Taipei

I could live here. I want to live here. If I ever come back to live in Asia, this is where you will find me. I have a tendency to compare every Asian country to Korea, considering it has been a huge focal point of my life these past two years. It's like, a family member that I am really close to - so I feel comfortable calling out it's flaws and putting it in it's place. Dear Korea, Taipei wins. I'm not saying that it's a better country - just that it seems like an environment that I would be more inclined to reside in (in the future). So, there. 

Taiwan (or, Taipei at least, considering that is the only place I've been) is like the love child of China and Japan, who was abandoned and raised by foster parents, in a more tropical climate. It was a refreshing change from the frigid cold that has consumed Korea. Oh, and the trees were still green. Every other minute, the phrase "omg that's so cute" escaped my lips. I couldn't stop it, and I didn't want to. From children running around in the park, English schools that we peered into, coffee shops, buildings, random gardens, trashcans, everything. It was all so cute. Not in the "Kawaii", little girl kitty cat kind of way... but in a more grown up meaning of the word. 

I couldn't have picked a better place to spend the New Year. This place was full of good juju. Everyone was so friendly, SO HAPPY. I got so many smiles from people, especially when it seems like the reactions I expected were negative. Couldn't find my bus ticket. Old man waited patiently for me to dig through my purse, and giggled with me when it was exactly where I put it. Woman stood up in the hot springs, the rule enforcer (as he shall be called) clapped his hands while motioning for her to sit down - huge grin on his face. Even though we only spent a few days here, it seemed like we had made friends all around the city (especially with the people who were feeding us on a regular basis).

Speaking of food. THE FOOD. Where do I start? Let's start at the beginning. Breakfast. It exists here. A huge contrast to Korea, where they eat rice and kimchi... Taipei has omelets in sesame bread, donut like devices,  and egg/ham/cheese roll-ups.  I wish I could tell you what the names of these brilliant foods actually are - but because I came across them by looking and pointing, I'm at a loss. I'm drooling just thinking about them.

And then there are the meat balls - which are actually dumpling like snacks. There was a stall down the street from our hostel, so naturally we ate there often, along with a stall selling delicious eggy bread. The night markets (despite the consistent smell of stinky tofu) had endless possibilities. There were fried sandwiches that I queued 20 minutes for, potatoes, noodles, and meat stuffed buns that are cooked along the side wall of a big stove (like naan). We ate ice cream spring rolls with cilantro and Gua Bao, yummy shredded pork in a steamed bun. I think, by the end of the trip, we had three bowls of beef noodles from three different places. Street food rocks here, blows any other place out of the park (for now). 

 

I was put in touch with a cousin of a friend, and he tuned us in to a really cool NYE party that was under a bride along a river, thrown by a few "burners". They had tire swings, body painting, salsa dancing, cooperative art, and only two port-a-potties. The evening resulted in me losing Leena and Jake. Thankfully, I met up with a group of people and they shared good conversation, alcohol, and other things. I was bummed I wasn't with my friends at the turn of the year, but thankful that I was still able to really enjoy myself.

TAIPEI HAS GOOD COFFEE. Oh, and loads of craft beer. That's reasonably priced. One night Leena and I stumbled into a 24 hour market called "Jason's" that is comparable to Trader Joe's back home. They had loads of fresh produce, a big selection of wine and beer, and snacks that set me into a stream of nostalgia. Just walking around the market made me feel like I was back home. I left with a big bag of Kettle Chips (Jalapeno), which had met its end by the time we got back to the hostel. Once again, these are things that I wish were as convenient in Korea. I would give someone a huge pat on the back if they could point out a coffee shop (that's not Starbucks) where I can get drip coffee before 11 am in Korea. It's a disgrace.

Here is a quick recap of some of the things we did during our five beautiful days in Taipei...

We stumbled into a small fun zone that was located down an alley at a night market. This sweet old guy dealt with me when I couldn't shoot the gun, and Leena won a cool kangaroo that says "I love Australia" on it.

We went to an old, illegal squatter area turned artist village called Treasure Hill and explored art exhibits, bought some cool postcards, admired street art as well as the beautiful view of the city. 

Friends themed coffee shop? This was an obvious place that needed to be checked out. The owner of this place spent some time in NY and loves the show, so naturally she comes back to Taipei and opens up a cafe decked out with Friends memorabilia. She did a great job of replicating good ole' Central Perk. We enjoyed our drinks on that comfy orange couch while enjoying a Christmas episode of Friends that she put on the projector, just for us.

We rode the glass bottom Gondolas up to Maokong. We ate more street food before settling down to eat a waffle and drink tea at a little outdoor cafe we found. We enjoyed the incredible view until the sun went down. After, we headed back to try and get down the mountain. The line for the gondolas was atrocious. There was no way we were gonna wait... so we fought our way into a very expensive (and dangerous) taxi down the mountain.

