And Just Like That...

I am sitting in a coffee shop near my apartment. In just a couple of hours I will leave for the airport to go back home. I am all packed and my place is bare. As I look around I am faintly reminded of when I first walked in, but that seems like so long ago and yet I hadn't put in all that much time there. My suitcases are heavy and I am worried about getting them down the stairs on my own. Still...it doesn't seem real that I'm going home. It feels as though I am stepping back into the past and to a life I had left behind. My friends and family remain the same, even though I know many changes have happened since I had left. Still. A strange feeling.

People keep asking me (and will continue to ask me) what I am going to miss about Taiwan. I think it is truly hard to think about what you'll miss until you're out of the environment and new realizations will emerge as time goes on. Here is a list of some things I will miss and why.

First and foremost...my friends I have made here. God really blessed me with some incredible people here to act as my support system. Through a many connections I made friends with a group of ladies here who have been the source of some of the best experiences I've had as well as valuable friendships that will carry through time. Without them I couldn't see my experience here as rich as it has been. I have also been able to make friends with some terrific coworkers, who without them I don't know how I could have survived working as an English teacher. Their wisdom and support are what helped me keep my sanity and find joy in the work along the way. We've been knitted into each others lives and I look forward to meeting back up with them around the world in the future.

The second thing I will miss is the transportation. I have always wanted to live in the city and be able tot ravel around without a car. Taipei is an amazing city and you can go everywhere and anywhere quickly and efficiently by MRT, bus, and walking. There are downsides of course (you ever try going to Costco without a car?), but it has been great to be able to take advantage of the great services at hand.

I will also miss the food here. Even though by the end there are certain things that I would rather stay away from (I'm looking at you, corn), the food here has been really great. I've become much more of an adventurous eater and have come to appreciate odd combinations such as octopus and cheese or peanut butter on a hamburger.

The last thing I'll miss is how beautiful this country is. I am a fan of lush green areas and that is exactly what Taiwan is. Everywhere you go and all around you, there are threes and bushes of all verities. The city is green, sure, but as my dad said if you want to know Taiwan get out of the city. The tops of mountains will fill you with awe, and hikes will make you feel like you're in Jurassic Park. There are trees that seem to flower all year round and weird fruits that look like something out of Dr. Seuss.

There are so many other things to miss about this country and I believe that everyone should come here to visit. This is a place I know that I cannot stay away from forever and I will come back for a visit. Even saying that, I am very eager to be back home with my people and start the next chapter in life.

The Final Countdown

If you haven't been keeping up with current Chelsea events, I am coming back home August 7th! 

True. Story.

It doesn't seem real to me that I'll be home. Every day I've thought about home. I knew I would get there someday. It seemed like that wish you make to go to Disneyland or Europe for the first time. It comes one day and it all doesn't seem real. I also feel like I am being dramatic. It's only been one year. They told me this year would fly. I can assure you, nothing was moving with such speed as promised. Maybe it wouldn't have been this way if I was not thinking of home so much, but I tell you this was impossible. I wanted to be home. Plain and simple.

Don't get me wrong. I have no regrets. I have loved my time here. There is a part of me that doesn't want to go, and wants to make it work here. Ultimately this isn't home for me, it doesn't feel like home, and I'm not going to try and make it home. Taiwan is a great, beautiful, amazing country. I will most definitely come back to visit and always recommend others to do so as well.

I moved here because I needed to grow. This was a dream I had and God helped me to follow through, and it taught me so many things about myself. I learned that I am so much stronger than I believed (a cliche, I know, but come on). I grew beyond my walls, through my doubt, broke some chains, and had some damn good food.

That said, here are my plans for the future. I am going to be flying back home to Washington August 7th. I'll spend 3 wonderful weeks resting, seeing friends and family, and getting my affairs in order. Then September 1st I'll make my move to Colorado. I know this comes as a shock to all of my loved ones, and those who have been really supportive I appreciate more than they know. I explain my decision this way. Imagine I am a tree. I've lived in Washington nearly my whole life. My first pot. I grew and grew until I grew no more. I was unhappy for a long time, and struggled with many things like depression and anxiety. I uprooted from my pot and was moved to another bigger pot where I was able to grow more than I ever could before. I can't be placed back in a pot I no longer fit. I then go to a new pot where I can continue to grow. I really feel that this is where God is pointing me to go. I love the PNW and everyone. It will always be my home. I am hoping to return there again some day. But for now, better to live a 3 hour flight away than a 12 hour flight.

