She's breaking up the band!
Get it? Taroko ONO is breaking up the band...ahhh....okay maybe it was funnier at 8 am on the small bus up to Taroko Gorge.
Taroko Gorge is Gorgeous (pun intended). Just huge cliffs that stretch as high as the clouds. We took some pictures but certainly they won't do it justice. We were walking around there for a couple hours and then tried to grab a bus back to our hostel...unfortunately we saw it driving by as we stopped to take another couple pictures. With the next one not coming for a couple hours we stuck out our thumbs and ended up being picked up! We hitched to a train station and headed back to our hostel....
Great times.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Random Thoughts...
Just a few thoughts...don't worry...their quick (and hopefully not long rambling like my previous posts...just short rambling).
I've begun to realize that its harder and harder to describe what I am doing day by day...at first I thought it was because I just couldn't remember what had happened (which could still be true) but after reading some of Anthony Bourdain's "The Nasty Bits" he shed light on what I now see as the cause of my writer's block:
After I read that I literally had shivers...as if Bourdain had read my mind and wrote what I was thinking in his book...
And now the ramblings...
Today I was saved from making an impulse purchase. A rather expensive one, at that. Don't bother asking what or how much it would've cost, because I won't tell you. Just know that it wasn't break the bank expensive but it was something unnecessary especially considering I am trying to spend as little money as possible. I am glad my credit card didn't work, for once...
Also today I lost my bible...otherwise known as my Taiwan Lonely Planet. This is kind of unfortunate for a variety of reasons. The biggest is I can no longer use its vast knowledge of the island...all the stuff I have seen I wouldn't have really known about had I not read this book. As well, and of greater concern at the time of loss was that I no longer had a map of the sprawling city that I was walking around and had to rely on my (awful) navigation skills to get me around. Even worse, I was on a 5 KM walk to see this giant laughing buddha and I really had no idea where it was, especially without the handy map in the book. Still, I walked around listening to some music for a few (read: 5) hours and then managed to make my way back to my hotel and eventually the train station...phew.
Also, I love Buddhas...big, giant Buddhas. I have seen a few in my travels and they never get old, no matter how similar they are to each other. Had I made it to the aforementioned laughing Buddha it would've been my 2nd in 3 days. The first being on Monday in Changua...very gorgeous, sitting on top of a mountain! If you are in Taiwan and haven't been to Changua, go do it.
...another place to go see if you haven't yet is Sun Moon Lake. I only stayed there for a couple hours but it was absolutely stunning. And very easy to get to from Changua...
Lastly I have been listening to Susan Tedeschi's new album Back to the River and it is fantastic. Particularly the song "Revolutionize your Soul"...check it out
Well that's it for now...so much for the writer's block I guess...I will try and post some pictures soonishly...
Bye for now!
I've begun to realize that its harder and harder to describe what I am doing day by day...at first I thought it was because I just couldn't remember what had happened (which could still be true) but after reading some of Anthony Bourdain's "The Nasty Bits" he shed light on what I now see as the cause of my writer's block:
"It's an irritating reality that many places and events defy description. Angkor Wat (which I hope to see on my trip) and Machu Picchu, for instance, seem to demand silence, like a love affair you can never talk about. For a while after, you fumble for words, trying vainly to assemble a private narrative, an explanation, a comfortable way to frame where you've been and what's happened. In the end, you're just happy you were there - with your eyes open - and lived to see it." from Preface - pg XII
After I read that I literally had shivers...as if Bourdain had read my mind and wrote what I was thinking in his book...
And now the ramblings...
Today I was saved from making an impulse purchase. A rather expensive one, at that. Don't bother asking what or how much it would've cost, because I won't tell you. Just know that it wasn't break the bank expensive but it was something unnecessary especially considering I am trying to spend as little money as possible. I am glad my credit card didn't work, for once...
