiwan Strait. They took me to the major historical sites-Consular House, French Fortress, the street that has schools from kindergarten to university, and along the old shopping street. They joked last night that they took me to the best University (Taiwan National) and today the worst (Danshui's college). The campus was gorgeous though, and the church there is home to the largest organ in South East Asia.
The river and sea meet off to the right
Private high school campus that kind of reminded me of Pomona College
Props along the pier
As with last night, food was a prominent part of the tour. I had A-Gei for breakfast at the most famous store. It is a fishball filled with glass noodles in a soup with hot sauce. As a treat the owner gave me a fish dumpling, the other local delicacy. Later I had Bubble Tea at the most popular store (even though the boba was just freshly made, I like the one from the night before better) and rice cakes at the famous store. They gave free samples and after trying that and 3 different types of Chinese moon cakes I ended up liking the traditional one the best. I bought that for around $2 to have as a snack later on in the weekend. They were impressed with my knowledge of some of the foods and that I liked them-the good remnants from my time spent with those who I came to think of as my California Family.
After touring Danshui we went to Beitou, famous for the hot springs that the Japanese had made. We ran into a sort of Hot Springs expo by the MRT station where there was a long corridor of booths hawking their respective place's services. The most clever set of people passing out fliers were wearing bath robes. We went to see the new Beitou library and the hot spring museum where Kiki used to give tours as a volunteer in high school. They showed me the public spring nearby, and time permitting I will try to go back before I leave on Tuesday.
Before heading home they took me to the National Palace Museum, the Smithsonian of Taiwan. The entrance is free on Saturdays 5-8:30 PM and it is one of those things you can't have come to the country and not seen. I am writing this from a cafe there now, sipping on a cup of delicious Oolong Tea. I am truthfully exhausted and not really in the mood to be tramping through art galleries soaked from the shins down, but I can now check this off my list.
I am trying to decide now what I will do tomorrow. I am supposed to head to Taroko Gorge, but with the weather hear it might be dangerous. The idea of taking a 6 hour round trip to visit a gorge in the rain that is known to have falling roccks is less than appealing right now. Especially since the travel time would mean maybe not seeing other things in Taipei (I have to at least make it to Taipei 101, the world's tallest building. All the things closer may have been impacted by the recent earthquake (train to Alishan, of the most beautiful rail routes, has been closed due to the quake's effects) or not as nice due to the weather. So decisions, decisions. I'm off now to find dinner, contemplating whether or not I want to head to the famous night market in this weather...
Taiwan: 10/23/09
So all went well on the train, I fell asleep for most of it and didn't have to give up my seat. It seems that the further out the train went the fewer people that were on, and most people didn't have tickets. What didn't go so well is getting stuck in Taichung, an hour and a half away from Puli where I was supposed to take another 1.5 hour bus to the hostel. Luckily I had the cellphone and was able to call the Hostel Hotline. I called the Taichung Youth Hostel and was happy to hear they had a vacancy. So another hour bus ride and 390 NTD (roughly $13) later I had a place to stay for the night.
The hostel was about a 15 minute walk to the nearest food, and I experienced my first feelings of sketchness walking down the desserted streets at night. I finally made it to the little turnabout where there was a shrine with windmills at the center. It seemed setup like they were going to have a festival.
I went into what looked like the first open stall, or at least one that had an old lady watching soaps. She tried to motion through what was available, but I ordered without really caring what it was. So for 100NTD ($3ish) out came rice, a ghastly sweet tea, and a large metal bowl that she put over a little kero-gel light. Inside was a rather bland broth, beef, 3 different types of tofu (one with a pink cartoon on it), lettuce, some unidentified sea food, and glass noodles. It wasn't bad, and at that point anything hot was amazing.
There I was also able to get my first real picture with me in it on the trip. It was nice exchanging pleasantries during the commercial break as well. I got the typical nice comment from the old lady that I was beautiful. I think truthfully though that they see white and automatically think pretty.
On the way back to teh hostel I stopped at 7-11. They had peanut M&Ms and gum that wasn't Xylitol! I didn't see Big Red though, and am hoping to find it before leaving. Right before coming I finished the last of my M&Ms and gum, so the chance to restock for a bit more into the semester is a welcome surprise!
I loved the chips by nationality...
I think I was the only person staying at the hostel, or at least the only girl. There were 3 sets of bunk beds so I had my pick. I was really hoping to meet other travelers, but I guess a Wednesday night in a random through city wasn't the best bet.
I went to bed early and got up and out by 8:30 the next morning. Breakfast of Snicker's on the bus back to the station would end up being the only food I would have until dinner at 7 that night. I tried finding the Sum Moon Lake bus near the main bus station, but no such luck. A guide there gave me directions and wrote in Chinese for me to take a taxi. By the looks for his map it was only 6 blocks away. So I tried to walk. The road turned/curved in a way that didn't match the map, so I just took a taxi. Lesson learned-when they try to put you in a taxi take it. It was a good 12 minute drive across huge intersections later that I was dropped off at a tour bus stop.