If you have any questions or would like to see me before I move on to Colorado, let me know!

Cups and Needles

Anyone who has known me for the past few years have heard about the occasional pain I've had in my hips and/or back. It's never really been something to ruin my day, but not anything I'd like to have around. I've gotten xrays and done physical therapy for it, but not keeping up on it hasn't done me any good. At any rate this is a story relating to this somehow!

I was talking to a friend of mine about her job. Turns out she is a Chinese medicine doctor and one of the things she does is acupuncture. I mentioned to her that I've always been curious about it but didn't have the guts. She told me that for friends she does it for free, and that if she can do it on a 4yo than I can do it. FINE!

So the next available day I had, I went over to the hospital that she worked at to do my first ever acupuncture appointment ever! When I finally got into my little corner with my bed and curtains for privacy, it suddenly dawned on me that I didn't know what the hell I was thinking. Someone is going to stick needles into me?? Come on! My friend asked me about my pain and what I should expect. Fine.

I get on the bed and she says she is going to do cupping on my back. Um. Hello?? I've heard of cupping and seen people walk around with these red circles all over their shoulders before. She shows me the cups and the little gun that belongs to it. All you have to do is put the cup on your skin, hook the gun into the top of it, and then pull the trigger repeatably until it sucks the amount of air you want out of the cup. Your skin gets pulled up into the cup and it is suppose to improve circulation. So she sticks them on my lower back, suck suck suck, and I decided it's not the best feeling ever. It felt as if someone had taken a nice tight grip on your back fat and won't let go. I was two seconds away from telling her to take them off when she put a heat lamp to my back and said she would be back in a few minutes. Uh well ok. It was so pinchy. Not a fan. The heat did make it bearable though. When she came back she put the little gun back on the cup and let the air back in. The feeling was so weird! All ripply and near indescribable. 

Next step were the needles. I was told that if any of the needles made me uncomfortable to let her know. I have no idea what to expect, but ok. Truly the most shocking part was when she put a swab of alcohol on my skin before putting the needle in. I definitely felt the needle, but it was more like "oh. Yeah there it is." Then I didn't feel it. There were a couple of times when she put in the needle and my muscles started to spaz out like crazy! I was like NOPE NOPE NOPE so she would just pull it out and put it in another spot. The weirdest place she put a needle was in the back of my knee. Since this was a sensitive area I could tell there was something there. So I thought that cool, I'll lay here and chill. No. Apparently I wasn't finished. She then hooked up some of the needles with electricity! She sent a current though them! It was so strange. It felt like a light tapping on my skin where the needle was. I got the heat lamp again and I laid there for 20 minutes. Afterwards everything was turned off and pulled out and I was on my way.

This happened on April 30th, and I have not had any issues with that hip since. Glorious! Overall I would tell everyone to give it a try even if it is just for the experience. But honestly if I hadn't gotten it for free I probably would not have given it a go.

Hualien, There And Back Again

Alright! Story time yet again. I went on another solo trip! I gained so much confidence going to my last trip to Tainan that I decided I needed to head back out there to explore more of Taiwan. I got another pair of holidays and a cancelled day of school which granted me another four day weekend. April 4th was Children's Day, and April 5th was Tomb Sweeping Day. This covered Thursday and Friday. I work Saturdays usually, but the school decided to cancel classes to have a full four days off. But I had to decide where to go...the answer was simple!

