Last days in Taiwan

Monday Sept. 16^th was a day of packing after I sent out my clothes to be washed from the trip to South Korea. Then Dengxiong a friend from school wanted to have supper before I left for the states and knowing that the landlord also wanted to take me out to eat before I left we didn’t eat much.



However since we ate a small supper with Dengxiong, the landlord wanted to take us to eat before I left at what they thought had better dumplings than Din Tai Feng but Lana and I both thought that Din Tai Feng’s dumplings were better. Since I also said I didn’t eat steak in Taiwan we went for an after supper, supper and had a snack of really delicious steak. But since we had 2 suppers and now an after supper snack I was so full but they wanted to show us the night view in Taichung  which was really pretty and peaceful.

Tuesday Sept. 17^th I finished packing everything in my suitcases turned out that I needed to use my carry on when I first came and now it became my second checked luggage. Turned out that I had more stuff than I originally thought I did. Then we went to Daiso so I could buy some face blotting paper that was really cheap and works really well. For my last meal in Taichung I wanted to eat dumplings at Din Tai Feng which was where I had my first meal in Taichung then I bought pineapple cake to bring back to the states. After we got back from lunch I decided to finish cleaning my room and then I took a nap because packing is really tiring. Once I got up from my nap I put the last touches on my now full suitcases and went to the office so I could get a final picture with the landlords.

We were then off to Taipei on Taiwan’s High Speed Rail (高鐵) which only took 45 minutes rather than riding a bus for 2 hours to go to a hot spring spa. After the high speed rail stopped at the mrt station we rode another line to the city that we were staying at then took a taxi to the spa. Since in Taiwan  I had wanted to go to a hot spring but had no time to go until now the night before I left it turned out it worked better that way. So were spending the night in Taipei to stay at a hot spring spa which had a hot spring on the roof so I could relax before my long flight Wednesday. When we got there they had a special voucher where people staying at the spa could cook eggs in a hot spring which we had never done but was fun.

Wednesday Sept. 18^th we woke up at 5:30 am because I got airport pickup for 6 am predicting traffic would be bad and I didn’t want to miss my flight. But turned out there wasn’t much traffic and we got to the airport around 6:40 am then to check in my luggage that was 50 lbs and the other was 35 lbs. Next I needed to exchange Taiwanese money, go through security, find my gate and wait for my flight to Japan. Then wait in Japan for my flight to Minneapolis and since I can’t sleep on planes I got to watch many movies. But it felt good to be back in the states and see my family but I still miss the people in Taiwan that I call family.

Weekend in Taipei

Friday Sept. 13^th since we were in Taipei I had never been to the Taipei Zoo I wanted to go before I left. But first we took the Maokong Gondola (cable car) that started at the entrance of the zoo and went up to the top temple and rode until we were in the zoo and then started from the top and went down. I got to see all the animals I wanted from Giraffe’s to the Panda Bears and Koala Bears.

After we were done at the zoo we needed to find the American Consulate so Lana could renew her passport. However since there was no map indicating where it was we used google maps which had proved to be very useful. However, when we got to the consulate since their website said they were open we couldn’t go directly in the building since a guard was outside who had to make sure we were American citizens by showing our passport’s. Since he made sure we were Americans it turned out that the consulate wasn’t even open on Friday’s but we still got to go inside and ask the process of renewing a passport.

The next stop we wanted to find GTV which is where Xiao Zhu (小豬) filmed his variety show 100% Entertainment (娛樂百分百). Though we found the right mrt stop google maps failed as in we were wondering the street until we started looking at the street signs and finally found it and took pictures. I wanted to make sure it was the place they filmed so we went inside and asked the reception desk. But when we went in to ask they were very rude because they told us no outsiders are allowed where they film except we didn’t want to watch filming we were just inquiring. They also said we couldn’t even take pictures of the outside of the building so we then left because by that time it was time for us to go over to the 4Dx movie and get our seats. For watching a 4Dx movie it had effects such as moving seats, mist and wind to make the movie more exciting. However I prefer Gold Class movies instead where people sit in comfy recliners but it was still a fun experience. After the movie the landlord and his wife wanted to take me out to dinner in Taipei before I left for the states then it was time to go back to the hostel and get ready for Saturday.  

