Taichung part 2

09 Jul 2011 Leave a comment

by twgurl54 in Taiwan, Travel

Hidden Village Coffee and Antiques Shop

And half an hour later I was meeting the artist (from Liverpool, England), watching him sign the custom piece he’d created for a fellow Brit. Next stop, a little place called the “Hidden Village”, easily overlooked even by the locals, tucked behind restaurants and shops. It’s like a little…well, village! People living in spaces carved out of nooks and crannies, quirky little shops, a gallery, a small temple, and a temple supply shop!

Hidden Village Camera Shop

 

Taichung Adventure! part 1

09 Jul 2011 Leave a comment

by twgurl54 in Taiwan, Travel Tags: , ,

Where to begin….I knew I wanted to be onboard the 12:36 HSR (Taiwan High Speed Rail) to Taichung (pronounce ty-juhng) which meant I’d have to brave the MRT system. For someone who is directionally (and here, linguistically-challenged) that can be quite an undertaking! I left the hotel at 11:45 headed for Da-an MRT station and used my “Easy Pay” card to enter the terminal. btw, the cost to ride the MRT is ridiculously low, something like 15NT (.50 cents). I got on the train and off at the next stop (Zhongxiao Fuxing) and switched to the blue line headed east to Taipei Main Station. Three stops later, I found my way to the HSR ticket machines, only to find out that all the screens are all in Chinese. Got in another line to buy a ticket from an actual person. 4 minutes later I had a non-reserved ticket to Taiching. Less than an hour later, I was in Taichung taking a taxi to go see a painting!!

Arrival in Taichung

Day 16 pm

08 Jul 2011 Leave a comment

by twgurl54 in Culture, Shopping, Taiwan, Travel Tags: ,

I’m in sticker shock! I went looking for a desk for my new apartment. Nothing too fancy, but nothing IKEA either. I took one of my co-workers to see the new place and then shopping on the furniture street – nothing but furniture for blocks, and blocks, and blocks.  The first store had lovely Restoration Hardware furniture. I asked the price of a desk and chair….(are you sitting down?) over 200,000NT  (nearly 7K USD). Yeah right! So after I picked my jaw off the ground I said “So what’s your real price?”. The salesman did some more calculation and came up 175K (5800 USD). And he was completely serious. Come on, now. They had the RH catalog sitting out; you could buy the same thing Stateside and have it shipped over for less than that! So either that’s what they did, and passed the outrageous customs bill onto unsuspecting consumers OR (more likely) they have craftsman who create repros of the expensive US stuff and charge outlandish fees for it! Definitely an eye opener. One kind shop owner stayed open until 11pm just letting us look at photos and check out leather and veneer samples. Guess that 14000NT teak table from Tealit is looking better and better and that price includes delivery and two guys to cart the thing up 5 flights of stairs! (Tealit is sort of like Craigslist.)

Speaking of Tealit, I saw some paintings for sale and started talking to (emailing) the guy who was selling off some of his collection. Turns out there is a big festival in Taiching (south of Taipei) this weekend, LUVstock, and I got invited me to attend! My camera and I will be taking the HSR (high speed rail) tomorrow into truly uncharted territory! Stay tuned for the pics!

Crossing the street, trash cans, and drinking fountains

07 Jul 2011 Leave a comment

by twgurl54 in Culture, Taiwan, Travel

Two weeks here and the sight of Taipei 101 no longer has the same affect on me. Once inside it’s still thrilling but outside I pay attention to more immediate events. For instance, I nearly got run over by a taxi this morning on the way to work. I was in a CROSSWALK with at least 30 seconds on the green light (they have digital counters to let pedestrians the time between light changes) when a taxi made a right turn into my path. I stopped, held up my hand in a “STOP” motion, and the guy stopped! Unfortunately the folks he was ferrying, they got tossed around!