I decided to go to Hualien, which is on the east side of the country not quite in the middle on the coast. As soon as I looked up pictures of the area I knew I had to go. This area is also my dad's favorite place in Taiwan and I was also curious to find out why. I booked my stay with Cave Hostel, which was recommended by a friend of mine for their comfy beds and chill atmosphere. In order to get down to Hualien I had to book a train. However, I could not do another ride on the High Speed Rail like I did for Tainan because it only runs on the west side of the country. I had to book a regular train ticket from Taiwan Railways. I had a friend help me out with that part. After some effort with dates and times, I finally had my tickets and hostel booked from April 5th-7th.

The day came and I was ready to get going! I went down to the train station and waited for my train. I was standing on the platform waiting for my train to arrive, which was suppose to be at any second. I had a strange feeling I should check the platform again. I turned around a corner to check the screen and noticed that they had changed the platform last minute. Luckily it was the train that had arrived just a few moments behind me and I waved someone down to let me in. I caught it just in time! A little stressful to start my trip off, but it's all good. I settled into my seat and relaxed as it was going to be a four hour trip. I was in luck as I had a window seat and I could really enjoy the amazing scenery of the massive green mountains.

When I arrived I decided to walk to my hostel rather than take a taxi or figure out a bus. Unlike in Tainan the walk was only going to be 30 minutes, not 3 hours. It would be a good way to see the city anyway, and after sitting for so long it would be nice to get some exercise in. I arrived to the hostel and got checked in. This hostel has key cards for all of their doors, which was nice. I'll say this about the two hostels I've stayed in. The one in Tainan was definitely more homey, but this one was more polished. The bed was way more comfy than the one in Tainan (by far. I had no issues sleeping due to bedding). This bed also did a better job at blocking out the light made by the room.

After a little rest and recharge (of both mind and phone), I went out to check out a seaside park. I wanted to see if the color of the ocean was just doctored in the photos I had seen or if it was for real. I walked on down there and found a pretty big park. It was warm, but very windy and cold. I had to choose between holding my umbrella in front of me or have my glasses totally covered in the misty rain. I traded on and off, but still it was a pretty park with one downside...there was construction along the bike path next to the beach so they had erected a wall for as far as I could see. Deciding it couldn't go on forever, I picked a direction and started walking. I eventually found a break in the fence as well as a look out point and got to enjoy the crashing waves.

After spending some time at the beach, I was conveniently about a block away from the Dongdamen night market. I headed over just about at the start of the opening. This was like none other night market I have been to in Taiwan. Usually they follow a familiar pattern. Temporary roll away stalls and tight spaces along a street with other businesses and entrances to homes. Not to mention hard to find trash cans. This one, however, was completely different. The vendors were more like settled into garages. Permanent installments. The amount of space down the aisles was crazy. I got there really early, but even as it filled up more and more I had no trouble moving at a normal pace. The food was great and there were many options. They also had a good amount of carnival games as well. It felt like more like a county fair back home. Side note, to anyone curious about the photo in the middle, they are stalls with piles of raw meats and vegetables. You get a bowl, pick what you want, and give it to the vendor and they cook it up for you. I was scared to do it at first, but now I love it. I don't love the intestines you can get, but everything else is good.

After this I was pretty exhausted and fighting a headache, so I headed back to the hostel. While I was at the hostel I asked one of the employees there how to get to Taroko Gorge, which is what I was planning on doing the next day. I had only seen one photo of the gorge and knew I had to go there no matter what. I didn't know what else there was to do, but that's where I wanted to go. She had told me, "well, you can take this bus, then this bus. Or you could go on an all day tour." Uh. Yeah. Absolutely I want to go on a tour. I didn't want to mess with the bus. I found out how much it was, that they would pick me up from the hostel, and that they would take me all over the gorge to the most famous sites. Hell yeah! After that I ended up working on my cross stitch project and watching an episode to one of my shows.

The next morning I had discovered that the rainy weather I had been anticipating had turned into a very warm and sunny day. What luck for me! The tour bus picked me up and I discovered one flaw in this plan. The tour is all in Chinese. No matter. I don't need to know where we are going. It ended up being kind of like a surprise anyway as we would randomly stop, be told to get off, and the driver would use his phone to translate where we were and when to come back to the bus. The first stop was amazing. We stopped at Qixingtan Beach, which I can confirm that the color of the ocean was just astonishing and I really could have sat there much longer than permitted.

