slept in again. it's become habit. karen arrived around 1 p.m. to take us to a vegetarian buffet.
oh. my. god. food again. AHHHHHHHHHH (though very good food)
so we tried a lot of different things and steamed buns etc that all tasted yummy. next? CAKES. we sampled 6 different types of cakes and then each ate a piece of our favorites. awful! then we tried different flavors of ice creams, too. afterwards, we felt super unhealthy so ate some healthy stuff like fruit and salad. my aunt brewed me a "slimming tea." you know you're getting fat when your AUNT brews you a SLIMMING TEA.
We also drank some of the almond tea again. It's so amazing, not kidding. It smells so good, like cherries, and we both bought some to take home.
A lot of today was riding in the car, and walking around Taipei in the rain. We went through Da'an park, which would have been really nice if it hadn't been such a gray day. And we also visited a supermarket, oogled the bread selection (looked yummy) and took pictures of strange foods. Like pig's heart.
And that's really been it..right now we're at Steph's Aunt Karen's, and we've been updating for the last couple of hours.
for your viewing pleasure.
tomorrow we're going to go to the National Palace Museum and Longshan Temple, so hopefully the weather is good!
all right. catch you all later.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
day 11
after waking up late.. again, my nanny brought me and k to see her husband. it was really nice to visit, especially since he has cancer so i might not see him again next time. before that though, my nanny dragged me to see a few different people who knew me as a two-year-old. i didn't really recognize them, but that's okay. apparently i was a really fussy baby.
there is a bakery right next door to where my nanny lives that makes these HEAVENLY pineapple cakes. we bought some fresh out of the oven and they were SO SCRUMPTIOUS (i'm running out of synonyms for delicious).
While at Steph's nanny's apartment, she showed us lots of pictures of Steph as a toddler. (CUTE. although Steph doesn't think so) and then her nanny took us to the Lin Family Mansion and Gardens, right in Banciao, which we've been meaning to visit for a while. It was pretty amazing, all these huge buildings and ponds and trees right in the middle of the city. It was built 150 years ago, and it's routinely restored, so all the paintings and carvings on the walls seemed pretty fresh. Everything was so intricate: the lamps, the doors, the windows, all wood and beautifully carved.
I LOOK LIKE A BALL NOT A PERSON IN MY BABY PICTURES. SO EMBARRASSING!!
anyhow the Lin Family Mansion and Gardens is really pretty, and i pretended that it was my house (since my last name is lin. it was fun) k took a lot of pictures and i recorded a lot of footage. we even got some pictures with college students in traditional chinese dress. they were making a movie for a class or something like that.
then we came back, had some fried dumplings for dinner. once again, STUFFED.
Afterwards, since it wasn't too late yet, we went on a quest for jeans. Steph's mom wants her to buy a lot here, since you can get them hemmed for free and she can't often find good jeans back home. Enough to last her through college apparently. So anyway, that's what we were looking for this time in the shops in Banciao. We finally found a couple of pairs that fit her (yay!) and we're supposed to pick them up the next day after they're hemmed.
Each day is passing so quickly, because they're always pretty full. We've been lucky with the weather so far. 2 full weeks of rain were predicted, and it's only poured about 2 days, so we've been able to do a lot more than we could have otherwise, and Steph's relatives seem to have made it their mission to take us to as many different cool places as possible. So that's been awesome. Anyway, I guess that's about it for this day.
there is a bakery right next door to where my nanny lives that makes these HEAVENLY pineapple cakes. we bought some fresh out of the oven and they were SO SCRUMPTIOUS (i'm running out of synonyms for delicious).
While at Steph's nanny's apartment, she showed us lots of pictures of Steph as a toddler. (CUTE. although Steph doesn't think so) and then her nanny took us to the Lin Family Mansion and Gardens, right in Banciao, which we've been meaning to visit for a while. It was pretty amazing, all these huge buildings and ponds and trees right in the middle of the city. It was built 150 years ago, and it's routinely restored, so all the paintings and carvings on the walls seemed pretty fresh. Everything was so intricate: the lamps, the doors, the windows, all wood and beautifully carved.
I LOOK LIKE A BALL NOT A PERSON IN MY BABY PICTURES. SO EMBARRASSING!!
anyhow the Lin Family Mansion and Gardens is really pretty, and i pretended that it was my house (since my last name is lin. it was fun) k took a lot of pictures and i recorded a lot of footage. we even got some pictures with college students in traditional chinese dress. they were making a movie for a class or something like that.
then we came back, had some fried dumplings for dinner. once again, STUFFED.
