Christmas in Taiwan

Wow its been a while since I've written (although I think about doing it every day). Its not that I don't want to its just been hard to find the time.

I get up at 7:00 on most days and jog (I have to otherwise it looks like I've been in a boxing match the night before because my eyes are so puffy). Then I get ready, Skype with my family and some friends if I'm lucky and then am at work by 9:15. I have lunch at noon and then dinner at 8pm following kickboxing or Chinese lessons (depending on the day) and then its either back to the office or straight to a coma toast position in bed.

On weekends I've been heading straight to Hsinchu to keep my social life interesting. Gretchen and Mandy have been kind enough to adopt me as a third roomate (or second child - whatever way you want to look at it). Yes, I have claimed their couch on Friday and Saturday nights and let me tell you, riding home in the cold on my scooter on Sundays is never pleasant. We have way too much fun.

Quick idea of weekends in Hsinchu: Baking delcious chocolate chip cookies, concerts in Taipei, drinking at Red bar, Gothenburg and Tokyo all in one night, eating magic soup and big juicy burgers, lunch at TGI Fridays, tours up the mountain, visits to the temples, more drinking on Saturday night, relaxing on the cozy couch, movie dates, shopping at the massive department stores, massages....it goes on.

This past weekend was particularly special because it was CHRISTMAS TIME! I have to say, I was a bit worried because I really didn't get into the spirit until about the night of the 23rd.

First off there is no snow here and those of us who get it regularly really forget how much it contributes to the spirit of Christmas. Next, since it's Chinese New Year that is celebrated here (Taking place the first week of February), no one ever really has any big plans for Christmas weekend. So, I was going around all excited asking people what they were doing to celebrate and I was getting a bunch of blank faces. Apparently Christmas is viewed as a "Western holiday," "commercial," and "really only for couples to enjoy." Great. Ok so I tried getting in touch with my family to enjoy the christmas tree decorating and wine "sipping" over Skype, but that was also a fail.

I do have to recognize the effort on the part of my company. They did erect a big "tree" that we call the "cube camera tree." (shown below)


As you can see, it's shaped as a christmas tree and has about 34 security cameras strapped to it that break out into christmas songs every time they detect motion nearby. The girls put in some effort this year and put presents and decorations on it. It was sweet...until it started to get obnoxious.

So I took matters into my own hands. After work on December 23rd I fought my sleepyness, hopped on my scooter, and rode into Hsinchu to SHOP! Really it helped. There was a white santa standing on the corner and people rushing around with that same Christmas shopping buzz you feel at the malls in Toronto.

So I walked through the shops and bought a bunch on nice little stocking gifts for Mandy, Gretchen and Juan (Gretchen's boyfriend, also child #2). Then I bought some sushi, wine and cookie dough, none of which I would feel bad about inhalng that night. I bought a santa hat and bells to sew on, and hundreds of candycanes to hand out at work the next day. I also bought stationary to make cards for Amanda and Hannah and then I realized I should probably stop spending and I hopped on my scooter and headed for home.

The night turned out great as I watched old Christmas movies and wrapped. And I think my co-workers appreciated the coloured canes I handed out the next day, dressed in my jingling santa hat. I got a smile from some after I explained v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y that these are what we hang on our christmas trees. mmhmm

Anyways, getting to the good stuff...Mel and Dave (two guys living in Hsinchu) organized a big dinner at the Sheraton hotel. It was $30 for all you can eat with a $3 corkage fee and wow was it ever good.


Gretchen and I at the table.


Mandy, Terry, and I trying to eat but being forced to smile :)I had a few plates of this delicious juicy red roast with mushroom sauce, brussel sprouts, and tempura sweet potato fries, red wine (of course) and I finished off with a few bits of decadent dark chocolate mousse. Ahhh


That's a very large sushi bar in the background.


Our entire table: Gretchen, Juan, Hannah, Mandy, Terry and I.


They had an entire room dedicated to dessert.


A few bottles of wine later...darn that cheap corkage fee...It was time for some Happy Holiday snapshots in the foyer infront of the incredible tree.


The double couple. Terry and I take the foreground while the goons in the back try to keep it together.


Finally a nice one of us all together. After this shot we head up to the hotel lounge and had a drink before heading to the usual: Red bar, Gothenburg then Tokyo.

