So, after a long but very fun 5 day tour all around Taiwan, we made it back to Sansia. We stayed one day, then Lily, Daniel Spencer, and I were off on a plane again. This time, it was back home.
Somehow, we booked a flight with an 11 hour layover in Hong Kong. It was not as bad as I thought it was going to be, but there was some confusion. We arrived at Hong Kong airport at night, then proceeded to try to find the Delta desk so that we could get our boarding passes for the remaining flights. To do this, we had to go through HK customs to get to the airline desks. Here came the flaw in the plan: the Delta desk did not open until 5 am the next morning. Therefore, we spent the night watching movies and sleeping on chairs. Finally, we got our boarding passes and made it to our gate with plenty of time.
After 14 hours in the sky watching 4 movies and semi-sleeping, we made it back to the States! I was so very excited to be back home. It was nice to see my parents, but sad because I had to leave the very next day to move into my dorm. So right now, I am blogging to you all from my university!
My summer in Taiwan is really something I cannot forget. I met so many people, saw so many things, and went so many places. It is a beautiful country with wonderful people. I am so grateful to all our TA's, teachers, and coordinators. Hopefully, one day I can return. 再见，台湾！
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Current Status...
Well, we are all here in Kaohsiung, which is at the very South of Taiwan. I will fill you all in on what we have done on this 5-day tour around the island. There are many interesting stories. For now, I am too tired and occupied with other matters to post something long. As much as I love Taiwan, I am looking forward to seeing my family and friends in the States. Talk to you all soon (perhaps in person)!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Final Presentations
The night before, most of us stayed up until 4 AM, and some didn't even get sleep. Really, there's not much to say about this, other than we (7 people) presented for 3 hours. Go us. It's what the teachers wanted, so it's what they got. Also, the president of NTPU was only there for the introduction, so it took the pressure off the situation a little. I think our individual presentation were good, and everyone's Chinese has improved since we have been here.
Group presentations were a little more interesting. Daniel, Daniel, Rob, and Stephanie serenaded us with their ocarinas. Some of them started laughing halfway through the songs, so they did not always end with 4 ocarinas. It was pretty funny.
I did my group presentation with Lily. We did a short dialogue, then sang the song 老鼠爱大米, as I have mentioned before in my previous post. However, we changed up some of the words to make it about Taiwan and how much we will miss it. So cheesy. One part, instead of singing 我爱你就像老鼠爱大米(I love you like a mouse loves rice), we changed it to "I love you like a fat kid loves cake." So when we sang it in front of everyone, we both busted out laughing right before that verse and had a hard time finishing the song. Oh well. It was funny. Good news: we all passed!
Afterward, we went to a restaurant called Mr. Pumpkin and had lunch with the president, Lydia, Ya-Ling, our teachers, and our TA's. It was pretty sad because our teachers all gave us good-bye gifts and little written letters. Our teachers and TA's have done so much for us to make us feel comfortable and welcome here in Taiwan. I really do dislike good-byes and hope that we will all keep in touch via facebook or other means.
Group presentations were a little more interesting. Daniel, Daniel, Rob, and Stephanie serenaded us with their ocarinas. Some of them started laughing halfway through the songs, so they did not always end with 4 ocarinas. It was pretty funny.
I did my group presentation with Lily. We did a short dialogue, then sang the song 老鼠爱大米, as I have mentioned before in my previous post. However, we changed up some of the words to make it about Taiwan and how much we will miss it. So cheesy. One part, instead of singing 我爱你就像老鼠爱大米(I love you like a mouse loves rice), we changed it to "I love you like a fat kid loves cake." So when we sang it in front of everyone, we both busted out laughing right before that verse and had a hard time finishing the song. Oh well. It was funny. Good news: we all passed!
Afterward, we went to a restaurant called Mr. Pumpkin and had lunch with the president, Lydia, Ya-Ling, our teachers, and our TA's. It was pretty sad because our teachers all gave us good-bye gifts and little written letters. Our teachers and TA's have done so much for us to make us feel comfortable and welcome here in Taiwan. I really do dislike good-byes and hope that we will all keep in touch via facebook or other means.
Formosa Fun Coast, Yeliu Geopark, Beach, and Jioufen
Three days before our final presentations on Friday, the TA's took us to Formosa Fun Coast, a water park near Taipei. It was a lot of fun, but we were all worn out after 7 hours of traveling and playing in the water.