I don't know the name of our next stop, but we were only here for about 10-15 minutes.

Our third stop I was a little put off with at first. The driver told me (remember, through a translator) that we would be doing an hour hike next. Um. I did not sign up to do no hike, buddy. As it turns out, he meant he would be back in an hour and it was a path to follow as far as we'd like to go just as long as we were back in time. This trail was carved out by the aboriginal people long ago and is very previous to the Taiwanese people in the area. Well they definitely did a good job! This trail was partially carved out of the cliff and followed the river. It was so beautiful!

After this we stopped to get lunch. The driver took us to the CYC Tienhsiang Youth Activity Center where it was cheaper to eat here than in the main part of the little town we were in. They had a buffet style lunch where you pick your main meat and then load up on the other good stuff. It's a good thing I like the food here, or else I wouldn't have been eating much.

Our next stop was also a pretty awesome (and stressful haha) part of the tour. We went to this part of the gorge where these tunnels had been carved out for traffic, but there was plenty of room for pedestrians to walk...with helmets! For safety! The stressful part of this, was that when it was time to go back to the bus I was standing there where the bus had dropped us off at and it was no where to be seen. I get a sinking feeling in my stomach that I was not where I was suppose to be. I get a call from someone who could speak English on the tour saying that the bus was all the way through 3-4 tunnels and they were waiting for me. Damn. So I booked it back where I had just been and beyond. I got a second call wondering what my status was, but there wasn't much I could do. I was going as fast as I could without a full on sprint. Eventually I got there and the driver met me there. He said he was sorry because he forgot to tell me where to meet. It was all good, but for sure stressful and I felt bad about holding everyone up.

Alright so after that fiasco we were off! Finally! We arrived at the place that caused me to go "I have to go there" in the first place. We arrive at the Eternal Spring Shrine. This place seemed like such a dream in the photos! And I can tell you it is so beautiful to look at. Not only do you get to look at it, with it's beautiful yellow and blue roofs and waterfall, but you can actually go up into it! It was a very memorable experience.

Alright, now came for the last stop on our tour. Qingshui Cliff. This was another place that I wanted to stop and see for myself. It was pretty crowded here with people taking pictures, but it was totally worth seeing.

After this I was dropped off at that same night market I had gone to before. However, I had decided I was going to go to a restaurant that was highly recommended to me called Salt Lick. This place was amazing! American BBQ all the way. I had been planning to order BBQ, however I was seduced by mac n cheese and hot wings. Both of which I haven't had since I left home. It was so good I could cry. I wish this place was in Taipei! Or not...I would go quite a lot if they were.

The next day I simply packed up and headed off to the train station. It was another four hour ride but luckily I watched a movie on my phone to pass the time. Reflecting back I can agree with something that my dad had said. He told me when I moved out here that if I want to actually see Taiwan I needed to get out of Taipei and see the country. He was right. It was a great trip and so beautiful. It reminded me a lot of Guatemala, although those mountains have nothing on the mountains of Taiwan. Wow wow wow (as I think in my Gordon Ramsey voice).

X-ray Results in 10 Minutes

So I've had increasing pain or discomfort for a couple of years. It comes and goes. Some days I have nothing, some weeks I have nothing, and others...well yeah. Nothing too alarming. This story happened two weeks ago. I was going about my day when I started feeling some discomfort between my shoulder blades. The kind that makes you want to crack your back. However, I couldn't get it to do it. That's fine. I'll just sleep it off, I thought to myself. Well the next morning I woke up and it was still there. I tried stretches of all sorts and nothing helped. That night I even layed on a rolled towel to see if I can work it out. Well, as the days went by it got increasingly worse. I bought heating pads, and even got a massage. It worked for a few days, but the pain came back with a vengeance. I was reluctant to see a doctor because I didn't know where to go and how to go about it with the language barrier. It finally got to the point where I was in tears because I was frustrated and it hurt so bad, so I did end up seeking help from a friend. I decided I was going to go to the hospital on my day off in a few days.

