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

Taiwan-Day 1

I arrived at 5:30 am in Taipei (the capital of Taiwan) after a 12.5 hour flight. I slept surprisingly well on the flight, and felt well rested when I met my friends at the airport. My friends really have most of my stay here planned, which I am thankful for. The first thing I noticed about Taiwan was the heat and the humidity, I was dripping sweat by 8:00 am. Hopefully, I get use to that aspect. My friends took me to their university (Tamkang University) first. Here are some pictures of it.

It's a fairly big university, apparently the second largest in Taiwan.

After breakfast, my whole day was full of walking around and exploring. We walked around the campus area a lot where there is a lot of shops. Then, in the afternoon we went to the Tamsui River and visited the historical site called Fort San Domingo. Which is actually a military "castle" that was first built by the Spanish, then renovated by the Dutch, and eventually ended up with the Chinese. It was up on a hill where I got a great view of the river.

We went to some shops and don't worry they have Pringles and Lays.

You may not know that the main mode of transportation in Taipei is the scooter. There are literally more scooters than cars, and they drive where ever they please. Anyways, I got to go for my first scooter ride ever today (don't worry my friends are very good drivers).

Overall, today has felt like one of the longest days of my life. But, I have experienced so much already. I will leave you with a picture of the view from the dorm I am staying in.

Good night to me, and good morning to you!

Let the adventure begin!

The whole reason for this trip was to visit the friends I have gained these past 3 years while attending Winona State. I didn't expect there to be so many international students in Winona. I originally connected with them my freshmen year when both I and the international students were new to After getting to know more and more foreign exchange students, I realized how much I enjoy being friends with people of different cultures. So, my sophomore and junior years I got very involved with international services. I helped out with orientation, became an officer of international club, and even became a tutor for the English Learning Center. 

A majority of the students I have become involved with have been from Taiwan and Korea. Which, is why I am choosing to visit these two countries. I have always wanted to go on a trip to Asia, and now I finally took action and am going! I figured this is my last summer off before I graduate college, so I might as well fulfill my dream while I still have the opportunity. And I also thought this would be a more valuable experience than doing something more academic or career oriented. 

I have been full of emotions while waiting for June 4th to arrive. Excited, nervous, sad because I will miss everyone I left back home, but more importantly, I am happy that I get to see my old friends again.

It is hard to believe the time is already here!

Nevertheless, this shall be an adventure!

Sincerely,

Alix