Taiwan? More Like Tai WON my Heart

My final destination for the February holiday break was Taiwan. Off the bat this place had more English speakers than any of the other places I had visited, it was warm, and my hotel was off the chain (it was right next to a Dongmen metro). I loved Taiwan and I would love to go back.

When I first landed in Taiwan I met up with a co-workers cousin named Ash. Ash took me to a Boba Tea place which was phenomenal. The Taiwanese state that they invented Boba tea (otherwise known as bubble tea) which I believe to be true. Boba tea in Taiwan is fruity, light, and just delicious.
Ash then drew me a map and told me popular tourist destinations that I should go see. I had also asked my friend Skyler about places to visit since she had family that are English teachers in Taiwan. Ash also helped me get a tour card which pays for subways and bus fares in Taiwan.

My first stop was Yangmingshan National Park or it was supposed to be. I got off the subway and was supposed to catch a bus to the park but I had a 40 minute wait until the bus came. I decided to eat lunch and walk around. My phone's GPS was confused as to where I was at times and at one point tried to take me down a scary alley. Instead, I walked up to this giant red building through a lush green staircase. The staircase was overgrown with vines and giant ferns and along the way a pack of stray dogs happily walked past me. I felt like I was in a Ghibli film. When I got to the buildling I found out that it was a hotel much to my disappointment. I walked back to the bus stop and see my bus approaching and then going past me. I was confused. I learned later that to stop a bus in Taiwan you have to flag them down like a taxi! That had never happened in any of the other countries I visited. I was peeved. 

Yangmingshan Park

Since I had to adapt and overcome my circumstances I decided to walk to a different bus stop and along the way found this cute house/museum. It used to belong to a merchant in Taiwan and since then it has become a musuem for temporary exhibits. When I visited, the theme was puppet theatre. I wasn't allowed to take photos of the puppets (I don't know why. Maybe copyright reasons?). The ladies I talked to there informed me to get to the national park I should not take the bus I was planning on, but a different one and found that their suggestion would get me there sooner according to the map. Beside the bus stop there were these giant huts made out of wood and I toured inside them while waiting for my bus. Those pictures are on my instagram for you to see.
Finally, I got to the national park. It is filled with cherry blossoms, flower bushes, rivers, and fountains. Not to mention a souvenior shop and a place to buy more water. It was a beautiful location even if it wasn`t terribly big.
To get out of the national park I had to get on three different buses. It was mess. The first bus had the incorrect number on it and took me to a parking lot. The second bus literally made a circle which made no sense. The third bus actually got me to where I was to meet Angel for supper that night. After supper Angel took me to a lantern festival. They had food booths and many statues made out of lights and fabric that look like ancient gods and goddesses not to mention statues of dogs since 2018 is the year of the dog.

The next day Angel, her brother, and I rented a driver for the day to take us to Yehliu Geopark. Yehliu is a rock beach that has strangely shaped rocks. Some of the rocks look like a leopard, a woman's head, and a chess board. At the front gate they had mascots for all the different kinds of rocks and their hair looked like the rock they were representing. It was silly and of course we got a picture next to them. This place was fun for me since I had never been by a beach before and got to find sand dollars and saw wild crabs. We climbed a mountain to see the lighthouse and the entirety of the island. I would really recommend going here. 

After we went to Yehliu we went to a seafood restaurant which had great clams and oysters and yummy vegetables. After this we headed to an old mining town.
The mining town used to be owned by Japan but after WWII they no longer had control and it has fallen into disuse. The really interesting fact about this town is the bay in front, Shuinandong Bay, has yellow and blue water. The yellow comes from the pyrite from the mines that has washed down the mountain into the bay. It makes a beautiful effect on the water. The town itself is full of vendors selling anything from candy, clothes, and seashells. I personally bought some earrings made out of seashells which the owner made just for me! I had seen a woman wearing these lovely seashell earrings and asked where she bought them and she explained her boss made them and had the boss make some for me. It was very cool!

What makes this area magical is that it is filled with red lanterns which give it a soft red glow and everything looks old. One thing that I was confused about is that they sold a ton of Ghibli movie items. It is rumored that Taiwan, and specifically this old mining town, was the inspiration for the Ghibli Studio Film Spirited Away. It is unconfirmed but I can see why people think this way. 

That night we drove back to see the Bank of Taiwan building. Since it was night we didn't go inside but there is a mall you can visit, which we didn't bother to. We headed back to my area, Dongmen, and did some shopping. We ate the famous mango shaved ice in that area as well.

The next morning I went to church (which was much easier to find than in China) and flew back to Shanghai.

If you want to go to Taiwan I highly recommend it. You don't need a visa if you are a US citizen if you will be there for 90 days or less, it is warm year round, lots of people speak English, there are of fun things to see, and many good things to eat. I would love to go back again.