Sun Moon Lake Taiwan Mid Autumn Festival

Wow. Cannot believe it's September already. My contract is nearly up, and the plan is to return to the States in December. A lotttttttt has happened since my last post.

June-
Visited Okinawa. Relaxing and tasty food. I have a new appreciation for goya chanpuru, which is bittermelon and scrambled eggs. To sum up the trip- Milk cookies, Monorail, Intercontinental Manza beach, Shuri castle, macrobiotic cafe, outlet shopping at Beams!

Tips in Okinawa-
- Take two days or more away from Naha and drive about two hours north to Nago or the smaller islands.
- Rent a pocket Wifi. Free wireless internet is not as widespread as you think.
- Check out the alleyways along the main street
- Eat tacorice!
- American Village is so gimmicky. If you want to shop at American style stores, then check it out, but it felt too cheesy.
- Check out at least one historical site. I really like Shuri Castle, and its walkable from the Shuri Castle monorail station.

July-
After countless hours editing music and photos, and changing choreography almost every other day, having to deal with the Managerial pressure and bitching, we finished the Kindergarten performance. And I don't have to teach Kindy anymore. Phewww. Working tons of hours so I can save up more money, and enjoy a break in September.

August- Super m e l l o w

Sept-
Visited my aunt again in Taichung with my cousin and little brother, who is doing a study abroad program in Taipei.

Tips for Taichung and Sun Moon Lake-
- From Taipei Main Station, head towards the bus terminal on the 2nd floor of Q Square for the buses to Taichung. Ticket costs 210 NT each way.
- Various buses can take you to Sun Moon Lake.  Sun Moon Lake transportation options
- Rent bikes from any of the bike rental stations near Sun Moon Lake. An all day rental is 100 NT. Electric bikes cost a little more. The bike trails are super easy and give you beautiful views of most of the pristine lake.

Taichung 2014

Decided to spend the Tomb Sweeping Holiday (清明節) in Taichung and visit my aunt, an uncle I haven't met before, and my cousin. Pretty cool to get to know a new relative, especially one who has traveled and lived in several countries, so he could understand some of my frustrations adjusting to living here. He gave lots of advice on life, business and being a restauranteur over Hendrick's gin on the rocks. My uncle has good taste. My aunt hasn't changed a bit since I last saw her at my dad's cremation ceremony. It was nice to see that she's happy with someone like my Uncle. Also, thanks for hanging cousin Lydia!

I would say Taichung is a sleepy city. You could tell they are developing it, especially with the new metro line they are building. Everyone there is pretty friendly and helpful, and you can tell they don't get many visitors since my cousin and I would have heads turn as English came piping outta our mouths. I know they're thinking they look like us, but they're not US. Also the public trans system in Taichung is pretty generous. The most I paid was 10 NT (about 30 cents), and often my bus ride was free because you pay by the distance traveled. Taichung is also known for their food, and night market, Fengyuan. My cousin and I thought it was okay. There wasn't anything that set itself apart from other night markets we've been to.

The best part of my visit was eating at my aunt's elegant Japanese restaurant, Senda. She is a definite pioneer because anyone can slap together some teriyaki chicken, store bought udon or ginger and seaweed and call it Japanese, but she is a adamant about authenticity. My aunt pickles her own vegetables, uses sushi rice for everything, makes her own salad dressing, and does not reuse the oil for her tempura. You can taste the quality and care my aunt, uncle and her staff put into the food.

If you ever visit Taichung, and craving authentic Japanese food, please visit her restaurant and mention my name. Overall, Taichung is a nice place with good weather, and everything supppppper cheappp. Like my aunt's 3 bedroom apartment is 3000 NT less than my studio in Taipei. Uggg.

Taiwan Quirks

Got to check out Jiufen the past weekend. Its a beautiful place in the northeast corner of Taiwan. Its about a 40 minute ride by a "special" van. Originally my friends and I wanted to take a bus, which would have taken 1 hr and 40 mins. But a couple with betlenut juice teeth (you'll know what I mean if you've visited or live here) near the bus stop asked if we wanted a ride. The wife pointed to her sign which said we could save an hour by taking their van. It costs 200 NT, which we thought was a good deal to save time. Getting in, we find out one of us has to sit on a stool, while another had a seatbelt missing. Normally, I would bail out of this situation, but hey, its Taiwan and they often say "go with the flow".

The ride was pretty smooth, and once we got all the way up a winding road, you will see spectacular views of ocean. It was very packed with weekend visitors from Taipei or tourists from the Mainland, and Japan. There are many teahouses on the hillside, so we found one that gave us great views while we drank tea. The weather was sunny and perfect, so I could see all the way out to Keelung, a nearby city. So you begin walking down a narrow path, so if you're claustrophobic, don't come.. its seriously crowded. Keep in mind this used to be an old gold mining town a la SF during the Gold Rush. Along the path you will find all kinds of snacks, drink and trinkets to buy. Food is so cheap in Taiwan that you basically go to any stall that strikes your fancy and order. I got to try a gelatinous covered pork "bun". It kind threw me off because they looked like circular jellyfish. I will just say it had an interesting flavor.

The next morning, I woke up with what felt like flu symptoms. Whole body aches, sore throat, fever, and lethargy. Somehow I made through my day at work, but I rushed to a doctor for some meds. The nice thing is most doctors, well the Western style ones, speak good English, so I didn't have the added stress of language issues. I arrived at the doc's office by 4:30pm, seen at 4:33pm, diagnosed and provided a prescription at 4:40pm, walked next door to the pharmacist, and left with meds at 4:50. All this cost me 150 NT ($5 USD). Umm this would NEVER happen in America. What also amazed me was that they scanned my medical insurance card into a card reader that uploaded my personal stats on to their computer. The doctor already knew my age and other basic info without me having to write that information down. Amazing.

On the opposite spectrum, I was shocked at how much is charged for eyecare. I was hoping contacts and glasses would be subsidized, but no. I spent 14000 NT for new glasses, frames, and a year's supply of contact lenses. I was told that this is normal. So if you have perfect vision and occasionally get sick, then you will have the lowest medical expenses. 

Nothing is perfect. There are times I miss America. I miss Trader Joes, I miss DSW because Nikes or Western branded shoes are hella expensive here. I miss fresh, EPA monitored air. I miss my FRIENDS and FAMILY. I miss the separation of work and play because the Taiwanese just work, and work, and work. But slowly I am feeling more comfortable here, and am keeping a possibility of staying another year... We'll see...