Well here i am, in Taipei, Taiwan - updating my blog. How did i get here? a bit of a story..
I was under the impression that all of the co-ops are doing something together for “golden week” - the series of holidays that just happen to be in the end of April. I was wrong. Annabelle had parents coming over, Jessie’s girlfriend Andra and her friends were coming and Ivan .. is just Ivan - very difficult to determine what is on his mind at times. One day at work he exclaims: i just bought tickets to go to Taiwan for 20000yen.. (approx $200 CND). Quickly i thought ‘I know a guy in Taiwan’ and in a spur of a moment i called up the agency that Ivan called and reserved the same flight as him - afterall this would guarantee that i would have someone to read kanji for me. In addition to that visiting a country where i dont speak a bit of the language on my own was a sketchy idea, so by jumping on Ivan’s bandwagon i get a bit more of a taste of asia. .. Yea, then i contacted Joe, a guy who i remembered as being really cool and a social a few years ago. Shamefully I havent kept in touch with him in the last while, but i gave it a shot anyway. He said ‘yea i’ll show you around Taiwan’ (what an understatement).. and off i went paying for my ticket. After stupid airport tax and re-entry permit the fees came to just under $400 CND, but still a decent fee to get out to see another country. ..Yea that’s how i got here.
So far i’ve been here for five days. First impressions? Joe is awesome. He found us an ‘economic’ place to stay, and introduced us to some of his friends. On top of that, everyday he has been taking time out of his day to show us around the city - visiting stores, markets, restaurantes, and touristy places like the museum and the Taipei 101 tower. Hopefully i can repay the favour by showing him around Tokyo when he visits in October or so..
Impressions about Taiwan? Refreshingly different from Japan, for sure. People are more personal. Yes this means that they could be more rude at times, but its much more natural than the Japanese ‘good-impression’ face. Its tough to describe, but its one of the more noteable things around here. Food and drinks are cheaper, and with a different selection than in Japan. Night-markets are fun and cheap. Landscape around the city is really pleasant - mountaneous and all. It is also refreshing to hang out with new people that i can communicate with. All in all, its been a blast so far.
Complaints? Its HOT HOT HOT and humid. We’re staying in this very cheap little hostel with no air conditioning, and i am on the top bunk. The heat from this laptop is killing me as we speak. I have no shorts and jeans are horrible in this weather. Also, judging by the ‘gangster’ stories heard about Taiwan, i try to refrain from wandering too much at night, which is something that i indulge in alot in Japan. ..thats about it. Also once again i have lost the understanding of how much money is worth. It happens all the time with a switch of currency - for the first month it feels like easily spendable monopoly money. All these are nothing compared to the fun i’ve been having so its still great here.
Also there are many scooters…