A solo trip

It's kind of funny; I have traveled all over the world, to many countries. And for most of these journeys, I have traveled alone. While many people would consider that boring or scary, I have come to really appreciate solo travel for the most part. There's something really nice about setting your own pace without having to worry about someone else.

Life in Taiwan has been more social than I originally expected though, and I often find myself with people here. It's definitely a lot of fun, but I found that I missed the solitude a little bit. And so on a long weekend, I took a solo trip to Wulai to unwind.

Wulai (烏來) is a small town in southern New Taipei City. Located up in the mountains, a dizzying bus ride was required to reach Wulai. It's famous for its hot springs, and there is also a small street market and a waterfall nearby. And so on the most perfect sunny spring day, I set off.

Perfect sunny day! Not too hot, with a light breeze

A view of the old street

It's a beautiful little town, flanked by lush mountains

The waterfall was also very picturesque! I don't know why but
I now have 20 pictures of this waterfall in 12 angles. :P

No filters needed for these vibrant colors!

I ended up staying a night in Wulai, at a hotel that offered hot spring spas. There was a public Japanese-style bath, where the genders were segregated. I went to that one briefly and enjoyed a nice warm soak. But my fingers were doomed to be pruney that evening as well, because I had a private bath in my room!

Relaxing!

It was really cool. I called a number from the phone in my room, and the tub would automatically start to fill. It definitely felt very luxurious to have TWO baths in one day. I tend to get bored easily in baths, so two short soaks was a lot more fun than a single long one.

My stay included both dinner and breakfast on the balcony,
accompanied by a beautiful view

While not particularly exciting, this little jaunt away from regular life was a refreshing way to spend a day and a half!

Oops, a month late

I went to Hong Kong for a long weekend! A whole month ago, and I forgot to upload my pictures!

This trip was solely for the purpose of spending time with family, and in the requisite Chinese fashion, that meant squeezing as many meals as possible into one long weekend. I didn't see any sights, I barely bought anything at all. But yep, I ate. And ate. And ate.

Hong Kong at dawn

My trip didn't start off so fortuitously. I rushed to the airport on a Friday afternoon after work, only to find that bad weather delayed my flight. This was only conveyed to us after boarding, so I sat in the plane for hours... and hours... and hours. So much for a short skip and a hop to Hong Kong! By the time I landed, it was nearly 2am in the morning, way after public transportation had stopped for the evening in HKG. So I napped in the terminal until the first bus arrived at 6am.

Luckily, the rest of the visit was framed in sunny cool weather. I saw many relatives, spent time with the parents, and ate my weight in seafood.

Seafood, BEFORE

Seafood, AFTER

My favorite still has got to be the mantis shrimp. It's hard to find them anywhere else, and these were so large and plump,
and the flesh was so sweet and tender. It's a treat I only seem to have in Hong Kong.

Not quite HK food but delicious (and pretty!) just the same.

Besides fancy meals, of course I had to find some time for some old favorites. Looking back at these pictures though, it's probably a good thing I don't get to eat like this often... I'd develop some pretty serious health issues very quickly!

A breakfast I often dream of: instant ramen in borscht (or, the Cantonese version of it), toast topped with butter and
condensed milk, and the always unique HK style milk tea served in a thick porcelain cup.

Street-style rice crepes... I could write poetry to its amazingness.
The classic trio in the background aren't slouches either: curried
fish balls, braised pork skin, and stewed turnip.

I did, however, notice something different about Hong Kong this visit. People seemed so unhappy there. The populace seemed to be in a constant rush, everyone was hustling hard to get through the day. And even in that, there was no joy. People were often rude, and easily aggravated and grumpy.

Is it them? Or is it me... have I changed? Have I been away from New York City for too long? Have I already become accustomed to the more laid-back charm of the Taiwanese people?

In the end, this visit made me feel pretty happy about my decision to come to Taiwan. Hong Kong will always have a special place in my heart. I have family there, people who touch me with their sincerity every time I visit. But in the end, I have decided that Hong Kong is like a bad boyfriend... you'll always love him, but you know you just can't be together. :P

So I'll enjoy my occasional visits, especially now that I'm so close by, but I think I can finally put that vague desire to live in Hong Kong to rest.

Day trip to Houtong

I've been really busy in Taiwan, getting settled in Taoyuan and starting work. It's been a lot to juggle, but hopefully I'm getting the hang of it. Luckily, a nice 4-day weekend has come about, to celebrate the mid-autumn moon festival. This is one of those holidays that I used to never remember in the states, and now it's an actual two days off from work!

Unluckily though, a couple typhoons have been blowing by just as the holiday began. Although we weren't really affected here in northern Taiwan, there was still some wind and rain. There was one beautiful day though, and some other teachers and I took advantage of that to go on a day trip. And hour and a half on the train later, and we were in Houtong (猴硐).

Houtong was originally a coal mining village, but as coal stopped being a primary energy source, the industry died and many residents moved away. About 10 years ago, a local cat lover started to take care of the strays in the village, which soon garnered attention online, and now Houtong is known as a  cat village.