Also today I lost my bible...otherwise known as my Taiwan Lonely Planet. This is kind of unfortunate for a variety of reasons. The biggest is I can no longer use its vast knowledge of the island...all the stuff I have seen I wouldn't have really known about had I not read this book. As well, and of greater concern at the time of loss was that I no longer had a map of the sprawling city that I was walking around and had to rely on my (awful) navigation skills to get me around. Even worse, I was on a 5 KM walk to see this giant laughing buddha and I really had no idea where it was, especially without the handy map in the book. Still, I walked around listening to some music for a few (read: 5) hours and then managed to make my way back to my hotel and eventually the train station...phew.
Also, I love Buddhas...big, giant Buddhas. I have seen a few in my travels and they never get old, no matter how similar they are to each other. Had I made it to the aforementioned laughing Buddha it would've been my 2nd in 3 days. The first being on Monday in Changua...very gorgeous, sitting on top of a mountain! If you are in Taiwan and haven't been to Changua, go do it.
...another place to go see if you haven't yet is Sun Moon Lake. I only stayed there for a couple hours but it was absolutely stunning. And very easy to get to from Changua...
Lastly I have been listening to Susan Tedeschi's new album Back to the River and it is fantastic. Particularly the song "Revolutionize your Soul"...check it out
Well that's it for now...so much for the writer's block I guess...I will try and post some pictures soonishly...
Bye for now!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Alishan
Here is the belated story of Josh and I's wonderful trip to Alishan.
I woke up early Saturday morning to see if we could get tickets on the Forest Railway. This train is a slower less comfortable way to get to Alishan, but you are riding a train through the forests and you even go through 3 different climate zones. Definately an attraction in and of itself. Unfortunately the train was all booked up and we had to bus it in. I bought some tickets and grabbed Josh from the hotel.
The bus ride was supposed to take 2 hours. Unfortunately, on the bus we realized that the Cherry Blossom Festival was going and it being a Saturday, the roads were packed with cars, busses and scooters. Eventually after an extra couple of hours or so and some serious driving skills from our driver (I swear driving that bus on the mountain should be an olympic sport) we made it to our destination. It's a little foggy but we can tell the view is spectacular.
We did a little sightseeing once we got settled and managed to stumble accross some pretty old and enormous trees (a couple of which were almost 2000 years old!!). We found a nice spot to watch the sunset and parked ourselves there. I think between the two of us that night we scored maybe 100 or so pictures of the sunset....which pales in comparison to the pictures we got of the sunrise (more on that later). On our way home we ate dinner at a delicious (but pricey) Taiwanese restaurant (with English menus, luckily) and wander on home...hitting the sack by an incredible 8pm! I don't think I have gone to bed that early since I was 9 years old.
The reason we went to bed so early is because we had to wake up at 430 am to catch the sunrise bus. Basically the big thing to do at Alishan is to wake up really early and see the sunrise, as was evident by the hundreds of Taiwanese people that were standing on the summit snapping away pictures (despite being broad daylight and the sunrise having been an hour earlier). Of course, this included us, because despite our efforts of waking up early (which for me was insane...normaly I am not going to bed until 430) we still were late. Luckily we managed to snap a few (read: hundreds) good shots (mostly from Josh) and even saw a monkey or two before we headed back to the main part of Alishan.
We really wanted to take the train back to Chiayi so the first thing we did was try and procure tickets...we went into the train station and we couldn't find the ticket window. Josh had the bright idea of going upstairs "just to see". We see the ticket window and push our way to the front (lines? what lines?) and score two tickets on the train at noon (!!!). That gave us a couple hours to sit and relax before the train.
This train takes an extra couple hours to our destination, but what it lacks in speed it makes up for in splendour and beauty. Not too mention a little danger. There were a couple times where Josh would nudge me a little and point to the window where we would be riding on a bridge basically the size of the train. Let me tell you, this train ride has been one of the highlights of my entire trip and one of the coolest things I have ever done. Some of the things I saw I can't even explain (let alone take pictures that could do it justice). Reading and finishing my book (Setting the Table by Danny Meyer) was exactly what I wanted to do for an afternoon...ahh just so relaxing.
We finished off our weekend trip by eating some "famous" Turkey Gravy Rice dish from Chiayi, supposedly from the exact restaurant that it was invented....and still only 2 bucks...gotta love it.
