Taiwanese Trees Are My New Favorite Thing

Remember the high-speed train? Well, here I am--emerging from it, amidst bag & baggage.

Yi-Ting scooped me up & tucked me into her car where I promptly succumbed to the power of sleep deprivation on our way to her sister's house.

When we arrived, I was swept into my room and told to retire.  I gazed at the bed with longing, anticipating the comforts of sleep. My anticipation received a cruel blow as I laid down on said bed, however, because--you're not going to believe this--it was made out of wood.  Apparently in Taiwan people think that wooden "mattresses" are better than soft cushion-y ones.

I thought to myself--"this will be interesting....", but then?

I. Slept. Like. A. Baby.

Turns out that wooden mattresses really are extremely comfortable.  It's a marvel to me--you should feel like you're sleeping on a floor.  Why then does it feel like you're sleeping on a cloud?

Maybe it's because the trees here are magical?

I found this out the next morning, as we toured the historical sites in Tainan, the city nearby.  Turns out my Dutch ancestors built a great big fort there in the 1600s, and surrounding it are some of the most beautiful & interesting trees I've ever laid eyes on.

Here, share my wonder:

 

Not only are the trees themselves beautiful, then there are the things those Taiwanese people do with the trees.

For example, right next to the fort was this ornately carved temple.

Check this out:

Amazing, but perhaps not as awe-inspiring as what nature itself will do when given free reign.  Though difficult to capture in pictures, what you see here is a tree that has taken over an old house.

I've never seen anything like it, and so I appreciated it.

(I also appreciated it for the cool shade it provided, because let me tell you something--it is HOT in Taiwan.)

City trees, however, are not the only trees in Taiwan.  The next day found Yi-Ting and I in the mountains, at a place called Xitou--more easily referred to as "The Bamboo Forest".  We hiked for miles through the greenery, which entailed a lot more than just bamboo.

Take a look:

The bamboo itself, however, is perhaps what sets this place apart.

That, and what they do with it, such as this bamboo bridge.

(Crossing it seemed a bit risky to me...

...but, I made it to the other side with as much grace as one can possess on such a structure....)

After a glorious day of hiking through the emerald gems the forest had to offer, we rewarded ourselves with sausage on a stick--just one of the many food wonders that Taiwan has to offer.  Which, if you're being attentive, may give you a clue as to what may come next in this series: 

Lauren and Yi-Ting Eat Their Way Through the South of Taiwan

Stay Tuned!!

Lauren and Yu-Chen eat their way through Taipei

My first day in Taipei began quietly, in the mountains, on the deck of a hotel built on hot springs.  (You can bet there will be more on this later....)  I leisurely sat and pondered life, preparing myself for the day ahead.  A day that--according to Yu-Chen, who had picked me up from the airport the night before and was my official tour guide--promised much good eating.

I soon found out there is really no way to prepare yourself for a day like this.

Soon as in: breakfast.  Such delectable treats have never crossed my lips in the early am.  Dried pork, a variety of pickled things, beans turned into dreams, cabbage done just right, eggs unlike any I've ever tasted.  We dwelt at our table for a good long while.

Eventually, however, we moved on.

We had other places of cultural importance to visit,

more beauty to ponder over,

different sights to see.

We enjoyed them, leisurely, until....

It was time for lunch!

This rather strange looking feast is Agay, a Japanese dish of tofu stuffed with rice noodles, topped with fish in a pinkish broth.

It. Was. Delicious.

Then we needed dessert.

Shaved ice, red beans, sweet potatoes, "bubbles" and black jelly doused with condensed milk.

I was skeptical.

I was wrong.

The nourishment came in handy as I next battled to win two of these little creatures, only one of the many amusements found on Danshui ("Old Road") down by the harbor.

(Another amusement: Stores that sell hats.  Stay tuned for the story of "Brownilocks and the 3 Hats".....)

 I was so worn out from my adventure, we made our way into downtown and found a store famous for their Xiao Long Bau and sesame buns.

Need I say it?  Yummy.

We then headed to a trendy little street-side place nearby for a pile of fresh mango with shaved ice, over which is poured condensed milk, condensed mango juice, and a scoop of the creamiest mango ice cream.

