28 days to go

As a teacher, I am just as excited to have school canceled due to inclement weather as I was as a student. Today yet another typhoon came through Taiwan. Luckily it was not as lame as last week's, and everything in Taipei was shut down for the day. So my day has included catching up on grading quizzes, laundry and reading. I've had a pretty lazy day.

Now I have just under four weeks to go. I am starting to do all the "business" type things I have to sort out. But most importantly, I got my room rented in just three days. I am so relieved and happy to have that out of the way! I've said goodbye to more friends in the past couple of weeks. I hate goodbyes, but it means my time to leave is coming up fast, so that party I am happy about.

During the past couple of weekends I went to the beach and also back to this awesome national park south of the city called Wulai. I'd been there once back in the fall for hiking. This time we headed far into the park, where there weren't many tourists, and we sat in the river all afternoon. The water was freezing which was a nice relief from the heat. There's such a difference in the air quality out there, too. It's so clean and fresh, unlike in Taipei.

Well, that's it for now. I have some new pictures in my "Out and About in Taipei: The Second Half" album, if you want to take a look.

Yeliou, etc.

This past weekend I went up to Yeliou, a geological park on the Northern coast of Taiwan. The park is on a cape jutting out into the ocean and has rock formations of all kinds which are really strange, but really cool to see. It almost feels like you're walking on another planet because it's just bare rock. It was interesting to see where fish were now swimming in puddles, and sometimes larger and deeper areas of water, which had been formed between the rocks. The day, apart from being pretty toasty temperature-wise, was really beautiful. The water was very, very blue and there was hardly a cloud in the sky, so the spot was really beautiful and a great photo opportunity! It is definitely one of my most favorite places I've visited in Taiwan. Afterwards we cooled off in the water at a nearby beach. Here are the photos.

It turns out that I'm not going to be getting a summer session class. Enrollment is too low and so there just aren't enough kids for a class. I'm disappointed because I was looking forward to it. I enjoyed the writing class I taught during the winter session. But I'm continuing with my regular classes. Some are ending though. Since our classes go in three month sessions, some of my classes are getting new teachers since I will only be here for part of the next session.

It is very, very hot here in Taipei. Today was 95 degrees (it's been mostly in the upper 80's lately.) I tell people here it's basically like a D.C. summer, just a bit more humid. They are really surprised at this, I can't understand why. I asked a Taiwanese friend about this recently and she said it's because everyone thinks the U.S. is cold all the time!! What?!

I'm continuing with yoga, volunteering at the orphanage and language exchange. It's hard to believe I have just a month and a half left. In some ways I feel like I've been here a long time, but in most ways I feel like it's been a very short time. Hope everyone had a great 4th! I enjoyed a nice TGIFriday's hamburger with friends which (kind of) reminded me of home.

Two months to go

Life in Taipei since my return from Thailand has been pretty busy. My first weekend back was Dragon Boat Festival. It's a really big deal here. If it hadn't fallen on a Sunday I would have gotten the day off and there are races throughout Taiwan. People attend whether or not they know anyone racing. There are teams of people from different organizations, neighborhoods and city government offices,etc. One of my old co-workers/friend's boyfriend was racing. He has been practicing every week day at 5:30 a.m. for several months with a group of Taiwanese men. So it was cool to see his final race and also to see some of the activities going on for the festival. There are tons of booths set up kind of like a fair. They were selling and showing different products, etc. My favorite part was seeing the egg laying race/game which is a tradition for the little kids on the weekend of the festival.

Two weekends ago I went to a water park north of the city, "Formosa Fun Coast." I didn't know quite what the expect and I'm not really a water park type of person, but it was actually really fun. I'd say it was pretty much equivalent to water parks in the U.S., complete with the "lazy river." We didn't have to wait in any lines because the kids weren't out of school yet. But it's already SO hot and humid here, so it was a good thing to do to be outside but stay cool!

I've been continuing to go to Fulong beach a lot on Sundays with a bunch of friends. When we were getting up to leave this past Sunday this group of Taiwanese photographers with their huge cameras came up to my one friend and I and asked us to be their "models." This is not something I'd probably ever do at home, but for some reason I thought why not, so we did it. I don't think they're actually doing anything with the pictures except for practicing their photography, as they are a photographers association/club. Anyway, they had us do a few different poses and it was pretty fun. They sent us a few pictures and I have posted them on my photo site.