The area itself is gorgeous in its own right. I've read that there are some hiking trails and a nice waterfall nearby, so I'll definitely be returning when the weather gets cooler, for some exploring. In the meantime, this scenery isn't so bad! :)

Beautiful view! No filter!

As we alighted from the train stop, various cute little cat motifs greeted us. Apparently the cats attract a lot of visitors to this village. Imagine that; stray cats helping support the economy of a village. No wonder all the cats I saw today were plump and complacently happy!

Cat art decorated much of the village, making it seem whimsical and delightful.

Naturally, tourists all lined up to take a picture with these figures. Taiwanese people
apparently love kawaii things just as much as the Japanese!

One of the real cats. Just lounging. 'Cause, you know, life is hard!

One of the little guys. Tourists can go buy cat food and feed them: win for the local economy, and win for the cats!

Besides the cats, we were able to take a short tour of an old mining facility, and 'play' with some of the tools they used back then. It was an interesting little peek into the often arduous and dangerous profession of a miner.

Another random pretty picture. Taiwan is very lush and green outside the main cities.

On a hot day, it's tempting to think about diving into that clear river!

May in Paris

As immortalized by the jazz song, April is supposed to be the beautiful month for Paris. But lucky for me, May isn't so bad either. With lovely Spring weather and flowers in full bloom, my short weekend jaunt to the City of Light was filled with beautiful scenery.

The gorgeous Seine

A view of the Notre Dame, from the Left Bank

The Louvre looked pretty as usual... and mobbed!

Peaceful retreats can be found throughout the city. This is the gardens at the Palais Royal.
While not suitable for picnics, there were still lots of benches to sit on and relax, and
plenty to see, with groups playing games like bocce ball.

The Palais Royal, carefully sculpted scenery and all

The picturesque Eiffel Tower

The train ride from Cannes to Paris takes about 5 hours. Luckily, the scenery of rolling French countryside is quite nice,
though perhaps a little blurry when viewed at fast speeds from the wrong side of a window.

Gorgeous fields of yellow covered the countryside. These are the flowers of the canola plant, apparently!

It's always nice to be in Paris, no matter the weather!

Around the world in a day and a half

I love to travel, and I consider myself very lucky to live in an age of technology where this is feasible and somewhat affordable. I can be in a different continent in the matter of hours, and even if I wasn't, I could easily google everything there is to know about a foreign country. It's easy to forget that a century ago, this wasn't an option. Ocean voyages were perilous and took a long time, and it was probably easy to go through your whole life without experiencing the culture of another country.

The World's Fair (or World Expo) has had a long and illustrious history, spanning all the way back to the 1850s. Throughout the years, the fair was a medium for countries to show off their technological advances, as well as highlight the more special aspects of its cultures. This year's expo is held in Milan, and has the theme of 'Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life', which I found extremely timely. When I found really cheap train tickets from Cannes to Milan, I decided that it was good to see what an expo is all about.

While many countries participated by building large dedicated pavilions, others were grouped into smaller 'clusters', each showcasing a food staple important to that country (coffee, rice, fruits/legumes, cocoa, grains/tubers, and spices). In total, over 140 countries were represented.

Throughout the span of 2 days, I was able to visit a good 30 or so pavillions/clusters. It would take way too long to write about every single one, so here are just some of my highlights.

Most Visually Impressive Pavilions

Pavilion Zero

Situated near the entrance of the expo, Pavilion Zero offered an introduction to the world of today's food. Large displays were shown highlighting food shortage around the world, and the economy of waste that has risen in developed countries. While definitely impressive, Pavilion Zero ultimately didn't offer any answers, which left me scratching my head.

Wall of grains

The 'futures' of food. Produce and other food products are publicly traded
around the world. The question this poses is... what then becomes more
important, feeding the world population, or financial gain?

China

With over a billion mouths to feed, food is probably one of China's biggest industries. This marks the first expo that China has a presence in, and it definitely decided to come in with a bang. The pavilion itself was a beautiful masterpiece, all flowing lines and light. Several important crops were highlighted (rice, wheat), and short presentations were made in regards to the technological advances the country is striving for. Ultimately though, it was really the giant LED field of wheat that stole the show.

The pavilion was large and beautiful. While many countries decided on
making large dark buildings (perhaps to better showcase multimedia
presentations), China went the other route; the whole space was bathed in
natural light.

The highlight of the pavilion was the thousands of LED
lights, representing a large wheat field. The lights
changed colors as visitors moved around the room.

U.K.

While visually beautiful, I have to admit that this pavilion left me puzzled. Is the U.K. known for their... bees...?

The focus of the U.K. pavilion was this large hive-like
structure. Visitors were able to climb up and go inside,
which offered an interesting view.

A bee's view of the expo grounds.

Informative and appealing

Iran

In an overload of dazzle, the Iran pavilion features giant screens that depicted various landscape of the country. Visitors walked through this half-open tunnel, surrounded by various herbs and plants of the region. If nothing else, it smelled great!