Afterwards, since it wasn't too late yet, we went on a quest for jeans. Steph's mom wants her to buy a lot here, since you can get them hemmed for free and she can't often find good jeans back home. Enough to last her through college apparently. So anyway, that's what we were looking for this time in the shops in Banciao. We finally found a couple of pairs that fit her (yay!) and we're supposed to pick them up the next day after they're hemmed.
Each day is passing so quickly, because they're always pretty full. We've been lucky with the weather so far. 2 full weeks of rain were predicted, and it's only poured about 2 days, so we've been able to do a lot more than we could have otherwise, and Steph's relatives seem to have made it their mission to take us to as many different cool places as possible. So that's been awesome. Anyway, I guess that's about it for this day.
day 10
we woke up super late again. around 11. then we had some late breakfast at my cousin's then i talked with my old grandma a bit. she's 93! and very, very cute. she only speaks taiwanese though, and my taiwanese is sort of nonexistant, but i managed to say a few things and we laughed a bit etc. however it was time to go to tucheng to meet my aunt karen and uncle.. king. (his last name is wang, which means king in chinese, so he calls himself king. hehe)
mm we took the MRT (getting pretty good at it, actually) and rode to meet my relatives, then went to eat teppanyaki, which um.. sort of hard to describe. there's a really large stove (?) where meat and stuff is cooked right in front of you. sort of like benihana's. it was also very good. there's almost nothing that doesn't taste good here except for odd things like tripe and pig tongue.
Yeah, to be honest I've liked almost everything I've had here. Only few exceptions are things that that are mostly made of glutin...not too crazy about that. And this Japanese fishball thing (narutos?). Yuck. But really, most everything is good.
After that they took us by car to the Hot Springs at Wulai. There was a resort sort of place where we rented two rooms by the river with the hot baths in them. One for Steph's aunt and uncle and one for Steph and I. There was a big tub in the center of the room, and three walls surrounding it. The third had a railing since we were pretty high up, and it opened out to the river so we could look at the view. We filled up the bath, and you could see the steam coming off the water it was so hot. (at least I thought it was hot...like PAINFULLY hot. Steph informs me otherwise.)
kari has a very low pain threshold. her hot is not hot and her cold is not cold. the lukewarm water to me was hot to her. the cold water to her was on the lower end of lukeworm. so unfortunately, i dipped myself in a warm bath and for kari it was super hot.
I DO NOT. Steph just has an unreasonablely high pain threshold. Seriously, the water was boiling. STEAM was coming off of it.
IF IT'S NOT STEAMING, ITS NOT HOT. DUH. IT'S SUPPOSED TO HAVE STEAM.
so yeah. at hot springs you don't go in with anything on. you have to be naked and all you have to cover you is a teeny towel. so kari was kind of iffy about it (i was used to it because i went to japan 2 years ago and went to their hot springs). but it didn't end up being awkward, except for the part where her hot was not hot.
I left my bathing suit in Banciao anyway, since we went straight from Taipei to Wulai. And Steph didn't have a bathing suit. But it was really ok. And the water felt really good once it cooled down a little bit. We got an hour in the room, because that's all we rented it for, and then we got out all pink. (red, in my case. actually quite red)
We then drank tea and coffee (I'm actually getting to quite like tea. Although coffee is still ick.) and Steph's aunt and uncle took our bags back to Banciao while we headed off to the Shilin Night Market by MRT.
it was really busy and full of food, jewelry, and just every imaginable vendor. kari got a cool pair of sunglasses (my pickkkk- i am so trendy. heehee) and we looked at more earrings and clothes. we had some really delicious almond drink, and a strawberry stick thing coated with sugar/honey hardened syrup. umm we also had sweet potato cooked a special way- i really liked this. yum. so basically, a lot more shopping. i saw a shaved ice restaurant, and kari has never tried it before, so i dragged her in. shaved ice is super good. it was flavored with condensed milk then over it we put red beans and peanuts.
then there was another portion that was just filled with tiny restaurants. MORE FOOD. GAH. i can't handle it anymore! there were some small gift shops too where we bought some presents for friends etc.
Finally we took the subway back and went to bed.
mm we took the MRT (getting pretty good at it, actually) and rode to meet my relatives, then went to eat teppanyaki, which um.. sort of hard to describe. there's a really large stove (?) where meat and stuff is cooked right in front of you. sort of like benihana's. it was also very good. there's almost nothing that doesn't taste good here except for odd things like tripe and pig tongue.