The next day was Christmas morning and after everyone opened presents all of the girls took of for lunch and a massage - our christmas present from Gretchen.


It was a bit painful. The whole lot of us were wailing the entire time and all of us left with bruises. They really dug on deep all along the bottoms of your feel, along the calves, and on the shoulders. I tried not to complain to much because it did feel unreal afterwards.


The odd time my masseuse really hit the spot. I plan on going back for these bi-weekly.


This is us heading back home after the massages. Thats Mandy on the left with her bright pink helmet, and Me on the back of Gretchen's motorcycle.


The girls always laugh at my riding style, but when you have long legs its hard to know where to put them.

After arriving home we all relaxed for a while and then Gretchen, Juan and I went to Gretchen's students' parents house for an incredible turkey dinner. The dad is American so the whole house was decked out in decorations and Christmas gifts. There must have been about 30 parents and children running around having fun. I spent alot of my night playing with the kids (surprise, surprise). I was bequethed a sword and I was summoned to fight to the death...so I did...and I ended up dying after one of the parents suggested I do so unless I wanted to keep playing forever. It was fun.

After a few more glasses of wine we all head out again for another great night with everyone.

...And that was my Christmas weekend.

American Thanksgiving

Most of you reading may not have known, but last Thursday was the American Thanksgiving (why Canadians and Americans celebrate the turkey on different days I do not know). Now, I wouldn't have known about it if it weren't for Christina reminding me every day twice a day two weeks in advance. Without a kitchen or the slightest idea of where to get a turkey or even something that somewhat resembled a pumpkin pie, I was running out of ideas of how to make the day special for her. Luckily our friend Gretchen (who is also from the states) mentioned they were having a little Thankgiving celebration at their place and kindly invited us to come. It looked a little something like this:


MmmmMMm...Hannah worked all day to cook this for us!


Christina, Gretchen and I. Seriously enjoying the wine.


The group. I was meeting almost everyone for the first time. It was a mismash of other english teachers, students, and just friends made over the time they've lived here.





I quickly spotted the apple crisp/pie that Gretchen made. Oh my, it was sooo good - half baked crust, warm apples, and sugary crust with ice cream on top. I ate four pieces and still felt great.


Still with the pie.

Afterwards Gretchen, Juan, Christina and I went out for a drink. I experienced my second scooter mishap when I was tailing Juan's bike too closely and tapped...well, maybe rammed him and Gretchen in the tail. We all walked away without injuries. All and all a great evening.

Meat!

So I’ve been here two weeks now and I’m settled in quite nicely. I’ve got my desk in the back corner of the room where I can listen to funny iPod songs while I work and watch my co-workers walk by and move around to the beat. I’ve hung a few very random posters on my walls – ads for Lufthansa, recyclable paper and Harry Rosen suits (not for the suits), and a particularly odd looking one of Warren Buffett that is meant to be motivational. These are of course temporary - all I had to choose from were ads from three Economist magazines that dad gave me before I took off on my flight. I keep telling myself to look for new art every time I go out, but I always forget – maybe these ones are growing on me.

Right now I’m juggling my time between Jeffery Gitomer’s “Sales Bible” which is highly entertaining but sometimes unrealistic when I try to apply it to the real world, and a product data sheet written by one of my Taiwanese co-workers that I am supposed to correct…or re-write once I can fully figure out the purpose of a PoE splitter and the benefits of the different powers sources ours supplies - Gahh so not my area of expertise. First time in the real world that the study habits I picked up from University are being put to use…didn’t take long to start seeing the benefits of those four years. It’s not easy but I’m coming along, I’m beginning to be able to talk the “technical language,” and the more I learn the more exciting it gets.

Aside from work I have been having quite the time here in a town that was meant to be – as my mom puts it – “social exile.” Hardly! The first weekend here Christina and I drove into downtown Hsinchu on Friday night (about a 25 minute scooter ride from our place). We had a nice dinner at an Italian place (It’s best to go for non-Taiwanese food when you don’t have to, just so you don’t get sick of it), and then made our way to a bar called Red – a small cozy place with darts and big wooden tables. It was fairly busy when we got there around 9pm and to our surprise, most of the customers were foreigners. We ended up chatting with a bunch of them, including Hannah the bartender, who is Taiwanese born but friends with all the foreigners, and going out and having a great night on the town. It was so much fun in fact that we did it all again this past Friday as well.

