Finally, it's fall...a much needed update

It’s been way too long since I’ve written! Things have been busy. The weather is cooling off which is a very nice thing! I am no longer sweating all the time. The temperature has been in the lower 70’s during the day and the 60’s at night. You would think some of these people were in the Arctic because of how they dress though. Everywhere I see people in full winter clothing, winter coat and all. It’s pretty ridiculous. I think it’s not about them actually being cold, but having an excuse to wear different clothing.

Last weekend I went to a little town about one hour outside the city called Jiufen. It’s in the mountains and also right on the northeast coast. A long time ago it was a very small town with very few people, but when gold was discovered there in the late 1800s the population increased and by the 1930’s was known as “Little Shanghai.” For many years the town supplied gold to the Japanese empire. Now it’s a pretty touristy town with old teahouse and narrow streets and alleys. We were going to hike the main mountain in the town, Mount Jilong, but the weather was very rainy, so we decided against that. There’s a very long alleyway, Jishan Street, filled with shops, food stalls, and teahouses. It was so crowded due to the rain (because the street is somewhat enclosed). But the shops were really cool. We went to the Jiufen teahouse for traditional tea. The woman who served us was really nice and also explained how they make the tea, etc. The teahouse itself was really quaint and pretty and the courtyard of the teahouse had amazing views of the water. When we were doing in Jiufen we walked to the next town over, Jinguashi, which was about 2km down the road. It also has amazing views of the water. By the time we finally reached the town it was getting dark, so we didn’t get to see the Golden Waterfall. I really want to go back to both towns, however. The area was one of best places I’ve been to so far. Of course I posted photos and they’re in my album called “Jiufen & Jinguashi.”

Yesterday I went on a hike up the Tienmu Trail which is in the ritzy part of town, north of downtown. There are some teahouses at the top, so we had dinner at one of them. The place we ate at was so nice and had some fabulous views of the city. The food was also excellent. My photos didn’t come out too well because it was dark, but I’ve posted some in my “Around Taipei” album.

My school has decorated a lot for Halloween. And I get the vibe that dressing up is encouraged. Apparently teachers are already supposed to dress up at the end of this week since the kids don't all come to class on the actual day of Halloween. So I'm off to a costume shop with a co-worker friend tomorrow to try to find something. It's not really my cup of tea, but I don't want to be the anti-fun teacher and hopefully it can double as my costume for when I got out for Halloween on Saturday night! Pictures of Halloween at school to follow in the near future I'm sure. In the meantime take a look at the pictures I've added.