Yeah, to be honest I've liked almost everything I've had here. Only few exceptions are things that that are mostly made of glutin...not too crazy about that. And this Japanese fishball thing (narutos?). Yuck. But really, most everything is good.
After that they took us by car to the Hot Springs at Wulai. There was a resort sort of place where we rented two rooms by the river with the hot baths in them. One for Steph's aunt and uncle and one for Steph and I. There was a big tub in the center of the room, and three walls surrounding it. The third had a railing since we were pretty high up, and it opened out to the river so we could look at the view. We filled up the bath, and you could see the steam coming off the water it was so hot. (at least I thought it was hot...like PAINFULLY hot. Steph informs me otherwise.)
kari has a very low pain threshold. her hot is not hot and her cold is not cold. the lukewarm water to me was hot to her. the cold water to her was on the lower end of lukeworm. so unfortunately, i dipped myself in a warm bath and for kari it was super hot.
I DO NOT. Steph just has an unreasonablely high pain threshold. Seriously, the water was boiling. STEAM was coming off of it.
IF IT'S NOT STEAMING, ITS NOT HOT. DUH. IT'S SUPPOSED TO HAVE STEAM.
so yeah. at hot springs you don't go in with anything on. you have to be naked and all you have to cover you is a teeny towel. so kari was kind of iffy about it (i was used to it because i went to japan 2 years ago and went to their hot springs). but it didn't end up being awkward, except for the part where her hot was not hot.
I left my bathing suit in Banciao anyway, since we went straight from Taipei to Wulai. And Steph didn't have a bathing suit. But it was really ok. And the water felt really good once it cooled down a little bit. We got an hour in the room, because that's all we rented it for, and then we got out all pink. (red, in my case. actually quite red)
We then drank tea and coffee (I'm actually getting to quite like tea. Although coffee is still ick.) and Steph's aunt and uncle took our bags back to Banciao while we headed off to the Shilin Night Market by MRT.
it was really busy and full of food, jewelry, and just every imaginable vendor. kari got a cool pair of sunglasses (my pickkkk- i am so trendy. heehee) and we looked at more earrings and clothes. we had some really delicious almond drink, and a strawberry stick thing coated with sugar/honey hardened syrup. umm we also had sweet potato cooked a special way- i really liked this. yum. so basically, a lot more shopping. i saw a shaved ice restaurant, and kari has never tried it before, so i dragged her in. shaved ice is super good. it was flavored with condensed milk then over it we put red beans and peanuts.
then there was another portion that was just filled with tiny restaurants. MORE FOOD. GAH. i can't handle it anymore! there were some small gift shops too where we bought some presents for friends etc.
Finally we took the subway back and went to bed.
day 9
Christmas Day! Although it didn't feel like it. No snow etc. We wandered around Banciao for a bit, discovering that a christmas tree had appeared overnight by the Hi-Mart, and early that afternoon we took the MRT into Taipei.
when we arrived in taipei, i had this glorious plan to drop off our bags at my dentist cousin's office before going to the taipei 101, but.... plans were ruined after an experience with this asshole taxi driver. so we got in and i said to go to "jie long lu" (jie long road) at the crossroad with the night market. however, my chinese isn't THAT good, so i didn't know how to say everything with all the roads and whatnot. believe it or not, this dumbass yelled at me! i'm the CUSTOMER. a PAYING customer! AND A FOREIGNER. AND A TEENAGER. jeez. so he said "hey, it's not like all taxi drivers know every single road." for pete's sake you are a TAXI DRIVER. YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO KNOW THE ROADS. so yeah i offered for him to just take us to jie long road and we'd search ourselves, and in a very bad tone he replied "it's like 6 km long, you're going to search for it yourself?" so i got really pissed off and just said "fine. just take us to the frickin taipei 101." so he did and we left without saying goodbye. GOOD RIDDANCE.
