Happy New Year!! 

Welcome to 2011!! 

Today is also the 100th birthday of the Republic of China so . . . 

Happy Birthday R.O.C.!

Dec. 28: Return to the Flora Expo

Tuesday we returned to the Taipei International Flora Expo to see the exhibits we hadn't seen yet. This time we left ridiculously early and arrived at the expo nearly an hour before it opened. There were already people lining up, waiting to be the first ones into the expo, so we got in line as well.

For the indoor exhibits they only allow a certain number of people in at a time so they pass out separate tickets for entrance into these parts after you get into the expo. Dandrich and I were going to try to go see one or two of these indoor exhibits but gave up after the gates opened and I was overrun by some 70-year-old lady and her cane. As soon as the gates opened everybody ran in to get the tickets. It was crazy.

Instead we just looked at the flowers, which after all is supposed to be the purpose of the expo. Of course the flowers were really beautiful. The Taipei Fine Arts Museum is situated in the grounds of the expo so we also visited a special exhibit held there on Paul Gauguin.  It was a nice exhibit although they only had a few of his later works.

While at the expo, we got some rose-flavored ice cream that they even made look like a rose in the cone. It was pretty delicious but unfortunately it's only a limited time flavor available at the expo. The place we got the ice cream from also had a flavor called 'Obama Chocolate Brownie.'

By the time we got out of the Fine Arts Museum the Flora Expo was inundated with visitors so we didn't stay very long after that. It is still unbelievable to me that so many people would visit the expo everyday. However,  Taiwan is considerably smaller than the United States so it is easy for people all over Taiwan to visit the expo. And since it is smaller and there are fewer things to do here I guess anything new is also pretty exciting.

Dec. 26: Kaohsuing

On the final day of our trip we saw a few sights in Kaohsuing before taking the high speed rail back to Taipei. We toured through one of the larger department stores called Dream Mall. It had a ferris wheel on top of the mall but we didn't end up riding it.

Inside of the empty stadium

We also visited one of the larger stadiums in Taiwan that happens to be located in Kaohsuing.  It holds about 40,000 people so it was pretty underwhelming compared to the Horseshoe or even the Big House. It is pretty new and was built for some kind of Asian collegiate track tournament or something like that last year. Now, it isn't really used that much, it justs there empty except for the field sprinklers. However, because of the name the stadium was given in Chinese a lot of the people in the area thought it was built for the Olympics and were happy to have it built.

Outside the stadium. It was a little windy and chilly.

Because we had to catch the high speed rail train, we ate a quick lunch at a Japanese fast food place called Mos Burger. Looking at the pictures as we ordered, I was skeptical to say the least. Then I tried one of their sandwiches and it was delicious. The one I got had teriyaki beef, onions, and lettuce. But the coolest part was instead of a normal bun the meat is placed between a bun made of rice.

After experiencing the ease of traveling on Taiwan's high speed rail, I really wish we had something like this at home. The drive from Taipei to Kaohsuing usually takes three hours in optimal traffic conditions but usually a lot longer because of the congestion on Taiwanese highways. On the high speed rail the trip is only an hour and a half and you don't have to worry about traffic or directions or anything. You can just enjoy the scenery.

High speed rail trains

Dec. 25: Kenting National Park and Kaohsuing

Our first stop after leaving the beautiful beach-side hotel was Kenting National Park. It has the distinction of being Taiwan's first national park. Two main trails wind through the park which hosts an array of tropical plants not found in other parts of Taiwan. The trails wind up and down mountains so the hike was a little difficult at first.

An interesting aspect of the park is that you are able to see ancient coral reef that at one point was submerged in the ocean before Taiwan became an island. Although you can see this in over place around Kenting, it is most surprising to find so much in the park since you are at a much higher altitude.

At one point we stumbled upon a cave you could walk through. This was all well and good until Dandrich discovered a bat hanging on the wall of the cave. Even though bats are supposed to be a good omen in Chinese culture, I got the hell out after that. We ate lunch at a little cafeteria on a view tower they built on top of one of the mountains. It had a great view.

In the cave during a happier time before the bat was discovered, though as you can see, I was still somewhat leery. 

We then made our way to Kaohsuing which is Taiwan's second biggest city. It is a major industrial center as well since it is Taiwan's largest port. After taking a quick rest at the hotel, we ate a delicious seafood dinner consisting of crab, sashimi, and steamed fish. The catch here was so fresh compared to any other seafood I've had before. I never really liked seafood before but everything is so fresh in Taiwan none of the seafood here has that 'fishy' taste that it does back in Ohio. 

In the evening, we visited the Liouhe Tourist Night Market. Night markets in Taiwan are a big deal. Vendors sell everything imaginable; food, clothes, jewelry, fresh fruit, and more. We ate even more food here. I had freshly made strawberry juice and pork dumplings. One of Taiwan's more exotic foods can be found in abundance here - stinky tofu which smells literally like shit. I have not yet had the courage to try it.

Dec. 24: Kenting

Christmas Eve was spent touring around the southern area of Taiwan. We left the city the hotel was in, Kenting, early to drive around the area. The southern coast of Taiwan has two points jutting out from the island.

We drove around the one furthest from Kenting first, stopping to take pictures along the way. The shores here were full of cliffs and very rocky and windy. Grass in the area grew horizontally on the ground because of the constant strong winds blowing in from the sea.

