Taiwan Blog

July 12 - Taipei

Today was an incredible day. I woke up bright and early 6:00 a.m. and called my boyfriend. Got off the phone and headed down for breakfast. I tried something new. The chef’s recommendation for the day. It was this green spongy looking cube. I don’t exactly know what it was but I recognized the character for fish, so it was something seafood based. It wasn’t bad, although I’m not sure I would eat it again. Moving on me and Alexis doubled checked the weather and it all looked good for us to go on our morning hike on the Elephant mountain trail. We took the MRT over to the trail head and started up the stairs. I’m not going to lie, I was not prepared for the entire trail to be stairs. We hiked for a little over an hour and a half. The map said the entire course was supposed to wrap around and finish back where you started. Which is why I strongly believe we went the wrong way at some point because we definitely did not finish where we started. We ended up on a different side of the mountain at a Buddhist temple. It was super crazy, but honestly I’m glad we went the wrong way because the experience and the views were spectacular. I definitely irritated my knee though. I think my IT band is inflamed again which is making it very hard to bend my right leg. Good thing we’re mostly driving tomorrow 😅. After our very long journey back to the MRT station, we made it back over to the hotel and got ourselves some McDonald’s for lunch. We were both craving burgers. We took the much needed food back to the hotel and scarfed it down. At this point it was about one in the afternoon. We had planned on going to Shifen old street and waterfalls today. We were shocked to see how far it was though. After some debate on how to get there, we decided the 30 minute uber was most time effective and the amount of time it saved outweighed the price it would cost. So I booked an uber and took a peaceful ride over to Shifen. We arrived and immediately took off to old street. We weren’t there for more than a minute before we had people asking if we wanted to send lanterns into the sky. This being one of the biggest reasons we came, of course we obliged. I’ll talk more on this experience in a cultural review. Once we finished hiking the scenic route we got approached by a taxi driver who offered to take us back, we told him an uber was cheaper and he lowered his asking price. I was proud at our bargaining skills. We went ahead and hopped in and took another peaceful ride back to the hotel. After some much needed rest we tried again to get out street kebabs, but the dang places was closed again. So, we ended up with Subway for dinner. It was still yummy though. And with that the day was complete.

Not sure if I’m supposed to do a blog post today since I didn’t get to get out of the hotel much, but I’m doing it anyway. So this morning me and Alexis get up at eight and head down for breakfast. It was very light and tasty. I finished up my meal and then we headed back upstairs. I got on the phone with my boyfriend for about two hours which was great! Then I got off the phone and started working on the homework assignments. Once those were complete me and Alexis thought we’d hit the 7-eleven for lunch. It wasn’t bad. Then, once again, we were back in the hotel room. I decided I was going to draw.. realized I didn’t have a pencil and was too lazy to go back to the 7-eleven to get one. So I decided to do some digital art instead. I drew a cute orca. I then began watching a new show. At this point I was getting very bored. The show turned out to be pretty good. I watched a few episodes and started to feel gross because I did nothing but sit around all day, so I went and walked up and down the hotel stairs three times. My legs were shaking and my heart rate was elevated so I felt accomplished. Upon returning to the room me and Alexis decided to hunt for some dinner. We tried going to this pizza place 30 minutes away, but it was closed. It looked so good too :( but we found a bakery on the way back and got sandwiches. We ate, called my boyfriend again and the day is complete.

Today started off in Yilan, I had a long call with my boyfriend and then took off to breakfast kinda later in the morning. It was a beautiful array of foods, O particularly liked the sweet potato balls and the shumai (shaomai or however it’s spelled). Then I gathered up all my belongings and got on the bus. Before we truly said goodbye to Yilan we had to try their famous whiskey. I’m not a fan of whiskey so I went in with low expectations and met them. It was gross. I can’t even stand the smell of it. I chugged so much water to wash the taste away. That being said, I did buy a little tube of it from the souvenir shop for my dad. He loves whiskey so I had to get him a taste. I was still repulsed by the taste when a cute little gelato stand on the other side of the gift shop caught my eye. I got the matcha and red bean flavors. Red bean was so good, especially the crunchy and frozen beans that were in it. After we finished there we had a long road trip out of Yilan. It was already starting to rain pretty heavy and the typhoon was coming. I fell asleep and tried my best to pretend I didn’t need to pee, but I drank so much water at the whiskey tasting. I managed to hold it till we got to the KTV place. I wasn’t expecting to have much fun, but I actually had a blast. I kinda lost my voice after all that singing and yelling I did but I have no regrets. We went back to the hotel and I switched my roommate. Now I’m with Alexis and it’s great. We’re very similar people and we match each others vibe. I passed out for a bit in the hotel room, hardest nap I’ve had in awhile. I woke up with a headache and a strong desire for food, but my mom wanted to call me so I talked to her first. After which me and Alexis took off for kebabs. We did not succeed because all the food stands were closed. So we got a sad dinner at 7-eleven.