This is where things got crazy. I was working and had to take some time for myself alone before my last class because I couldn't hold it together, thus I hid behind some stairs and cried it out. The time for my class was quickly approaching so I had to head back inside. I went to the bathroom to wash my face when I slipped/tripped (honestly cant remember which) and fell hard to the floor. Not wanting the kids to see me lose it I went to the balcony (which is through the bathroom) and totally lost it. My back hurt so much! Not to the point where I couldn't stand up or walk but it was definitely not happy. My coworker found me, and then another. I explained what happened through the sobs and they lead me back into the teachers room and I sat down. Eventually another coworker was called in to hear my story. They told me they already cancelled my class and that I should go to the hospital. I'm thinking...no. I don't need a hospital...but I have to remind myself where I am where people go to the hospital for nearly every little thing. My coworker Jenny told me she would take me to the doctor and help me out.

We get down to a cab and get dropped off in front of a clinic. We go in and Jenny does all the talking. She fills the paperwork out with the help of my ARC and I sit down to wait. I was expecting to wait for a while, since the only healthcare experience I have is going to the hospital to get my prescriptions. Within 5 minutes I am sitting in a small office talking to a doctor who is mainly talking to Jenny, but then turns to me and says, "what is wrong with you?" I am almost taken back by this question, but my brain quickly goes "he means what hurts, Chelsea." Oh, right. I tell him what happened and where my back hurts. He touches my back until he finds the spot I indicated. He then talks to Jenny again and she asks me if I am pregnant. Uh nope. Guess that means I get X-rays. I am lead to a room, get them done, and go back to the waiting area. I am sitting for about 5-10 minutes when we are called into the doctor's office again and he has my scans. He tells me, while showing me, there is nothing wrong with my spine. Well that's good at least, but why am I in so much pain? He writes me a prescription and send me on my way. I get the meds from the waiting room, and I'm on my way out. In all it took maybe 20 minutes and I was pretty shocked.

I was sent home to rest. I took the cocktail of drugs twice a day for three days. My back now does not hurt anywhere near what it did a couple of weeks ago, but sometimes after a long day of teaching I can feel the spot where the pain was and it gets a little irritated. Don't freak out! But I wanted to share this weirdo story.

Hospital Happenings

Alright, before you get all insane and send me messages asking me if I am ok: yes. I am fine. Just read on and become one with the story.

So, I have been to the hospital here 4 times now. In order for me to get my medication for my brain parts I need to go to a specific doctor. There may be a clinic somewhere I can go, but for now I go to Taipei Hospital to their psychiatric unit. I have told some people the stories of my visits, but realized I've never actually wrote about it.

The first time I went to the hospital it was because my medication was about to run out. I had gotten a three months supply from my doctor back home and I had nearly run that supply out. I was even debating weaning myself off so that I wouldn't have to face the system here to get more medication. After talking with some people and praying about it I found that it was just not a wise decision to get off a mental stabilizing drug whilst living in a foreign country. Now that I look back on it that would have been a stupid decision to make. A friend of mine gave me guidance and called around to find where I needed to go for my specific need. He let me know that I needed to go to Taipei Hospital because they had the department to handle such a situation. He told me all I had to do was walk in, get a number, wait my turn, tell them what I needed, and they would guide me the rest of the way.

The day I finally decided to go I walked in and was immediately overwhelmed with the amount of activity going on and my own feelings of feeling completely helpless and alone. I have been in an American hospital before, but this was hardly anything like it. The lobby was packed, and so many people were moving around, and there were many voices over the intercom. The signs were in both Chinese and English, but this didn't help me with any announcements they were making above me. I've never told myself, "I'm fine, I'm ok, don't cry, I can do this." so many times in my life. Of course I was crying but trying to keep it together. Turns out it wasn't as simple as just taking a number. There are two options. Either "register" or "charge." Being as how I have no idea what any of those really mean I stood there not knowing what to do. Enter guardian angel. A Taiwanese woman who works as a volunteer at the hospital came up to me and told me she would help me. Her name is Joyce. She spoke good enough English to help me out. We filled out a form and registered me with the hospital. She left me to work out the rest with the reception desk, of whom which did not know English. This started my second round of crying due to the frustration and helplessness. Now...I'm the type who works things out. I figure things out for myself. I ask for help when necessary, but largely like to do the research and work it out on my own. In this situation I had nothing. So all my body could do was break down. I wasn't standing there sobbing, but everyone knew I was not ok. The reception made a call and a young man came up to me shortly after and spoke pretty good English to help me out. After it got sorted I got my papers and he took me to the psychiatric unit.