I now have less than two months before I come home. It has really flown by, but I'm really ready to come home. Summer session classes will be starting next week, but I am still not sure what I'm going to be teaching yet. I've been applying for jobs in Richmond like crazy. If I don't have anything by the time I get back I will do some volunteer campaign work while continuing the search. I'm also continuing with yoga class and my language exchange. I'm always putting more photos up under my "Out & About in Taipei- The Second Half. The photos from events in this post start here. Enjoy! I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone when I get back!

Adventures in Thailand

We began our trip with two days in Bangkok. Saturday morning we were up bright and early (7:15 am) due to Charlie's cell phone clock not changing times correctly. That day we did the majority of the highlights of BKK. We hired a tuk tuk driver to take us around for a while before the Grand Palace opened. (For those not familiar with the term, a tuk tuk is a little truck-like vehicle where the passengers sit on the back which is covered but open on the sides.) He took us up to the Golden Mount which has amazing views of the city, and also to the nearby Wat Saket . Of course we had to do the obligatory shopping stops along the way (the tuk tuk driver gets a commission from the stuff we buy, plus free gas) so they take the tourists to jewel shops and suit/dress making shops. We didn't buy anything and had some time to kill so the $1.50 US tuk tuk tour was well worth it.

Then we were on the Grand Palace, BKK's most famous tourist attraction and also to some of the most famous temples, Wat Pho (with the large, gold reclining Buddha) and took the ferry across the river to Wat Arun (and climbed the steps to the top--not my favorite!) I don't think people realize BKK is a city on the water and that's still very much a part of life there. One of my favorite things was taking the one hour tour of one area of canal by boat. We had our own private boat and it was a really cool way to see a non-touristy part of the city. It was really interesting to see the people living along the canal. The canal is literally their backyard. Women in small boats go up and down selling fresh fruit, beer, etc, and people shop from their back decks. It's pretty cool!

Sunday we took a day trip to Ayuthaya, a town about an hour north of BKK. It has Angkor style temples, so they are much older than the ones we saw in BKK and very, very similar to the ones I saw at Cambodia's Angkor Wat in 2006. Again, we hired a tuk tuk to take us around to all of them ($5US for 2 hours!) My favorite of the temples there was Wat Chai Wattanaram. It's been well kept and sits right on the river, so the grounds and structure itself are really beautiful. We also visited Wat Phra Ram, Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wat Ratburana, Wat Thammikarat and Wat Wihaan Mongkhon Bophit. It was probably the hottest day we had on the trip, but well worth it!

The next day we were off to the island. Ko Samet is the closest island to mainland Thailand. It's about a 3 hour bus ride south of BKK and a 40 min. ferry. We stayed at a resort on the northern coast of the island which is pretty quiet. But we rented a motorbike, so we could drive around and explore some other parts of the island. One day we drove all the way down the island (it's small, so it didn't take long). That morning we found a beautiful, secluded beach. Definitely the most beautiful beach I've ever been on! We also got massages right on the beach. We ate dinner on the beach, literally in the sand, at the island's main nightlife area every night. It was definitely a relaxing few days. We returned to BKK on Thursday night for one more night of sightseeing and shopping around Siam before we flew out on Friday.

I am so happy that I got to Thailand. I've been wanting to go there since before I ever thought about coming to teach in Taipei. So now I have been to the two places I really wanted to visit while I was living over here. Now I have just about two months left. I don't think I've "announced" this on here yet, but I'll be arriving at Dulles the night of August 24th.

And for the most important part, here are the Thailand pictures and also a link to pictures from a few things we did in Taiwan before heading to Thailand.

Taroko Gorge trip, etc.

Things have been busy during the past few weeks. The coolest thing I've done was my trip to Taroko Gorge with some friends. Taroko is the most "touristy" place on the island and I now know why. It's gorgeous! It reminded me a lot of the mountains in Colorado. We rented scooters and drove through most of it, stopping to take pictures at random spots and to get out and see different sites. There were some buildings to see (one pagoda, one shrine), but mostly it was just the incredible scenery! At the end of the day we visited some cliffs on the coast just north of the gorge. We got there at the perfect time of day and the water was a gorgeous blue. Pictures are up on my photo site, so take a look.

I saw James Blunt in concert last weekend. Wow! He's great. I've never been a huge fan, but I really, really enjoyed the concert. I was surprised to see so many Taiwanese people who were obviously fans. They even sang along to all his songs! I've made a couple trips to the beach already which has been nice. It's a beach called Fulong which is about an hour and a half away by train. It's the same place I went camping back in the fall. So I've done that a couple of the past Sundays.

