Getting Lost in Seoul

My first several days in Seoul (capital of South Korea) have mostly consisted of four things: drinking coffee, drinking soju (which I will explain later), eating kimchi (spicy cabbage), and getting lost. The reason for me getting lost is mostly because of there being a lack of English. I am fine in the metro stations but buses and taxis are a different story. The buses don't really have English and the taxi drivers don't understand English, which makes it really difficult to get to an apartment in the middle of no where. But, despite getting lost and wasting my time, I am still going to many places during the day.

I visited the Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul. It is a huge palace with many historical government buildings. These soldiers may look like statues but they are most definitely not. And the only way you can be sure is by seeing the sweat dripping down their faces. 

 There is a lot great shopping locations in Seoul. The one I am at in the picture above is known as a traditional street and has both traditional shops along with more modern clothing and cosmetic stores.

The picture below is of a typical Korean barbeque. The meat is cooked on a grill in the middle of the table. All of the bowls on the table contain ingredients that you can eat with your meat. Kimchi, probably the most famous Korean food, is in the bowl in the right upper hand corner. Kimchi is a spicy cabbage that is served at almost every Korean meal. It is way better when it is authentic and not from Walmart, but if you are curious the kimchi in Walmart will do. The green bottle on the right side of the photo is a type of alcohol called soju. I have also had this everyday. It is similar to vodka in taste. Koreans like to drink alcohol while eating supper, and every time they drink they like to have an appetizer to snack on, like the omelet in the next picture (F.Y.I. the omelet is filled with kimchi).

I visited the area of Seoul called Hongdae. This is a very hip area filled with all sorts of artists from musicians to handymen selling their work. I really enjoyed this area because not only is it a great atmosphere but also its a great place to meet up with friends or make new ones.

 Today I visited a traditional village in Seoul called Bukchon Village. All of the homes are preserved to be shown as a historic village. People actually live in the homes and there is signs informing the public to keep quiet while wandering in this area. This village is also very close to the Korean president's home. If you unaware, the current Korean president is very famous because she is the first female president Korea has ever had.  I didn't actually get to go to the "Korean White House" because it is heavily guarded. 

Seoul is an unbelievably large city, and even has a larger population than NYC! I am very much enjoying my stay here and next on my agenda is to meet more friends, see more sites in Seoul, and travel around to some other near cities in Korea. I'm grateful for everyday for my trip is already over half way done!

Til next time!

Alix

Goodbye Taiwan and Hello Korea!

The last few days I spent in Taiwan, were filled with traveling all around southern Taiwan.
I visited a county call Tainan; it is the first city in Taiwan. There is a lot of old buildings and history in the city.
This is an old Dutch scout tower that looks over most of Tainan. 

 The Anping Tree House is an abandoned fort, in which trees overgrew into it. The trees and the building together make an interesting mix of man's creation and nature's creation.

 Of course, we had to finish the day visiting a beach.

My last destination in Taiwan was Kenting. If you google Kenting you will see lots of photos of a beautiful beach, which is absolutely true. 
This is a picture of a natural gas fire. It kind of seems unrealistic at first, but its really interesting. People roast marshmallows, cook popcorn, and light sparklers at this park.

 Here is one of the beaches in Kenting. It was almost a blessing that the sun wasn't shining because it was already burning hot! Its very popular in Kenting to do water activities like snorkling and tubing. So, we went on two different kinds of tubes and then rode a bananna tube. It was so much fun and the locals were funny. Also, mangoes are everywhere in Taiwan, luckily, they are my favorite fruit!

Then finally the time came to say goodbye to Taiwan and hello to Korea. I had a great time in Taiwan and saw many places along with many friends. I can't believe it went by so fast, but I am excited to see what Korea has in store for me!

Yilan, Kaohsiung, and more great views.

It is surprising the lack of wifi in this country, but I guess I am just too spoiled with internet back in the U.S. This post is a going to be straight to the point because I don't have much time with the internet!

I visited the county of Yilan in the northeastern part of Taiwan. Its another typical costal area of Taiwan with great beaches and lovely views. Here are some pictures from that day trip.

 These are wild monkeys! I couldn't believe it!

 Once I went back to Taipei, I took a gondola near the Taipei Zoo. It had excellent views of the city, and that tall building on the right is Taipei 101.

This is the view from a light house in Kaohsiung (a county in the southern part of Taiwan). It is a very busy fishing port with numerous large cargo ships. The picture following is of the famous metro station in Kaoshiung. The stained glass gave a very magical feel to the station.