Saturday Sept. 14^th since we had a fan meeting/ concert at night we went to the Revolutionary Martyrs’ Shrine mid morning because it was something neither of us had visited. When we got there we really didn’t know much about it but 2 workers came over and asked us if we were from America? Apparently not many Americans visit the shrine so they explained what each of the buildings meant which was very nice and helpful. Then we headed back to the hostel to take a nap in preparation for Lee Seung Gi’s fan meeting/ concert that night. We then got ready and went to the mrt stop we thought it would be held at however, turned out that it wasn’t at that mrt stop. So we needed to take a taxi there because the fan meeting was going to start soon and we wanted to get to our seats.

When it started we noticed that the announcer looked really familiar turned out it was Calvin Chen from Fahrenheit a Taiwanese Band and I had always wanted to see a member before I left so it was really exciting to see him. Since I had never been to a “fan meeting” before I wasn’t really sure what to expect but during the fan meeting Lee Seung Gi interacted with the fans through games and trivia. He also sang some of his songs from his many albums it was really fun. Toward the end of the show they decided that they would pick 50 fans from the audience excluding section A because they had already bought hand shake tickets to get the chance to shake his hand and we were both luckily and got chosen. 

The fan meeting got over at around 10 pm and the landlord and his wife wanted to take us to a club in Taipei to see the difference from clubs in Taichung. But first we had to stop over at the hostel and pick up their gift of chocolate that we got in Korea  for everything they did when I was here. I probably wouldn’t get the chance to see his wife before I left either so we were a little late in meeting with them.  After the club we went back to the hostel because then on Sunday we headed back to Taichung so I could get ready to pack my suitcases.

South Korea Day 6 Leaving South Korea

Thursday Sept. 12^th started earlier than normal (6am) because it was the day we had to leave South Korea but I wanted to stay longer even though we saw many places I wanted to travel more. When we were riding the mrt to the transfer station an old man approached Lana on the subway saw us with our suitcases and asked if we were going to Inchon Airport we said no we were going to Gimpo Airport  instead. We knew how to get to the airport by the mrt however, when we got to Seoul Station (main station) he told us to follow him and then took Lana’s carryon so we were then obligated to follow him turned out he was going to Inchon. This old man instead of taking the mrt like we would have to the airport he showed us a faster and less crowded way to get there which was the train that only stopped a couple of places and was newly built. He turned out to be a very helpful old man not a crazy old man that I thought he would be by first meeting him.

When we got to the airport since it was still too early to check in because we got there earlier than expected with the train we went to go buy chocolate from South Korean. By the time we were done buying chocolate we could check in our luggage and go through security and wait for the plane. Once we got through security in Taipei we decided before we left for Korea we would spend time in Taipei because then I could see more sights before I left. When we got to the hostel Lana’s friend Annie called and was leaving for the states to finish school and wanted to catch up before she left. So we went to meet her at a delicious waffle place because she was on her “eating train” as I called it because she wouldn’t find that specific food in the states. After eating waffles she wanted her last meal in Taiwan to be Beijing Roast Duck (北京烤鴨) which is really famous so I had to try it too.

When we were done eating Annie went back to packing up her stuff and then we called our friend James because it would be the last time I would see him before I went back to the states. Once we met up he brought us a cake that is really popular in Taiwan so we could try which was pretty good except that we were already full already from eating waffles and duck. Then I had always wanted to watch a 4D movie when in Taiwan however it was getting really late and we had been tired from traveling so James helped us order tickets for Friday afternoon. Since we visited Korea and brought back chocolate we gave some to James for always helping us when we were in Taipei. We also saw that Taipei 101 had it's 10th birthday when we were visiting with James. I had to say thank you and goodbye because I wouldn’t have time to see him right before I would leave for the states.

South Korea Day 5 Royal Tombs

Wednesday Sept. 11^th didn’t start like I had planned in that it started at 3:40 am with an alarming noise waking me up I thought it was the fire alarm. However, it turns out that 3 old men were pressing on the doorbell to the hotel room I think they were drunk and looking for the rest of their party. It was a very rude awaking and kind of creepy because we did not know any of them so it was decided on an extra hour of sleep before starting our day now at 9 am. It was the day we were going to the Seolleung Royal Tomb (Joseon Dynasty) but since it was raining we were prepared with rain jackets and umbrellas for sightseeing.

When we got to the tombs it was really interesting to see because I had never seen anything like it before. When walking towards the tombs there were 2 paths leading up to the tombs one was the King’s path that we could walk on and the other was a spirit walkway which is sacred so we couldn’t walk on it. After seeing the 3 tombs of King Seongjong, his wife Queen Jeonghyeon, and King Jungjong we headed to the Coex Mall.

