Day 8

Today was our last day in Taipei.  We had most of the day free to do whatever we wanted.  I really wanted to go to the beach but unfortunately we woke up to rain.  The group split up and went separate ways.  I went to see a movie, go to the largest book store (eslite) and the plan was to stop at SMS memorial hall on the way back.  I wanted to see a movie for a few reasons - the popcorn, rest my legs and feet from all the walking we have been doing and to see how they experience English movies with subtitles.  Theresa and I went to see “The Great Gatsby.”  The popcorn was just like you would eat at a fair.  It did not have movie theater butter but it was still good.  The sizes were smaller than in the US and I did find it strange that they offered fresh caramel corn as well.  After the movie (the sun actually came out) we went to the eslite bookstore, which was basically a mall/bookstore.  There were 6 levels of books/shops and the lower level was a food court. 

We ate dinner at the food court and headed to the National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, but the museum was closing.  We did get to walk around the grounds then headed back to the hotel to get our luggage.  I forgot that we didn’t get to go to the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall on the first day to see the changing of the guards, but we did pass it on at least two of our bus rides. 

 

We took the bullet train from Taipei to Taichung.  The ride lasted 50 minutes and the top speed I saw displayed was 265 km/hour.  We all took taxies to the TungHai University Alumni House, the hotel we will be at until Thursday.  This university is were Professor Peng went to school.  I cannot wait to see the campus tomorrow because I have heard repeatedly it is the most beautiful campus.

Day 7 - Last full day in Taipei

Today we ate breakfast at the hotel then we took a bus to Jinguashi.  A city outside of the city of Taipei in the mountains.  We were accompanied by a group of NTNU students the whole day.  They were fun to talk to.  Two of the students will actually being coming to study at UofM Flint next semester.  During our bus ride our tour guide explained the geography as we traveled over a few of the 250 mountains of Taiwan.  There were breathtaking views that would have been a lot better if it was not as cloudy.  We first toured the Gold Ecological Park where we saw the beautiful gardens of the Prince’s Chalet.  Next, we all were given hard hats and sent in to the mine where we saw how the gold was original mined.  The final stop in the Gold Ecological Park was the museum.  There was old mining equipment on display and more history to read about.  The highlight of the museum was being able to touch the 220 kg gold nugget.  I bought a shirt that says “Get Rich” in Chinese.

Following the gold park tour we took the bus to Jiufen Old Town, which was like the night market, but open all day.  The narrow passage ways were filled with people as we walked to the restaurant for lunch.  I was served chicken with oyster sauces.  All I ate was the rice because the chicken was basically chopped up with the bones still in it.  After lunch everyone was free to roam the town and shop for about an hour.  I bought a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone but didn’t find any good souvenirs.

From there we were back on the bus for a long ride to Shifen.  In Shifen everyone was able to create their own sky lantern by painting their wishes on all 4 sides.  I wrote my wishes in English then attempted to write them in Chinese.  Many of the locals said I did a really good job and gave me pointers on the order to paint the lines.  Where we let the lanterns go is actually on train tracks.  About every 20 minutes whistles would blow indicating that a train was coming and everyone would have to move to the side.  After lighting the lanterns we explored the small city then headed back to our hotel by bus. The sky lantern experience was an awesome experience and extremely fun.

After walking thought the night market one last night, three of us went with one of the NTNU students to the Hot Springs.  It was a little strange at first but extremely relaxing.  The place is a store front then a long hall full of small rooms with individual rooms and tubs.  You controlled the temperature of your bath with amount of hot springs and tap water you used. 