The next day I went to Pingtung, where I had afternoon tea on the mountain top. It costs $20 (USD) to have a mug of tea, a little cup of pudding, and a small chicken salad. But it was worth it for the view and atmosphere.

 I also went to a seafood market that had so much fresh fish it was crazy. I got to eat fresh salmon, caviar, and silver fish while visiting. I have eaten a ton of fresh seafood here, and its all relatively cheap.

The last stop for the day in Pingtung was a golden gate to a large temple dedicated to a fishing god. The gate is said to be worth five million U.S. dollars. An interesting tradition for this temple, is that every 3 years the temple has to buy a 4 million dollar boat and burn it to please the god.

I only have four more days in Taiwan! I don't know where the time went, but I will try to post one more time before I leave for Korea!

With regards,

Alix

There is so much to see on this island!

Time is just flying by, most likely because my friends have kept me so busy! I have seen more and more of Taipei, along with other areas of Taiwan. But the whole motivation behind doing this trip was to see my old friends. This has proven sometimes difficult yet worth it. My friends are all in different life stages; enjoying summer vacation, graduating, in the military, or beginning their careers. So far, they all have made an effort to at least meet me for dinner. It has been very rewarding to meet not only my friends but also their families.

I traveled to the middle of Taiwan by the speed rail and stayed there for a few days. Its a little more rural of an area, but still crowded. During my stay in Taichung, the people of Taiwan were celebrating a traditional Buddhist holiday called the "Dragon Boat Festival." The main traditions of this holiday is eating rice dumplings and praying to the Gods.

  I visited a large Buddha statue and a few temples while in this area. I even asked the Gods about my future.

I headed back to Taipei, because there was still plenty to see in the north. I visited the northern coast to an area called Yeilou. It is famous for its unique geology. There are many rock formations near the sea that look like other things. The most famous rock is the "Queen's Head."

I also went to a lovely beach called the "White Sand Beach." But it was so hot we could only stay there for a little while.

Next on my agenda is more traveling around the beautiful island. 

Au Revior,

Alix 

Beautiful Taiwan

The past four days have been filled with tons of shenanigans. I have gone all over Taipei and even went out of the city limits a few times. I have also tried tons of unique foods; mainly from street vendors, who are abundant in Taipei. Here is a highlight of the places I have visited.

Taipei Zoo
The Taipei Zoo was fairly similar to any other large city zoo, but the highlight for me was seeing a live panda for the first time!

Din Tang Fung Restaurant
The next day we went to central Taipei city and ate at a famous restaurant called Din Tang Fung Restaurant. They hand make wontons with 18 folds. Its kind of cool place because the wonton makers are visible to the customers through a glass wall. Even Tom Cruise visited in April to learn how to make the wontons.

Taipei 101
Conveniently,  this building was in the basement of our next destination; Taipei 101. Taipei 101 is the 2nd largest building in the world (behind Dubai). I got to go to the 90th floor and saw the amazing night view of Taipei. But what makes this building truly unique is the "damper", or iron ball, that is dispended in the middle of the building for the public to see. This damper helps absorb earthquakes and wind so the building doesn't sway.

Yangmingshan National Park
This beautiful park is on top of one of the mountains surrounding Taipei. It has spectacular views and has a few hot sulfur pits. I didn't realize how stinky sulfur could be; it was similar to rotten eggs. After getting over the stench, I really enjoyed the scenery.We also visited the National Palace Museum which had a lot of ancient Chinese artifacts.

 

Shilin Night Market
Taipei is famous for their night markets. In these night markets there is a ton a vendors selling a variety of things, from stinky tofu to foot massages. Speaking of foot massages, I got my first Chinese foot massage. It kind of hurt, but my feet felt like air afterwards. And the guy said I had a healthy body, which they can tell by massaging your feet. 

Pingxi District
Pingxi is a a little, old town near the northern coast of Taiwan. It is famous for Chinese lanterns. This is a famous Chinese custom where you right your wishes and prayers onto a large Chinese lantern and then it floats into the sky to the Chinese gods. Every color on the lantern represents something different, for example white represents the future and red represents family or relationships.

I'm starting to get use to the food and weather but I am still adjusting. My friends are keeping me very busy everyday, so I am experiencing so much! Taiwan is a really great country.

Sincerely,

Alix