The Haunted Pod Village of San-Zhi

This is really cool. I wanna go here next time I am in Taiwan.
http://www.jpgmag.com/stories/4622

Taroko Gorge!

Yesterday Cres, Max, Jer and I went to Taroko Gorge. It was an absolutely beautiful and amazing experience. We took a train to Hualien an rented scooters. I have never driven a scooter before. It was totally scary at first, but it was SO amazing once I got the hang of it. We drove for about an hour from Hualien to Taroko on this highway. I ran a bunch of red lights because Jer/Max were going so fast. I made the boys let me ride in the middle so that I wouldn't get left in the dust. Once we got to Taroko it was the most beautiful ride ever. We were on the coast, riding around swervy roads, it was SO beautiful. One of those things that you feel so fortunate to be able to do in life. Ugh I can't even describe how amazing it felt. We stopped a bunch along the way to look at he beautiful scenery and take pictures. I had a really hard time turning my bike sometimes, so that was a bit scary. There were a ton of tour busses rushing past us that made it a bit scarier.

After taking in the beautiful sights and sounds we headed back to Hualien. We got a little lost on our way and had to turn around a bunch while riding in the city. One time when I was turning around I almost fell off, it was a bit scary, but I was going slow and I picked my bike up fast enough that I didn't get hurt. I can't believe how many distractions there were driving in the city; dogs running across the street, some lady got hit by a car and was sprawled out in the middle of the road, weird left turn rules, I really got to ride in all sorts of places on my first day of scootering. I think I might have hit 80mph at some points. Very scary but very liberating. Usually I rode at 60, which is the speed limit in most places (not around the cliffs). After we made it back to Hualien, we stopped at 711 and I burned my leg on my bike. So many people I know have a scar from that, but luckily I only grazed the burning metal briefly so that I won't have a scar. Wow. What an amazing and exhilirating day! I really don't want to go home :(.

Getting Saved From Juifen!

After finding out that there was no way for Amanda and I to get home from Juifen, a big black SUV appeared and a guy got out(he was picking up his friend). Amanda was stating that she might just ask him for a ride back to Taipei. He didn't overhear this conversation and within 5 minutes asked us if we were going to Taipei. We were like 'YES"! So we got in the car. Under any other circumstances, I would not have hitchhiked, however, since I read that hitchhiking is a popular way to get around here, and since I was with Amanda, I figured it would be OK. There was a huge language barrier, however we got some basic information across. We stopped on the way because they guys wanted to get some Beetlema. This is a popular asian pseudo-drug, kind of like chewing tobacco. It is these green nuts that you chew on and spit out the juice from. Amanda and I both tried it. It was disgusting. After we got back to Taipei, we met up with two of these guys friends (So all in all there was Tai, Lim, Ooh and I forget the fourth guys name).

We all went to this restaurant called Indian. There were all these cool dinosaur skeletons all over the place. I felt like I was in a Jurassic park graveyard!! We got a mini keg which we all shared. We played this 'game' called Gambin. This is what you say before you drink and it signifies that everyone drinking has to finish their cup. I ate FROG! I figured it would be appropriate because I was in a reptilian restaurant.

After singing blue moon for the guys at the table, because they asked me to, they all said that we should go to KTV Partyworld! So we went there and got a room and sang our hearts out! We got 3 more mini kegs and we had a lot of fun! YAY!

Jiufen!

Saturday night Amanda and I went to Jiufen. We hopped on a train from Taipei main and arrived at 6. From there we had to take a taxi to get to this adorable maze of local treasures lined with beautiful red chinese lanterns. I had another moment where I could cry. We went and drank high mountain Oolong tea on this quaint balcony and had an amazing conversation. We talked and talked till about midnight. Then found out we missed all the trains and there were no cabs to get us back home. Oops!

Good morning...good night.

Last night, after a delicious indian dinner I came home and started chatting with Bruce online. Later on, Cres, Bernie, Britt and I hung out with Kelly and started ichatting all together. It was a very interesting night. I guess you can say I kinda miss NY.

The Ting Tings in 711

Pirate Shrimping!

Last night we went shrimping dressed as pirates. I really wish shrimping was a leisure activity on LI, like bowling or something. It was actually really fun. When we first got there we all sat down and two minutes later I had caught the first shrimp! Those little creatures are so bratty. About a half hour into our shrimping adventure, some really nice man who had probably been shrimping for hours, handed me a huge bag of shrimp that he had caught. That was really nice. After catching, and de-hooking the shrimps we have to wash them and skewer them, cover them in salt and put them on the grill. They were absolutely delicious.

Is This Serious?!

Ximen and KTV.

Last night, Cres and I went and got Thai food and then went to KTV for Karaoke. Karaoke is a REALLY big deal here. The name of the place we went to was PARTYWORLD. It is kind of like a hotel complex. People were really dressed up and there was room service. The area that its in, Ximen is really cool too. It is modeled after a place in Japan.

Pixar.