Hsinchu is actually a very lovely city in my opinion. Everything is within a short walk from the train station, but it is a big enough place that you feel as if you’re in a city. The centre is my favourite part where the river runs through and all the surrounding trees are covered in deep blue Christmas lights. I’ve named it “lover’s lane.” Unfortunately I’ve only ever walked down it with Christina which kind of takes the romance out of the whole experience (sorry dear), but it’s lovely nonetheless.

My other favourite thing about this place is driving the scooter around at night. I put my iPod in and listen to relaxed but upbeat songs with interesting instrumentals and buzz along the roads weaving in and out with all the other scooters along darks streets that are illuminated with multicoloured signs of all shapes and sizes. It really is something. I used to think the streets always looked so dangerous, busy and crowded, but once you get into it is can be extremely calming.

I have also discovered something new this time around in Taiwan that I have never before in my life found, and that is my love for big juicy burgers! That’s right, burgers! I’ve had multiple since I’ve been here and each time it is like I’m sitting in my very own heaven. Christina is amused. I’m guessing it’s got to be the lack of meat during the week in the cafeteria food, but by Saturday morning I wake up with this undeniable, ravenous desire for meat! Burger meat! With cheese and lettuce and tomato and onion and last week we found this place that puts aioli, cauliflower and broccoli on top – the Garden Cheese Burger. Uh my mouth is watering.


Here is a picture from this past weekend at Red with Hannah and Christina.

I still don't have a camera because all of my money is going to the four hours of Chinese class I have each week. I think it's worth it. All I have to do is get Christina to start snapping a few more and we're golden. It’s almost time to go eat and Christina just sent me the Outback menu to taunt me. Talk soon.

Trouble

This is going to make local news tomorrow:

7:50pm Tall girl spotted pushing broken scooter down side of road with two short friends - one Taiwanese and one American

7:55 Garage man starts working on bike

8:00 Nervous girls stand around newly fixed bike on side of busy road debating who should drive back

8:03 Tall girl finally volunteers

8:04 Tall girl hesitating, waiting for traffic to thin so she can go

8:05 Tall girl pulls out and is unknowingly followed by cops

8:05 Tall girl is pulled over by cops; she is yelled at in Chinese; she pretends not to understand; she waves her arms; cops signal to head; tall girl clues in and puts on helmet; cops drive away and tall girl gets away without a ticket

8:06 Tall girl finishes the 300 meter drive and parks sucessfully

8:05 Short friends spotted laughing hysterically on side of road

8:10 Last seen: tall girl walking home from 7/11 with beer

First Week

I woke up to the fourth sunny day in a row now in Taiwan – a record for me when looking back on my past experience in Taipei. I guess that’s one major bonus of Hsinchu, although I haven’t figured out if it is enough to totally convince me that living in the industrial park is better than living in the city. We’ll see.

This morning was pretty exciting. The President invited me to a sales meeting with some Americans who were interested in expanding their product line. They liked our solution and our technology but what I found most interesting was watching our leader in action. He is an unbelievable salesman and I know I will learn a lot from him. It was also exciting to watch a business deal evolve from initial product introduction to the evaluation of possible ways to partner in the future. Aside from playing them out in business class, I’ve had very little experience with real world business deals. I am currently in the process of learning the ins and outs of the products so I also learned a lot from the initial presentation as well as the questions the clients were asking – questions I will have to answer to in just a few short months.

This week I am being left alone to soak up all the information I can. I am being thrown manuals and articles, and relevant websites and podcasts – all that will help educate me on our products and the markets in which we operate. It’s really similar to the kind of research we did for business projects at Ivey, except I think this time around it will take weeks instead of hours. I am often pulled aside by different employees in the company – engineers, product managers, salesmen – and given brief presentations on relevant topics. It’s a lot to take in.