Once there he showed me how to scan in my health card and talked to the nurse for me. He told me she didn't know English, but the two doctors I was about to see did. I then sat for the next 45 minutes to an hour in the waiting room where I was pretty relentlessly stared at. There were people there who definitely made me feel normal. Some people rocking in place, or yelling randomly into the relatively quiet room. The TV was playing a cooking show but was pretty awful in quality. I sat there slowly calming down and listened for my name. The first doctor I saw was more of a consultation sort of doctor who asked me a bunch of questions. Most of them I had never been asked before, but they wanted to see if I was nuts. The second doctor I saw was the actual doctor for the unit. He asked me more questions, then eventually gave me a 2 week prescription, even though I had assured him that I had been taking most of these meds for the better part of 10 years and would be fine. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity I was given more paperwork and a note saying to take them down to the counter to get my prescriptions. Great.

I walked downstairs, again hopelessly lost in the sea of people. Yet again my angel found me! Joyce found me almost immediately and helped me get a number and waited with me until my number was called. I paid for my visit and medication (about $10), and she guided me to another waiting area where I waited for another number of mine to be called to get my prescription. As soon as that wait was over and I had gotten what I needed, she found me yet again and told me everything was going to be alright. I really believe that Jesus sent me this angel to help me out, because without her I would not have been able to do anything. The thought of it all still brings me to tears.

SO! When I go back it is not bad. Sometimes I need to see the doc, which takes 2 hours out of my life due to the wait, and sometimes all I need to do is go in to get a refill. Most of the time I see Joyce and she asks me, "how is your body?" Which is really sweet.This last week I had to go in and get some blood work done (I am use to this, being as how Lithium threatens to shut my kidneys down), but it was not at all like the fiasco of going to the hospital for the first time. I always treat myself afterwards, and it is an experience I can share and laugh about (eventually haha).

All The Places I Went

We just had a holiday here in Taiwan (Peace Memorial Day), which gave me a 4 day weekend. I had two options. I could either sit at home for 4 days playing video games like I do every other day OR go on a grand adventure. I chose the adventure. Thanks to grandma, I had money in the bank for such an occasion. I bought my tickets for the Taiwan High Speed Rail (comparable to Japan's bullet train), booked my stay at my very first hostel (link!), and on Feb 28th I went to Tainan. I have always wanted to go to this part of the country AND I have always wanted to take a ride on a bullet train. I have also never stayed in a hostel before, and I have never taken a solo short trip. It was a lot of firsts and I am really glad I did it.

First I went on the train. Talk about a smooth ride. Before I had sat down I didn't even notice that the train had already began to move (we started out underground, so you couldn't tell from the outside). It didn't feel like we were going very fast, and even staring out the window it didn't seem like we were going the speed the info screen was telling me. The fastest we traveled was 277 kph or 172 mph. It got me from the north of Taiwan to the south in just under 2 hours. We made a few stops along the way. I imagine if I had gotten a train that was nonstop I would make it there in an hour and a half.

When I arrived I was ready to hit the road walking! My hostel was only a 15-20 minute walk away and I packed just a backpack. Easy peasy. However...my snag in my trip happened when I opened up Google Maps (which btw, works amazing out here), it told me the walking time to my hostel was 3.5 hours away. Um. What. Turns out the train station I was looking at this whole time is only for Taiwan Rail trains and not for the big bad HSR (high speed rail) trains. Crap. I could take another train to the station I was thinking of, but that would take more time and I just wanted to get to the hostel and rest and charge my phone now. So I splurged and took a taxi. After some language barrier fun he got me to where I needed to be. Looking back now I wish I could have just chilled out and figured out a cheaper way (btw there was a free way, but we'll get there), but what can you do. Taxis here are cheap.