Continuing on, we traveled to the other point where there is a park that we walked around. The park included many trails along the ocean as well as a lighthouse. We hiked through the woods and around the coast. The views of the ocean were absolutely beautiful here. Luckily, there were considerably fewer Chinese tourists here than back in Taipei.

After lunch we returned to the hotel to enjoy some of the amenities offered there. We swam in the infinity pool and relaxed in the hot tub. However, the hotel's definition of hot was really just lukewarm. In the evening we took some pictures of the sunset on the beach. For dinner we ate at a nearby Thai restaurant. The food was okay, but quite different.

 Kenting is much much smaller town than Taipei with only one major road. At night, vendors line up the sides of the main road selling food, snacks, even clothes and other merchandise as well as little games you can play. The street is also full of restaurants and bars. We picked up some little snacks to take back to the hotel where we had a little picnic on the patio listening to the ocean.

Barbecued duck neck, apparently you don't eat the head. Who knew?

Dandrich playing games in Kenting. 

Dec. 23: National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium

Thursday was the beginning of our trip to the southern part of Taiwan. We took the high speed rail with Dandrich's parents from Taipei to Kaohsuing, from there we got a rental car and preceded on even farther south to Kenting.

Our first stop was the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium which is basically just an aquarium on the sea shore. They had an exhibit on Taiwanese marine life and also an exhibit with marine life from around the world. My favorite part was, of course, the penguin exhibit. There was also a couple of beluga whales that were really cute. Unfortunately, the annoying part was that a whole bunch of high schoolers were there on a school field trip.

We ate dinner nearby which consisted of beef noodle soup in a tomato broth with just a little bit of spice. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to take any pictures of this, but trust me, it was delicious. From there we continued on to our hotel which was right on the coast. It was pretty awesome because the balcony opened up to the beach.

Merry Christmas!!

Dec. 22

Today was an eventful day. We began by eating at a really expensive and really delicious all you can eat buffet that just opened near Dandrich's parent's house. It was one of the nicest restaurants I've ever eaten in.

All-you-can-eat dessert buffet

In the evening we went back to the Flora Expo to see the Christmas exhibits. They were pretty even though some of the designers know very little about Christmas. It was kind of funny to watch the people there taking pictures. Cameras have become the new status symbol in Taiwan so everyone buys the biggest camera with the biggest lenses and the biggest flash. Even though these accessories may be unnecessary in a situation, these amateur cameramen use them all the time. Some even buy professional cameras.

Like this guy who needed two cameras, a tripod, and an Indiana Jones hat . . . 

. . . to take a picture of this. 

Later, we ate this snack that is shaved ice covered with different fruit toppings like strawberries, mango, and kiwi. This was also, of course, delicious. Tomorrow we will be leaving on a trip to the southern part of Taiwan for four days. Not sure if we'll have internet at the hotel or not so it may be a few days before I update.

Shaved ice with fresh fruit

Dec. 20: Taipei 101

The Taipei 101 was the tallest building in the world until this year when some place in Dubai surpassed it. But, it's still super awesome because it's the tallest building I've ever been to.

Coincidently, each segment looks like its own Chinese take-out container. I think this is unintentional.

The building is much taller than any of the other buildings in town and towers over everything else. You can see the 101 soaring in the sky from most places in the city. It was built to look like a piece of bamboo which you can see in the different segments of the building.

Although this was the third time I've been up in the building, it was the first time I went to the outdoor observation deck on the 91st floor in addition to the regular observation deck on the 89th floor. The weather was pretty good so we were able to see most of the landmarks around Taipei from the observation deck.

Looking up at the very top from the outdoor observation deck 

We went during lunch time so as to avoid the place being overrun by Chinese tourists. Luckily, they were all at lunch and the observation deck was relatively empty. Since the last time I was there, they have added an entire maze of little stores with gaudy, over-priced jewelry that you have to walk through to get to the elevators that go back down. Apparently, these cater specifically toward the Chinese tour groups who will spend a bunch of money buying this stuff. The staff at these little stores don't even look up or greet anybody else.

View of Taipei from the top.

Dec. 19: Ju Ming Museum

Along with Dandrich's parents we took a short road trip to Taipei to visit an art museum in the mountains. It is always fun to drive around outside of the city to see what life looks like in the country. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of that.

Before we left Taipei we stopped at Costco and picked up food for a picnic at the museum. We got a huge platter of assorted sushi and another of just salmon sushi. Once we arrived at the museum we ate lunch on a little flooding pavilion. The food was delicious and the setting was pretty as well.

The museum was pretty awesome. Ju Ming is a sculptor from Taiwan. His most famous work is a series of sculptures in Taichi poses but he has a lot of other pieces as well. What is really interesting about his work is how, although the pieces are somewhat abstract, he uses the cuts in the wood to really express the emotions that go along with the subject.

Ju Ming also has a lot of sculptures that are first cut out of Styrofoam before a mold is made and filled with bronze. It makes the pieces look really interesting.

In the evening we walked around and took some more pictures of the area near where Dandrich's parents live. The shopping area is all decorated for Christmas even though few people celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday. No one even gets the day off work or school. Instead most people celebrate the day more like a Valentine's Day. Regardless, people are really psyched to decorate for Christmas (or X'mas as everyone here calls it) and wear Santa hats and reindeer antlers.