Charlie arrives this Sunday. I cannot wait! We'll be in Taipei through Friday and we are then off to Thailand for a week. I'll post after that. Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Quick update and some new pictures

**Update: I just found out that my little kids class that I talk about in this post is actually going to continue now with three students! Ten students are required for a class, so they're paying extra to continue on. I think it will be fun to have such a small class. I'll write later about how it's going!

Just a short update on my life. It's really beginning to feel like summer. (Well, summer weather for home, only spring weather for here.) It's been in the 70s and 80s and fairly humid for a few weeks now. I know it will only get worse from here in terms of heat and humidity. Things are going to be pretty busy for the next couple of months. I've got a lot of things planned. First, this weekend, Susan arrives from Japan. She'll travel around the island for the week by herself, but will return to Taipei next weekend. So hopefully I can see some stuff I've yet to see around the city! I've also got a short weekend trip with friends planned to Taroko Gorge. It's apparently one of the most gorgeous places on the island, and is certainly one of the most famous places. Hopefully the weather will be good and we'll rent scooters and drive all around and probably do some hiking. Also, James Blunt is coming to Taipei, so I am going to see that concert with friends which I am so excited about! Then there's Thailand in June with Charlie. We have everything booked now. We'll be in Bangkok for a few days and on the island, Ko Samet, for a few days.

I have some new pictures up on my site. One of my favorite classes, my youngest class, ended this past week. A couple of them were going on to our school-aged program, so there weren't enough to continue with the class. Anyway, I took some really cute pictures with/of them. They're here in the school album on my photo site. I went on a crazy hike this past weekend with a couple of friends. I call it crazy because I think the Taiwanese idea of hiking is a little insane. Oh how I miss hiking regular, dirt trails at home. Their idea of hiking is to have stairs going straight up the mountain, I kid you not. There are no switchbacks, but stairs literally straight up. It's a heck of a workout, that's for sure. Of course This wasn't the first hike I'd been on, but each time I go the concept continues to amuse me. Anyway, I have pictures of the hike and more stuff I've been up to in my Out&About in Taipei- The Second Half album on my photo site.

Adventures in Japan

My trip to Japan couldn’t have been better, really. It was the end of the cherry blossom season there, so prior to getting there I wasn’t really sure they would still be in bloom. But they were everywhere, literally, and it was amazing! They were really everywhere I looked. My first impression of Japan was just how darn clean it is. They literally wash the sidewalks, it’s incredible. It definitely makes for a nice place to travel. I arrived in the evening and took the train to my friend Susan’s town, Gifu, a suburb of Nagoya in central Japan. That evening I went out with her and some of her friends. I really enjoyed the Japanese plum wine, Umeshu. And I was a bit wary at first, but really enjoyed the jelly fish I tasted. Yum! I was already liking Japanese food a ton better than I’ve ever liked Chinese food.

My first full day I went to some of the sightseeing spots in and around Susan’s town. First, I went to Inuyama castle, Japan’s oldest wooden castle. It was gorgeous, of course, especially with the cherry blossoms. Inside the castle you have to take your shoes off and climb the very steep wooden steps up to all the different levels. Next, I returned to Gifu to visit the Gifu Castle. To get up to the top you could either hike or take the cable car. I opted for the cable car after I couldn’t find the right hiking path. There was somewhat of a hike still when you got off the cable car and the top and some amazing views of the mountains and surrounding area. I also saw some smaller temples around Gifu, including one that houses a 45 foot tall Buddha. It’s a really pretty gold color and made of lacquer. It was pretty awesome to see a Buddha that large. It was also nice because for the first part of my visit there weren’t any other tourists around and it was really peaceful. I think seeing that statue was one of my favorite things in Gifu. (And in a small way made up for not seeing Hong Kong’s Big Buddha--the world's tallest outdoor seated bronze Buddha--while I was there because it was raining and the line was too long.)

That evening I had the best meal of my visit with Susan and some of her friends and co-workers. It was at a fairly traditional Japanese restaurant (take off your shoes) kind of place. I sampled a lot of different foods (mostly fish and some meat.) Pretty much every single thing I tasted I really liked. I think her Japanese co-workers were surprised to hear I liked the Japanese food so much better than any of the food in Taiwan.

