Exploring Kaohsiung

To get from Taipei to Kaohsiung, Arthur and I took a high speed train that only took an hour and a half. It was super easy, and very comfortable! The hardest part was carrying all of our bags. Arthur even had to carry 3 bags at one time because mine were so heavy! 

We've been in Kaohsiung for about a week now, and I am loving each day more than the last! There is so much to explore in this great city. The first day we got here we were completely lost. Our hotel was in the middle of nowhere - at least thats what it felt to us because there was NOTHING in English anywhere. Not even the staff spoke English. This was probably my first experience of culture shock. 

University

The next day we met up with our friends Ally and Justin and went to check out the University. The campus is absolutely stunning!! It is right at the base of a mountain, on the waterfront. The dorms are actually pretty nice too! Decently spacious and clean with tons of storage room. We also encountered a family of monkeys playing in the trees! 

Lantern Festival

While checking out the campus, we met a guy from Germany named Richard, and we all decided to go walk around Kaohsiung and go grab some food. We found a great Taiwanese restaurant with a little Western influence. After this we walked to the Love River and checked out another lantern festival. These festivals are so colourful and cheerful. Later on, we found out that the lantern "floats" were made by local junior students. Very impressive! We then got to watch the most amazing fireworks that lit up the sky over the spectacular Love River. 

The next day, we moved into the dorms. With not too many people moved in yet, things were pretty quiet. We decided to go to Ikea, Costco, and Carrefour to stock up on supplies for our rooms.

The following day Arthur and I decided to walk around the city. It was a beautiful day, at around 27 degrees and sunny. We stumbled across this amazing outdoor art and sculpture show that was on a path leading up to the river. 

Scootin'

Friday was orientation day. We got to meet all the other exchange students, and learn about our classes and some of the activities that are being planned for the semester. Classes don't officially start until March 8th. They have a very strange system for registration. This week we will go to "preview classes" to see which ones we want to take. At the end of the week we "register" for classes, but we have to wait to get an e-mail from administration whether or not we got into the classes we selected. I will be taking one mandarin class, and two management electives. I am very excited to start classes. Later that day Arthur and I decided to rent scooters for the semester. These scooters are virtually all over Kaohsiung, and almost all students here get one. At first I was a little skeptical, but after riding my friends' scooter for a while, I realized how east and fun they were. They don't go very fast, but they sure do make navigating the city a lot easier. I even got a sweet hot pink helmet! Later that night Arthur and I met with Justin and Ally to check out a night market. Streets are filled with vendors selling food and clothes. Everywhere you look there is loads to buy and at extremely low prices. We were starving and got these amazing pizzas that are made into a cone with crepes. Mmmmm.....

Beach Day

That weekend the ISA (International Student Association) had some activities planned for us. Saturday we went to the black sand beach that is right on campus to go wind surfing and kayaking. I preferred to stay on land because it was pretty windy that day and the water was rough. 

On Sunday we took a short ferry ride to a nearby island called Cijin Island. This place is famous for their seafood. We climbed up to the lighthouse that provided a spectacular view of the city and University. We then visited an old prison at the top of a mountain. We then walked down to the beach where the streets are concentrated with all kinds of street food. I was feeling kind of adventurous so I tried squid on a stick that they cook on the BBQ with sauces and spices. It was actually delicious! Maybe I'll try something new today...or maybe tomorrow ;) 

Lighthouse on Cijin Island

Temple at Cijin

Till next time,

Chantal

xo

Taipei Zoo

Taipei Zoo

Saturday February 10th, 2011, Arthur and I took the MRT to the outskirts of Taipei city to the Taipei Zoo. At the bottom of a mountain, surrounded by a lush forest, this Zoo is the largest in all of Asia.








With a wide range of animals such as tigers, bears, tigers, koalas, penguins, and pandas, this zoo provided us with entertainment all day. The best part of this zoo was the lively animals. Their playfullness helped us snap some great photos. 

Monkeys

Koala

Orangutan

Tiger

Giraffes

Zebras

Rhinoceros

Penguins

Panda

After a day of walking around this massive zoo, we were starving for some food. We hit up McDonalds, craving that familiar taste of back home. 


Taipei is such a great city with so much to do. I definitely want to come back to experience more of this wonderful city. Next, it's off to Kaohsiung where we will be settling in for the next four months. 


Love always,
Chantal
xo

Arriving in Taiwan - From Calgary to Taipei

Taiwan, Here We Come!

En Route 

February 8th, 2011 - Arthur and I leave Calgary at 9am to begin our semester abroad. Anticipation, nervousness, sadness, and excitement are just a few of the numerous emotions felt while kissing my family goodbye and boarding the plane. 

Vancouver Airport

Getting to Taiwan was an adventure on its own. Flying from Calgary to Vancouver, and Vancouver to Beijing took a total of 13 hours in the air. The best part of the flight was flying over the Rockies with a magnificent birds eye view of the mountains from BC all the way up to Alaska. The flights were relatively painless, thanks to free drinks on international flights :) and countless movies. 

Beautiful Rockies

Arriving in Beijing was incredible. The airport was absolutely stunning and buzzing with thousands of people. With most signs in English and helpful staff, it was easy to get to our hotel. The city was cold, busy, and ugly. We woke up in the morning to snow, which was the first snowfall of the season. This lead to our flight to be delayed for 3 hours (2 hours spent in the airport, and 1 hour sitting on the ground in the plane). Not the most pleasant experience.  


On February 10th (2 days of traveling) we arrived in Taipei. Weather was warm, but rainy. Our hotel - fantastic! Finally, a plush looking bed to sleep in. After 13 hours of sleeping, we woke up the next morning, ready to see what Taipei had to offer. 

Longshan Temple Entrance

In the morning we took the train to Longshan temple. We were fortunate enough to have been there on one of the days that there was a kind of religious ceremony taking place. On the 1st and 15th of every month (of the lunar calendar), people go to these temples to thank the gods for all their blessings, and also to ask for either good health, speedy recovery of the ill, or anything else their family may be in need of. There are also vendors who are selling food that you buy to donate to those who are sick. We were lucky to have encountered a woman who spoke english who was able to explain the whole process. We bought some in-scents and went to each one of the gods at the temple, bowed twice in front of them, expressed gratitude for something, and asked for something in return. This experience was breath-taking. 

Inside Temple

After this we took the train, which was very easy to navigate and cost about $1 to get anywhere in the city, to a very busy shopping district. Here, there were hundreds of small shops and restaurants. The streets were crowded with people everywhere you turned offered a new areas to explore. A few familiar names were found here, like Roots, KFC (3 stories high) and TGI Fridays. As the afternoon approached, the streets got increasingly more crowded, and we decided to move on to something new.

Taipei 101

View of Taipei from above

We then went to Taipei 101, which is the tallest building in the world at 1667 feet! The first 5 floors were occupied by a beautiful upscale mall, with shops such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Valentino, and Dior. The only thing I bought was tea, lol. We were able to take a high speed elevator (one of the fastest in the world going 1010 m/min) up to the 89th floor. From here we had a 360 degree view of the spectacular city of Taipei. 

Taipei 101 at Night

After this we went to the lantern festival. A large area downtown becomes filled with lights, lanterns, colourful floats, and entertainment. As the new year brought in the year of the rabbit, the theme of this festival was rabbits. We were blessed to have encountered 2 special events in one day. 

Lantern Festival

Tomorrow, it's off to the Taipei Zoo :)


xo
Chantal