Taipei!
Saturday, Feb 7, 2009 11:35PM / Standard Entry
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The flight from HK to Taiwan was just 1.5 hours long. It's warm but a
bit rainy here. My Taipei hotel (Hsuan Mei) is one of the nicest
hotels I've stayed at, and only $80 a night!! Also - free
computer/internet use!! WHOOOOO!! In HK I probably spent about $7 a
day using the internet. But this computer here is one of those ancient
ones with a floppy drive (wtf) and no USB drive for uploading
photos/videos. Booo.
Everything in my room is brand new.
The shower has 6 different sprayers and the tub has jacuzzi jets.
YAY! And there's FREE water and green tea in the fridge! YAY!! The
sheets are really soft. YAY!! But then I open the drapes and see a
view of the ugly shack next door right in my face. NOT SO YAY.
But I'm still happy that I get to spend 9 days in such a nice place!
When
I see white or black people here in Asia, I get the urge to talk to
them because they probably speak perfect English like me. They might
feel out of place too and might appreciate being able to connect with a
fellow American. But I'm in Taiwan, so I'm going to try and meet some
Taiwanese people.
Last night I went to an AliveNotDead.com
party in HK. It was packed with English speaking Asians from HK,
America, Canada, Britain, and Australia! It was so cool because I knew
I could talk to anyone. I met a bunch of people and had a great time.
My
first day in Taiwan was just as overwhelming at first as HK was. It's
a lot like Shanghai -- not as flashy or westerner-friendly as HK -- and
full of scooters and crazy speeding cars. I felt lost and
intimidated. But then I found a map, asked the hotel front desk girl
which way was north, and started walking down the street.
The
neighborhood near the hotel is full of scooter repair places and
hole-in-the-wall restaurants, but after walking about 5 blocks I landed
in what's probably the heart of the shopping mecca of Taipei. The
stores (some upscale, some small) stay open until 10 or 11, and many
restaurants stay open even later. It's almost as energetic and crazy
as HK.
The shopping here is really great.
Nice, unique clothes, and not too pricey. The Mandarin I learned in my
class has already helped immensely. I'm definitely being forced to use
it and I'm learning more, phrase by phrase. The younger people here
know a bit of English because they learn it in school, but the older
generation knows almost none. So each successful transaction in
Mandarin is a big triumph for me.
The
Asians here are taller than in HK. Many of the guys are around 5'10"
and I saw 3 or 4 guys who were 6'3" or taller. A lot of the girls look
about 5'3" to 5'6".
Tights are all the rage! Tights with boots,
tights with flats or kitten heels, patterned or solid, argyle, plaid,
or knitted, mostly in shades of black and gray. Capri, ankle, or full
length, sometimes with legwarmers, worn with skirts or shorts. Whoot!
I love it.
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