Monday morning Amanda, Max, Cres and I met up for brunch at this really great burger place called Forkers. Afterward, Max, Cres and I went to the Pixar exhibit. It was really interesting to see the processes of animation and how characters and storylines come to life. There was this one part that had a zoetrope which spun really fast with strobe lights to give the optical illusion that the characters were moving, when in fact they were just being spun at rapid speeds. After the exhibit, the three of us were pretty tired and Cres and I went home to watch Coraline. It was an interesting movie, but I don't think it was very cohesive. It was like a stop-animation version of Pan's Labyrinth. I understood what they were trying to do, but I guess I just didn't appreciate it as much as I thought I would. After watching Coraline, we met up with Esteban for Indian food in ShiDa. Esteban is one of those people you just meet and feel an instant love for. We got to talking and I found SO many different ways in which our lives have crossed paths. He used to go to my beach, he grew up off the road I live off now, AND he used to live off the same stop I lived off of in Brooklyn. After some delicious Indian food, Jeremy met up and the 4 of us got some drinks and hung out in the park. Sway and Max met up and we all chilled and talked for a bit. I really, really like all my friends here. It will be hard to leave them. I know I have really wonderful friends back home, and that if I lived here maybe I would see the people here differently, I just have to express that I am really happy and have been really benefiting emotionally from this trip.

2/28 park and Chang Kai Chek

This morning Cres and I went for a delicious Vietnamese lunch and then headed out to 2/28 park. We wound up going to the museum there because they had a Darwin exhibit that I wanted to see. After the museum, Max met up and we walked around the park and then to Chang Kai Chek. Standing in front of the memorial I had one of those moments when you feel immortal or infinite or an 'aha' moment. I sat in the middle of the square and meditated for a couple of minutes. It was absolutely beautiful. A bunch of Korean girls asked to take a picture with me and I let them. They were so cute. After seeing the memorial, we went to do some DIY/Pirate costume shopping. Tonight we are going to a burlesque show. I am pretty stoked! :)

Hufanpu.

Last night, Sway and I got a late start on our days. I watched 4 episodes of The L Word (GOD I love that show) and we met up at the train station around 7. We went to this crazy huge market to get really cheap clothes. I got SO many great finds, including a shirt with boobs all over it, a black leather fanny pack, and a couple more shirts. We were very indecisive because there were SO many great options. Everything was so cheap and amazing. I wish there were more places like that in America. After snacking and shopping, we went to another area to get snacks and then called it a night. Life here is so simple. I can totally understand how people move here and never move back home.

Swan Boats and Hot Pot.

Yesterday at around 3, Sway and I met up at the end of the green line and took out some paddle boats. There were so many gorgeous views. Sway and I did psychological tests on each other and had a really good time getting to know each other better. After the boats, we walked across the bridge to this cute little area with some artsy shops, farm stands and carnival games. We played this fun little pinballish game and won bubbles and face glittery stickers. We then got some Hot Pot which was amazing. I tried pigs blood! They mix it with rice, into a cube. It actually tasted really gross. As I am sure you can imagine, blood is salty and irony tasting. Afterward, I met sway's parents. They were so cute and saw their apartment. They live on the top two floors of one of the tallest buildings in the area, pretty cool. After hanging out there and playing a little piano, we headed back to Cresensio's where him and Jenna were covering their macbooks with DIY metallic squares. I played some guitar hero 4 with Bernie and we all hung out on the balcony and then I called it a night. I keep having these great days and nights here. This is a truly awesome adventure.

Shilin

Last night Cres and I went to Shilin, which is probably the most well known night market of Taipei, or Taiwan alltogether. I can't even describe how amazing this place was. So much good food and cheap fun shit. Just look at the pics and you will understand. I got a bag, sunglasses, a watch and hair extensions for well under $100. I mean, of course everything isn't the best quality, but that's the fun of souvenirs. I must go back to get everyone fun shit from there.

Hot Springs

Yesterday Amanda and I met up at the bus station at 10:30 to go to a hot spring/hike. We got a delicious breakfast kind of food with fried egg and sweet delicious sauce and waited for bus 260. Bus 260 came and went without us, so we decided to take an alternate route to the Beitou stop. We got some directions from a guide and started walking toward where we thought the spring was. It was an uphill climb and we got thirsty so we stopped for a few beers at this adorable little shack next to a bubbling brook in the hillside. We had an amazing heart to heart and found out that our love lives are very similar. After enjoying cold beers in the sweltering heat she climbed a tree and I took pictured. We then found what we believed to be the public hot spring. We dipped our toesies in and could barely take it. The water was approximately 250 degrees. We were severely disappointed. We walked around a bit and found a hot spring museum and took a quick tour. After the tour, we started walking to get food and some guy stopped me to take a picture with me! It was really funny. I totally stick out lie a sore thumb, especially in the suburban area we were at. At that point, we found a Sushi Express, which has delicious sushi on a conveyor belt. After eating we went to the REAL hot spring and soaked in acidic sulfuric water. It was a really interesting, cultural experience. There were a lot of old people soaking their aching muscles and arthritis ridden limbs. It was a lot like public hot tubs, with tiers indicating the level of hotness. I could barely dip my toe in the top tier. I suppose it is good for people with joint and muscle aches, however I couldn't really handle the heat. After soaking, we went to Shadaa to visit Sway at work. She works at a Kiwi burger place. The spaghetti gang came and met up and then Cres and I went to Shilin, the most amazing night market in Taiwan.