The next day, we went to Yeliu Geopark, where the famous "Queen's Head" is located. Honestly, from all the pictures I had seen, I thought it was going to be as big as the Sphinx. It was about 15 feet tall. The scenery there was amazing, but I was little too hot to fully enjoy everything. The pictures turned out great though!
Afterward, we took the tour bus to a beach. When we got there, it was pretty much deserted. The only person there was the lifeguard. Our own private beach! The TA's (Jovy and Summer) played in the water with the rest of us while Daniel Cook and Stephanie gave everyone swim lessons. Those two hours flew by and were so relaxing.
Our last stop of the day was Jioufen, a little town/village in the mountai
ns. It has a lot of markets and little shops selling some tourist things. I did find an owl ocarina for my grandmother and also some good tea. I liked Jioufen because there was a lot of history in there, and the scenery was beautiful from atop the mountain. 
The next day, we went to Yeliu Geopark, where the famous "Queen's Head" is located. Honestly, from all the pictures I had seen, I thought it was going to be as big as the Sphinx. It was about 15 feet tall. The scenery there was amazing, but I was little too hot to fully enjoy everything. The pictures turned out great though!
Afterward, we took the tour bus to a beach. When we got there, it was pretty much deserted. The only person there was the lifeguard. Our own private beach! The TA's (Jovy and Summer) played in the water with the rest of us while Daniel Cook and Stephanie gave everyone swim lessons. Those two hours flew by and were so relaxing.
Our last stop of the day was Jioufen, a little town/village in the mountai
ns. It has a lot of markets and little shops selling some tourist things. I did find an owl ocarina for my grandmother and also some good tea. I liked Jioufen because there was a lot of history in there, and the scenery was beautiful from atop the mountain. 
Friday, August 6, 2010
Weekend in Hong Kong
*WARNING*: Lengthy post to follow.
This past weekend, I flew to Hong Kong to visit my friend Cecilia (whom I had not seen in about 13 years) and to explore the city. I have not been to the HK since I was in the second grade, so I was very excited. Again, Lydia was a really big help in helping me book my flight tickets and order a taxi.
Thursday afternoon, I left Sansia for Taoyuan International Airport. I arrived at 4 PM, and my flight was scheduled to be at 6:25 PM. We ended up departing at 8:45...over 3 hours in the airport is not fun. However, I was too excited to get to Hong Kong to let that dampen my mood. Once I arrived, I took the airport express train to Hong Kong island, where I met up with Cecilia. We had not seen each other in so long, but correspond via facebook and snail mail. It was nice to see her whole family again.
On Friday, we sat down and decided what to do for the next two days. That day, we ended up going out to lunch with the whole family at a restaurant nearby their apartment. We ate some traditional Cantonese dishes like spicy salt porkchop, stir-fried vegetable, fish fillets in corn sauce, bitter melon with beef, and shredded duck with bean sprouts. I was so very happy because I had been craving Cantonese food in Taiwan. Also, I had a Schweppes Cream Soda for the first time in many, many years. Hong Kong food=happiness. After lunch, we went to Tom Lee, a music store chain, so that I could look for some Chinese sheet music. I hit the jackpot! I got so many books...Jacky Cheung, Sam Hui, a little Jay Chou...After a little bit of shopping in Wancai, we headed up to The Peak. To get there, we had to take the Peak Tram. The line was so long, but it did not take us much time to purchase our tickets. We got into the tram a little late, so we ended up having to stand. I felt like I was going to fall backwards onto somebody because during some parts of the ascent, we went up at at 45 degree angle. It was all worth it though...even though it was a little foggy that night, the view of Victoria Harbor is still breath-taking. It was so gorgeous that we ended up staying for a couple hours up at the sky terrace. To finish off the day, we took the bus back to Cecilia's neighborhood and had a very late dinner at 11 PM.
On Saturday, I had delicious dim sum with the whole family. For those of you who do not know, dim sum is kind of like Chinese brunch. It is usually eaten in late morning, around 10 am. There are various small dishes you can order so that you get a sampling of everything. And of course, tea is served. After this, we went downstairs to the plaza to shop in Jusco, the "dollar" store. I found a lot of cute, random things there, so it was productive. After a quick rest, we went to Goldfish street (a street where they have all aquarium stores), Flower Street (they used to sell flowers here), and Toy Street (they have a lot of random little trinkets). Later, we took the MTR to Tsim Sa Tsui and saw the Peninsula hotel, Avenue of Stars, and the HK skyline in the day. Avenue of Stars is kind of like what they have in Hollywood with the stars' names and handprints on the ground. I saw the Bruce Lee statue!! Then, we met up with Cecilia's parents and had dinner at a noodle and soup place. The beef rice noodle soup was so very good and authentic. Afterward, we all went back to Tsim Sa Tsui for the laser show. Every night at 8, the HK skyline buildings light up and flash to a music program and lasers shoot out from them to make for a very pretty show. I really think Hong Kong's skyline is so beautiful and unique. Victoria Harbor is gorgeous during both the day and night. To get back to Wancai across the harbor, we took the Star Ferry. It was nice to have that breeze in such humid weather.