I got to the hostel, named Fuqi (fu-chi) Hostel or Yuan Qi Hostel (cant figure out which is correct really), and it was so awesome! I didn't take a whole lot of pictures, but there are photos in the link I posted above. I got slippers to use and shown around. There were a few places for people just to hang out and eat. There was a kitchen to use, and even an indoor koi pond. My room was on the 3rd floor with an electronic lock on the door with a PIN to open. My bed was a bunk but very private with heavy curtains for privacy. It had a shelf, outlet, and a reading light. I loved it! There was even a lock box for my backpack if I needed it, but if someone was really going to steal it while I was away all they would be getting is clothes and deodorant. Since Taiwan is a really safe country I didn't feel the need to use it (spoiler alert: nothing got stolen).

After charging my phone I only wanted to do one thing...find a night market! The biggest outdoor night market (supposedly), and the most famous one is called the Garden Night Market. The fastest I could get there was on foot. 30 minutes. I could have taken a bus, but it would not have been any better time wise, so off I went. My phone was charged, so I was good. By the time I got there I was definitely happy to be there and done with walking. I (literally) pushed my way into the night market and I was ready to get some food. Holy balls, guys. I've never been in a more crowded situation in my life! I went down two rows of stands and it took me an hour. It took a lot of effort not to totally lose it. I managed to get a sandwich (decent) and deep fried milk (so good). Feeling overwhelmed and frustrated I left and started heading back to the hostel. On the way back I found a Mexican restaurant and had a Quesadilla. It was pretty good. Best Mexican I've had here, but doesn't touch some of the stuff I've had back home. I also passed by a pet store with a French Bulldog puppy in the window. Did I think about buying a puppy just then? Yes. Do I regret it? No. Do I still think about that puppy? Yes....Moving on! I met a guy who worked at the hostel named Kevin. He was from the Chicago area, so it was nice to chat with another American.

I didn't expect to sleep very well at this hostel. To be fair, I don't sleep well the first few nights anywhere. This hostel was very quiet which was great. Nothing crazy. The (not a) mattress I was sleeping on was very firm and the pillow was not very comfortable. It was also very warm. I could make a choice...keep my curtains around my bunk closed to block out the light and have privacy, or keep them open to get some of the cooler AC air in. Therefor, I was quite warm. I did manage to sleep in pretty late, so that was nice. Today was my only full day in Tainan so I was going to try and hit all the places I had saved in my maps app before the day was through.

I started off going to a coffee shop and ordered a cold brew. I got an iced latte guys, let's be real. Most coffee just comes with milk unless you order an americano or espresso. Just gotta deal and move on. The first thing I went to see was the Hayashi Department Store, which is a famous store in Tainan. The building was so beautiful inside and out, and each floor sold different sort of goods. I ended up buying a very cute embroidered coaster. However I was very tempted to buy some handmade soaps (if you guys knew how much soap my deal uncle brought fro me, you'd know why I did not buy any this time haha). They also sold fashion items, candies, snacks, bags, bowls...so many different things. If I had all the money I would go crazy. They also have a cafe and restaurant near the top of the store. It was really nice so I am glad I stopped by.

Afterwards  I set off to a place that was recommended by a friend called the Chihkan Tower, and it was definitely worth going to. It was a beautiful structure you can walk up in and all around it looking at the restored architecture. There was a little shrine inside where people were praying so it was a very interesting sight indeed. Since it was so sunny and hot I decided to get some of the ice cream they were selling. Salted plum ice cream! It was so good and such a unique flavor. Needless to say it pretty much instamelted and I had to eat it up pretty quick but managed to get a photo of it before I destroyed it with my face.

After a quick stop at the hostel to charge my phone and eat some leftover quesadilla, I went off to see the Tainan Art Museum. There are two buildings for it, and it had just opened on January 27th. Until May it is all free admission. So duh. You go. The first building had more contemporary art, but the second one was more my stile with more still life and fine art paintings. I am telling you guys, seeing this art really filled my soul. They were beautiful and I was so happy to just wander around the galleries looking at art. The building was also very beautiful. There were a lot of people there but people there were very polite and they were really enjoying looking at the art (for my experience going to the National Palace Museum, ask me about it).