Have I mentioned the hours here in Taiwan? These people are machines! Most people come into the office around 9:30am - fine – but they don’t leave until around 10:00pm, some even staying past midnight! Machines. I told Christina that it’s just not in my DNA to handle hours like that. She said she was the same, but that after being here for nine months she’s started to adopt their ways. For instance, leaving and coming back after dinner and only meaning to stay for an extra hour can easily turn into three. I was here until after 8:00pm last night and I know what she means. The employees are livelier at night. They engage you in certain activities and tasks almost making you not want to leave. And of course, everyone is tired, but that is no excuse here. People push through. If you’re tired, eat quickly at lunch and take a nap at your desk. I think I will learn even better work habits here than I did at university. Like that’s a surprise – hehe.

I have to admit, Taiwanese food is better than I remember. Keep in mind that is saying a lot given the fact that I am eating mass production food from the company cafeteria every day. Christina watches me in disgust as I make comments like, “it’s not that bad; I actually really like it (on today’s seaweed soup).” She is convinced that all I need is a few more weeks, after I’ve experienced my second menu repeat and I will be singing a different tune. I would rather not talk about it and let it happen on its own terms. For now, I am content.

Well, it’s almost 6:30. We are leaving earlier than usual today (although not early by North American standards) so that we can bring Christina’s scooter in for repairs. I swear, if I wasn’t here to push her she would let that thing rust on the sidewalk until she leaves in January. She bought it months ago and still hasn’t used it! I was right on that like a kid on candy. That scooter is my ticket out of the industrial park and into the lovely nearby city of Hsinchu where I can eat a variety of different cuisines, take Mandarin courses at the University, and meet foreigners who have also parked here in Taiwan for a while. Christina has agreed to share it with me as long as I agree to be the designated chauffer - Fine by me as long as you hang on tight and don’t mind my driving.

Oh that reminds me! One last interesting fact before I take off. Yesterday I was warned - very seriously - to watch out for trucks while walking on the street. Apparently, here in Taiwan if a truck hits you and you survive, the driver is obligated to take care of you financially for the rest of your life. However, if he hits you and you happen to…die…he only has to pay your family two million NTD’s – a small price to pay if you ask me. Well you can imagine where this is going. As confirmed by a number of my co-workers, if you are struck by a truck driver on the street he WILL intentionally back over you again…and again to make sure that you are dead so he avoids the burden of having to provide lifelong financial support. Wow. Yeah. So if the long hours don’t kill me a fluke truck accident will. Until next time…

Arrival

I made it! After being hurried off by my grandma and parents on Friday night, I took off in a taxi to the airport where I sat and drank too much wine to pass all the time I had. The flight was 13 hours and stopped in Korea. I don’t think I slept much because I was exhausted when we arrived.

It was 2:30am in Korea which was totally unfortunate because everything was closed. It was like walking into an abandoned airport – not pleasant – and I was stranded there for the next six hours. Luckily I ran into a young fellow named Ryan. He was on his way to Manila from Toronto to visit family. We managed to pass the time fairly quickly chatting and watching online TV and then when things started to come alive at 7:00am we went up to try some Korean food. It was really good – similar to Chinese I thought with miso soup, kimchi, and pork. Ryan and I started to have so much fun talking that he almost missed his plane making it to the gate just a few minutes before take-off! Lucky they let him on.

I left shortly after and it was a short 2 hour ride to Taipei where I was met by Henry – one of the mangers at AIESEC, the organization that helped me get my work permit and VISA from the Taiwanese government. Christina met me also. She is the only other North American working at Brickcom and I met her last time I was here. She has been here for nine months already and will be finished this January (to her extreme excitement). She’s been waiting for me to come over for months so she can have someone to get into trouble with. Luckily we like each other.

About two hours after landing the initial excitement of arriving in Taiwan started to wane as Christina made me lug my heavy suitcase (with broken wheels) along the busy streets of Hsinchu in a wind storm just as my jet lag was really starting to hit. It got worse when we arrived at the bedding store to find that the lady didn’t speak any English. I was not in the mood for miming and my patience was running thin, but I managed to find some sweet leopard print covers that match nicely with my snuggy – much better than that lovely pink hello kitty crap I chose last time.

When we got back to the dorm I was shown my room – it’s on the top floor with my own bathroom, balcony and beautiful view of the city and China Sea. I am quite happy with it. The building is like a hollowed out square with a big garden in the middle. We have vending machines and badminton courts on my floor and I am steps away from the building I work in – super convenient. There are basketball courts outside and I have the option of joining photography or fishing classes…not too shabby for living in the heart of an industrial park.