Unlike Korea, which takes forever and a day to get American released movies, films here seem to come out rather quickly.
For 75NTD (about $2) I bought a ticket for the 1.5/2 hour trip. Once there I went to the tourism office and was ecstatic to hear that they would hold my bag while I went around. I checked the bus times and decided I would give myself about 3 hours there, not sure how late the shuttle ran to the hostel. I started to walk around a bit, saw one of the temples on my own ,but realized I wouldn't rally be able to catch that many sights on foot.
View from the tourism office
View from the Temple
I took a 1.5 hour boat tour around the lake. It stopped at a small island in the middle, a temple, and a tribal market street where I tried the most famous tea of the area. The added bonus was that there were plenty of people I could hand my camera to take pictures for me.
Incredibly racist story of the town...
Odd clash of tradition with modern concerns
As I was leaving the Temple I asked an older gentleman to take a picture for me. He did, but then two women ran over and insisted that he take a picture with me. I of course said yes and handed my camera back over for another picture (kinda like my travels in China, but I wanted evidence this time). Well all of a sudden the attention had shifted to us and everyone in his tour group started cheering and laughing. This only got louder as I went over close to him and kind of put my hand up to touch his back. This is common protocol in American picture posing, but I forget that in the rest of the world it isn't always so. It turns out they were from China, so that explains a lot of the novelty of it for them.
After the boat tour I decided to catch an earlier bus to Puli where I would take a bus to my hostel in the hills of Nantou. The Lake was nice and all, but it was just ok and I didn't feel too inspired to stay and look much further. Truthfully I was hoping to make it to the hostel while it was still light outside. There's really just something comforting about having made it to the place where you will be sleeping in the daylight.
I had to wait about 40 minutes for the next bus, and didn't really see anywhere nearby to grab something to eat. The bus was packed with students and people heading home, but luckily I caught one of the last seats. The girls behind me were switching between Chinese Pop and American music. I got to hum along to the Fray, but then they played some music I hadn't heard before. I must admit, being in Korea where Pandora is blocked and I only hear K-Pop or American dance hits from the summer, the only way I've really kept in touch with what's popular in the US is through Glee. When I get back to Seoul I will be YouTube-ing some of the latest hits.
The bus kept heading higher and higher through the windy mountain roads. The sunset was spectacular, with some deep reds showing through the clouds behind the mountains. I kept looking for the stop the website had described, but after 1.5 hours (estimated time given) I got nervous and asked one of the few remaining students where it was. He said we had already passed it, a fact that was confirmed when the bus did a U-Turn after the last stop. At this point I was the only one on the bus.
The hostel was supposed to be near Chinjing Farm, so I pulled up farm on the cellphone dictionary and showed it to the driver. This led him to tell me to get off at a spot in the middle of nowhere in a rather dark curve of the highway. I'm not going to lie, after he pulled away I had my first FML moment. So I did the only thing I could-walk towards the only light at the top of the hill. So 15 minutes, many scary movies flash-backs, and some wishes that I had a boy with me, I made it to what turned out to be a hostel. A guy there looked up directions on Google and drove me the 10 minutes there. As I've written out the story I can't help but think of how many red flag "I would never have done that in the US!" moments there were. Terrible "What Ifs" aside, I finally made it with the amazing help of yet another stranger's kindness.
It turns out I wasn't staying at a Youth Hostel, but instead a resort that gave me a discount. This very kind lady checked me in and gave me some information about dinner. At that point I was very hungry and rather unwilling to go in search of cheaper food. So I paid the $20 (only $10 cheaper than the room itself) for a steak dinner that came with a salad bar and champagne. I've never been fond of champagne, but it tasted absolutely fabulous at the end of the crazy adventure.
The room turned out to be a private double hotel room. I turned in early and was ecstatic to find that I would be sleeping on the most comfortable bed that I have in the past two months. Oh how I miss having regular access to beds with mattress pads...
My view at breakfast
After breakfast I packed and headed off to find the bus stop. I was standing looking at a sign when a guy in a van offered me a ride to Puli for 100NTD, 7 cheaper than the bus (which I still wasn't sure where to catch). He gave me a business card and I hopped in. I spent the next 5 minutes feeling sketch when I couldn't see where the door handle was (turns out it was on the upper side of the door) until another family got in. Yes, another "You did WHAT?!?!" moments, but it turned out alright.
I was in time to catch the noon bus after a 40 minute wait. I had paid for an unlimited railpass, but at the moment spending $12 on a direct bus ticket sounded great. As it was, I was trying to get back to Taipei to meet Angel, one of my roommates friends. Plus I wanted to check into my hostel.