We checked out the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, which was massive and beautiful and adjacent to a quaint little park. 

We ate out of toilet bowls at Modern Toilet. This was, unsurprisingly, the most expensive meal of the whole trip - but it was well worth it. It's all for the novelty, isn't it? There were poop swirls everywhere. We sat on toilets at a table made of sinks with little brown poops in the center. Our soft drinks came in urinals, the sink was a toilet, and the lights were... you guessed it, poops. We ended our meal with dark brown, runny ice cream. Are you salivating? I hope not.   

We visited the Beitou area on a rainy afternoon. We got to soak in the public hot springs with locals and tourists and happy little men with close to no teeth. For about 3 USD we got access to a crowded cluster of pools ranging in temperature from freezing cold to scalding hot. Unfortunately (or very fortunately) there were no cameras allowed, so we didn't get any footage of our visit. EXCEPT one sneaky photo I snapped as we were walking out. Afterwards, we walked to the volcanic crater that heats the surrounding hot springs. The water was clear blue, near boiling, and smelt like eggs. The steam that came off of it hid a background of lush green trees, which every so often peeked between the clouds of mist.

We opted out of spending too much time at the most popular temple (Lungshan) and instead wandered around a nearly empty temple smack in the middle of a neighborhood. Qingshan was a great alternative to the crowds. There were three levels of intricate and colorful shrines, glistening with gold accents. Tall figures dressed in colorful gowns with their tongues sticking out stared at you as you walked through the rooms. We spent a long time on the top level, taking pictures and enjoying the atmosphere. The contrast of the dragons against a grey scale city-scape was oddly beautiful. I loved observing the people here, and their traditions. I watched as a couple fumbled their hands around a huge ceramic pot full of sticks. They each pulled one out, read something on it, and put it back before continuing to a chest full of numbered drawers. It didn't take long to realize it was a form of fortune telling. Now, if only I could read Chinese.

This city has heart. It has soul. There is an overwhelming appreciation for art, music, and civil rights. They encourage their citizens to not only be apart of Taiwan, but the world. It's a really cool place, and I can't wait until I get the chance to explore different parts of this beautifully unique country. 

TokYO

I LOVE JAPAN. end blog.

It's as easy as that. Really. Let me explain. 

The Japanese tend to be helpful and easy to feel comfortable around. I've never felt like a burden when showing up anywhere in Japan and being that silly foreign girl that likely has no idea what she is doing. The people I've encountered have always been happy to help me out. 

People watching here is unlike any place I've ever been, especially on the subway.  Watching the men, clad in their suits, flip through a comic book next to an elderly man reading the news on his smartphone (also in a suit). 

 The style here is unfathomable. They make it look easy, like getting dressed in the morning is an effortless task.  They automatically know how to look cool. For example, Potato Man.

Should I talk about the food? Do I even need to explain it to you? Ramen. Sushi. Takoyaki. Okonomiyaki. Udon. What more could you ask for than a country where "Kawaii" Monster restaurants and (insert animal of choice) cafes exist. Not only can you spend your time in the typical dog and cat cafes...snake, rabbit, owl, penguin cafes exist here. 

The food at the convenient stores isn't only intriguing, it's delicious and cheap. Almost every night ended in us loading up on all the snacks and treats we have never seen before.  Bread and gummies and noodles galore. Where Korea has soju, Japan has Strongs. Just as cheap and equally deadly.

Oh, and personal conveyor belts whizz your fresh (and cheap) sushi practically right into your mouth. Not everywhere. Just one place that I know off. BUT IT EXISTS. You order your food on a screen and minutes later, it's sent right to you. It's dangerous.  But, I like to live on the edge. 

I spent a bit of time in Japan last year, in the Osaka area. I visited Kyoto, Nara, and did an incredible temple stay up in Mount Koyasan where I visited one of the most beautiful cemeteries I've ever seen. I couchsurfed with two lovely hosts, one of which was a 50 year old Japanese man. As if the SEVEN blogs I have from my first trip to Japan weren't enough, I have a blog just for food and one for the video I put together. So there you go. 


I was expecting my experience in Tokyo to be incredibly different than my first go round with Japan, considering it's not only a capital city but the biggest city in the world.  I was both right and wrong. I felt oddly comfortable wandering around the streets of our hostel, which was located in a less stimulating area of the city. There were quaint little shops, a shrine or two, markets and cafes. When we ventured off into other parts of the city was when it started feeling like a whole new Japanese world. 

The metro was confusing at first, but easy once I got the hang of it. I say "I" because, although I was with Leena, subway systems aren't really her forte. Which was fine, cause I can usually get some work done underground. I love metro systems. They are like a puzzle that connects you to all these different cool places that you wanna go. 

