Modern Toilet

First of all, a great friend of mine from college, Katie, is here visiting me in Taiwan.

And the fact that she has a sister here too is just an added bonus!

Ok, I kid, I kid. Fine!

It's the other way around.

We're all going on a tour of Taiwan starting Monday but until then we're touring Taipei.

Kristi had heard of this certain restaurant, so we started off today with a smelly-good lunch at a place called...

The name cracks me up!

It's a 4-story bathroom themed restaurant that is in the middle of the city on a very busy street in a very busy part of town.

The outdoor decor was actually pretty cool...

and so was the inside.

It's a popular restaurant where you literally sit on toilets and eat on glass over a sink (or bathtub).

All the toilets had fun designs and the whole place was actually decorated really creatively and everything was very bright and surprisingly tidy and clean looking.

I was actually really impressed. 

The food was hilarious.  I can't stop laughing about it.

 

Above is a bread roll.

The drinks come in the above container which they called "urinal containers" which you could keep for an extra dollar!

Katie and Candace, a friend of hers that came with her.

Cheers!

A bathtub table!  And you can see a fake shower hanging on the tile wall.

Dessert was served as above.

The food wasn't that great so I now understand that you don't go there for the food, you go for the laugh.  And there's plenty of them as you see people all around you taking funny pictures and having the "IS THIS REAL LIFE!??" look on their faces.

Overall it was an interesting and fun experience and I think something unique that Taiwan has to offer because...

I'm not so sure this idea would "fly" in America.

The Never-ending Eating Story

About a month ago the school took us out to lunch on a Saturday afternoon to celebrate the end of the semester and all of our post-graduation happiness.

We went to a fun restaurant way up in the green hills that overlooked down below.

The place was full of lots of interesting decorations, such as the pigs above.

This restaurant was crazy.  It felt like a progressive dinner, except you don't move house to house.  On average, a new plate comes out every 5 minutes for about an hour and a half (dead serious).  After the third plate arrived, I was personally finished but had to fake it to make it.

Woof.

But first you start off by going and getting your own bowl full of sticky rice.

The guy above was our waiter, and he brought out the first plate: rice dough sprinkled with peanut dust.  I am not a peanut person.  It was disgusting.

But just before you have time to get settled with one plate, alas, the next one arrives...

and arrives...

and arrives...

and arrives...

and arrives...

and arrives...

and arrives...

...until finally it just becomes downright comical as you stare before you at the feast.  I picked and nibbled from things here and there trying different things out.  Some of it was delicious, and some was, well, still breathing.  I had heard at one point that pig intestine had made its way to the table, but luckily it never worked its way near me...at least I think it didn't.  There were 11 people at our table and all the Americans (and one South African) were done an hour before all the skinny Asians. 

I should have put the "pig" picture from above down here because that is what we felt like after eating everything pictured above.  It was fun though and a nice gesture from the school.

Taiwan Summer Playlist

My official Taiwan Summer Playlist that has been on repeat all summer long.

The best feeling is having a fully charged iPod, a bike, and just going...

rain or shine.

beaches in mind - the beach boys

on the road - keane

simple life - casey abrams

forever young (faster version) - bob dylan

good time - owl city & carly rae jepson

hurts like heaven - coldplay

telephone line - jack & white

there comes a time - graham colton

daylight - maroon 5

a real hero - college & electric youth

demons - imagine dragons

let's run away - haley reinhart

orange sky - alexi murdoch

rhythm of rain - melee

kick drum heart - the avett brothers

save you tonight - one direction

stars - arrows to athens

little talks - of monsters and men

who are you - carrie underwood

catch the wind - donovan

i can only imagine - david guetta

everything must find its place - sleeperstar

fighters - kris allen

always summer - yellowcard

Chiang Kai-shek Monument

This past weekend I went to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Monument.  It's in the center of Taipei and is a gigantic lot of land dedicated to the former Taiwan president.  You've probably seen it on travel channel shows or history channel or something; it's one of those familiar looking buildings you see a lot but don't really know what's it's about.

So I got on a train and went to see.

The entrance had this beautiful arched...thing.

I don't know what to call it.

A wall?

Entry gate?

Whatever.

The monument was built in 1980 and is used as a museum.

The stairs to the upper platform were closed for maintenance so I'll have to go back because I really wanted to go up there.

Above is the back of the building and the entry into the museum (the arched door).  It was currently a dinosaur museum which I almost did but realized there were more kids entering than adults.

All around the monument there were endless gardens and walking paths.

It was very green and attractive.

Back entrance to the grounds.

It was a fun day with another item to knock off the checklist!

I Should Be In Thailand Right Now

Well, sometimes things just don't work out.

After weeeeks of anticipation, excitement, with tours booked (amazing ones, might I add) and a hotel all set, Mother Nature decided to come out and play.  I bought my ticket at the end of June and was supposed to fly to Bangkok on the night of Thursday, August 2nd...the eventual doomed exact date and time that a typhoon (named Typhoon Saola) decides to come to this region of the world in all of its wrath and glory.

It was raining since Monday...non-stop.

And I don't mean just normal light rain.

I'm talking about

plummeting

crashing

swooping
dumping

plunging

rain.

Rain that was falling 

down

sideways

diagonal

and I'm certain even falling upwards at one point.

It rained more this week than my entire life combined.

So all week my 7/11 cashier friend, Edmond, was telling me when I'd go in: 

"Typhoon. come Thursday. on night."

WHAT!? THAT'S EXACTLY WHEN I'M LEAVING!?!

So as the week got closer to Thursday, and the rain got more intense and thicker, I started to get more and more worried until thus, alas, Wednesday night on the homepage of Hong Kong Airlines is a list of all the flights completely cancelled.  Mine being right there near the top of the list.  Sigh.

Above you will see the entire island of Taiwan covered by a swirly on Thursday.

At first I was really disappointed, of course, and in denial.  But I've come to terms with it.  It obviously wasn't meant to be.  I mean, what are the odds that six weeks ago I would pick the precise date and time for my flight that a typhoon would occur!?  But at least school got cancelled.  And of course, naturally, the day after was all sun and warmth.

I went to 7/11 on Friday and Edmond just felt so bad for me: 

"You try. later again. ok?"

I was never in any danger from the typhoon.  It was mainly on the east coast of Taiwan (I'm on the west).  So we just got heavy wind and raindrops the size of football fields.  But sadly there were deaths along its path, especially in the Philippines where over 20 people were killed and over 180,000 people left homeless.  There was some flooding in Taiwan and some casualties here as well (but mainly people tempting fate by going fishing and surfing...and far away from where I am).  So I can't complain about it anymore because of all the tragedy that occurred and all that happened to me was a cancelled flight that is completely refundable.  The tours I booked aren't (couple hundred bucks lost)...but oh well...

"I'll try. later again. ok."