Today was a lot of fun. Woke up and had a very new and exciting array of food for breakfast, which I happily devoured. Then we hopped on the bus and rode out to make our own clogs. First we had to compete in clog racing. Three man teams wear long conjoined clogs and race another team. It was tons of fun and my team ended up winning the whole thing so I got a wooden foot on a keychain. I burned the word for winner into it. Then we started working on the leather pieces for our clog keychains. I made mine a dragon with cloud like swirls on either side. Then we dyed them and I made mine blue. Final touches was filling in the stamped design with either white or gold and of course I chose gold. I burned my name into that one. Kinda ugly but I love them. We rushed out and took off for our reservation at a hot pot. It was so so yummy and I ate so much food. Not the mention three cones of ice cream. After that we went to a museum about Yilan. The architecture was crazy and I thought it was very beautiful. I tore through the exhibits and ended up buying the prettiest notebook. Now that we were all pretty tired, the bus took us back to the hotel. I decided I need to work off my lunch so me and Alexis took to the mountains. Going to a trail that another trip member suggested we definitely got our workout in. The views were stunning at the top though. We finished out the night by getting some beef strips and onion with sweet plum powder, absolutely amazing btw, and some boba tea. It was really nice, we sat outside and chatted while eating. Then even better, we heard the trash truck song!! I dashed over and threw our garbage away, Alexis got a picture, it was really funny. For the rest of the night we are probably gonna hit the spa later and then maybe get shaved ice 🤷‍♀️.

Academic reflection

Okay, so there was no specific reading today, but at the museum there was a really interesting display about Yilan’s traditional arts and crafts. It got me thinking about the article we read yesterday and the National Center of Traditional Arts. There was a lot of traditional arts mentioned in the article like paper making, incense, cloth dying and more that I got to see at the center but also some that I didn’t and yet in this display there was all the things that were mentioned. There was examples and also recommendations for museums where you can have hand on experience making these crafts. I thought it was really cool that all these things were on display. There was even more stuff on the other side. Things that I hadn’t seen or heard about. Like candied kumquats, Yilan honey, silk arts, embroidery, and even coral carving. All of which were super interesting to see. On other floors I got to read about some practices that are rooted in Yilan’s coastal culture. How fishing is such a big part of there everyday life and how the balance of the marine life and human activity is becoming unsteady. The marine life is being significantly depleted as demand for seafood goes up without proper time to replenish. It was very captivating.

July 8th - Yilan

Okay, today was definitely a memorable one. I started off feeling pretty melancholy, I missed my family a lot. That being said, I got myself a hearty breakfast, the last from FX Hotel for a little bit, and then finished packing up my stuff. We got on the bus and took off for our road trip to Yilan. The views were stunning along the way and we drove through the longest tunnel in Taiwan, a good eight miles. Which was pretty interesting. We then stopped off at a rest stop and despite my best efforts in finding the scallion pancakes ( they were right at the front I’m just blind) I could not and instead got a Korean beef with rice bun burger. It was surprisingly very good and the tea they provided had jellies in it. Overall I was very pleased with the meal. Moving along, we got to the DIY boba tea place. Normally I would be brimming with excitement over something like this, but I was still feeling mopey. I did enjoy the hands on distraction that making the boba tea provided. It ended up being pretty good too. I had to chug it though, which put my milk tolerance to the test. It’s a good thing I had a big lunch. Getting on the hot bus after was lowkey cruel and unusual punishment though. Anyways, after that we went to the coolest place, more below. The National Center for Traditional Arts completed we went to our new hotel. 100% better than the last. My room is actually room sized and not the size of a closet. The bathtub is amazing, there’s a pool with a slide that’s already been tested and I rate it 10/10. I can’t wait to try the breakfast tomorrow. After we settled into the hotel, I went hunting with Alexis and Alexandra to find the scallion pancakes that had eluded me earlier in the day. Got them, they were delicious. Definitely did not disappoint.

