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.