Sunday morning, I went to mass with the whole family since they are Catholic. It was interesting...it was all in Cantonese, but I understood what they were talking about. Afterward, we had breakfast at a VERY traditional cafe. It was made to be just like a cafe from the 50's or 60's. I had very delicious french toast and lemon tea. After a little grocery shopping, it was off to the airport to fly back to Taipei. I had a wonderful, memorable weekend, and am so thankful for the whole family's generosity and hospitality. I hope to visit this amazing city in the near future.
This past weekend, I flew to Hong Kong to visit my friend Cecilia (whom I had not seen in about 13 years) and to explore the city. I have not been to the HK since I was in the second grade, so I was very excited. Again, Lydia was a really big help in helping me book my flight tickets and order a taxi.
Thursday afternoon, I left Sansia for Taoyuan International Airport. I arrived at 4 PM, and my flight was scheduled to be at 6:25 PM. We ended up departing at 8:45...over 3 hours in the airport is not fun. However, I was too excited to get to Hong Kong to let that dampen my mood. Once I arrived, I took the airport express train to Hong Kong island, where I met up with Cecilia. We had not seen each other in so long, but correspond via facebook and snail mail. It was nice to see her whole family again.
On Friday, we sat down and decided what to do for the next two days. That day, we ended up going out to lunch with the whole family at a restaurant nearby their apartment. We ate some traditional Cantonese dishes like spicy salt porkchop, stir-fried vegetable, fish fillets in corn sauce, bitter melon with beef, and shredded duck with bean sprouts. I was so very happy because I had been craving Cantonese food in Taiwan. Also, I had a Schweppes Cream Soda for the first time in many, many years. Hong Kong food=happiness. After lunch, we went to Tom Lee, a music store chain, so that I could look for some Chinese sheet music. I hit the jackpot! I got so many books...Jacky Cheung, Sam Hui, a little Jay Chou...After a little bit of shopping in Wancai, we headed up to The Peak. To get there, we had to take the Peak Tram. The line was so long, but it did not take us much time to purchase our tickets. We got into the tram a little late, so we ended up having to stand. I felt like I was going to fall backwards onto somebody because during some parts of the ascent, we went up at at 45 degree angle. It was all worth it though...even though it was a little foggy that night, the view of Victoria Harbor is still breath-taking. It was so gorgeous that we ended up staying for a couple hours up at the sky terrace. To finish off the day, we took the bus back to Cecilia's neighborhood and had a very late dinner at 11 PM.
On Saturday, I had delicious dim sum with the whole family. For those of you who do not know, dim sum is kind of like Chinese brunch. It is usually eaten in late morning, around 10 am. There are various small dishes you can order so that you get a sampling of everything. And of course, tea is served. After this, we went downstairs to the plaza to shop in Jusco, the "dollar" store. I found a lot of cute, random things there, so it was productive. After a quick rest, we went to Goldfish street (a street where they have all aquarium stores), Flower Street (they used to sell flowers here), and Toy Street (they have a lot of random little trinkets). Later, we took the MTR to Tsim Sa Tsui and saw the Peninsula hotel, Avenue of Stars, and the HK skyline in the day. Avenue of Stars is kind of like what they have in Hollywood with the stars' names and handprints on the ground. I saw the Bruce Lee statue!! Then, we met up with Cecilia's parents and had dinner at a noodle and soup place. The beef rice noodle soup was so very good and authentic. Afterward, we all went back to Tsim Sa Tsui for the laser show. Every night at 8, the HK skyline buildings light up and flash to a music program and lasers shoot out from them to make for a very pretty show. I really think Hong Kong's skyline is so beautiful and unique. Victoria Harbor is gorgeous during both the day and night. To get back to Wancai across the harbor, we took the Star Ferry. It was nice to have that breeze in such humid weather.