Oh. My. Goodness.

(So good.)

By this point we'd had a lot of food, so we decided to do some walking (on our way to dinner....)

On the way we took in the sights.

(This is a Memorial to Someone Important...)

Taipei's Concert Hall

A Gate to A Square

We soon decided we were hungry, so we made our way to the subway in order to meet up with some of Yu-Chen's friends at an Italian-Asian bistro.

Yu-Chen had this very pretty plate of pasta with octopus legs.  

Oh--and the sauce? The ink that squid shoot out of their eyes, or wherever it is they shoot it from.  

(The point is--they shoot it.  And she ate it.)  

I enjoyed this much simpler plate of basil mushroom pizza on the thinnest of crusts.
It was the perfect way to end our day of eating and overall fun together.  

Following dinner, Yu-Chen dropped me off at the high-speed train which sped me away to Yi-Ting and her waiting family toward the South of Taiwan.

My adventures there await you, so stay tuned!

Am I a celebrity? I didn't know....

It all began at the Forbidden City.

My friend Yi-Ting and I were on the prowl, soaking up history and documenting ourselves standing in it.  Right after she took this picture of me,

I looked to my right and realized that the people standing next to us were gazing at me with polite shyness.  I smiled back in kind, and turned to walk away.

Suddenly, there they were, standing next to me.  Pointing at their camera and then back and forth to each other.  I took this as the universal sign for "Will you take a picture of us?" and said "Of course!".  I looked down as I fumbled to put my camera in my bag in preparation for my photographer duties, until I realized that one of the women was holding onto my arm.  Cuddling with me, for all intents and purposes.  I was a little shocked.  Then I realized she was looking toward her friend who--another unexpected moment--was pointing the camera at us.  I quickly smiled.  

As they walked away I thought to myself "What in the world?".  I thought perhaps they'd mistook me for someone famous.  I thought it was a bizarre but interesting anomaly.

Until.

It happened again.

This time they didn't even need to ask.  I recognized the look. I said "ok!", and put my arm around the mother as her son snapped our likeness for posterity.  I felt warm and fuzzy inside as we smiled deeply to show our mutual appreciation for each other.  I thought, "I should be an ambassador".  

 There were other interesting moments, like when I was taking this picture at the Lotus Market:

Yi-Ting came up next to me and said 

"They're taking your picture.  3 o'clock"

I turned to my right and sure enough, there they were, cameras pointed in  my direction.

[Caught.]

By the time I got to the Great Wall on the second to last day of my trip, I had decided I needed some documentation.  Some proof, so that people back in the States would believe me.  I told my friends (by this time Yu-Chen had joined us) to be at the ready.  We didn't have long to wait:

This lovely girl was the first.

 Then the rest of her family joined in on the fun.  

According to my Mandarin speaking friends, they were debating amongst themselves about who was taller.

I think they think I'm a freak.

Then this kid came running toward me.  

I would have taken him home with me--he was too funny.

Later, this guy saw me coming from about 20 feet away and made a bee-line for me.  

He spoke pretty good English, and welcomed me to China.  

(Apparently he wants to be an ambassador too.....)

By the time my trip was over, I had been openly gawked at, shyly stared at, blatantly pointed to, and randomly photographed more times than I could count.  

How will I ever settle back into a life of anonymity?

Hello home...It is good to see you

As good as it may be to be home, I don't anticipate that the next few weeks will provide any interesting blog material.  That's ok, however, because I have a BUNCH of interesting material from my trip to Asia that will take me awhile to dig through & document.  Stay tuned for an exciting series of LAUREN PUSHES HER WAY THROUGH THE CROWDS OF CHINA, coming soon to a blogspot near you.

For now, however--a tease:

Mountain Star Hot Springs Hotel, Taiwan

Bamboo Forest, Taiwan

Bamboo Bridge at the Bamboo Forest

Temple of Heaven, Beijing

Forbidden City, Beijing

Confucius Temple, Beijing

Ming Tombs, Beijing

Cable Car at the Great Wall

The Great Wall

Beihai Gardens

A great trip, wouldn't you say?  ;-)