Hello!イーオン日立校ブログです！

毎週日曜日はJesse先生とSarah先生のブログを交互に載せております♪今週はSarah先生の台湾の感想をお楽しみください！

Dear readers,

It's me again! How are you lately? I hope you're coping well in the chilly weather - I already started using my yutanpo every night! In the UK we use yutanpo too, but we call them 'hot water bottles'.

Today I'll be telling you about my recent trip. In case you didn't know, at the beginning of November, I took a five day trip to Taiwan!

I flew from Narita to Taoyuan airport near Taipei on Thursday. When my friend and I arrived in Taipei, it was getting dark, so we decided to go to a night market! The night market was very lively and had so many types of goods and foods. It was a bit like a Japanese festival, but instead of only happening on just one weekend in the summer, it happens every night! I looked at some nice clothes and ate some yummy snacks. Over the next few nights, we visited a few more night markets. I had planned to try the infamous stinky tofu there, but after getting a whiff of the terrible stench I was too afraid to try it!

On the second day, we visited the National Museum in Taipei, which is a wonderful, grand building in the mountains surrounded by trees. There were a lot of amazing jade artefacts there, and I learnt a lot about jade's cultural value. I also visited Longshan temple, went shopping for traditional goods, like tea, and got my fortune told by a bird! The fortune teller asked the bird a question, and the bird answered by picking a note out of a box. I'll keep my fortune a secret, but it was mainly positive!

That night, we visited Ximending and went drinking near the famous 'red house'. It was a great spot for outdoor drinking, and had delicious cocktails. After drinking, we got massages at one of the many parlours in the local area! The massage was great, except that my feet are really ticklish, so it was difficult not to kick the masseuse while she massaged them.

As we had three full days and two half days in Taiwan, we decided to take a daytrip to Jiufen, the town which is famous for its similarities to the town in 千と千尋の神隠し. This place is in the mountains with a picturesque view of the ocean and mountain vegetation. It was incredibly crowded with tourists, but there were so many lovely little shops to explore. I drank traditional oolong tea in the oldest teahouse in Jiufen, using a Chinese teaset. Finally, my friend and I had an early dinner overlooking the sunset, admiring the view from the open restaurant. When the red lanterns came on after dark, Jiufen was an exceptionally atmospheric place.

On our final full day, we explored various sites, such as the CKS Memorial Hall, and another temple. In the early evening, just before sunset, we climbed elephant mountain (a steep hill on the outskirts of Taipei) to get panoramic views of the city. It was really beautiful! Of course, no trip to Taiwan is complete without climbing Taipei 101, so after elephant mountain we went straight to Taipei's famous landmark to see the city lights from hundreds of floors up. The lift was amazingly fast, and the building had so many shops and restaurants inside! It was excellent.

Taiwan is the third Asian country I've visited after Japan and Korea. From what I experienced, Taipei seemed like a pick and mix of different North East Asian cultures - Chinese settlers moved to Taipei a few hundred years ago, and as such there is a lot of Chinese culture there. The architecture was quite Chinese, the traditional shops sold a lot of Chinese goods, and the food was mostly Chinese style (although it was quite multicultural and you could find Indian, Thai, Japanese and Korean food too). However, since Taiwan was also occupied by Japan in the past, there are a lot of Japanese things there too! There are onsen, many Japanese eateries, and a lot of Japanese brands. In Taiwan, many people also like Korean cosmetics and K-pop. It was nice to experience a mix of cultures together in one place.

Although Taiwan embodies many different Asian cultures, though, it also had its own unique character. The people there were friendly, helpful, and relaxed. They were also quite flexible when it came to service. I don't eat meat, so it was sometimes difficult to find something on the menu which was suitable for me. But in one restaurant, the staff made a whole new dish for me without me even asking! I was really thankful.

I'd recommend Taiwan to anyone who hasn't been before. I had a great time and I'd like to go back again sometime.

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions about my trip, as always, please don't hesitate to ask.

Have a lovely week!

Best wishes,

Sarah