Day 1 Solo Exploration

Wow. I just walked around solo around Cres's hood. I have to say it was probably the most terrifying thing ever. I can't read or speak anything. I have no cell phone and a tendency to get lost. A lot of people look poor, not unlike manhattan. It is so obvious I don't know my way around, or anything about this place. I mean I have this extra crease in my eyelids, longer bones and flatter hair follicles. Those simple traits determine me different. I can't help but wonder how these genetic differences came about. Of course most educated individuals would say it has to do with the climate conditions of our ancestors and their biological adaptations to them. But I wonder how, in the long run, these genetic difference actually helped us. I understand that in northern countries like Norway and Sweden, people have longer noses with higher bridges. This is helpful in warmer climates to heat the air flowing in through the nostrils. I just wonder, why the absence of eyelid crease?

Anyway. Even though I felt like a complete tourist, which made me feel completely vulnerable, I snapped some shots. Thank heaven there's 711! (Seriously, there is like a 711 on every block)

Taiwan at last!

During my 8 hour layover in South Korea I did my tarot cards and it gave me faith that my life is headed in the right direction and helped me to really believe that I can put the pieces of my life together if I work at it hard enough. After that, I walked around the airport a lot, then I decided to get some authentic Korean food while I was there. I traded in 15 american dollars and got some squid bibambop. It was absolutely delicious. After that, I went to the gate and started reading 'The Freedom Writers'. I really like it so far, and I am already getting teary eyed.

I got on the plane and found out that I was assigned a window seat, then some girl came over and asked me to switch to a middle seat so she could sit next to her friend. Reluctantly, I said OK because I had already taken a xanax and knew this flight would be shorter than the last. After I moved to a middle seat, some other girl asked me to move to an isle seat. I moved. But then she asked me to move again, and i was like "REALLY?!" and I said no. I know its probably karma getting back at me for making people move on planes for me when I have traveled in large groups. Anyway, that flight finally ended and I was met by Cresencio's friend Sway at the airport. She is a really cool girl who has lived in Taiwan her whole life and speaks perfect english. We got along really well right away. We talked and talked as we rode a bus and taxi to Cresencio's. It is so different looking here than anywhere I have ever been before. There are more scooters per person than anywhere else in the world and believe it or not, the worlds tallest building is here.

I got to Cres's took a nap and then we bonded. I am SOO tired but am trying to go along with the 12 hour time difference thing. I feel like I time traveled today. If a plane could go twice as fast and bring me back to NY, could I time travel and exist at two places at once? Could I break the sound barrier? I think we should make airplanes that can time travel, or better yet, teleport. I have a bone to pick with Asiana airlines. Anyway, I am SO happy to be here. OH we went out to dinner and on the way back we saw this construction mannequin. Enjoy this vid.

Decent Exposures

After sleeping at Carrie's I woke up to her kidnapping me and taking me to LI so we could get sushi and she could go to her Dr. appt. We had a silly drive and laughed a lot. That song 'Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night' must have come on the radio 7x during our drives. Kind of ridiculous. I got home, took a shower and called the airport, in hopes of postponing my Taiwan trip, in an effort to miss typhoon season. They wanted $380 additional to change my flight. I said fuck that. So I am still leaving on September 1st. Our friend Zach was having his first solo photography show at 6 in the lower west side, so we had to make that. I read a couple of article's about it, it was on the radio and the news!! I am so proud of Zach! He takes pictures of naked people in busy city places like the subway, chinatown, times sq...etc. Basically, the model takes off their clothes for 30 seconds and Zach takes 10 shots. He keeps bail money on hand and his lawyers number on speed dial. Anyway, the show was really great! I dragged Nathan out, and Kate came to meet up. Afterward, Kate and I went for a walk to get some food. She told me about the new man in her life, and said she had met him on an online dating site that is free to join and send messages. I was curious so I joined last night and have already been talking to people. I feel like a huge dork, but it is so hard to meet people.

Time Constraints

I just realized that I have to prepare to go to Taiwan and move out in about 2 weeks. I am not exactly stressed about it yet, as I have been avoiding the thought, but I really need to get on the ball. I am also sad that summer is almost over and I have to start worrying about real life again soon. Oh well. Here it comes.

Taiwan.

Ok, so since I have been talking to Cres on video chat, I have decided that this coming fall, instead of going to Europe, I would like to go to Asia. I could go for like a month, and Cres would take me around and maybe we could hit up Japan, Hong Kong, the Phillipines or Thailand. That would be a much better vacation because it would be completely different than anywhere I have been before. Now would be the best time to go because Cres is there. I am really excited! That would be amazing!