This morning after waking up from a 12 hour sleep (that started at 6pm) I went to the main office building to work out in the gym…It was empty, not a soul around and all the lights were off so I ended up skulking around in the dark in this massive office building feeling very much like a secret agent but trying not to do anything suspicious as they probably had cameras all over me. I finally found the gym – again, empty. Christina says no one gets up in the morning here because most work until really late at night and savour the extra few hours they get in the morning (it’s nice because we don’t have to start until 1:00pm if we don’t want, as long as we work 8.5 hours Monday-Thursday and 8 hours on Friday). Apparently most people use the gym at night for the yoga classes to wind them down from their hard work day. I’ll try that this week too.

Coming back to my residence to get ready for my first day of work was nice. I’ve never had a place to myself and I liked it (ask me again in a few weeks). I met Christina and she brought me to the office and saw me off like a mom would do on her child’s first day of school – cute. She left me in a training room with eight other new recruits (all Taiwanese) and I’ve been listening to power point presentations and going over company procedures for the past four hours…all in Chinese. I’ll have to learn the language now. Now they are all about to take a test in Chinese which I am exempt from. Then they are going over documents (diplomas, health checks etc.) that I do not have so I will probably be exempt from that too.

Lunch was pretty typical – stir fry veggies and tofu. It is nice because they have a few little places with different options to choose from. There is a buffet style area set up, a kitchen that has daily specials (soups, noodles, dumplings etc.), and then a café that has western-style sandwiches, subs and drinks. We get a monthly budget for food and a card to swipe for convenience. I don’t see myself going to any of the local restaurants very often; a) because I want to save $; and b) because unlike in Taipei where many restaurants have English menus for foreigners, Hsinchu is totally Chinese which would make every order a gamble. I feel like I did sufficient experimentation during my last stay in Taiwan.

It’s almost the end of the day now and I have been stationed in a temporary office close to the product line manager who will be in charge of me for the next little while as I learn the ins and outs of the products. I haven’t been assigned anything yet and probably won’t be until tomorrow - probably for the best. Jet lag has struck again and I’m feeling dizzy watching everyone pace around the room. One of the female employees across the way just stood up with a big red “we’re number one” foam hand that she acquired while studying at Iowa state university. She’s jumping up and down trying to catch my attention to say hi. I think it’s time for a rest.

Hsinchu

One hour west of Taipei there is an industrial town called Hsinchu - this will be my new home for the next 3-6 months. A few interesting facts about Hsinchu:

1. It is the base of the high tech industry in Taiwan (my company is also in this industry)
2. It is the city with the higest income level in Taiwan (let's hope this carries over)
3. There are 360 high tech companies located in Hsinchu including Philips and Epistar
4. They do have an American International school in the city (this could provide a nice vacation from Mandarin)
4. The local delicacies as rice noodles and pork meatballs (no surprises there)
5. One of the main tourist attractions in Hsinchu is the Chenghuang night market where newbies are urged to try the cow tongue shaped cakes...mhmmm
5. Rainy season lasts from February to September (so happy I'll be skipping most of it)
6. I will be arriving in 20 degree Celcius weather
7. The firms do not celebrate Christmas (so I will be working hard for the first time on my favourite day of the year)

See you when I get there!

Vietnam...finally

Better late than never right? My father has been bugging me since I got back home in July to finish my blog about my trip to Vietnam. I always meant to…but getting home is hectic and getting back in the swing of things seemed to leave little time for writing. Three months later (days before I’m supposed to head back to Taiwan)I’m sitting here at my computer and finally have the urge to finish this sucker off.

Vietnam was my favourite trip although I can’t really explain why. It may have been the long two day trek through Sapa, hiking the rice fields and experiencing life with multiple authentic Vietnamese tribes. It also may have been the few days I spent in Hanoi, experiencing the vibrant life and delicious cuisine, and being wined and dined by some of my father’s business contacts. Either way, Vietnam was an incredible trip. Because it was been so long I don't remember the stories in such great detail, but many of the pictures illustrate enough.


My first meal in Hanoi - Vietnamese spring rolls. Shrimp on sugar cane, nuts, herbs, and of course my gin martini on the side.


The only picture I took on my walk about the city. My friend Ng took this of me infront of...I think it's the opera house? We went for cocktails afterward and then a wine bar hop so the camera never made its way out again.