Ok. So yeah, then we went into the Taipei 101...the tallest building in the world. It's filled with the most expensive designer stores... Prada, Gucci, Dolche and Gabbana...you get the picture. We didn't really go into much, because obviously we don't have that much money (sadly). Although we did have fun looking at the jewelry at Tiffany's. Then we went up to the observatory via the fastest elevator in the world, 101 meters per minute, up to the 89th floor. It was a bit cloudy, so we couldn't see all that far, but you could still look over the entirety of Taipei. We took the listening tour, and when it got dark the whole city was lit up and it looked really cool.
my favorite is watching the little teeny cars. anyway, we decided it was time to eat dinner so we went down to the basement where the food court is. it's HUGE. i've never seen a larger selection of foods in one food court. we walked around in a circle about 2.5 times before settling on what to eat. kari had a japanese thing.. something-don. anyhow i sampled some and it tasted really good. it was a rice bowl (well like cauldron) with fried eggs and onions, then over that was chicken. it came with a soup hotpot. and mine? EVEN LARGER. holy crap, okay. i had a sizzling plate of spicy pepper beef with onions and bean sprouts with some tofu and egg on the side, then a bowl of rice, a bowl of veggies, and a bowl of soup. it was so good, but way too big.
Side note: All the places in the food court have plastic representations of the food they serve...so bowls of plastic shrimp, chicken, etc. in glass cases. Which I thought was kind of funny. Ok back to Steph.
i always get really thirsty here, because instead of a drink to quench your thirst, everyone has hot soup. and i'm just not used to it, i need something cold to wash down my meals. so right behind me was a fruit smoothie shop that looked so delish, so we got a papaya milkshake. SO GOOD. it was seriously, so so good. afterwards i looked at kari and then we decided to get another drink. hehehe. so then we got a kiwi slushie, which was also really amazing. i love fruit!!
By the way, we're splitting almost everything here because the portions are so huge. It's rare when we don't. But it's STILL so much food...we both still end up really full.
After leaving the Taipei 101, we met up with Steph's dentist cousin and he took us to his apartment, where we were to spend the night. After hot showers, we went down to the movie theater in his basement to watch Pirates 2..which Steph hadn't seen yet and I've seen twice. Haha. So we finished watching at about 3 in the morning, and went to bed. Merry Christmas.
when we arrived in taipei, i had this glorious plan to drop off our bags at my dentist cousin's office before going to the taipei 101, but.... plans were ruined after an experience with this asshole taxi driver. so we got in and i said to go to "jie long lu" (jie long road) at the crossroad with the night market. however, my chinese isn't THAT good, so i didn't know how to say everything with all the roads and whatnot. believe it or not, this dumbass yelled at me! i'm the CUSTOMER. a PAYING customer! AND A FOREIGNER. AND A TEENAGER. jeez. so he said "hey, it's not like all taxi drivers know every single road." for pete's sake you are a TAXI DRIVER. YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO KNOW THE ROADS. so yeah i offered for him to just take us to jie long road and we'd search ourselves, and in a very bad tone he replied "it's like 6 km long, you're going to search for it yourself?" so i got really pissed off and just said "fine. just take us to the frickin taipei 101." so he did and we left without saying goodbye. GOOD RIDDANCE.
Ok. So yeah, then we went into the Taipei 101...the tallest building in the world. It's filled with the most expensive designer stores... Prada, Gucci, Dolche and Gabbana...you get the picture. We didn't really go into much, because obviously we don't have that much money (sadly). Although we did have fun looking at the jewelry at Tiffany's. Then we went up to the observatory via the fastest elevator in the world, 101 meters per minute, up to the 89th floor. It was a bit cloudy, so we couldn't see all that far, but you could still look over the entirety of Taipei. We took the listening tour, and when it got dark the whole city was lit up and it looked really cool.
my favorite is watching the little teeny cars. anyway, we decided it was time to eat dinner so we went down to the basement where the food court is. it's HUGE. i've never seen a larger selection of foods in one food court. we walked around in a circle about 2.5 times before settling on what to eat. kari had a japanese thing.. something-don. anyhow i sampled some and it tasted really good. it was a rice bowl (well like cauldron) with fried eggs and onions, then over that was chicken. it came with a soup hotpot. and mine? EVEN LARGER. holy crap, okay. i had a sizzling plate of spicy pepper beef with onions and bean sprouts with some tofu and egg on the side, then a bowl of rice, a bowl of veggies, and a bowl of soup. it was so good, but way too big.
Side note: All the places in the food court have plastic representations of the food they serve...so bowls of plastic shrimp, chicken, etc. in glass cases. Which I thought was kind of funny. Ok back to Steph.
i always get really thirsty here, because instead of a drink to quench your thirst, everyone has hot soup. and i'm just not used to it, i need something cold to wash down my meals. so right behind me was a fruit smoothie shop that looked so delish, so we got a papaya milkshake. SO GOOD. it was seriously, so so good. afterwards i looked at kari and then we decided to get another drink. hehehe. so then we got a kiwi slushie, which was also really amazing. i love fruit!!