All the vibes were the same, just heightened. The extent of crazy, somewhat "stereo-typical" Japanese stuff we could do was on a different level. Where else would you be able to see robots fighting while enjoying dinner (we missed this tourist novelty, unfortunately ;)? 

We got a lot of stuff done in the short three days that we were there. Plinko casinos and claw arcades. Anime stores and photo booths. We went to Harijuku and Shibuya and wandered our little hearts out. There was so much to take in. So, many, people. But, we never felt like our space was being invaded. 

 

 While exploring our neighborhood, we ran into a sweet girl who casually asked us if we wanted our names written in Kanji. Rena was wearing traditional yukata and a huge smile. After mentioning that it was free we decided, "WHY NOT".  It ended up being one of my favorite experiences. We took our shoes off and sat down around a table with two of the most pleasant, little Japanese girls. 

 They taught us a bit about the way Kanji worked, and then asked us to describe each other so that they could get to know us better. Each syllable of Kanji has a sound and meaning attached to it. The first syllable in mine means excellent or outstanding. The second means cool and beautiful (the same as one of Leena's, because we are best friends!), and the final means that people rely on me. While Rena came up with our new names, her coworker showed us how to fold an origami crane. Although we didn't have to give them any money, we were happy to spend money in their gift shop since the experience was so satisfying.

Our first night was spent thinking we were in Shibuya. I was trying to find the "busiest crosswalk in the world", but considering we were in Shinjuku, that proved to be difficult. After having admitted failure, I tried to find the Golden Gai. Or Piss Alley. or Memory Lane. Whatever name you decide to go with. Anthony BOURDAIN says Golden Gai, so naturally that's what I'm gonna stick to. It's a compact little area filled with alley ways and bars sitting atop one another. So many choices. So much flavor. Each bar was different, but none of them could fit more than 10 people comfortably. 

After peeking into nearly every doorway, we finally decided to walk up a narrow flight of stairs. Choices are hard for us. We hit the jackpot, because the one we choose conveniently had two chairs open at the bar. Which is all it was. The Japanese man, who owned the place, had long hair and an intimidating but surprisingly friendly demeanor. There were old school games positioned along the bar, like that little alligator who's teeth function as a form of Russian roulette and Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots. Velvet Revolver was playing on a TV screen behind him as we chatted up the people around us. Unfortunately for us, it was getting late... determined by the metro schedule and  certainly not us. Taxis are too expensive, and we were too far from our hostel. One of the bummers about Tokyo. You either catch the last train at night, or the first train in the morning. And catch the last train is exactly what we did. I had to stop and ask which direction to go. The man pointed and said, "run". We FLEW through the station. Right as we slid into a packed train, the doors closed immediately behind us. 

We ended up revisiting the Golden Gai on our last night, where our main goal was finding the same bar that BOURDAIN had featured on his show. We ran into some people we had met the first night, and when we mentioned the bar they informed us that there was "always" a line to get in. Well, rats. We searched it out, anyways. And, guess what? NO LINE. And, we were able to grab two seats on the second floor. Mission accomplished. We spent the evening drink sangria, googling over the gaudy antique decor, and chatting up the sweet bartenders. One of them had a fascination with Korean Pop Culture, so we had a lot to talk about :) 

            

We spent time in Harajuku admiring the streets filled with the fashion forward Japanese youth, crepes, and candy shops. The main street was lined with clothes, cosplay, treats, tourists, and adorable young Japanese wearing things that Americans would only dream of wearing on Halloween. We feasted at, hands down, the most elaborate theme restaurant I've ever had the pleasure of dining in. Kawaii Monster Cafe has four different "theme" rooms you can choose from. We chose to sit in  the giant mushroom area, which overlooked the massive sweet treat carousel they had at the main entrance. It was like I was inside the world of Alice in Wonderland, being fed rainbow spaghetti. Although, we didn't visit the actual Alice themed restaurant. So many themed eateries, so little time.  Oh, and the Snake Cafe. We drank beer while we admired the cutest baby snakes, waiting for the right moment to head on over to the couches where we could hold the big babies! 

We attempted to visit the largest fish market in the world, but unfortunately I dragged us there on a Sunday morning - when it happened to be closed. We still wandered around food stalls and snacked a bit before wandering into a food festival of sorts that was located across the street. So, it wasn't a complete bust.

The fact that I have been to Japan twice and STILL want to go back for more says a lot about this place. There are still so many things in this country that I haven't done, places that I haven't explored. I am so tempted to plan a trip to Fukuoka for Lunar New Year, and possibly making a day trip to Hiroshima. Yes, that's exactly what I'll do.