Day 6

Today we took the train to Tamkang University.  We meet up with a group of freshman and sophomore accounting students to spend the whole day with us.  They took us on a tour of their campus, which was very clean since the freshman students are required to clean at least once a week.  Talking with the students was a little difficult at times but an awesome experience.  I found myself slowing down my sentences, repeating what I said in different ways, and using my hands.  We walk though a few gardens and their maritime museum.  We then had a special lecture on communication.  The teacher explained some of the major differences between Asian and Western speech.  We played 3 games of telephone with groups of only Chinese, only US, and mixed students.  Surprisingly the only US and mixed students did not do so well.  I figured only the mixed group would have an issue.  We then went to eat lunch in the school cafeteria.  It was very difficult to find food that I wanted because they did not have pictures or English at any of the restaurants.  My buddy (Li) helped me find chicken and noodles, which were both really good.  Many of the guys tried pigs blood, but based on their reactions I did not try it.  Then we boarded on a bus to go to see more of the port in Tamsui.  We walked down the streets with old buildings and the students told us highlights as we toured the city.  We made a quick stop for tall ice cream then headed to the Fuyou Temple.  As we learned prior, you enter a temple from the right side.  Li explained that a person can ask for something from God by lighting incense, saying it in their mind, and bowing three time with their hands pressed together.  We learned about Reverend/doctor Mackay and toured the old hospital building.  Then we saw the Little White House.  I am not sure what the significance was but it had to do with Customes. Then we walk through Oxford College.  We ended the walking tour at Fort San Domingo.  On the walk back to the train we were introduced to "iron eggs" which are duck eggs that have been pickled and are black in color.  No one was brave enough to try them.  For dinner I tried the chicken as big as your head.  It was really good till I got to the bones at the bottom. 

Day 5

Today we started off the day attending an NTNU brand management class where the students were presenting a case on eHarmony.  Then we went to the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) and were taught about the history and current status of the market.  They have 809 stocks listed.  About 22% of stocks are purchased by foreign institutions and 63% by domestic individuals here in Taiwan.  40% of the Taiwan population owns stock.  Most are common people with little knowledge of investing because of this the TWSE has set up controls to help limit the risk for its people.  We learned that there can only be a 7% change in the stock price each day, the trading hours are 9 to 1:30 (short), and they do not operate with continuous trading.  Before we left we took a group picture and were told it would be on the TWSE website - http://www.twse.com.tw/en/block/guestinfodetail.php?id=105.

Next we headed to lunch where I had Din Tai Fung’s chicken soup dumplings.  They were amazing.  I would say they were the best food I had so far.  From there were went to Franz to learn about their history and see their pieces.  I really enjoyed the tour and seeing both the digital and artistic creations.  My favorite part of the whole day was seeing their 3D printer. 

Day 4

This morning we went back to NTNU to learn about Chinese medicine.  The doctor explained how different foods affect the body and told us all the common natural medicines they use.  He also explained the different meridians in our body.  If you have an aliment the doctor can focus on these meridians with pressure and acupuncture to affect the issue.  The doctor went around the room and pressed on everyone’s hand which helps if you have a headache or other type of pain.  It was actually quite painful and left a nail impression on everyone’s hand.  Then we had the opportunity to experience one acupuncture needle.  If you know me, I do not handle needles well and before the class I swore I wouldn’t do it, but I did.  I didn’t pass out or cry even though my heart was racing.  I was the second to last person to do it and the first to have the needle taken out (maybe 2 minutes max).  The doctor said that they typically leave the needles in for about 20-30 minutes and wiggle them to accomplish relieving the problem the patient has.  If you stood still you could not feel the needle, but if you laughed or moved slightly the whole thing would wiggle.  I cannot described the feeling.  I was trying my best to not move.

 

After the Chinese medicine class we took a campus tour and had our first class discussion before eating lunch at the main train station again.  Today I tried fried flat noodles.  It had a mystery meat, but the noodles were good.  I have mastered the art of using chop sticks. 

Next we took a bus to HTC.  Wow their building is amazing and ecofriendly.  We were given a tour of the office where we saw that they have a boxing ring and heavy bags in their 24 hour work out facility.  I found this awesome!  The whole layout of the office was very open allowing for collaboration amongst employees.  HTC is a fairly young company, started only in 1997.  The culture here really influences how they operate.  They value the four pillars of the company’s vision.  They put the symbol of one pillar on their business cards as a conversation starter.  The company is mainly focused on the consumer.  They strive to make their products simple, powerful, and surprising for customers to use and now are trying to integrate their products to control other aspects a consumer would want (ie to control the tv or entertainment center from your phone).

To end the day we went back to Taipei 101 and went to the 89^th floor observation deck.  We rode the fast elevators again and we able to see the city lite up at night. 

