END OF THE WORLD

I lied! One more thing. 

Can you spot me (you have to be quick!) I must say that even now that I see the finished product I don't really get the concept, way too highbrow for me. 

Now, finally here I come.

THE LAST SUPPER

Now, off to the airport!!

TAIPEI TIMES

This (rather unfortunately) is what first comes to mind when I reflect on what the past six months here have been like. My teacher kept harping on about how we just got a bad year, apparently it doesn't usually rain this much but....

Anyway, irrelevant now - here I come!

NATIONAL DISH OF TAIWAN

Same as Lanzhou actually, beef noodles.

Slow cooked beef (cheap cuts but if cooked right falls apart in your mouth), noodles, a little cabbage and spring onion in a beef stock broth. The ultimate beef noodle place to me has super tender cuts of meat, a really flavourful broth and a chewy noodle. A bad bowl can be totally inedible, a good one, the perfect thing to eat on a cold and rainy Taipei day. Needless to say, I've been eating them quite a lot lately!

Looking forward to that NZ summer (I hear it's waiting for me to arrive...)

HOMEWARD BOUND

I am leaving this fair city and coming home in 4 days and counting down...

I can't say that I'm sorry to leave, my bags are packed and I have already made a list of all the things I'm going to do once I'm home!

Very excited to be living somewhere new (Auckland), not so excited about the prospect of finding a job, I've been looking for a month so far to no avail... I think it may still be a few more months until something happens. Anyone have any ideas?

In the meantime I can busy myself with home decorating, cooking, reading, finding my way around Auckland etc, I don't think unemployment will be too too horrible :)

These last fews days will involve going to school (finishing my last pesky time card, I will not be missing those), eating froyo, vegetarian buffet, drinking green tea with milk (just discovered this weekend, weird but totally works) and generally counting down the hours...

See you soon!

CHEESY DELIGHT

I really am leaving Taiwan with a bang.

Tonight: a vegetarian pizza shop, with toppings such as "Ginger Superman" "Apple and Cinnamon" "Kimchi" alongside more classic options such as "Rosemary Potato" and "Cheese".

Not much indoor seating (one table that seats 6?) but a lot of customers, there is always a huddle of people standing on the street outside awaiting take-out and groups sitting in the park opposite eating these delicious cheesy wonders. The thing I like most? The size. Each the size of a modest dinner plate - the perfect serving. A good thing too as within 3 minutes walking distance are Froyo AND the cookie store and if you're in the mood for more savoury, those yummy potstickers.... It's a great area to just wander around, picking up snacks at your leisure (not that I'm speaking from experience or anything.)

FRIDAY NIGHT FRY

It's been too long since this has happened!

Guo Tie, or potstickers, whatever you want to call them, are pretty delicious. Dumplings that are fried on the bottom, one of the many reasons why I got so fat in Shanghai and thus, not a regular feature in my current diet. Third time since I've been in Taiwan perhaps?

These particular specimens are pretty near perfect, golden brown, crunchy on the bottom but chewy on top, yummy pork filling. Plates and plates were going out of the kitchen, big plates. How do these little people stay so svelte when they eat this way?

THE COFFEE!!!!

It was awesome,  I can't believe I forgot to say this earlier! Rich and chocolaty, with condensed milk if you so desired. Iced or hot it was always divine.

BANH MI

I'm a big sandwich fan, so one of the things on my Vietnam to do list was of course, to sample Banh Mi. Crusty french baguette, pate, Vietnamese sausage, ham, cucumber and picked carrot and some mayonnaise.... it didn't happen until my last day (and I ate it at the airport no less!) but it was delicious.

A FINAL FAREWELL

We had our ups and downs, but by the end of our trip, the group had really bonded. I had initially had my doubts about doing a group trip (my Bamboo Sea experience being the only thing I had to compare it to and that was only 2 days!) We were a group of 10, half retired, and half young-ish so it turned out to be a good mix. It was nice to have company (the thought of going alone was one of the things that made me delay in buying a ticket) but I don't think I'd do it again unless I had a friend within the group and the destination was somewhere really intrepid.

After a few false goodbyes we ended up having a last meal together at an outdoor market. It was lovely, the food was superb, cheap and everyone was in great spirits.

FLOATING ON THE MEKONG

A little day trip from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon for short) to the Mekong Delta. I was disappointed by the water colour, but really what should I have expected? It was fun to weave through the trees on the junks and explore some of the islands.

WHITE ROSE

A Hoi An specialty, they were so delicate, with a tiny ball of pork perched on the top. I ordered it blindly, not really knowing what would come but they do really look like roses, gorgeous.

MANGO ROOMS

We had extra time in Hoi An due to overbooked flights to Ho Chi Minh City ("because of the Tet" of course). By our last day we'd basically done all there was to do and an unfortunate number of our group had various stomach upsets. As a consequence I spent the day wandering by myself and ended up splurging (relatively) on lunch at Mango Rooms, widely considered the best restauarant in Hoi An, I'm told that even Mick Jagger has eaten here.