I went with my boss to look at my new apartment (pics to be posted shortly); he helped me figure out the best route there. At the Tong Gua market I bought a fresh juice drink (cucumber, carrots, apple, and lime) and looked for a place to toss the empty cup – nada, zip, zilch – nothing! Apparently no one wants to pay for garbage removal so there are no public trash containers – also surprising: there isn’t a lot of trash on the ground.

Oh, I forgot to tell you something: at the gym yesterday I wanted some water in between sets. What I found was a water dispenser with flat (yes, that’s what I said) cups. Kinda cool, actually. You have to open the “cup” and hope you don’t overfill it. When you’re done, you simply fold the cup back up. I saved mine!

Day 14 pm

06 Jul 2011 Leave a comment

by twgurl54 in Culture, Taiwan, Travel Tags: , ,

Come on, WordPress, answer your email! I’ve attempted to insert a photo into one of my posts (just like I did the others) and for some reason, after half a dozen tries, it wouldn’t take.

On another topic, I went to the gym today and got a little shock: I went into the “dressing room” to change and found that there were two types of stalls. One with a shower (which flooded the other stalls in the same row) and one with a toilet in the floor (say what?).  Needless to say I was rather perplexed and definitely disgusted. Ugh. Live and learn….

On a happier and healthier note, I found a little “Organic Mart” close to the hotel. They have a wide assortment of fresh fruits (most of which I recognize) , organic fresh juices,  and take out bowls. The bowls consist of various veggies and seaweed – tonight’s offering was some sort of grape vines, enoki mushrooms, shredded carrots, and a form of seaweed in a light dressing. YUM!

Day 14 am

06 Jul 2011 Leave a comment

by twgurl54 in Taiwan

Yesterday I hit the wall! Two weeks in-country and all the inputs finally collided; I felt the full weight of making such a drastic change! I knew it would happen, but not when or how. Mainly I just felt frustrated all day, which is inevitable when you take everything you’ve known and turn it on its end. In Taiwan, everything looks, sounds, and tastes different. Yes folks are super friendly and helpful but there are, of course, those little “gotchas”, little details that, when added together, can feel heavy indeed. Is this how our immigrants forefathers felt? Americans are definitely a minority in Taiwan, a curiousity. Even though I’ve never been one to blend in, I can see how that might be a good thing in a foreign country. I’ve become a “stranger in a strange land”. But as my wise youngest daughter says “This [feeling] too shall pass.”

Info for US citizens travelling abroad

05 Jul 2011 Leave a comment

by twgurl54 in Travel

It’s recommended that US citizens register with the US consulate in whatever country they find themselves in, especially if they plan on living in that country. Another option is to go online and register your travel plans: https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/ .

This way, the state department can contact you should a travel advisory arise that may affect your travel plans. It is also a safety precaution: on the off-chance that whatever country you find yourself in has some sort of disaster, someone from our Government knows we exist and will, it is assumed, make some effort to ascertain our situation.

Day 10 pm

02 Jul 2011 4 Comments

by twgurl54 in Taiwan, Travel

There’s hot and humid and then there’s Taiwan! I decided to walk to the Taipei 101 mall…I’d done it last weekend, no problem. Not so much today! By the time I got to the Hyatt, across from the 101 (less than 2 miles from the Fullerton) I was literally, dripping with sweat  – ugh – and managed to get blisters on both feet! I need a pedicure!! So, onto one of Taipei’s Aveda salons..aaaaah.

Taipei 101 Aveda Salon

That was probably the most attention I’ve received at any salon EVER! For my  haircut, the stylist took his time to figure out what I wanted (between my Chinglish and his limited understand of it) and then gave me what I asked for (short but able to be styled in several different ways). The haircut consisted of MORE THAN ONE massage (neck, shoulders, scalp) – so relaxing! Next up, the much-needed mani-pedi. It was done in a private setting with much attention paid to details. I think at one point I almost fell asleep! You know how picky I am when it comes to personal care services. This was a little more expensive than back in the States (~ 160.00 for all three services) but seriously, this was the BEST I’ve ever had! I did purchase some product and was told that I could get an immediate refund for the tax I’d just paid (VAT) – say what??

