Hualien, Yilan, Taroko, the Coast and shoe-making

Hi Everyone,

I know that this post has taken me a while to put together. This last week has been quite busy. I have finalized my courses and participated in a weekend trip for the management exchangers. Also, I went to Taipei 101 with Lani, a fellow-exchanger from my building, which is currently the tallest building in the world. I have yet to go up it, but I am waiting for a really nice, sunny and clear day. The area around Taipei 101 is very commercial. There are many up-scale designer stores, department stores, and things made specifically for tourists.

I am taking a number courses at the university, a few on economics and a few on business. The economics courses are the Indian Economy, the Market Development of Taiwan and China's Economic Transition. The business courses are Enterprise Risk Management and Futures and Options Markets (which will most likely be outdated by the time I am done). Also, I am taking a Chinese course through the CLD (Chinese Language Division) at NTU (National Taiwan University). I hope that the Chinese course gets a bit more difficult and that I am able to speak with people on the streets. I have a lot to learn, but I am able to do some very basic things already without assistance in Chinese.

I went on a weekend trip with the International Friendship Club at the CoM (College ofd Management). We went to the eastern side of Taiwan and drove down the coast to Hualien. The coast is gorgeous, lush mountains on one side and the pacific ocean on the other. On the way to Hualien we stopped for lunch, which consisted of pork, fish, seafood, rice, soup, boiled lettuce, tofu and fruit for desert. Also, we visited the Taroko National Park, which is a must-see for anyone who comes to Taiwan. I would like to return to Taroko and really spend some time hiking on a few of the trails. A temple was built to memorialize the workers who labored to build the road through the trecherous curves.

In Hualien, we stayed at a very nice hotel in the main part of the town. I had a real mattress, a down comforter, and four of us shared a clean bathroom. I expected the town to be less developed than Taipei in some way, but it was the same, just on a smaller scale. We went to the night market for dinner, and there were tons of things to try. I had octupus balls, dumplings, spicy stir-fry veggies, bubble tea, fried chicken, and really light flavored crackers (hard to explain). I have fallen in love with the night markets in Taiwan, it seems to be the heart of the nightlife as well as the traditional Taiwanese 'mall'. Anything you need or want you can find at the night markets. I slept amazingly that night, only to wake up for a wonderful breakfast buffet, consisting of toast with peanut butter, espresso, porridge, mini-crescents, scrambled eggs, juice and fruit.

We got on the bus again and headed for the DIY shoe making center. These shoes are similar to the ones that the Japanese wear. Following the DIY shoe making center we headed to the traditional arts center, which is a very large center that the Taiwanese constructed a decade or so ago to promote Chinese and Taiwanese culture. The center was pretty commercial and the museum was a weird mix of modern art and traditionally inspired everyday items. I was somewhat confused when I saw everyday items, and wasn't sure if we were actually in a museum at all. I still have not made it to the National Palace Museum in Taipei (which is supposedly the largest single collection of Chinese artifacts in all of Asia). After the traditional culture center, we headed back to Taipei.

The Time Since the Trip...

I bought a bicycle, which has been a blessing and a curse at the same time. The bicycle was cheap, because I was motivated enough to wake up at 4 am and go with my student volunteer to buy one. I was number 62 out of the nearly 400 people in line. I named my bicycle Betsy, but she has some problems with the chain. Also, I visited Taipei 101, but did not go up it quite yet. I have to go now, but will keep you updated with what I am up to. I plan on heading to Taichung this upcoming weekend and going to the Beitou hotsprings tomorrow. (I will add the pictures that go along with this post at a later date).

Ciao Ciao!!