My hostel probably has the best location in Taipei. It is across the street from the Taipei Main station, which is the transportation center for bus, metro, train and high speed rail. It is on the 13th floor of a major shopping tower and has a really nice common room. I'm on the top bunk in one of the 4 beds. There are at least 4 other people staying in the room, but it isn't limited to young people like I had though. It is costing about $13 stay here for a night and includes breakfast, so I can't really complain.
I went to meet Angel around 5 and was greeted by both of my roommate's friends. Instead of the famous night market they took me to a student one that they said was cheaper with better food. After a Boba Tea (Delicious!), a Hong Kong style hot biscuit with frozen butter on the inside, chicken and rice dinner, and a popular sweet peanut w/ mochi soup for dessert, I was stuffed! I also tried their desserts-mango and pineapple over ice w/ cream. Soo good! Fruit is cheap and popular here, so I will be eating quite a bit of it before returning to Korea where it is expensive and hard to come by.
My first of many bubble teas! But hey, when its only about $1 who can blame me?!?
We went walking for a bit when it started to rain, the first byproducts of Typhoon/Tropical Storm Lupit I had seen. We went to Taiwan University's palm tree lined campus and Chang Kai-shek Plaza. It was the first time they had seen it lit up at night. It was gorgeous!
So there, all caught up for the past 2 days. Its off to bed now after another long day of traveling. I get to sleep in a bit tomorrow before meeting Angel and Kiki at 11. They are taking me to their hometown to look around.
The hostel was about a 15 minute walk to the nearest food, and I experienced my first feelings of sketchness walking down the desserted streets at night. I finally made it to the little turnabout where there was a shrine with windmills at the center. It seemed setup like they were going to have a festival.
I went into what looked like the first open stall, or at least one that had an old lady watching soaps. She tried to motion through what was available, but I ordered without really caring what it was. So for 100NTD ($3ish) out came rice, a ghastly sweet tea, and a large metal bowl that she put over a little kero-gel light. Inside was a rather bland broth, beef, 3 different types of tofu (one with a pink cartoon on it), lettuce, some unidentified sea food, and glass noodles. It wasn't bad, and at that point anything hot was amazing.
There I was also able to get my first real picture with me in it on the trip. It was nice exchanging pleasantries during the commercial break as well. I got the typical nice comment from the old lady that I was beautiful. I think truthfully though that they see white and automatically think pretty.
On the way back to teh hostel I stopped at 7-11. They had peanut M&Ms and gum that wasn't Xylitol! I didn't see Big Red though, and am hoping to find it before leaving. Right before coming I finished the last of my M&Ms and gum, so the chance to restock for a bit more into the semester is a welcome surprise!
I loved the chips by nationality...
I think I was the only person staying at the hostel, or at least the only girl. There were 3 sets of bunk beds so I had my pick. I was really hoping to meet other travelers, but I guess a Wednesday night in a random through city wasn't the best bet.
I went to bed early and got up and out by 8:30 the next morning. Breakfast of Snicker's on the bus back to the station would end up being the only food I would have until dinner at 7 that night. I tried finding the Sum Moon Lake bus near the main bus station, but no such luck. A guide there gave me directions and wrote in Chinese for me to take a taxi. By the looks for his map it was only 6 blocks away. So I tried to walk. The road turned/curved in a way that didn't match the map, so I just took a taxi. Lesson learned-when they try to put you in a taxi take it. It was a good 12 minute drive across huge intersections later that I was dropped off at a tour bus stop.
Unlike Korea, which takes forever and a day to get American released movies, films here seem to come out rather quickly.
For 75NTD (about $2) I bought a ticket for the 1.5/2 hour trip. Once there I went to the tourism office and was ecstatic to hear that they would hold my bag while I went around. I checked the bus times and decided I would give myself about 3 hours there, not sure how late the shuttle ran to the hostel. I started to walk around a bit, saw one of the temples on my own ,but realized I wouldn't rally be able to catch that many sights on foot.
View from the tourism office
View from the Temple
I took a 1.5 hour boat tour around the lake. It stopped at a small island in the middle, a temple, and a tribal market street where I tried the most famous tea of the area. The added bonus was that there were plenty of people I could hand my camera to take pictures for me.
Incredibly racist story of the town...
Odd clash of tradition with modern concerns
As I was leaving the Temple I asked an older gentleman to take a picture for me. He did, but then two women ran over and insisted that he take a picture with me. I of course said yes and handed my camera back over for another picture (kinda like my travels in China, but I wanted evidence this time). Well all of a sudden the attention had shifted to us and everyone in his tour group started cheering and laughing. This only got louder as I went over close to him and kind of put my hand up to touch his back. This is common protocol in American picture posing, but I forget that in the rest of the world it isn't always so. It turns out they were from China, so that explains a lot of the novelty of it for them.
