Hi Everyone! I'm sorry for not posting sooner but I've been having too much fun! But this one should be a nice and long one so here goes ...
For those of you who are terrified of spiders I would suggest NOT going into the jungles of the Taiwanese mountains for there are very large and frightening 8 legged creatures all around which I had the pleasure of experiencing first hand. Meet George.
Aside from the spiders there are cuter creatures such as the mass amounts of mountain monkeys at the campgrounds we stayed at just outside of Taichung. Late Friday night John and I caught a train south of Neili, where he lives and stayed the night with Jody and Oliver, friends of his from his days in Colorado. Lovely and generous people. We stayed at there apartment Friday night and headed to the mountains Saturday afternoon. Two of their friends joined us and we hopped on our three scooters and drove 40 minutes up into the mountains to camp.
Camping in Taiwan is a unique experience. One I can't say I'd love to do again but I'm sure I will. First, the zipper on our tent was broken so John and I were eaten alive all night long. Don't be surprised if I come home with some rare disease. That mixed with the jet lag I was still experiencing made for a 'happy' Manda the next morning but I turned my frown upside down and after breakfast and coffee, I was in a better head space.
Before we headed south to Taichung on Friday, I spent the day with John's friend Kaivan. He was raised in the states but is Taiwanese, moving back here 8 years ago. I'm so happy I had the chance to hang out with him. I definitely saw stuff I wouldn't have otherwise. He took me to lunch at a very authentic Taiwanese restaurant and then we walked the street in search of cute little shops and a jade market. We came across a little tea shop and although it was closed, the owner invited us in and explained (which was translated to me by Kaivan) the process of drinking tea. It was quite the unique experience. After that, we went to a park that reminded me of Central Park in Manhattan. Kaiva plays the violin and there was a big amphitheater and he got up and played a couple songs for me. From there we headed to Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world...for now. Dubai is in the process of building the new tallest building but until it is open, Taipei 101 is still number one. Such a beautiful view.
So, after my day exploring parts of Taipei, John and I headed south to camp with the crew. The following day, on our way out we decided to go to a waterfall to swim. On the way back to Taichung, we stopped at a few places, one being a man made bat cave and the other a monastery. I was almost killed by a bat. John would say I was exaggerating but seriously, the little blood sucking flying rat came straight at my head. This tunnel was about 5 feet high and 3 feet across and pitch black. I was the 'leader' with the camera light and all of the sudden I was dodging a nose diving grey bat that I just know what aiming straight for my neck. Needless to say, I screamed and we were out of there. Fun times for sure! The Monastery was beautiful. Somewhat haunting and we were the only people there. There were a couple wild cats running around and I'm not sure what I was more interested in. The beauty of the scenery or chasing the kitties. John would say the kitties.
We got back to Neili late Sunday night and Monday morning John called in sick and we headed to Wulai, a small mountain town known for their hot springs and hiking. I'm not sure I could do it justice by trying to explain how cute it was but just think small village with street vendors and homes built into the hills. We hiked around a bit and then took the gondola up to this hotel and some kind of amusement area. Pictures should explain a little better.
Tuesday I stayed local. John took me to the local gym and I ran and swam which felt really good. I'm consuming everything that my body can't digest very well but it's so worth it. John's friend Karolese, a South African woman, invited me to Yoga night with her friends which actually turned out to just be dinner, wine drinking, and talking. It was really nice having a 'girls night' experience here and meeting some new friends. One of my goals while here was to meet people and form contacts for future travels. I'm meeting a lot of nice people. One of the girls from that night and I are hanging out tomorrow (Friday). She is from England and has only been here for 2 months. We are going to go explore a town called Danshui.
Yesterday I went two train stops north to a little town known for their ceramics and pottery called Yingge. Mom-you would have been in heaven. Who knows, maybe I got you a little something from there. There is a section called Old Town and the streets are cobblestone and it is quaint and charming.
Today I think I'm going to go one more stop past Yingge and go hiking a bit. Stay tuned...here are some pictures to keep you entertained...
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