Once there and realizing how big the mall we wanted to go visit the Coex Aquarium and visit the animals. Then after we had lunch and went to Namdaemun (남대문) which is another shopping market, it also has the South Gate (Sungnyemun). After the gate and the market we then headed to the 63 Building which is South Korea’s tallest building.

Since it was raining we couldn’t see Seoul very well so we got back on the bus since we conquered riding the bus in Seoul and went back to the Coex Mall to have supper where we ate Teppanyaki which was very delicious. We then went back to the hotel and asked if they knew of any places where you could try to eat in a “tent” and turned out there was one close. We then went to see the “tent” but the menu was all in Korean and there wasn't any pictures so we decided that it was best to leave because we still had packing to do for our flight Thursday.

South Korea Day 4 Palace and Prison

Changdeokgung Palace

Tuesday Sept. 10^th since we were going to be out all day touring we ate breakfast at Paris Croissant, as I was first to pay the cashier spoke to me in English. However, Lana was next in line and the cashier talked to her in Korean which was really strange since clearly we are not natives. The main attractions that was on the list for that day was we were going to the Changdeokgung Palace and Seodaemun Prison Museum. The Changdeokgung Palace was really interesting to see how the royals lived back in those times we got to see the main palace and the royal family residence.

Royal family residence

The palace and the residence were painted different colors from each other it seemed because then they could be easily distinguished between both of them. Then we were off to Bukchon to look at the older style houses with tiled roofs it was really fun to see the different style houses compared to in America.
We saw a place in Bukchon that people could try on Hanbok (Korean traditional clothing) except that when we went inside neither of the two ladies working spoke English but told us to sit so we sat and then they went on working. Then after we rested we went to have lunch at a local Italian restaurant. Once we were done with lunch we headed to the Seodaemun  Prison Museum  where I learned back when Japan  controlled Korea  the Japanese tortured and later killed Korean followers of the independent movement it was really chilling to see the stories of the survivors and the conditions they lived in. Next to the Prison we saw were two shrines and a garden but since it was raining we didn’t stay long.

Seodaemun Prison Museum

The next stop was Dongdaemun which was another shopping district and the mall we went in was filled with fabric and there were many other malls but we didn't allow for much time there. After Dongdaemun we decided to drop off our purchases for the day. Since we were doing really well on time with all that we wanted to see and decided to take a nap because we had been busy sightseeing everyday and didn’t want to get sick and not be able to enjoy the rest of the trip.

After the nap I wanted to this chicken restaurant (Jaksal Chicken) that is co-owned by a star in Korea and I had really wanted to try it. Once we found the restaurant and were going in we were awkwardly stared at by the people talking outside who showed us to our table. We thought they were workers but in fact were not actually workers it was kinda weird. Then once one of other co-owners took our order the other workers there really stared at the two white people eating chicken in the restaurant. Turned out that the reviews online were right in that the chicken was delicious and wanted to go back to try something else however there was no time. We really wanted to try real soju from Korea so we had soju and chicken but it had a different taste than I expected from the soju I tried in Taiwan. Then we headed back to the hotel and of course picked up delicious ice cream. However, when I was paying for my ice cream Lana was waiting outside and as I was finished paying an old man came up to her and proceeded to ask questions until I came out of the store another weird encounter in Korea. Then we went back to the hotel to get ready for our last full day in Korea.

South Korea Day 3 Agencies

Monday Sept. 9^th was the day we were going to look for agencies of our favorite artists because most tourist places were closed on Monday. Our first stop was Gangnam because it was on the way so we had to stop and take pictures. Then we were off to find C-Jes Entertainment (JYJ) but the only found information we found online wasn’t very clear so we wondered Yeoksam until the numbers started matching up with the address. When we finally found the building we weren’t the only fans that took pictures in front of the building a few other fans were there too. Next was Keyeast Entertainment (Kim Hyun Joong) which only had an address and the correct subway exit in Samseong but between all the agencies we visited they were the furthest away from each other. We used our guessing skills with the help of Lana’s iphone and estimated if we were going the right direction or not. Eventually we found the building but this agency was located on a certain floor of the building but luckily they had the logo on the building unlike C-Jes who had the whole building. I would compare finding agencies in Korea to when people go to California and go on the starline tours.