I had a very enjoyable meal, the sun was shining, there was free wifi (I was so impressed throughout the trip that almost everywhere we went had wifi), and the food was awesome.

BEACH TRIP

It was great to hop on a bike after days of my physical activity being limited to hopping on and off a bus. A short 15 minutes later and I was at the beach. It was warm but not warm enough to get in the water (it is winter here afterall!) I contented myself with just looking.

BACK TO SCHOOL

Cooking class was one of the things I was most looking forward to given how everyone seems to rave about them after coming home from a Vietnam trip.

Our teacher was fabulous, I can't believe I didn't get a photo of her! Very talented, I was impressed not only by her kitchen time management skills (so efficient!) but also by her almost encyclopedic knowledge of english song lyrics, she did indeed make cooking very fun.

MY FIRST AUSTRALIA DAY

I was made an honorary Australian for a day. We celebrated with mango gin cocktails by the riverside, followed by lunch.

HOI AN

My favourite place by far, this charming old town was so much fun, helped of course by the huge improvement in weather. A bit touristy but I didn't care, it was just so damn pretty. Hoi An's claims to fame are great tailors, well preserved (or very well recreated) old streets, and lots of restaurants, there is also a beach a quick bike ride away. A few days here were definitely required after the sightseeing centric itinerary of the past few days.

TRAVEL DAY

I wasn't sad to be leaving Hue after several days of this, fine weather was after all one of the main things I was hoping to find in Vietnam! We started the 4 hour bus trip to Hoi An nice and early, though as always with a group (I soon found) this meant half an hour after we were scheduled to.

A HOME DINNER

In Hue we also had dinner in a local Vietnamese household. Their altar, just inside the doorway was spectacular, as was the food! The stand out for me was the pumpkin and peanut soup that tasted like pumpkin flavoured peanut sauce. I also love the heaping of fresh herbs on every plate.

ON THE BIKE

A different kind of bike then I'm used to!

A motorbike trip through the countryside outside of Hue. Good fun and the drivers were so skilled at navigating potholes etc without even having to put their feet down.

Highlight for me was a vegetarian lunch at a nunnery, so delicious! It was the first truly fresh meal I had had since arriving, previously being overwhelmed by fried things. Definite downside to travelling as a group: finding a restaurant that suits everyone.

SEEING THE SIGHTS

Hue was kind of drizzly and grey the whole time we were there, which I'm told is not unusual. There were lots of old things- citadels, pagodas, temples etc to be seen. To be perfectly honest when I'm alone this is normally the kind of thing I would skip but it was surprisingly ok. Having the guide (Khoa, who was with us the entire trip) talk about Vietnam's history (so many wars!!) made it quite educational. There was even a boat trip thrown in for good measure.

BANH KHOAI

We brought the new year in on an overnight train from Hanoi - Hue (well the others did, the train departed at 11pm and I was asleep by 11.15pm, I've definitely become a convert to long distance train travel.)

When we arrived in Hue late the next morning I was famished and at our first meal, ordered one of the Hue specialties. A crispy rice pancake with bean sprouts, prawns and pork. Yum.

NEW YEAR TREES

In order to properly celebrate Tet (Vietnamese lunar new year) every family needs one of these trees, and a blossom tree for their house.

The more fruit, the more good fortune and fertility the family will have in the new year. They varied in size, these were some of the larger ones, and people managed to balance them on the backs of their motorbikes, very skillful indeed.

HALONG BAY

Day one we left the madness of the city for an overnight boat trip in Halong Bay. The dock was crazy, so many tourists on so many boats! Out on the water it was better, the weather wasn't fantastically clear but it made it quite dramatic, the limestone rising out of the water surrounded in fog.

BECAUSE OF THE TET

Just back from a few days in Vietnam. I loved it! Mainly because of the food but for other reasons too. I went on a group trip with 9 others, by the end we had all really bonded and it was rather sad to say goodbye!

The Vietnamese celebrate lunar new year just like China, so there were so minor inconveniences. We got very accustomed to our guide saying "it's because of the Tet" whenever something didn't happen according to plan. I wonder what they use for an excuse the rest of the year?

We started in Hanoi which overwhelmed me with motorcycles, I think they are to Vietnam what scooters are to Taiwan.

LATE NIGHT SUGAR

Now back in the big city.

Consumed the night before I left for Vietnam (not all by me!!!)

More "American Style" chewy cookies and cupcakes with "frosting" (read: icing). Such a Taipei trend right now, particularly nearby university campuses. It's bad.

BANANAS IN BAGS

Anyone know why the wrap them up?

WAX APPLES

Kenting was all about the wax apple. Delicious, when you bite into them it seems as though they are 100% refreshing, sweet water. Heaven.

PINEAPPLE FIELDS FOREVER

I always wondered how pineapples grew. We found the fields on a bike ride down the road from the weird hotspring resort in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately not the season to see them at their prime.