After the boat tour I decided to catch an earlier bus to Puli where I would take a bus to my hostel in the hills of Nantou. The Lake was nice and all, but it was just ok and I didn't feel too inspired to stay and look much further. Truthfully I was hoping to make it to the hostel while it was still light outside. There's really just something comforting about having made it to the place where you will be sleeping in the daylight.
I had to wait about 40 minutes for the next bus, and didn't really see anywhere nearby to grab something to eat. The bus was packed with students and people heading home, but luckily I caught one of the last seats. The girls behind me were switching between Chinese Pop and American music. I got to hum along to the Fray, but then they played some music I hadn't heard before. I must admit, being in Korea where Pandora is blocked and I only hear K-Pop or American dance hits from the summer, the only way I've really kept in touch with what's popular in the US is through Glee. When I get back to Seoul I will be YouTube-ing some of the latest hits.
The bus kept heading higher and higher through the windy mountain roads. The sunset was spectacular, with some deep reds showing through the clouds behind the mountains. I kept looking for the stop the website had described, but after 1.5 hours (estimated time given) I got nervous and asked one of the few remaining students where it was. He said we had already passed it, a fact that was confirmed when the bus did a U-Turn after the last stop. At this point I was the only one on the bus.
The hostel was supposed to be near Chinjing Farm, so I pulled up farm on the cellphone dictionary and showed it to the driver. This led him to tell me to get off at a spot in the middle of nowhere in a rather dark curve of the highway. I'm not going to lie, after he pulled away I had my first FML moment. So I did the only thing I could-walk towards the only light at the top of the hill. So 15 minutes, many scary movies flash-backs, and some wishes that I had a boy with me, I made it to what turned out to be a hostel. A guy there looked up directions on Google and drove me the 10 minutes there. As I've written out the story I can't help but think of how many red flag "I would never have done that in the US!" moments there were. Terrible "What Ifs" aside, I finally made it with the amazing help of yet another stranger's kindness.
It turns out I wasn't staying at a Youth Hostel, but instead a resort that gave me a discount. This very kind lady checked me in and gave me some information about dinner. At that point I was very hungry and rather unwilling to go in search of cheaper food. So I paid the $20 (only $10 cheaper than the room itself) for a steak dinner that came with a salad bar and champagne. I've never been fond of champagne, but it tasted absolutely fabulous at the end of the crazy adventure.
The room turned out to be a private double hotel room. I turned in early and was ecstatic to find that I would be sleeping on the most comfortable bed that I have in the past two months. Oh how I miss having regular access to beds with mattress pads...
My view at breakfast
After breakfast I packed and headed off to find the bus stop. I was standing looking at a sign when a guy in a van offered me a ride to Puli for 100NTD, 7 cheaper than the bus (which I still wasn't sure where to catch). He gave me a business card and I hopped in. I spent the next 5 minutes feeling sketch when I couldn't see where the door handle was (turns out it was on the upper side of the door) until another family got in. Yes, another "You did WHAT?!?!" moments, but it turned out alright.
I was in time to catch the noon bus after a 40 minute wait. I had paid for an unlimited railpass, but at the moment spending $12 on a direct bus ticket sounded great. As it was, I was trying to get back to Taipei to meet Angel, one of my roommates friends. Plus I wanted to check into my hostel.
My hostel probably has the best location in Taipei. It is across the street from the Taipei Main station, which is the transportation center for bus, metro, train and high speed rail. It is on the 13th floor of a major shopping tower and has a really nice common room. I'm on the top bunk in one of the 4 beds. There are at least 4 other people staying in the room, but it isn't limited to young people like I had though. It is costing about $13 stay here for a night and includes breakfast, so I can't really complain.
I went to meet Angel around 5 and was greeted by both of my roommate's friends. Instead of the famous night market they took me to a student one that they said was cheaper with better food. After a Boba Tea (Delicious!), a Hong Kong style hot biscuit with frozen butter on the inside, chicken and rice dinner, and a popular sweet peanut w/ mochi soup for dessert, I was stuffed! I also tried their desserts-mango and pineapple over ice w/ cream. Soo good! Fruit is cheap and popular here, so I will be eating quite a bit of it before returning to Korea where it is expensive and hard to come by.
My first of many bubble teas! But hey, when its only about $1 who can blame me?!?
We went walking for a bit when it started to rain, the first byproducts of Typhoon/Tropical Storm Lupit I had seen. We went to Taiwan University's palm tree lined campus and Chang Kai-shek Plaza. It was the first time they had seen it lit up at night. It was gorgeous!
So there, all caught up for the past 2 days. Its off to bed now after another long day of traveling. I get to sleep in a bit tomorrow before meeting Angel and Kiki at 11. They are taking me to their hometown to look around.
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