The outside of the pavilion. I entered mostly due to the fact that there was
no line, but ended up impressed with the pretty presentation.

The inside of the pavilion. It looked like a tunnel to the future! On each
side, visitors were surrounded by various herbs and plants, all
smelling delicious!

Korea

On my first day of the expo, the bad weather shut the Korean pavilion down for a while (it looked like a piece of the roof was dislodged by high winds). When the pavilion was open though, it always looked constantly mobbed with long lines. I finally decided to wait on the second evening before the light show... and I'm glad I did!

The outside of the pavilion. Smooth and sleek, the structure reminded
me of a modern art museum.

The pavilion was definitely a mix of high art and
message. I think this display represented... obesity....?

Visitors got to watch a 3 minute... show... where two big screens held up
by robotic arms twirled around while showing pictures of food. Um.
Yeah, not sure what that had to do with feeding the world. 

Apparently, Korea just wants to feed the world kimchi.
Lots of LOTS of kimchi.

Belgium

The first thing that I think of in regards to the country of Belgium are its chocolates. And their pavilion didn't disappoint; there was plenty of chocolate on display, and even a chocolatier on site making confectioneries. But in addition to that, the lower floor of Belgium's pavilion showcased various techniques they were developing for farming... giving a sense of the future that I really appreciated.

Not impressive from the outside, but one of the more
thematically-sensitive pavilions of the expo.

Chocolate on display!

A rotating circular growing pod for produce. 

Supermarket of the Future

In the future, when we all fly around in jetpacks or hoverboards, we'll apparently be still doing our own grocery shopping. This pavilion gives us a glimpse of that future, which actually doesn't look entirely different from what we do today.

Foodstuffs will still be laid out in the traditional style, and the biggest change will be the foods' display signs. Equipped with electronic sensors, these screens will notice when a shopper points to, or picks up a product. It then zooms in to display various facts about the food: what ingredients it is comprised of, where those ingredients come from, any potential allergens in the food, nutritional information, and its carbon footprint.

While fascinating, I do wonder about the economical viability of such a system. While it may work for some of the more affluent cities of the world, it really isn't helping poorer countries feed its population. Still though, it was a fun side trip in my day, since visitors were encouraged to do some real food shopping.

Supermarket of the fuuuuuuture. Everything looks so clean, eh?

Information about food is displayed on screens. Would
this discourage me from getting junk food and snacks?
Probably not.

And other notable/interesting pavilions...

Czech Republic. I had to look this up, but this bird/airplane hybrid
sculpture represents the country's commitment to both nature and
technology. Pretty spiffy to look at too.

Brazil's pavilion consisted of a large net that visitors
traversed. Online, it states that the theme of this
pavilion is "Feeding the world with solutions". In
reality though, all the schoolkids just had a blast
walking on the nets.

Russia's pavilion building featured a massive mirrored
roof. It was quite dizzying to stand right below it, and
look up.

The interior of the Lithuania pavilion was dark, with
a giant interactive ball in the middle. Pretty, and an
interesting way to get information across, but not
entirely necessary.

Austria is known for their... air...? The Austrian pavilion featured a
small outdoor trail lined with trees and plants, and signs telling visitors
to 'breathe'. Hm.

I really wanted to go into the Switzerland pavilion
towers. They were filled with products that were free
for the taking: sugar, coffee, water, and apples. Visitors
were welcome to take as much as they wanted. Supply
though, was limited, and the towers would not be refilled
for the duration of the 6 month expo. This then, became a
social experiment, on consumption and saving for the
future. I found this really interesting, and was disappointed
to not have the opportunity to see how much of each item
was left, as there is only about a month before closing.

The Azerbaijan pavilion was very pretty at night

The USA pavilion was ultimately disappointing. With food trucks lined along
the street level, and a roof bar/cafe on top, it seemed to speak more about
the excesses of food rather than conservation. The center floor was reserved
for a handful of boring kiosks with videos about farming in America. The
saving grace of the pavilion was the vertical wall garden that lined the far
side of the building. Interesting idea, but not really enough.

I thought the Turkey pavilion was beautiful. It was an
open space with little exhibits of Turkish products,
and plenty of space for visitors to relax and buy a cup
of Turkish coffee

Amazingly, this was only a portion of what I saw in two days. While large and visually impressive, going to the World Expo felt remarkably like going to Epcot Center. Fun, but doesn't particularly scratch below the surface. In this world of technology, I wonder about the necessity of an event like this. It's just as easy to save up to go to Romania, let's say, as it is to go to Italy. And maybe because the theme of the expo was about feeding the world, all I could think of in my two days was the colossal waste being generated by this place. In the end, I'm glad to have gone, but still feel a twinge of guilt when I realize my relatively privileged status in this world.

The evening light show by the Tree of Life. The tree lit
up in patterns, in time with music. Sprays of water and
fireworks also accompanied this 12 minute show.