After the museum I needed a place to chill for a bit, charge my phone (see the pattern here?), and rest my feet. I walked over to Daybreak 18 Teahouse and was so pleased that I went! The atmosphere was so chill and exactly what I needed. The man working there was definitely kept busy, but very friendly. I got some nice oolong tea and mochi, which ended up being coated in coconut (yum!). I didn't stay too long here. Enough to rest a bit before heading off to my next stop.

What ended up happening that evening was the most memorable of the whole trip. See, I had gotten advice from a local where a better night market was. Again it was 30 minutes away and I didn't know if I was really up for such a long walk again if it will only end up being another disappointment. I did however need to go back to the Mexican restaurant I was at the previous night because I had left something there. It was also in the opposite direction of the market, but what are you gonna do. After picking up the item I figured I would hit the temples in the area. I went to the Wind Temple, God of War Temple, and the Grand Mazu Temple. As I was walking in the direction to see 2/3 of the temples I mentioned, I saw a street full of lanterns. Since the lantern festival was still running they had closed off this street for people to go walk down, look at, and take pictures of the lanterns. I said hey. Why not. So I went down and took pictures of my own.

I decided I was going to walk to the end of the street just looking at all the different lanterns. They lead to the end of the street, but also into a temple. I don't know the name of this one, but I found it on Google Maps here! I walked in and immediately saw a sign to my right. Mini lanterns with a sign reading DIY $200nt for 1 $500nt for 3. I can paint my own lantern? Oh hell yes. I got my blank lantern and set off on my grand adventure! I couldn't really take a pencil to it because it is made of a thin paper, so everything I did I had to free style. I instantly knew what I wanted to paint, which is super rare for me. I wanted to paint something that made me think of my time in Tainan, so I decided to do a pair of koi on one side and a fat goldfish on the other (or as my sister would call it, a "wiggle wiggle squish squish"). The koi because my hostel has that koi pond and there were a crazy amount of koi at the tower earlier. The goldfish because the hostel also has 2 fat ass goldies. I got down to work on my painting and time flew by. It was so great because the sun had set and they turned the light on in all the lanterns above me, so all the light I had to work on my lantern was the swirling colored lights above me. Before I knew it I had been there for two hours. It didn't feel like it at all! I got many compliments and they also gave me a tassel for it, an LED to light it up, and a stick to hold the lantern with. It was such a great memory! Hopefully I will be able to take it back home to the States with me undamaged.

Afterwards I realized I was famished! I quickly saw the last two temples and found a place to eat. I ate laska for the first time, however I was told by a friend that it was no laska he had ever seen haha. It was noodles with shrimp, vegetables, and other rando things the Taiwanese deem necessary to put in everything. It also came with an egg roll, which I read as ya know...an egg roll. A fried thing, ya know? Turns out it was a literal roll of egg with some ham in it. It was still really good and a good end to my evening. I headed back to the hostel and turned in for the evening. I laid in bed and watched an episode of a show before falling asleep for the night.

The next morning I packed everything up and stripped my bedding. I was sad to leave the hostel. I really loved it and it was a good first hostel experience for me. I would have liked to stay another night there, but couldn't really see myself staying another day in Tainan. It was a good trip and a good experience, but I was ready for Taipei again. I had found a shuttle to take me to the HSR station. Thank goodness! No taxi rides or other weird bus routes. I walked over to the stop and waited. I was unsure how to pay and I didn't have much on my easy card, but I had enough change to help me out. When in doubt, watch what everyone else does. Turns out it was a free shuttle, which was bomb. It took me straight to the station and earlier than expected. When I finally got on the train, I was given a window seat (unlike the aisle seat I had the first time), which was great! I got to have a great view on a really nice day. The trip only took about an hour and 40 minutes.

So that concludes my adventures in Tainan! If you got this far, congrats!