BUDDHA'S HEAD

Fruit of the moment in Taitung, also called the custard apple. The outside of the train station had stores and stores devoted to them. The thing to take home if you're visiting. We were in such a hurry to get away that I forgot to buy one!

THE COLLECTION

The sound of an ice cream truck in the distance...

 but here this announces the arrival of the Taiwanese rubbish truck. It comes most days and makes for a very social time, everyone comes out onto the street to throw their rubbish onboard. A truck for household garbage, one for plastic, one for paper and cardboard. Mine in Taipei comes at 9pm Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri and Sat. This one in Kenting came while we were having lunch.

I HAVE NO WORDS

A typical Taiwan breakfast, this from our Kaohsiung Hotel.

A piece of extremely thick white toasted bread, egg, and some bizarre stuff they call ham. It's not luncheon meat, it's not what I would consider ham, I don't know what it is.

FREEDOM!

photo: school, I don't have to come back for a whole week!!!

Flying to Hanoi today!

It's funny, this week has not been too bad weather and Taipei life wise so I'm almost sad to be leaving... almost!

Not taking my laptop so no photos until I return in about a week. In the meantime, I have some random pictures from our greater Taiwan escapades coming, not surprisingly, it's mostly fruit.

Happy year of the dragon!

BECAUSE I'M ADDICTED

Sportswear is big in Asia.

All the department stores have stores for the major brands and lets not get started on the 3 storey flagships. They have a selection that NZ customers could only dream of, colours, styles, limited editions releases, and it all looks so pretty in the displays!

I was never very interested in this kind of thing at home but now, I never miss an opportunity to pop into the store and see what's on offer. 90% of the time there is some kind of sales promotion happening and like I said, everything is so pretty!

I'm going to have a large influx of cash in the last few days before I leave here so I think I'll have to shop for a new gym outfit. For now though, I'll make do with the gym bag!

FOR G

I ate lunch at the vegetarian buffet for you today :)

They had a fabulous "Greatest Hits of the Eighties" type soundtrack happening today so I lingered over the complimentary green bean soup.... perhaps I will miss being able to eat like this for under NZ$4.

MID WINTER

Taiwan is gearing up for the election this weekend and the campaigners are in full swing, banners like the ones pictured are all over the show (it looks kind of messy in my humble opinion.) I did like this fellows name though - "Smiling George." 

In my recent news, C and G are long gone and I've spent the week trying to catch up on class after 3 weeks of absence/no studying. 

I'm finding myself just going through the motions really, there is that mid-winter lethargy affecting everything and everyone right now, it is tough to find the motivation.

Luckily this funk can't last long, next weekend marks the beginning of a week long holiday for Chinese New Year. I'm very excited. 

As anyone who has spent lunar new year in an Asian country knows, everything shuts down and everyone goes home, it is not fun at all to stay in the city so I'm going to Vietnam! My last hurrah before my homecoming and inevitable joining of the workforce. Also a good chance to hopefully get some sun, I think I am suffering from a Vitamin D deficiency....

Happy Weekend

FESTIVE QUINOA

I just learnt this new trick today, mix red and white quinoa together to make it look super pretty! Thanks to G for bringing the red quinoa from NZ, it is hideously expensive here.

I am loving this blog for recipes right now, I've bookmarked so many already to try when I get home.

THE KELLERMANS OF TAIWAN

I was happy to leave Kenting, and we got away early in the morning to catch a train to Taitung in the southeast. The train took us right around the southern coastline which was very pleasant. Unfortunately the train ride came to and end and we were forced to continue with our adventure.

KENTING

Kenting is a small town at the southern most tip of Taiwan. Surfing, snorkeling, seafood and sun year round.

We inadvertently spent New Years Eve here (not much sleep was had). It was a pleasant surprise to see that although the people on the beach stayed up all night letting off fireworks , there was none of the drunken ick that happens around NZ at this time of year.

A NIGHT IN KAOHSIUNG

 When you have one night in Kaohsiung, it is pretty obvious that it will be spent at the night market. C and G's first! If I remember correctly, it is the biggest in Taiwan? This can't be verified as the Taiwan Lonely Planet has been thrown in the trash after it lead us astray way too many times.

As we were near the sea, there was an emphasis on seafood, all kinds of crustaceans were on offer. An abundance of fried everything, but thankfully the fruit stalls to restore some kind of normality to your mouth after eating so much of the former, always coated in some kind of seasoning that makes me so thirsty. A kind of peppery MSG perhaps?

TOURING

It's been awhile since I've updated here... oops. Blame it on the fact that I've not been in Taipei for a while and that while I've been here, the weather has been so awful I've had trouble getting out of bed.

While C and G were here, we did a bit of a circuit of Taiwan. It was interesting to say the least. People say that you don't know the true Taiwan until you have left Taipei. All I know is I will be happy if I never have to leave Taipei again, save going to the International Airport!

Taiwan? It's just not for me.