My room on the overnight train to Sapa. Stupid small. I kept waking up every 30 minutes because I thought I'd miss my stop. They don't give you much warning, just a slight tap on the door and I need a heck of a lot more than that to get up on most days.

I don't have any pictures, but we arrived in Sapa very early the next morning and the second I got off the train the tracks were rammed with moving people and tour guides trying to sell me trekking packages. I had already bought mine but it was virtually impossible to find my guides. Typicaly this could have made for a stressful situation but I was too tired to care so I went and sat under a tree until the group found me. Then we were off in a rickety old truck to the start of our trekking trail.


The view from my hotel room.


I had a few hours before the trek began so I decided to check out the local market.


A group of these women followed me everywhere that morning. They are from a tribe that lives in the hills and they hike into town each morning to pick up the trekking groups. They walk back to their villages with the group and try to sell their bracelets, bags and other home made goods. This one had the best harassment tactics so I finally gave in a bought postcards from her.


You can see my hotel in the background. This is our tourguide chatting to us before the trip.


Rice fields in the hills. These take a lot of hard work and up-keep.


Young children playing in the hills. Their 6 year old sister takes care of them while their parents are out working.


Amazing view. Our final destination is further than you can see.


Children swimming nude in the river...the good life.


I thought the houses were so cool. They look like treehouses, kind of like the Swiss Family Robinson.


One of the familes let us in to tour around. This is their pet.


The kitchen.


The living area.


They soak local plants in water for three days. After that the water changes into a blue dye that they use to colour their clothes to differentiate themselves from other tribes.


The first store I had seen for miles.


Our homestead for the night. Some of the locals turn their homes into "motels" to make money. It was nice and clean and we were the only ones their that night.


Watching "footie" at night. The one couple is from the Netherlands and the other man is from France so they made sure the little TV was up and running for the night.


The tribe up bright and early to meet us again.


We walked and walked and this is the waterfall at the end of our trip. I couldn't take any photos because the terrain got pretty rough for a while there. I was glad to have the tribes ladies around as they prevented me from what could have turned into a few pretty bad face plants.


Helping make lunch.


Our view.


The next day we went to one of the largest markets in Vietnam.


You can see by the clothes that these ladies are from a different tribe. Apparently they come every week to find new colourful artifacts for their elaborate costumes.


Me at the boarder of Vietnam and China. I thought this was worthy of a photo.


The next day I took a trip to Halong bay. I skimped out on the tickets which was a bad idea. While all the younger people enjoyed big ships with upper decks to party and tan on, I was stuck on a rickety old thing with a broken air conditioner and a family with seven children. I did make one friend (forget his name) who was in the same pickle as me. We tried to enjoy the scenery as much as possible...it was quite beautiful.


Smile.

Woo done! :)

Singapore and final days in Taipei

Singapore was a bit of a different experience than Malaysia. It was unbelievably clean (you’ll get a massive fine for flicking a cigarette butt or spitting out your chewing gum on the sidewalk) and very westernized with any store or service you need within walking distance and a McDonald’s on every corner. It still had its differences though.

For example, we were riding the MRT to the hostel when all of a sudden we were ordered over the intercom to report any suspicious looking people. This message played over and over again every 5 minutes until I finally got used to it, but it was funny at first. How would you even classify a person as “suspicious looking?” And even more importantly, what would happen to a person if he or she was reported?

I remember a story my dad told me about his first time in Singapore years ago. Apparently when he arrived at the airport they stamped “undesirable person” on his forehead because of his long hair and then he wasn’t allowed to leave the holding room until he had it cut. They’ve definitely loosened up since then, but the MRT story is proof these kinds of perceptions/procedures still exist.

Our hostel was located just north of little India on a cute street just a 10 minute walk from a really neat part of town called Bugis. Here there was some fantastic dining, good shopping, museums, and grand hotels to scope out. On the first night we arrived, Claudia and I walked to Bugis and found a nice Moroccan restaurant where we dined on the street with many of the locals, most of whom finished their dinner with a lot of drinking and hooka smoking.


The Sultan Mosque. Located in Bugis just around the corner where we had dinner.


The Singapore cultural museum in Bugis. It was closed tonight but we got to snoop around the grounds and they were nice.


The main building of the cultural center.