Sunday morning, I went to mass with the whole family since they are Catholic. It was interesting...it was all in Cantonese, but I understood what they were talking about. Afterward, we had breakfast at a VERY traditional cafe. It was made to be just like a cafe from the 50's or 60's. I had very delicious french toast and lemon tea. After a little grocery shopping, it was off to the airport to fly back to Taipei. I had a wonderful, memorable weekend, and am so thankful for the whole family's generosity and hospitality. I hope to visit this amazing city in the near future.
Short Hair!
So, I decided to get my hair cut here in Taiwan because stylists here actually know what to do with thick Asian hair. Lydia took us to a salon in new Sansia. It was only 21 USD to get my hair washed, cut, and dried. I decided to go with a shorter style because it is just way too hot to have long hair here. So much hair is gone...Overall, I am satisfied with it.
Calligraphy and Ocarinas
A few weeks ago, we had another Chinese culture class. We learned how to write Chinese calligraphy. I have done this before, but I still am pretty bad at it. I just do not know how much ink to put on my brush.
Afterward, we learned about Chinese instruments such as the erhu and pipa. I tried to play the erhu, which is a two-stringed instrument with a bow. It is harder than it looks. Later, our whole group learned to play the ocarina. I was so excited. It is actually very easy to learn, and we all played several songs, including "You are my Sunshine," "Happy Birthday," and "Amazing Grace." We make a pretty good ocarina band.
Afterward, we learned about Chinese instruments such as the erhu and pipa. I tried to play the erhu, which is a two-stringed instrument with a bow. It is harder than it looks. Later, our whole group learned to play the ocarina. I was so excited. It is actually very easy to learn, and we all played several songs, including "You are my Sunshine," "Happy Birthday," and "Amazing Grace." We make a pretty good ocarina band.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
The pressure is on...
Right now, I'm taking a break from preparing for tomorrow, a big day for our whole group. Tomorrow, we are doing 10 minute individual presentations and various other group presentations for our teachers, coordinators, TAs, and the president of the university. The best part: it's all in Chinese. I have decided to do a powerpoint presentation for my individual portion. For the group part, Lily and I are doing a short dialogue and singing the chorus of a song called "Laoshu Ai Da Mi" (老鼠爱大米).
Needless to say, we're all a little stressed because there is so much to do and we don't want to let everyone down. Hopefully, I'll finish early enough to get a good night of sleep. Wish us all luck!
By the way, here's a link to that song, with pinyin and English translation.
Needless to say, we're all a little stressed because there is so much to do and we don't want to let everyone down. Hopefully, I'll finish early enough to get a good night of sleep. Wish us all luck!
By the way, here's a link to that song, with pinyin and English translation.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Quest for the Elusive Durian
Last week, Stephanie, Lily, and I went out to Taipei to see a movie when the boys went hiking for 7 hours at Wulai. We found a good theatre online, and proceeded to find it. We made it to the correct MRT station, but that's when we started getting lost. After getting turned around a little, we decided to hail a cab...but the taxi took us to the wrong theatre. This one was kind of sketch and it only had old movies. So, it was back to finding another cab and we finally reached our destination. MUCH nicer, but it was a little on the pricey side for Taiwan---about 10 USD for a ticket. The three of us decided to see "Inception." It's about a man who works through dreams; it's a little strange, but it's a thinking movie. I highly recommend it. If you liked "Shutter Island," then I think you will enjoy this. Afterward, we went to Banqiao night market. This was a letdown...there really wasn't much to see, buy, or eat there.
Another good thing about that night---I finally found durian! I don't remember if I mentioned it before, but I have been looking for this fruit since I have gotten here. As we were walking to the night market, I spied the spiky fruit across the street at a Carrefour (a popular grocery chain here). I bought a small one for us to try and carried it around the night market and on the MRT. It hit my leg a few times and scratched me. I went to great lengths to try this fruit...haha. A few nights later, Jeremy and I decided to crack it open. Really, it was a bit anti-climatic because durian is known as the "king of fruits." I had heard it is supposed to be really smelly, and that Andrew Zimmern (host of "Bizarre Foods") couldn't even eat it. It turned out to be not much of a challenge at all. I would call its smell pungent, but not unpleasant. This may be due to the fact that the one I picked is not fully ripe, so it does not have that fermented odor. Also, the texture was very creamy, and when you freeze it, it is almost like ice cream. I think it is delicious.