Academic Reflection

I’ll note before I start, I am fully aware this reading wasn’t due until Friday. However, we moved some stuff around today due to the typhoon coming and since the reading went with the National Center for Traditional Arts I figured I’d do it now. Let me say, I was still in a mood when I got here, I left joyful. The reading states that no matter what your tastes are, you’ll find something you like here and they weren’t kidding. I had so much fun making things for my boyfriend and even for myself. While the reading mentions pottery and calligraphy, which I did see but didn’t participate in, I actually found myself immediately drawn to the metal work. I wish I had time to do something like a ring or bracelet engraving, but the keychain I engrained is still really great. It made me so happy to be able to create something that I know my boyfriend is going to love. I continued exploring the stores and found a leather shop. I got to stamp myself a keychain which is super cool. Finally I stopped in a traditional Chinese medicine shop and got my parents some candies and dried fruits. I felt my spirits uplifted. I’m also glad I got to experience traditional Taiwanese arts, I never would have imagined I’d enjoy it so much. Also something cool was all the xiyouji references I saw, Sun Wukong on the wall and puppets of the Tang monk and of Sun Wukong. There was even a guy walking around dressed like the Tang monk.

Today I got to experience a lot of Taiwanese culture and it was very fun. Woke up and had a light breakfast, trying to cut back on the amount of carbs I have been eating. Then we got together and all hustled over to the MRT. I have taken the MRT myself already, but we went farther than I have ever ventured today. We went from the green line to the red line and rode that for many stops until we got to the pink line. I took a picture of the funky statue that was at the station we got off at. We immediately walked over and were doused by the steam coming off the hot spring. It smelled so strongly of eggs. We then went to a museum of the old bath house. We had to put our shoes in a locker and walk around in these slippers they gave us, unless we were on the mats and then you had to be barefoot. It was pretty cool. We walked to a library next but we didn’t stick around long. No pictures were allowed and we had to be pretty quiet. Our next stop was the indigenous museum. We didn’t get to visit then, but we were told we could come back later if we so wished. I lowkey wish I had in hindsight. Maybe one of my free days I’ll go back. Anyways we then went to the old train station, took a group photo and then we were let loose for the rest of the day. I got to spend some time with group members that I hadn’t really gotten the chance to before. We all got some KFC, which was surprisingly very good, and then we went to the hot spring. Probably one of the best experiences I have had yet. I really enjoyed that and I felt great after, all my muscles were relaxed and I felt super refreshed.

Academic Reflection

July 6th - Taipei

Today was a very fun day. I woke up at around 7:30 am and called my boyfriend. After our conversation, I got dressed for the day and headed down for breakfast. It was another delicious assortment of food. We met up in the lobby and set off around 9:30 am. The first stop was the presidential palace. I wasn’t to sure what to expect, but it was a very interesting tour. I’m also really happy I got to send postcards to my parents and my boyfriend. I can’t wait for them to receive them. They’ll be surprised for sure. We also stopped off in the gift shop and I splurged on the cutest messenger bag. After that we rode up the mountain to go to the gold museum. I got super car sick on the way up, I couldn’t even look out the window to see the views. We got to the museum and it turned out it was closed. Big bummer. I got to read about it though, I’ll talk about it below. After that we rode a little ways over to the mountain village, Taiwan’s own spirited away village! Not really, but it does give that vibe. I got to try taro balls and overlook a beautiful view, not to mention spend way too much money. I got myself a very cool folding fan, I got a wooden comb, and a souvenir for my parents that I hope they like.

Academic Reflection

July 5th - Taipei

Today was a bit chaotic. First day we had to ourselves and me and my roommate were quick to throw ourselves into the heart of Taipei. The day didn’t start off bad, I got my breakfast as usual. Made my phone calls and then around 11 am we set out to Taipei 101. The goal was to get our haircut. After traversing the metro, we arrived only to find out that we had misread the address and so we had a 20 ish minute trek to the actual location. Sweaty and tired we made it to the salon only to be told they couldn’t take walk-ins. Refusing to quit, we found another salon about a minute away called “好 Hair Salon”. Despite serious language barriers we managed to secure an appointment for 2 pm. We had some free time so we went to the MRT station about 8 minutes away, realized that it wasn’t going to take me to the Harley-Davidson. Ordered an uber, got to the Harley-Davidson and purchased my boyfriend his collectible poker chip and then headed back to the salon. After a lengthy conversation with the stylist through the translate app, I managed to convey my desired haircut. I had the most amazing head wash and massage and then got the cutest cut. Honestly a great experience. Once we finished up there we headed back to the hotel to recharge my phone and meet up with Alexis for dinner. We were all starving and me and my roommate had skipped lunch. We couldn’t find a restaurant that didn’t require a day in advance reservation so we returned to the din tai fung at Taipei 101. After a 2.5 hour wait, and no that’s not an exaggeration. We got a table and devoured our food. Grabbed some donuts at the MRT station before returning to the hotel and turning in for the night. A crazy hectic, but very memorable day.