This is the street where we ate our dinner.


Claudia enjoying chicken shwarma and hummous salad.

That night we met a young guy from Germany named Faulk. He had been travelling around for the past 11 months and Singapore was his last stop before heading home. We watched the soccer match that night together in our hostel lounge with about 15 other young guys from Europe who were all going nuts over the match. Being from Canada it was a bit weird seeing everyone so excited over soccer, but I pretended to follow along.

The next morning Faulk asked if he could tag along on our tour around the city which was great because having one extra person gave us more to talk and laugh about. We started out by going to the modern arts museum which Claudia really wanted to see.




Faulk and I walking with the art museam in the back.


A part of Singapore University across the street from the museum. Ivey had an option to do an exchange here too.

I found the art really odd, especially this one exhibit by a man from Singapore who videotaped himself performing a script over and over again in a language that was foreign to him. The purpose of this was to show his progression and how his performance improved over time as he became more and more comfortable speaking the new language. It was supposed to represent the foreigners who came to Singapore and had to learn a new language (the government is currently trying to have the national language declared as Chinese, as the Chinese make up most of the population; however, Singapore, like Malaysia is also home to many Indian and Malay peoples). I suppose he was trying to show that people have trouble showing their true person at first when they are new to a place – first they must get the culture and language down. Only once they have accomplished this can they actually be themselves, and perform in daily life to their potential. This is what I got from it at least – an interesting meaning behind the art, but man was it boring to watch. After that we went to lunch.


Faulk with his Thail green curry.


Claudia and I (I had Vietnamese in preparation for my next trip). We ate at a cafeteria near the museum and the food was incredible - and incredibly cheap!

After that, Claudia had planned for us to go to the botanical gardens. Faulk laughed as he heard the scheduled she had planned and blamed it on “being German.” I was happy to go along with it because most of it interested me too.

At this point, all we knew was the general direction of the gardens, but we had no idea how to actually get there. Being the one that loves to explore cities on foot, I suggested that we start in the right direction and see if we could walk. Well a few hours later, hot, tired, and Claudia in a new pair of shoes that gave her painful blisters that she had to buy because her flip flops broke, we finally made it.

I thought it was a nice walk actually. We got to stroll down the biggest shopping street in the city. There were huge malls, one after the other lined along a wide boulevard called Orchird Road that was covered in huge leafy trees.



The first mall we came upon.


The interior. This one was very mechanic feeling. A lot of stone and metal and glass.


A view of the street.


Another view from the sidewalk.

There were some bargain shops but most of it was high end – I think I saw at least four Gucci shops along the way and I am not talking small boutique stores; I am talking massive stone multi-storey buildings with huge carved pillars out front. What’s funny though is that the area didn’t have one trace of “snob” or arrogance – a bit different from the high end distract in Hong Kong. In Singapore I could have entered any one of the high end stores in flip flops and I still would have been greeted with complete kindness; however I wouldn’t dare enter one of these stores like that in Hong Kong.

But I digress. We were thrilled when we finally got to the gardens. Unfortunately, I think Faulk and I were too hot and tired to enjoy the gardens to the fullest – Claudia still pretended and moseyed along at a painfully slow pace snapping as many pictures as possible.


The entrance of the gardens.


a nice scene.


The main attraction was the orchid garden. It was quite beautiful and gave me some great ideas for my future home/nest/retreat. Take a look:



After the gardens we took the bus back to Bugis and had a much needed drink at one of the posh hotels in the area called Raffles Hotel.



The bar area.


Claudia and Faulk had the Singapore Sling. They'd never tried it before so it was kind of a must.


I had had it enough so it was white wine for me. After our drink (which was thoroughly enjoyed) we said goodbye to Faulk who had a plane out that night. I took a much needed shower, grabbed a quick bite and went to bed.

Claudia and I spent the next morning exploring little India - about a 5 minute walk from our hostel.


Me getting my eye brows threaded (much needed). Man did it hurt.


The main street, just starting to wake up.


The morning fruit market.


Inside an Indian temple.


Incredible detail on the temple.

Claudia and I decided to part ways for the afternoon. She wanted to see the animals at the zoo but I wanted to see the massive resort island that they were building up just off the coast with beaches and theme parks, casinos and entertainment.