Next up, the food court and fresh juice! Boy they love their OJ here! No matter what type of juice one orders, it’s always topped off with OJ.

Then, I hit the mother load – the Taiwan equivalent of Whole Foods, named: Jason’s! A great haircut and happy nails and now an organic foods market? Wow! I tried taking photos of some of the strange foods but was approached by a smiling security guard who asked me not to. Hmmmm, not sure what that’s about but I did manage to get one shot of a really strange fruit (from Thailand). No clue what it is. Maybe one of you does…

Strange Fruit

NOTE: Read Aron’s comment for the name of the strange fruit!

In the “junk food” aisles they had everything from Mint Milanos to carmel corn to jelly bellies! Of course there were all sorts of Japanese treats and other (healthier) goodies to select from. Of course, my purchases were once again beautifully wrapped.

Jason's Bag and Tax Refund Envelope

Day 10 am

02 Jul 2011 Leave a comment

by twgurl54 in Foreign Food, Taiwan, Travel Tags: ,

Yesterday was apparently international day. My collegues took me out for a “Welcome” lunch to an Italian restaurant recommended by the foodies in the group. I had swordfish topped with a delicioso salsa! As each person’s order was brought out, several co-workers took photos of each plate to post onto Flkr – now that’s hardcore foodie! Afterwards, I was introducted to gem of a bakery: “Boite de Bijou” (Jewel Box). Wow! Gorgeous displays of individual dessert treats, breads, condiments – all tres chic! I selected an assortment of macarons and, in fine Taiwan style, was presented with the most gorgeous box, tied with a brown ribbon. Amazing!

Boite de Bijou box

 

After work, a group of us jumped on the bus (my first bus ride here) to go grab Mexican food at a little hole-in-wall close to National Taiwan University (NTU). On the way to the park to eat (the place only had 6 seats) my cheese quesadillas, I stumbled upon a GERMAN bakery/restaurant!! I ordered some rose tea, made with rose buds – a beautiful pinkish color, and so  tasty! While I waited for the tea to be made I could not resist the Bienenschtich (bee sting) – yum!

Today I’ll be getting a long-needed mani-pedi at the Aveda salon in Taipei 101 and then…who knows!

Day 8 pm

30 Jun 2011 Leave a comment

by twgurl54 in Taiwan, Travel Tags: , ,

I know I said I’d NEVER ride a scooter in Taipei but I lied! After work tonight, one of my kind co-workers took me (on his scooter) to see an apartment (my first one here!) – and I lived to tell about it! There is a definite etiquette to driving a scooter, especially when one wants to turn or cross a street! Suffice it to say, my “driver” handled his scooter beautifully and we arrived safely at our destination. The apartment manager proudly told us that there are two entrances to the building and we could see that a lot of care had been taken in keeping the place clean. There are two partially furnished apartments in tonight’s offering: one on the more desireable second floor (called 2F) and one on the less desireable 4F. This is because there is no elevator in the building so imagine having to cart your shopping up the stairs daily and the trash down. By the way, apparently, if your landlord doesn’t include trash handling in the rent, you must sort your trash before handing it off (literally) to the garbage collector!

I really liked both apartments (very new, clean lines, HUGE clothes closet) but could probably get a better price on the fourth floor one. I liked that one a bit better anyway because it looked out onto a street strung with – you guessed it – Chinese lanterns! So beautiful in yellow and red! And, it’s closer to the top floor which houses the two (count ’em, two) washing machines and laundry drying veranda (clothes dryers are somewhat scarce here). Having someone who speaks fluent Chinese along to communicate with potential landlords is a MUST! I have several other places (within walking distance of work) to look at this weekend.

Oh I forgot to tell you: when you purchase something from most store here, the receipt you get also acts as a LOTTERY ticket! Every so often (not quite sure when), a winning number is posted. The idea is that you check some number printed on your receipts to see if you’re a winner. I already feel like one, having landed on this friendly island!

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As for me, I will take the road less travelled…