July 4 - Taipei

My morning started at seven, a touch early for my taste, but I wanted to be sure I had time to call home before my day of excursions began. Having finished my phone call with my boyfriend I went down for breakfast, which once again did not disappoint. Fueled for the day I went back to my room and dressed for the day. Our first stop was Park 228 which commemorates the tragedy of February twenty eighth 1947. Protesters who went out after a cigarette shop owner was murdered were massacred by machine guns. These were Japanese educated elites that criticized the new Chinese government. It was quite moving reading about them in the museum. From there we traveled to Dalongdong Baoan Temple. It was a really neat experience, I had never been to a temple before. I learned that you have to enter through the dragon door and leave through the tiger door, the temple opens with a bell and closes with drums, how to ask questions to the gods, and other cool things. We then went to the Grand Hotel and had an all you can eat buffet for lunch. I tried so many new things and left so stuffed I thought I might throw up. I got to burn off the calories right after with a guided tour through the escape tunnel built for the president. It was a cool experience, I wish I had been allowed to go down the slide, but alas I did not have secret security to assist me. We finished the tour around the hotel and I couldn’t have been happier because I was so hot and nauseous. I was happy to get back on the bus and ride to our last location of the day, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. More on that below. We had a look around the museum there and then stopped at the gift shop. I was super happy to buy some perfume there and also a souvenir shot glass for my boyfriend back home. We headed back to our hotel after that. I’m taking some time to relax and then me and some other girls are headed out shopping, my goal is to find a necklace. Maybe a metro card holder too because they look super cute. Hopefully we find something good to eat too while we’re out.

Academic Reflection

Today’s reading was on Chiang Kai-shek and the production of his personality cult from 1929-1975. He was an interesting man who debatably fostered Nationalist rule. While never directly putting his hand in the development of the personality cult, there has been recent evidence to suggest he was supporting the existence of the cult from the shadows. He allowed for a lot of idolization and propaganda to be made in his honor. I thought the part of the reading that spoke on the mix between forced idolization and voluntary idolization was particularly interesting. While military personnel and school children had no choice but to do what they were told and show respect and affection towards Chiang Kai-shek, those who produced statues and artwork in his likeness were more motivated by capitalism. Simply trying to compete for party and or government contracts. Then of course was the hope by government officials and family to use Chiang Kai-shek to further their power and careers. His son, after Chiang Kai-shek had passed built him a memorial which we visited today. We climbed 89 steps to symbolize Chiang’s 89 years alive and then entered a room that looked very similar to the Lincoln memorial. But downstairs was a museum about him and his regime. I was surprised to learn about all the repression, martial law, and other oppressive practices. They didn’t mention much about that in the readings, besides the general statement in the introduction by the author stating that recent events was sparking Taiwan to reconsider how they should view him. I’m not really sure how the timelines have occurred and when the information I saw today became readily available information, but I would hope that Taiwan would not still think highly of a man who so adamantly restricted freedom of speech and arrested, sometimes even executed, people who spoke out against him. One of the most striking exhibits I saw in the museum was a statue of a burnt man. He had self emulated because he was being arrested and knew he would be condemned to death. He set fire to himself and his building, both of which could be seen at the display. I never truly understood self emulation but I suppose if you already know you’re going to die, then suicide isn’t completely unreasonable. Still burning to death is a statement. All in all, I can’t say that I believe he was a good person.

July 3rd - Taipei

Today was much calmer than yesterday, we only made two stops. I woke up later at 08:00 and slowly got around to breakfast downstairs. Once again it was delicious. I had the addition of a red bean paste bun and rice with braised pork. Then I went back to my room and made some calls to my mom and boyfriend before they went to bed for the night since it was 9:00 going 10:00 p.m. for them. We met downstairs at 11:30 and set off for lunch at Din Tai Fung. I ate so much food, I actually lost count of how many dumplings I ate. The fried rice was also amazing. I wasn’t a fan of the sweet and sour soup though. Definitely an acquired taste. After eating and browsing some of the shops we walked next door to the Taipei 101 tower. More on that below. After finishing our time there we made one other stop to visit the Director-General of the Department of North American Affairs. They talked to us about the Fulbright program and lots of study abroad opportunities. I was interested in the ETA and the ETF programs, or English teaching assistant and English teaching fellowship programs. I’ve always considered maybe teaching English in a foreign country. That would have to come after my career in the Air Force though. My classmates asked some very good questions. Once we departed we were informed that our park 228 and museum visit was being pushed to tomorrow, so I’m excited for that.