By the way, we're splitting almost everything here because the portions are so huge. It's rare when we don't. But it's STILL so much food...we both still end up really full.
After leaving the Taipei 101, we met up with Steph's dentist cousin and he took us to his apartment, where we were to spend the night. After hot showers, we went down to the movie theater in his basement to watch Pirates 2..which Steph hadn't seen yet and I've seen twice. Haha. So we finished watching at about 3 in the morning, and went to bed. Merry Christmas.
day 8
we woke up kind of late today, and went to eat at ding tai fung (a really, really, REALLY delicious restaurant) that serves food like shao long bao (little dragon dumplings- they have pork and soup inside!) and shrimp dumplings and sweet and sour soup and chicken soup and all this other really yummy food. the line stretched out the door and down the block, it was crazy! so we (me, k, aunt karen, and g-ma) went to go shopping a bit and got 3 shirts for NT$500 (about.. 15 bucks) then we rushed back to eat.
After eating, we went to ANOTHER restaurant to drink bubble tea (where we saw a cute waiter.)
i kept telling kari to take a picture with him but she's shyyy.
It's not like I can ask him myself...and I don't want to just point to the camera and to him.
Anyway, then we split up. Steph's uncle took us to walk around Taipei a bit more and to the underground of the Taipei Main train station, where there are tons of shops and places to eat. Poor guy...he had to wait for us while we went into every jewelry shop, shoe store, and a couple of stores selling bras. But it was fun for us.
after that, we went to Ximending, which is the place for cool, hip teens. it was super busy and everyone dressed like an asian popstar. i felt pretty frumpy. so we looked at a lot of clothes, sunglasses, hats, earrings, shoes, etc. normal girly things. once again, poor uncle!
hahah this next part is funny to remember. we decided to eat dinner at this bbq place, where you grill your own food. it's actually really cool and fun. unfortunately, we were already full before (CONSTANTLY FULL) and then we stuffed ourselves to the max. no joke.
They kept giving me things to eat!! Steph doesn't like seafood or mushrooms, so she kept putting stuff on my plate. And then Steph's uncle put food on my plate. And in the end I was so full I couldn't even walk...and it hurt to laugh...and we had to wait 15 minutes before I felt like I could get up. Not kidding. I swear, if there's any Chinese I remember 10 years from now, it'll be "hao bao" (REALLY FULL) and "wo bu uh" (I'M NOT HUNGRY).
i've truly never seen kari so round, and that's saying something.
we walked around ximending some more and went down an alley that is famous for tatooing and piercings. some of it was pretty grotesque. example.. lacing your entire back to look like you are wearing a corset! ew. however, k and i saw a shop that did nails, so we thought "hey, never done them before. let's do it!"
it took about an hour, but they turned out sweet. mine are deep purple and kari's are blue, and we both have little flowers and curlicues on our nailss. delish.
Although now they're chipping. I'm sad. Steph's are still holding up though, and we're thinking of getting them redone before we leave Taiwan.
Finally, we took the MRT back to Banciao. Fun day.
After eating, we went to ANOTHER restaurant to drink bubble tea (where we saw a cute waiter.)
i kept telling kari to take a picture with him but she's shyyy.
It's not like I can ask him myself...and I don't want to just point to the camera and to him.
Anyway, then we split up. Steph's uncle took us to walk around Taipei a bit more and to the underground of the Taipei Main train station, where there are tons of shops and places to eat. Poor guy...he had to wait for us while we went into every jewelry shop, shoe store, and a couple of stores selling bras. But it was fun for us.
after that, we went to Ximending, which is the place for cool, hip teens. it was super busy and everyone dressed like an asian popstar. i felt pretty frumpy. so we looked at a lot of clothes, sunglasses, hats, earrings, shoes, etc. normal girly things. once again, poor uncle!
hahah this next part is funny to remember. we decided to eat dinner at this bbq place, where you grill your own food. it's actually really cool and fun. unfortunately, we were already full before (CONSTANTLY FULL) and then we stuffed ourselves to the max. no joke.