Another good thing about that night---I finally found durian! I don't remember if I mentioned it before, but I have been looking for this fruit since I have gotten here. As we were walking to the night market, I spied the spiky fruit across the street at a Carrefour (a popular grocery chain here). I bought a small one for us to try and carried it around the night market and on the MRT. It hit my leg a few times and scratched me. I went to great lengths to try this fruit...haha. A few nights later, Jeremy and I decided to crack it open. Really, it was a bit anti-climatic because durian is known as the "king of fruits." I had heard it is supposed to be really smelly, and that Andrew Zimmern (host of "Bizarre Foods") couldn't even eat it. It turned out to be not much of a challenge at all. I would call its smell pungent, but not unpleasant. This may be due to the fact that the one I picked is not fully ripe, so it does not have that fermented odor. Also, the texture was very creamy, and when you freeze it, it is almost like ice cream. I think it is delicious.
Fun on the MRT, Indigo dyeing, and Yingge Ceramics
Now that we've figured out how to navigate the MRT relatively well, some of the boys of our group have started to play some games. It all started when we were all going somewhere, and the train was packed. Everyone was in the train except me and Lily. I ran down to the next train and jumped in right before the doors closed, thinking that Lily was right behind me. As the doors closed, we all saw her standing on the platform all by herself. It was alright, though, because we met up with her at the next station. Still, it was pretty funny. Taking inspiration from this, Daniel jumped in a train with Stephanie one time. As the doors were about to close, he jumped out, leaving her in there by all by herself. It's pretty funny, but I think I am next in line since I'm the only girl who hasn't been left behind. Haha.
One Friday, we also had a field trip to Old Sansia (Sansia Lao Jie) to learn about indigo dyeing. It's a somewhat complicated process, in which the dye is made from the woad plant. Once fabric is dipped in the dye, it is exposed to oxygen, which turns the green color to a beautiful indigo. After learning about how the dye is made, we were allowed to make our own bandanas with whatever patterns we wanted. Really, there is no way to mess up the patterns. Everyone's bandanas ended up looking really pretty. After indigo-dyeing, we went to Yingge, which is famous for its ceramics. First, we visited the Ceramics museum. It was interesting, and at the end, we all went down to work with a little clay. When I sat down and looked around the room, the average age around us was 8 years old. We just had fun messing around and making random things. Daniel C made a McDonald's french fries and Rob made a man going through mid-life crisis. We were just being silly... After this, we all headed to the streets to Yingge to buy some souvenirs. I found a nice tea set for my parents. I'll be hand-carrying this box on the plane so it doesn't shatter.
One Friday, we also had a field trip to Old Sansia (Sansia Lao Jie) to learn about indigo dyeing. It's a somewhat complicated process, in which the dye is made from the woad plant. Once fabric is dipped in the dye, it is exposed to oxygen, which turns the green color to a beautiful indigo. After learning about how the dye is made, we were allowed to make our own bandanas with whatever patterns we wanted. Really, there is no way to mess up the patterns. Everyone's bandanas ended up looking really pretty. After indigo-dyeing, we went to Yingge, which is famous for its ceramics. First, we visited the Ceramics museum. It was interesting, and at the end, we all went down to work with a little clay. When I sat down and looked around the room, the average age around us was 8 years old. We just had fun messing around and making random things. Daniel C made a McDonald's french fries and Rob made a man going through mid-life crisis. We were just being silly... After this, we all headed to the streets to Yingge to buy some souvenirs. I found a nice tea set for my parents. I'll be hand-carrying this box on the plane so it doesn't shatter.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Wind-surfing, Karaoke, and Kung-fu Fighting
As I've mentioned before, we've also been taking business classes once a week in addition to our Chinese classes. For business class, we have different people come talk to us about various aspects of business in Asia. Our second speaker was a professor of Sport Management. Afterward, we all went wind-surfing. When they said "wind-surfing" on the schedule, we were all imagining going to the ocean; however, they took us to the little "lake" next to our dormitory. It was quite funny because there were signs that said "No wading or Swimming." I guess we broke the rules. Oh well. Aside from this, it was pretty fun. I guess it was for the better that we had our first wind-surfing experience at a place with minimal wind because it made it easier to learn. I was quite bad at turning directions, but I only fell into the gross water once!
Somehow, a girl named Danielle from the United States found out about us and expressed interest in meeting our group. She was really excited about meeting more Americans since she has been teaching English here for the past 4 months. We all decided to meet up with her at karaoke, a popular thing to do in Asia. Karaoke was fun, cheesy music videos and all.