The next morning I took the train to Kyoto. It was about an hour and a half ride. I checked into the hostel and then began one of the walks suggested by the Lonely Planet guide which guided me through a lot of the must-see temples. The first temple, Kiyomizu-dera, was probably the most amazing one I saw the entire time. It was an amazing complex of buildings. The main hall is a huge tower which was a really cool site from far away, especially with the cherry blossoms. After that the walk took me through some of Kyoto’s very old, traditional streets which brings me to another thing I really liked about Japan, the architecture. I really liked the way everything had a fairly simple structure and was mostly wooden or other earth tones. Much of isn’t really bright or ornate, it just seems very functional and practical. So these old streets I walked through were full of buildings like this. The next temple I saw was Kodai-Ji which has some beautiful gardens, teahouses, zen gardens and bamboo. The zen gardens I saw at many of the temples were amazing! I didn’t even really know anything about them until I got there, but wow! They’re immaculately kept. I just want to know what they do when it rains! The next thing I saw was Kyoto's most famous cherry tree in Maruyama-Koen Park. I’m really not quite sure why it’s the most famous tree, but the book said so, and when I got to it there were tons of tourists taking pictures of it. To me it wasn’t much different than all the other hundreds of trees I saw, but hey, it was the most famous one and it was cherry blossom season, so I figured I’d better see it. That park was really neat though. There was an area under this huge group of cherry trees where they’d laid out tarps and there were tons of people picnicking and hanging out there, literally under the cherry trees. It was a really cool site. The next temple I just saw from the outside. It’s called Chion-in and had a really impressive front. Just outside the park I saw Yasaka-Jinja. It was a really bright orange color and had tons and tons of lanterns.

That evening I met a Japanese friend of a friend. She took me to dinner, took me around the Gion/Geisha district and then we had traditional tea and dessert. It was really cool to go around with a native. The Geisha district is a very interesting part of the city. It contains many high end restaurants where the Geishas entertain men with their musical and art skills, and also in conversation. I walked down two famous streets filled with these restaurants, many of them being so exclusive they don’t have menus on the door, which means you are not invited in. It is a very secretive world and I was told before I went that it is very uncommon to actually get to see a real geisha. There are women all over Kyoto dressed like them. You can even pay to get the outfit, hair and makeup done for about $100 and walk all over the city. But, there is one defining feature in which you distinguish the real geisha from the “fakes,” a silver accessory the real ones wear in their hair. Anyway, I actually saw two real geishas! The first was with my new Japanese friend. She had only seen one other one in her whole life and was really excited when one walked right past us on the street. It was so cool! The other one I saw the next night when Susan and I decided to walk down some of the back alleys where they are typically walking between appointments. She actually stopped and posed for a picture which we were really surprised about. Learning more about this part of the old tradition and culture was one of the most interesting aspects of Kyoto to me.

The next day we began another walk from the Lonely Planet guide which took us through some of the other major temples. First we went to Heian. This temple had a huge square of bright orange buildings. I always feel like I’m really in Asia when I’m in one of these kinds of squares. The temple also had probably the most amazing gardens I saw in Kyoto. The blossoms were gorgeous and they way they reflected off the water came out fabulously in my pictures. This place was just exactly what I think of when I imagine old, traditional Japan with the buildings on the water and the gorgeous gardens. I think these pictures turned out to be the best ones out of the whole trip. Next we started to walk along the canal lined with cherry blossoms. There were tons of temples off the canal walk so we just started walking and stopped at the ones the book highlighted: Ginkaku-Ji, Eikan-do, and Hinode. The zen gardens at Ginkaku-ji were especially impressive. We also walked through some of the neighborhoods off the canal walk. The houses were gorgeous.

On the last day in Kyoto we went to Nijo-jo Castle, which is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Unfortunately, it was a bit rainy that day, but really I couldn’t complain because all the other days were gorgeous! Even in the rain the gardens around the castle were beautiful. The last site we saw was the Golden Temple, also know as Rokuon-Ji or Kinkaku-ji. It really is gold and was an amazing site. Here I was able to get my fortune in English. I got one called “very good,” but if you get a bad one you’re supposed to leave it hanging at the temple. People also leave their wishes on wooden pieces and hang them at the temple. I obviously couldn’t read any of them, but heard that they wish for things such as good luck on exams, good wishes for new houses and new cars, etc. Really I think they’d leave their wishes for just about anything you could think of!

That afternoon we took the train back to Gifu and I flew out the next morning. Overall I had a wonderful experience that I will remember for a long time. I am so lucky that I made it during cherry blossom season. It was incredible! My passport is certainly filling up and I might have to get some new pages added soon--definitely the mark of a well traveled girl! Next up: Thailand with Charlie in June. No rest from trip planning for me! Take a look at my Japan pictures here.