They kept giving me things to eat!! Steph doesn't like seafood or mushrooms, so she kept putting stuff on my plate. And then Steph's uncle put food on my plate. And in the end I was so full I couldn't even walk...and it hurt to laugh...and we had to wait 15 minutes before I felt like I could get up. Not kidding. I swear, if there's any Chinese I remember 10 years from now, it'll be "hao bao" (REALLY FULL) and "wo bu uh" (I'M NOT HUNGRY).
i've truly never seen kari so round, and that's saying something.
we walked around ximending some more and went down an alley that is famous for tatooing and piercings. some of it was pretty grotesque. example.. lacing your entire back to look like you are wearing a corset! ew. however, k and i saw a shop that did nails, so we thought "hey, never done them before. let's do it!"
it took about an hour, but they turned out sweet. mine are deep purple and kari's are blue, and we both have little flowers and curlicues on our nailss. delish.
Although now they're chipping. I'm sad. Steph's are still holding up though, and we're thinking of getting them redone before we leave Taiwan.
Finally, we took the MRT back to Banciao. Fun day.
day 7
umm.. day seven began with me taking a really long shower, and my aunt and uncle getting frustrated with how laggy i am. i'm normally not this laggy! but the combination of bad haircut, fatness, and no makeup, makes me take a long time to be presentable.
we went up finally and there was a huge breakfast feast all laid out. it was traditional chinese food, such as rice gruel with pumpkin. then there were other side dishes like fried eggs with some sort of vegetable, tofu, radish pickles, and eggplant? there were mushrooms, too. there was also this really delicious drink made from some sort of pine needles, but SO good. i bought a package for me to drink at home. yum!
Then our host prepared red tea for us in the tea room. The tea leaves were one hundred years old, and Steph says she could tell it was really good. We also ate some kind of nut that's supposed to be good for your skin...you bite into it and the shell comes off and it's kind of leathery inside, like dried fruit, but they tasted pretty good. They also served us a drink that's supposed to do something to the pH in your body...aand it tasted like vinegar.
We then toured the B and B and got some great footage of the cottages and the mountain views. It was very peaceful and picturesque. Finally, we were off.
what a great day! the next stop was the Formosa Aboriginal Village. upon arrival, we were whooshed up via cable car, which i thought was pretty cool. there was this really cute kid that was sitting next to kari, who turned to his mutti and said "i think there is a foreigner sitting next to me!" i asked if he wanted to take a picture with us, but he was shy and ran off the car the minute we touched down.
It was really interesting seeing the totem poles and huts that had been preserved, and we then watched a performance by some aboriginal peoples in native dress. They presented the different tribes, and then performed ritual dances such as a harvest dance and setting off a boat on its maiden voyage. we got to take a picture with a really cute aboriginal guy afterwards, too. :-D
(i'm a little miffed he stood next to kari but i'm over it. maybe.)
there were some other singing performances and whatnot as well. kari and i were dragged into dancing with them. it was fun, yet sort of awkward. (Kari: I had no idea what I was doing!! The woman said to watch the people in front of us but we were still pretty clueless.)
We also went on a roller coaster, much to Steph's dismay. I had to promise her it was the only one she had to go on. It was fun. It went through the dark but didn't loop upside down or anything, so it was actually pretty tame. Although Steph didn't think so. (i screamed out of FEAR. pure, unadulterated FEAR. kari is so mean.)
We stopped for dinner at a small eatery near Puli. It was REALLY good..the guy who owns it used to be a really famous chef at a hotel. After eating, he said we could try making dumplings. We put the filling in a small round bit of dough and then we were supposed to pinch the edges shut. We were not too successful. There's a picture of Steph with her failed dumpling that's really funny.
umm then we drove back to taipei, about four-ish hours so i could visit my cousin. he's in the army right now but has weekends off, so i got to see him. he looks cooler now than the last time, but is still super skinny. i think he is skinnier than even mr. dan knox. (Yeah, he is - Kari)
so we arranged some plans with my cousin for this upcoming saturday :)
By the time we left Taipei to go back to Banciao, it was about 12:30...the MRT closes at midnight so Steph's uncle had to drive us back. And we got scolded a bit by her grandmother by getting back so late....
We can't remember whether it was this night or the next, but we're pretty sure we experienced a mini-earthquake. The whole apartment shook for about 20 seconds...the windows were rattling really loudly, and it was a bit scary. It passed really quickly though. And we didn't even feel the earthquake that happened recently in another part of Taiwan. It didn't affect us at all.
we went up finally and there was a huge breakfast feast all laid out. it was traditional chinese food, such as rice gruel with pumpkin. then there were other side dishes like fried eggs with some sort of vegetable, tofu, radish pickles, and eggplant? there were mushrooms, too. there was also this really delicious drink made from some sort of pine needles, but SO good. i bought a package for me to drink at home. yum!
