Taipei 台北

Michael had a holiday this past Monday, so we decided to take a weekend trip to Taipei. We started off our trip to Longshan Temple. This was a very active temple and I felt that we were the only tourists on site. The temples in Taipei were very colorful. After the temple, we ventured off to the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. The Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall was very beautiful. Inside the memorial there was a multi-level museum with many artifacts. From the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial we headed over to Taipei 101 where we had lunch and met up with Kevin and his girlfriend. Unfortunately, it started to rain so we decided not to go up Taipei 101 to the observatory deck because we would not be able to see anything. Kevin and Jocelyn took us around to different places because of the rain, we were limited to indoor areas. They took us to Eslite Bookstore, but there were many little shops within the bookstore like a small furniture store, toy store, stationary store, etc. We later went to dinner at a yummy dumpling place on the east side. We ordered dumplings (小籠包), drunken chicken, some veggies and many other things. It was so delicious! After dinner we went to get some bubble tea, it was so good. I miss bubble tea. To finish off the day, we walked around the Raohe Street Night Market. The night market was filled with food and shops. The second day we first went to Taipei 101 because the weather was nice in the morning. We went up to the 89th floor and had a great panoramic view of Taipei. Michael was quite fascinated with the super big wind damper and the elevator model. There was also a nice outdoor observatory on the 91st floor, but the barrier/fence was quite big that it hindered the view a little, I guess safety first. Taipei 101 also had a jewelry museum and lots of coral and jade sculptures; we actually spent 2 hours in Taipei 101. After Taipei 101, we went to get some dim sum and it was pretty good. I guess anything is good when you miss it. We were so excited to eat, we forgot to take pictures. After lunch, we went to the National Palace Museum and met up with Kevin and Jocelyn again. The palace museum was a collection of art, sculptures, calligraphy and books. After the museum we went to Shilin Night Market to have a snack and walk around. Kevin and Jocelyn took us to this awesome dessert place. I had this shaved milk ice cream topped with mango sauce and fresh mango chunks! It was awesome and like nothing I’ve ever had. I am a bit sad that I can’t have it again. To finish off Sunday night, we went to Miramar Shopping Center. This was a newer area and everything was bright and colorful. The ferris wheel was probably the most noticeable item and it was beautiful. It lit up at night changing colors every 30 seconds or so. We found a nice little restaurant to chill and relax. That about concludes our trip, thanks to Kevin and Jocelyn for taking us everywhere, we had a wonderful time!

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Surfing...Camping...Hiking...

This past weekend was very fun filled. Saturday morning, Michael went to Oarai with Tsuruta-san (Michael’s co-worker) to surf for the first time. Tsuruta-san has been surfing for many years, so he offered to take Michael. Unfortunately I do not have pictures, but Michael claims he did stand up a few times. Surfing was fun, but takes a lot of strength. After surfing, Michael and I went up to Nikko to camp alongside Lake Chuzenji with some of the other OAPs and OAP’s friends. I can’t remember everyone’s name, but it was a good time. There were maybe 5 or 6 tents set up and then a couple of bbq grills in the middle for everyone to use. We sat around talking, eating and having a good time. Michael and I called it a night early to be rested for the next day. On Sunday, Michael and I went to hike Nantaisan with a few of his co-workers. Nantaisan is 2,484 meters high (8,149 feet). This was the first time I hiked so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Nantaisan’s path is quite steep, so about a third of the way up I was ready to call quits. I was very thankful that Michael and his co-workers were supportive and I did make it to the top of the summit. It’s was an incredible feeling, we had a panoramic view of Lake Chuzenji and the sky was pretty clear majority of the time. It was quite the feeling walking through the clouds and then seeing the clouds below you. Nantaisan was considered training for Mount Fuji because the shape of the mountain closely resembles Mount Fuji’s. We will be climbing Mount Fuji in August which is very exciting. Enjoy our pictures, I think there are some where you can see me struggling.

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Udon and Fun!

The past few weekends have been semi-busy. The end of June, Michael went on a business trip to Germany and Italy. Although it sounds like fun, he actually had a pretty hectic schedule. I am sure he had some time for fun. The weekend of July 4th, we went to an udon making class in Gunma Prefecture. We went with a bunch of Japanese teachers and their families and Katie joined in on the fun because she loves udon. The udon making process was not too difficult, but it took time. We mixed the dough and then stepped on the dough a few times before rolling out the udon. Udon retracts very quickly when you roll it out, so it took a lot of effort and strength. We enjoyed lunch with the udon we made in the morning and it reminded us of how worth it is was. We had the udon cold, which was perfect for a warm, sunny day. That same day in the evening, we went to Oyama with some of Michael’s co-workers and attended a free Fuji climbing seminar by Mont Bell (kind of like North Face, Columbia). There was a store worker that went over the necessities for climbing Mount Fuji and tips. Michael is planning to climb in August and I am still deciding, it’s 3,776 meters high (12,388 feet). This past weekend, Amy had a going away nomikai. We began at her favorite yakiniku restaurant and then headed off to karaoke. This was the first time I went to karaoke in Japan and it was a blast. Of course, I did not sing. Saturday night, we went out with some of the other OAPs to welcome a new OAP, Garrett. We went to dinner at Universal Dining, then Iceman’s, then Birdland. Sorry, I’ve been lazy about updating pics! =(