The day isn’t quite over yet, me and my roommate still need to grab dinner, I’m quite tired though. Some of the other students talked about going to the club, I do not understand where they find the energy. I’m probably just getting dinner and calling it a night, I don’t know if I’ll even stay up to call my family. That might still be the jet lag talking. I’m excited to check out the night market. I want to pop around the shops and look for some cheap souvenirs.

Academic Reflection

Today we visited Taipei 101, the tallest building in Taiwan and formerly the tallest building in the world. According to the reading the building is 1,666 feet tall and was the first super tower built in an area of both earthquakes and high winds. In order to counter act both of these variables, the architects had to make on edition of an 800-ton damper ball on the 88th floor. The $4 million sphere was quite the sight. Painted gold, fitting the theme of prosperity and riches of the building, it could be viewed from the 89th floor balcony where I was. I didn’t see it move myself, luckily, but the book explains that under normal circumstances the ball will only move a few inches. In the event of an earthquake it can move up to 5 feet. Which is kinda insane, but it’s all working towards absorbing the shock and dampening the effects of the quake. I also had the opportunity to ride in one of the $2 million elevators the building is equipped with. They are some of the worlds fastest elevators capable of whisking people to the 89th floor in 39 seconds and traveling at the speed of 3,300 feet per minute. My ears were popping the whole time, that’s how quick we changed elevation. I had no idea so much went into making the elevators. The reading explains how many safety devices were implemented into them. They have the first pressurized cars, ceramic safety shoes for emergency braking and the first triple-stage buffer to cushion an emergency descent. As you can see from the outside of the building the tower is designed with eight distinct tiers emerging from a 25-story-tall base. Each of the tiers open upward as it rises, this is to showcase financial richness and everlasting vitality in Chinese culture. All the shops within the building were very high class, designer brands. Very fitting in my opinion. Taipei 101 also holds the Taiwan stock exchange, also very fitting. I was very captivated by the observation room, the view was great and it was set up for many photo opportunities. I got a cute figurine from their gift shop. It was of the mascot Monday Bruce. All in all I find that the design of the building was incredibly done. I’m baffled that Alex Honnold climbed that building and with no harness. It was so tall I could barely get the whole building in a single photo.

July 2 - Taipei

The day started out fantastic with breakfast from the hotel, I may have not known what some of it was but it was all delicious in my opinion. Then we hopped on the bus and went to our first location Jinan church. It was very interesting how much thought went into the design. Initially I thought it was very plain but the Japanese architects had symbolism in everything! The roofing was made to look like fish scales because of the Biblical story of Jonah getting swallowed by the big fish, when he finally left the fish he carried out his mission of spreading the message of God, the idea is when you leave the church you’re supposed to spread the message of God. There are also four arches around the sides and then one on either side in the front to symbolize four fingers and then thumbs like praying hands. You could also see patterns that appeared similar to the yin and yang symbol, showcasing the two fish that fed the liberated Jews in the Bible. The church is 130 years old and set in the center of the city to symbolize God being in the center of life and was in hopes of God blessing the city. From the church we went to Tamsui Old Street. We were given time to wander the street on our own, peruse the shops and grab lunch. I got a beef curry cake that was very good. I didn’t see any stores that I was particularly interested in, but someone else got a cute holder for their metro card and I’m super jealous. I’ll definitely be looking for one of those now. We hopped back on the bus and rode over to Fort San Domingo. This place has a lot of cool history and was probably my favorite stop of the day. The building has flags in front showcasing not only its history but the history of Taiwan. Initially built by the Spanish it was later remodeled by the Dutch who brought red bricks and cement to Taiwan. From there the Chinese had possession, first because Han Chinese people came seeking asylum from the new Manchu government in China, then later the Manchu government found an individual who had maritime knowledge and conquered Taiwan. Later the British came and settled in the ports after the second opium war. Taiwan later was ceded to the Japanese after the Sino-Japanese war. Followed by possession by Australia, then the United States and finally Taiwan was given their sovereignty and Fort San Domingo now belongs to the Taiwanese government. From here we explored the life of George Leslie Mackay. I’ll go more in depth on this in the academic portion. We finished our outings after and returned to the hotel. My roommate and I went out to Lan Fang Noodle Restaurant for dinner. It was really good and surprisingly cheap.

Academic Reflection