Unfortunately, for both of us, at around two in the afternoon it started to pour cats and dogs. At this point I had made it to the island and was just about to change into my bathing suit to go for a swim when…rain - A sad reminder of my home in Taiwan. Luckily the island had numerous bars set up along the beach for tourists to enjoy a fancy drink or two. There I met a group of five guys from Australia who were all half in the bag and welcomed me over for a drink. They music played as were drank a few beers and it was actually really fun with the rain pouring down just steps away from where we were sitting. An older couple from the U.S. actually even enticed us all into a little rain dance. Talk about making the best of the best situation. Too bad I forgot my camera :(

After that I decided it was time to head back. They island builders are trying to accomplish a whole resort island with secret paths and exciting new things around every turn. I decided on the only way I knew back - a path through a tropical forest made of clay mud. I ended up slipping and falling and laughing my way (thanks to the beer) all the way back up the hill. Soaking wet I ran past the big boulevards of shops and restaurants, the universal studios, and the viewpoints (all of which I’ll have to save for my next trip) and hopped on the train back to the hostel just in time to meet Claudia for dinner.

Unfortunately, we were both a bit rained out on our last day, but we both felt as though we had done a great deal of Singapore in the time we had. You really don’t need that long.

Now, our hostel is something I haven’t talked about much yet. It was decent but in order to get the price we did (it took a while to find something under $15 CDN as Singapore is more expensive than most other countries in south East Asia) we had to share a room with 10 other people and this caused me a bit of trouble.

The first night I had a lot of trouble sleeping at first because the guy above me was a snorer. It just brought back all of those bad memories of family trips when I opted to sleep in the bathtub or on the balcony (yes, on the balcony in the SWISS ALPS!) to get away from my father’s terrible snoring (sorry dad). Once I had finally thought myself to sleep I was awoken by three Chinese guys who decided it was completely necessary to ruffle around with plastic bags for two hours at three in the morning. Who knows what they were doing but thanks to them I have a new phobia. And the first night isn’t even the worst of it.

On the second night in our hostel room there were plastic bags again at some ungodly hour. But what’s worse is that when I woke up in the morning and checked my purse my wallet with all of my money and cards (thankfully not my passport) was gone! Claudia and I checked checked and double checked, but nothing. We figured it had to have happened either right before I went to bed when I was in the shower (this was late at night after the soccer game had ended – I know because I bought a tea during that time) and had left my bag on my bed for a few minutes, or during the night when I was sleeping. Either way –the nerve! Silly people though really. They may have got about $6 CDN and a bunch of cards that have no value to them, but man did they cause me some inconvenience.

Without my wallet I had no money, no access to money (they had taken my debit and credit cards), and had to make it back to my dorm room in Taipei without Claudia who was heading to Bali for a few days. Claudia kindly lent me her computer and I managed to get a hold of my dad who wired me money to a western union in Taipei. Claudia also lent me a bit so I could get by until I got to a bank.

I’ve never had anything like that happen to me while travelling (although I know it happens often). It still does not change my outlook and I will not become more hostile or careful because of it. I trust people and don’t want to change that, and would like to believe that it was just misplaced but if not, I hope the person who took it enjoyed their $6 meal to the fullest.

I managed to make it back to Taipei with no problems.


...Well, except for trying to move around with my semi-busted luggage in the massive Singapore airport.

When I was in Taipei I ran into friends! Rob and Jeffery had just come from Cambodia and Vietnam and had some amazing stories which got me really excited because Vietnam was my next destination. We took the bus and a cab back to campus and shared all our travel stories.

I had come back to Taipei to finish a project for a class that ended June 27th. It was a class called consumer behaviour and my group and I had to pick a product, conduct a survey and figure out if the product was marketable in Taiwan and if so, how would we market it. We chose coloured contact lenses. Our project seemed to be a success with the teacher which was nice, but I was eager to get out travelling again before my time in South East Asia was up.

I spent Monday and Tuesday packing up all of my things, not really feeling any sadness or regret from what I hadn’t done or seen – that was a good sign. Most of the exchange students and the local student had left already so the campus was quiet and there wasn’t much to see or do but focus on packing.

On Tuesday June 29th, I treated myself to one last nice Taiwanese meal (with wine), said my goodbyes and then prepared to take off the next day for Vietnam!