Day 3

Today we headed right to National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) for a lesson in Mandarin.  The teacher had us all engaged and entertained.  We all did fairly well with instruction on how to say basic phrases and numbers.  We struggled a little to learn the tones since it is a tonal language, but it was fun.   Next we went to a different part of the campus to meet with our NTNU assigned buddy.  We had a welcome lunch and played games with chopsticks which was a fun to get to know the other students.  Then we headed to Taipei 101 to visit KPMG on the 64-68 floors.  We rode the second fastest elevator in the world to get there.  KPMG gave us a brief history and a tour.  We then went to Asus and were told about the companies 25 year history and were able to play with the different models.  They also did a presentation and demonstration of the padfone, which is a phone that docks into a table.  Both of the companies had unique features in which they help out disabled people here in Taiwan.  KPMG has blind masseuses to give massages for their workers and Asus hires disabled workers to run the bakery section of their lunch area.  After the Asus visit we went back to Taipei 101 and ate at the food court.  I will admit I had McDonalds because I was starving and needed to eat something I knew I would like.  From there we walked the mall inside Taipei 101 and then went back to the hotel.

Day 2

We started the day with an orientation class which was a lot better than the presidential palace tour.  We discussed the history of Taiwan and the views of the people over the years as well as their rights.  From there we took a bus to the 5th factory in Taiwan.  It was a store front tea factory (Wang Tea).  They took us on a tour of how they make the tea.  We saw two men taking the steams off of the leaves, the heating of the leaves, how they separate the sizes of leaves, and were given samples.  From there we took another bus to a fancy Japanese 8 course meal.  The food was not that great, but well plated. I tried at least a bite of every course.  Next we took the train to the National Place Museum.  On the way we saw a garbage truck playing music like the ice cream truck which signaled the business to bring their garbage out front.  We were not able to take photos in this Museum.  Our tour guide was on speed.  She took us to through most of the Museum in an hour and a half showing the most notable pieces.  I was a little disappointed because this Museum is so well known for being the largest collection of ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks.  I thought I would see more interesting pieces, but it was still an awesome experience. The most popular piece was a jade carving the "Jadeite Cabbage.” It is jade carved into the shape of a cabbage with grasshopper in the leaves.  The piece color and cabbage symbolizes virginity and the grasshopper symbolizes fertility.  The story was that it was a wedding present to the emperor from the father of the bride, but they never had any children because he left the girl for her younger sister.  Then we headed back to the hotel and spent the rest of the night at the Shih-lin Night Market across the street.  I watched as people at stink tofu.  Some people liked it but the smell was just not right.  The whole market had a funky smell that made it hard for me to eat anything.  It was very different to see the variety of food.  The market is a mix of carnival games, stores, and food.  Next time we go I will try the chicken the size of your head, which both professors had.

Day 1

Last night our plane was delayed going to Taiwan a half hour and in the air we had to circle the airport due to construction on one of the runways.  We did not end up at the hotel (Luckynews Classic Hotel) until about 12:30am.  That was a long trip! 

We were up at around 6:30, breakfast at 7, and in cabs to the train by 7:50.  After dropping off our luggage at the next hotel we headed to the Confucius Temple.  Our taxi driver took us to the wrong temple, a block away from where we should have been, but the temple was awesome!  We only saw it from the outside.  It was very decorative and we had a chance to see people praying and using incense. 

 

We made it to the Confucius Temple and had a guided tour.  Our guide was a volunteer and was very entertaining (I have videos of him).  It was very interesting to walk through the temple area.

 

Next we did lunch and I had to eat with chop sticks, a skill I am still working on.  Then we went to the President’s Office Building.  It was nice, but I was not that interested in hearing the history.  The guide was a little hard to understand.  I did learn a few new things.  From there we went to the National Taiwan Museum.  The highlights were the amber which incased bugs and stuff as well as dinosaur bones.  From there we went to dinner in the art district and walked around.  Oh yeah it rained all day.  It is going to be a wet week here!

Almost To Taiwan

Well we made it to Japan.  I watched 4 movies on the flight and slept maybe 30 minutes.  Now we have a 3.5 hour flight to Taiwan.  It is raining and glumly at 6pm in Toyko.

Less then one day!!

I leave in less then one day!  I am checked in for my flight!  Just looked at the weather in Taiwan and it is not looking that great.  High 70s / Low 80s and 60% chance of rain in Taipei.  Low 80s and 60% chance of rain each day in Taichung.  I am still not fully packed, but I am working on it.