lauraDOT: the longer I live here

The longer I live here, the more I love about this island. While I’m sure a lot of this has to do with the fading culture shock and the making of more and more friends, I am happy to say that my Taiwan experience isn’t going anywhere but up.

The past two weekends have been filled with so many wonderful sights and memories-in-the-making. We spent the first weekend of April in Kenting, the very south of Taiwan. A music festival called “Spring Scream” drew us there (as well as hundreds of other 20-and-thirty-something year olds) but it was the beauty of the south that really blew me away. The festival was set in Erluanbi, the southernmost point of Taiwan and there were at least 8 stages set up all around the area. We saw everything from Japanese punk rock to Korean rock to French rock to Taiwanese heavy metal/scream-o to Taiwanese/American jazz (which was my favourite). The food was fantastic (as all food is in this country) and the friends we went with were even better. After each very long, tiring (but awesome) day, we returned to our temporary home… a single room with 5 beds where 11 of us slept! Not quite the Ritz, but endearing enough for me to miss it.

Having rented scooters for the weekend, we took advantage of our mobility and drove along the coast on our last day there. Imagine: 30 degrees Celsius, the sun on my face, wind in my hair, doing nothing but driving along a breath-taking shoreline… coming back to the city was such a bummer… I want to move down south!

Without looking at a Western Calendar, you’d never know that this past weekend was Easter! I didn’t see one indication anywhere; no chocolate eggs, bunnies or even religious reminders! Some of you are probably jealous (as Easter is so commercialized in the West) but it was quite strange! We attended Easter mass on Sunday morning and spent the rest of the day in Wulai (a small town in the mountains south of Taipei City). It takes about 1.5 hours to get to Wulai from where we live (which is a tad North of Taipei City), an MRT ride followed by a 40-minute bus ride through the mountains (which can either mean extreme beauty or extreme car-sickness depending on who you talk to). Highlights of Wulai included: tasting all the delicious specialties the Aboriginal culture there has to offer (notably the bamboo rice, the rice wine and the deep-fried taro balls), taking a gondola to the top of a mountain (with an amazing view of the waterfalls on the way) and bathing in the wonderful hot springs at the end of the day!

I’m excited to share with everyone my upcoming travel plans! In August I am taking a week or two to travel around Taiwan itself. I’ll be taking a scooter and basically just seeing all that I can see in the time that I have! I want to make sure I thoroughly explore this beautiful island in case I don’t return for a second year! Come September I’ll be leaving Taiwan… destination: somewhere in South East Asia! (Probably either Bali, Indonesia or Bangkok, Thailand). I will be starting in one decided location and basically just making it up as I go along, depending on what I like and whom I meet. The plan is to explore South East Asia for two to three months (or for as long as my money will support me!) If anyone has any suggestions for where I should go… please let me know! I love to hear about other people’s travels… I’m really interested in natural beauty and culture (if that helps with suggestions).

Until next time, Tsai Jian!