Then our host prepared red tea for us in the tea room. The tea leaves were one hundred years old, and Steph says she could tell it was really good. We also ate some kind of nut that's supposed to be good for your skin...you bite into it and the shell comes off and it's kind of leathery inside, like dried fruit, but they tasted pretty good. They also served us a drink that's supposed to do something to the pH in your body...aand it tasted like vinegar.
We then toured the B and B and got some great footage of the cottages and the mountain views. It was very peaceful and picturesque. Finally, we were off.
what a great day! the next stop was the Formosa Aboriginal Village. upon arrival, we were whooshed up via cable car, which i thought was pretty cool. there was this really cute kid that was sitting next to kari, who turned to his mutti and said "i think there is a foreigner sitting next to me!" i asked if he wanted to take a picture with us, but he was shy and ran off the car the minute we touched down.
It was really interesting seeing the totem poles and huts that had been preserved, and we then watched a performance by some aboriginal peoples in native dress. They presented the different tribes, and then performed ritual dances such as a harvest dance and setting off a boat on its maiden voyage. we got to take a picture with a really cute aboriginal guy afterwards, too. :-D
(i'm a little miffed he stood next to kari but i'm over it. maybe.)
there were some other singing performances and whatnot as well. kari and i were dragged into dancing with them. it was fun, yet sort of awkward. (Kari: I had no idea what I was doing!! The woman said to watch the people in front of us but we were still pretty clueless.)
We also went on a roller coaster, much to Steph's dismay. I had to promise her it was the only one she had to go on. It was fun. It went through the dark but didn't loop upside down or anything, so it was actually pretty tame. Although Steph didn't think so. (i screamed out of FEAR. pure, unadulterated FEAR. kari is so mean.)
We stopped for dinner at a small eatery near Puli. It was REALLY good..the guy who owns it used to be a really famous chef at a hotel. After eating, he said we could try making dumplings. We put the filling in a small round bit of dough and then we were supposed to pinch the edges shut. We were not too successful. There's a picture of Steph with her failed dumpling that's really funny.
umm then we drove back to taipei, about four-ish hours so i could visit my cousin. he's in the army right now but has weekends off, so i got to see him. he looks cooler now than the last time, but is still super skinny. i think he is skinnier than even mr. dan knox. (Yeah, he is - Kari)
so we arranged some plans with my cousin for this upcoming saturday :)
By the time we left Taipei to go back to Banciao, it was about 12:30...the MRT closes at midnight so Steph's uncle had to drive us back. And we got scolded a bit by her grandmother by getting back so late....
We can't remember whether it was this night or the next, but we're pretty sure we experienced a mini-earthquake. The whole apartment shook for about 20 seconds...the windows were rattling really loudly, and it was a bit scary. It passed really quickly though. And we didn't even feel the earthquake that happened recently in another part of Taiwan. It didn't affect us at all.
day 6
we woke up early and my aunt and uncle on my dad's side came to take us to Puli, four hours away from Banciao. i slept most of the time (on the way there).
We stopped at a monastary/temple on the way there that was really beautiful. The weather was great, sunny and warm, so we took off our jackets while we wandered around. The gardens there were amazing, with lots of miniature bonsai trees, and we also saw lots of statues including a huge golden "happy buddha." We wanted to take a picture of it, but there was a nun that stopped us. It's difficult to tell whether the people there are nuns or monks, because they all have shaved heads and wear the same black robes.
One nun showed us around a bit and was quite helpful as her English was fairly good. She guided us through a Buddhist prayer as well, where we each lit a candle and repeated words about helping all beings, and then we each were supposed to make a wish. Although I felt a bit like a fraud, it was still interesting.
after a bit of confusion, we went to the buddhist art exhibition where a german guy gave us an informational tour in english. when we saw him we were like "deutsch!" so he asked if he could talk in german. umm.. no. it was really interesting though. for example, the lions in chinese culture always look really weird b/c artists back then didn't know how lions look, so they borrowed from other animals like frogs or dogs.. hence their strange appearance. also, we learned different hand gestures such as "passing on the teaching" and "no fear." now, kari and i can greet you in buddhist gestures when we see you next. mine will be "no fear" because you won't recognize how fat i've become.
Then Steph's aunt and uncle took us to Sun Moon Lake at sunset. It's really famous in Taiwan, a very touristy spot because the water is bright turquoise. It's also surrounded by mountains, and was quite beautiful. We took a walk along the shore until it got dark and chilly, and then headed to the bed and breakfast in the mountains where we stayed the night.