Next we headed to Apgujeong Rodeo to find JYP Entertainment because that is what my starting point directions that I found were from to go to FNC Entertainment (Cnblue) but it was still not very clear. So Lana downloaded google maps, which was really helpful in Korea because we then found the agencies better than if we were guessing. On the way to finding FNC we ran into Cube Entertainment which meant we were going in the right direction. Once we found FNC the next and final agency we wanted to find was Hook Entertainment (Lee Seung Gi) which turned out to be closer than we expected, it was right around the block from FNC. Those three were relatively close to each other which was interesting because they each had different addresses.

Then I wanted to find Grill5Taco specifically the one that Donghae from Super Junior just opened and also we had really been missing eating Mexican food. Turned out to be located at the same subway stop we were just at but just out a different exit then we used google maps which turned out to be very useful and it led us right there. Once we got to Grill5Taco I was unsure if the menu was going to be in English but luckily it was half in English and half in Korean and I ordered chicken taco’s but they were not like the Mexican food that I am used to but they were still very good. When we were sitting and eating our taco’s an older lady from behind the counter who was dressed really nice left she gave us a polite nod as she left and we returned the nod. We found out later that it turned out it was Donghae’s mom so as we didn’t see any celebrity sightings we came close as we saw a mom. 

Then we were off to Cheongdam-dong to take pictures but since we didn’t have anything specific to see we got back on the subway to Myeongdong to buy more souvenirs. Once in Myeongdong we went to the Myeongdong Cathedral which is famous in S. Korea and was also in the drama You’re Beautiful. Also when we were in Myeongdong we had tickets to see Nanta which is a musical theater that uses cooking utensils to make music which was really awesome to see and I wanted to go again but had no time. After Nanta I was so tired from climbing 6 to 8 flights of stairs every subway stop that I wanted to sleep and be rested enough for a full day Tuesday.     

South Korea Day 2 National Palace Museum

Sunday Sept. 8^th started later than we had planned as we planned to get going around 8 am but since we got back really late on Saturday we slept in until 10 am on accident. As we were getting ready we both heard a noise coming from our door and sure enough the cleaning lady came to clean our room. She was just as surprised as we were to see her so she then apologized and left to come back later. We were gone for the day but the weather in Korea was different than I expected compared to Taiwan because it was not as hot everyday it was comfortable, however I still brought along my raincoat, umbrella, fan, and hat because I never knew what the weather would bring.

Today we started off at the National Palace Museum of Korea which was really interesting to see the history of the royals in Korea. Since Gyeongbokgun Palace was right next to the museum we took pictures of the outside but did not tour as we were touring another palace another day. Then we were going to King Sejong who was the fourth king of Joseon but we spotted a waffle stand which is in many Korean tv shows and just had to try it, turns out that it was really good. Once we got to the King Sejong Museum it was connected to another museum of Admiral Yi Sun-sin who was a Korean naval commander it was really interesting to learn the history of both. Once we were done with the 2 museums we headed to Insa-dong to buy traditional gifts once we got there it was about lunch time and Lana spotted a stand that sold Gaeran bbang an egg bread that was really delicious and cheap. 

We decided once we were done looking around Insa-dong we were going to find Sungkyunkwan University which is the oldest university in Korea. However when we got to the correct subway stop the map didn’t even have the university listed so Lana asked a couple of different people but neither of them knew how to get there either. We then resorted to searching online for the correct way to go we even got on the wrong bus because it said the university. However once we started walking in what we thought was the right direction we saw some police officers and I decided to ask them where Sungkyunkwan was and it turned out we were close. When we were walking to the university we saw a convenience store and decided we were going to buy ice cream just like in the tv shows and it was better than what I have expected. Once we found the university we had just enough time to take pictures before they were closing at 6 pm for the day. Then we took a bus back to our subway stop so we could say we conquered how to ride a bus in Korea.

Back at the right subway stop I have always wanted to try ddeokbokki which is a spicy rice cake, I liked the spicy flavor but not the texture. The next stop was Dongdaemun Market which is another shopping center but by the time we found it they were closed for the day. We then looked around Dongdaemun more and came across a Korean BBQ place that was on our bucket list to try and we ordered Samgyeopsal (삼겹살) which was pork strips that we grilled and was really delicious. But since we didn’t know how to use the grill the waitress came over to help which was really helpful. Then we headed back to the hotel since we had another full day planned for Monday.