I have been very busy in the last few months, first in finding a job in HK for next year, and then in globetrotting, or I should say Asia trotting, after teaching ended in May. Needless to say, I have several entries in store for you with lots of goodies.
In the beginning of May, for the celebration of Buddha's Birthday (and the corresponding long weekend) I traveled to the political pariah known as Taiwan. As I stepped off the plane and started walking towards baggage claim, I was visually assaulted with government sponsored political posters advocating Taiwan's admission into the UN. The most vivid one I can remember had a whale suspended in a glass cup filled with water, saying something along the lines of drowning without political representation/recognition. Model United Nations debates and political science studies aside, I knew I wasn't in China.
At first glance, Taipei seems a lot like the Shanghai or some of the other major metropolises of China, but on a smaller (and cleaner) scale. The Japanese occupation's legacy is tangible in the architecture as well. And don't get me started on the food---oh my God it was all so good and eclectic! The night markets are famous for strange foods, and I tried a lot of things, though I stayed away from the snake being offered in snake alley--yuck!
After spending a night at a weird hip hop/rock infused club with tee shirt tearing contests (don't ask) we enjoyed a quiet respite up north at the fisherman's wharf, strolling along the boardwalk. Another day I spent many awe struck hours at the National Palace Museum, admiring works from China that Chang Kai Shek "stole" or "rescued" from Mao's forces in the late 1940s.
Overall it was a peaceful city-- quiet compared to the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong, and steeped in its very own, if very contentious, history.
National Palace Museum
Chicken hearts..mmmm
Snake Alley
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