One day, we had a cultural class and learned some kung-fu forms. It was more hilarious than anything...especially when we had to do pairs and perform. I'll spare you all the pictures.
Somehow, a girl named Danielle from the United States found out about us and expressed interest in meeting our group. She was really excited about meeting more Americans since she has been teaching English here for the past 4 months. We all decided to meet up with her at karaoke, a popular thing to do in Asia. Karaoke was fun, cheesy music videos and all.
One day, we had a cultural class and learned some kung-fu forms. It was more hilarious than anything...especially when we had to do pairs and perform. I'll spare you all the pictures.
Playing some more catch-up
I'm still a little behind, so I'll just briefly go over some of the highlights.
A couple weeks ago, we moved into our new dorms. Previously, we had been staying in the building next door with 4-person rooms. Now, we are in the graduate student dormitories, with 2-person rooms. The good thing about this move is that we now have no curfew, whereas before, we had a 12:30 AM curfew. Bad thing...there were ants everywhere when we moved in. I guess this is because we are now on the 2nd floor instead of the 10th floor. Fear not! They are all gone now thanks to my trusty anti-bacterial spray. Haha.
Another note-worthy event is our trip to Shilin night market, the most famous night market in Taipei. There is everything there...street food, clothes, shoes, jewelry, souvenirs...and everything is so very cheap. I finally got to try stinky tofu (chou dofu). It really was not as bad as I had expected. Truth be told, I was left wanting something...I was a little disappointed. The feared stinky tofu was really not as horrible as people make it out to be. In addition to this, I ate fried chicken filet (jipai) and a tofu dessert (douhua). It's a lot of fun, and there are so many people there that you have to walk sideways most of the time, especially on the weekends.
Another thing to know about Taiwan: there are night markets everywhere...I've been to three so far---Shilin, Shida, and Banqiao. My favorite is Shida because it is a little tamer than Shilin and the clothes seem to be of better quality. For food, though, I would definitely go to Shilin.
One weekend, the TA's took us to Danshui, which is right along the northern coast. There, we saw Fort St. Domingo, which used to be where the Spanish and British had the start of their colonies in Taiwan. I really enjoyed it because it is really interesting to see the history and evolution of the island. After the fort, we walked along the old streets and along the Fisherman's Wharf where there are various vendors selling food and random knick-knacks. My favorite part was at night when we went up to the famous Lover's Bridge. It was nice to take the ferry across the water and watch the sunset. Overall, I would say Danshui is kind of a tourist trap, but still a nice day-trip location...and so close to Sansia (only 1.5 hours on the MRT)!
A couple weeks ago, we moved into our new dorms. Previously, we had been staying in the building next door with 4-person rooms. Now, we are in the graduate student dormitories, with 2-person rooms. The good thing about this move is that we now have no curfew, whereas before, we had a 12:30 AM curfew. Bad thing...there were ants everywhere when we moved in. I guess this is because we are now on the 2nd floor instead of the 10th floor. Fear not! They are all gone now thanks to my trusty anti-bacterial spray. Haha.
Another note-worthy event is our trip to Shilin night market, the most famous night market in Taipei. There is everything there...street food, clothes, shoes, jewelry, souvenirs...and everything is so very cheap. I finally got to try stinky tofu (chou dofu). It really was not as bad as I had expected. Truth be told, I was left wanting something...I was a little disappointed. The feared stinky tofu was really not as horrible as people make it out to be. In addition to this, I ate fried chicken filet (jipai) and a tofu dessert (douhua). It's a lot of fun, and there are so many people there that you have to walk sideways most of the time, especially on the weekends.
Another thing to know about Taiwan: there are night markets everywhere...I've been to three so far---Shilin, Shida, and Banqiao. My favorite is Shida because it is a little tamer than Shilin and the clothes seem to be of better quality. For food, though, I would definitely go to Shilin.
One weekend, the TA's took us to Danshui, which is right along the northern coast. There, we saw Fort St. Domingo, which used to be where the Spanish and British had the start of their colonies in Taiwan. I really enjoyed it because it is really interesting to see the history and evolution of the island. After the fort, we walked along the old streets and along the Fisherman's Wharf where there are various vendors selling food and random knick-knacks. My favorite part was at night when we went up to the famous Lover's Bridge. It was nice to take the ferry across the water and watch the sunset. Overall, I would say Danshui is kind of a tourist trap, but still a nice day-trip location...and so close to Sansia (only 1.5 hours on the MRT)!
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