It's the cutest place. Steph and I got our own room that has the most amazing view of the mountains and is decorated all in pink and white and that has a connecting bathroom. There was no tub for the shower, which threw me. At Steph's grandparents' apartment there's no curtain, and you're supposed to get water on the floor, but I've been really careful when showering there because it just feels wrong to get water on the floor. So not having anything at all at Puli was a bit strange.
We were supposed to drink tea with the owners of the bed and breakfast that night, but Steph fell asleep straight away. Oops. I took a shower, and didn't realize until later that since it was one of the first times I washed my hair since dying it, I got brown dye on my shirt. Yuck. But oh well.
Steph is MIA right now because she's talking to her cousins but she'll write more of the next posts.
We stopped at a monastary/temple on the way there that was really beautiful. The weather was great, sunny and warm, so we took off our jackets while we wandered around. The gardens there were amazing, with lots of miniature bonsai trees, and we also saw lots of statues including a huge golden "happy buddha." We wanted to take a picture of it, but there was a nun that stopped us. It's difficult to tell whether the people there are nuns or monks, because they all have shaved heads and wear the same black robes.
One nun showed us around a bit and was quite helpful as her English was fairly good. She guided us through a Buddhist prayer as well, where we each lit a candle and repeated words about helping all beings, and then we each were supposed to make a wish. Although I felt a bit like a fraud, it was still interesting.
after a bit of confusion, we went to the buddhist art exhibition where a german guy gave us an informational tour in english. when we saw him we were like "deutsch!" so he asked if he could talk in german. umm.. no. it was really interesting though. for example, the lions in chinese culture always look really weird b/c artists back then didn't know how lions look, so they borrowed from other animals like frogs or dogs.. hence their strange appearance. also, we learned different hand gestures such as "passing on the teaching" and "no fear." now, kari and i can greet you in buddhist gestures when we see you next. mine will be "no fear" because you won't recognize how fat i've become.
Then Steph's aunt and uncle took us to Sun Moon Lake at sunset. It's really famous in Taiwan, a very touristy spot because the water is bright turquoise. It's also surrounded by mountains, and was quite beautiful. We took a walk along the shore until it got dark and chilly, and then headed to the bed and breakfast in the mountains where we stayed the night.
It's the cutest place. Steph and I got our own room that has the most amazing view of the mountains and is decorated all in pink and white and that has a connecting bathroom. There was no tub for the shower, which threw me. At Steph's grandparents' apartment there's no curtain, and you're supposed to get water on the floor, but I've been really careful when showering there because it just feels wrong to get water on the floor. So not having anything at all at Puli was a bit strange.
We were supposed to drink tea with the owners of the bed and breakfast that night, but Steph fell asleep straight away. Oops. I took a shower, and didn't realize until later that since it was one of the first times I washed my hair since dying it, I got brown dye on my shirt. Yuck. But oh well.
Steph is MIA right now because she's talking to her cousins but she'll write more of the next posts.
day 5
It's been so long since we've gotten to a computer...Steph and I are beginning to despair of finishing our homework before we get back to the U.S. because we'd rather update this.
my memory is a little rusty, but i think we spent all of day five just shopping in banciao. it was a bit drizzly, but it was still fun. kari got some really gorgeous shoes for prom, and i have yet to find anything. compared to the states, everything here is really cheap. we must've bought at least 5 pairs of earrings each already because each pair is usually only about one dollar.
While we were out we bought some pork buns for dinner (quite good) and I tried some guava juice..we're still having trouble finding skim milk here. There only seems to be lowfat.
So not much else to update on day five.
basically we eat and sleep. life of a pig. (shop, too, but pigs don't do that) please don't be alarmed when i return obese. kari just doesn't seem to gain any weight. but i do. so you are warned
my memory is a little rusty, but i think we spent all of day five just shopping in banciao. it was a bit drizzly, but it was still fun. kari got some really gorgeous shoes for prom, and i have yet to find anything. compared to the states, everything here is really cheap. we must've bought at least 5 pairs of earrings each already because each pair is usually only about one dollar.
While we were out we bought some pork buns for dinner (quite good) and I tried some guava juice..we're still having trouble finding skim milk here. There only seems to be lowfat.
So not much else to update on day five.
basically we eat and sleep. life of a pig. (shop, too, but pigs don't do that) please don't be alarmed when i return obese. kari just doesn't seem to gain any weight. but i do. so you are warned
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