Right now I am in a town called Lekang. Yesterday I saw a really big Buddha statue in Changua and tomorrow I think I am going to Sun Moon Lake....I shall post pictures when I can!
I woke up early Saturday morning to see if we could get tickets on the Forest Railway. This train is a slower less comfortable way to get to Alishan, but you are riding a train through the forests and you even go through 3 different climate zones. Definately an attraction in and of itself. Unfortunately the train was all booked up and we had to bus it in. I bought some tickets and grabbed Josh from the hotel.
The bus ride was supposed to take 2 hours. Unfortunately, on the bus we realized that the Cherry Blossom Festival was going and it being a Saturday, the roads were packed with cars, busses and scooters. Eventually after an extra couple of hours or so and some serious driving skills from our driver (I swear driving that bus on the mountain should be an olympic sport) we made it to our destination. It's a little foggy but we can tell the view is spectacular.
We did a little sightseeing once we got settled and managed to stumble accross some pretty old and enormous trees (a couple of which were almost 2000 years old!!). We found a nice spot to watch the sunset and parked ourselves there. I think between the two of us that night we scored maybe 100 or so pictures of the sunset....which pales in comparison to the pictures we got of the sunrise (more on that later). On our way home we ate dinner at a delicious (but pricey) Taiwanese restaurant (with English menus, luckily) and wander on home...hitting the sack by an incredible 8pm! I don't think I have gone to bed that early since I was 9 years old.
The reason we went to bed so early is because we had to wake up at 430 am to catch the sunrise bus. Basically the big thing to do at Alishan is to wake up really early and see the sunrise, as was evident by the hundreds of Taiwanese people that were standing on the summit snapping away pictures (despite being broad daylight and the sunrise having been an hour earlier). Of course, this included us, because despite our efforts of waking up early (which for me was insane...normaly I am not going to bed until 430) we still were late. Luckily we managed to snap a few (read: hundreds) good shots (mostly from Josh) and even saw a monkey or two before we headed back to the main part of Alishan.
We really wanted to take the train back to Chiayi so the first thing we did was try and procure tickets...we went into the train station and we couldn't find the ticket window. Josh had the bright idea of going upstairs "just to see". We see the ticket window and push our way to the front (lines? what lines?) and score two tickets on the train at noon (!!!). That gave us a couple hours to sit and relax before the train.
This train takes an extra couple hours to our destination, but what it lacks in speed it makes up for in splendour and beauty. Not too mention a little danger. There were a couple times where Josh would nudge me a little and point to the window where we would be riding on a bridge basically the size of the train. Let me tell you, this train ride has been one of the highlights of my entire trip and one of the coolest things I have ever done. Some of the things I saw I can't even explain (let alone take pictures that could do it justice). Reading and finishing my book (Setting the Table by Danny Meyer) was exactly what I wanted to do for an afternoon...ahh just so relaxing.
We finished off our weekend trip by eating some "famous" Turkey Gravy Rice dish from Chiayi, supposedly from the exact restaurant that it was invented....and still only 2 bucks...gotta love it.
Right now I am in a town called Lekang. Yesterday I saw a really big Buddha statue in Changua and tomorrow I think I am going to Sun Moon Lake....I shall post pictures when I can!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
My Feet Are My Only Carriage...
I haven't posted in a few days so I thought I would share with you where I was etc.
Right now I am in Tainan staying with my friend Josh in his killer apartment. Luckily he had an extra room for me to stay in so I am saving money by not paying rent. Money itself was a little problem because for some reason the ATM's here in Tainan wouldn't let me take out money for a few days...I managed to find one that spit out a few dollars today though.
Tainan is in the South of Taiwan, to get here I took a 6 hour train ride a couple days ago. You can take a 2 hour train ride but it was three times the price. So far in Tainan I have seen a couple temples and eaten some great food, especially at one of the night markets here.
Night markets are fantastic. Its a blend of clothes, food, carnival games, and even a pet store. They get PACKED as well but the food is cheap and well worth being sandwiched between a thousand people. I wonder if they would work in Toronto??
The best (of 2...haha) night market I have seen so far has been one in Taipei called Shilin. Its in a maze of a dozen different streets and you could get anything you want there (as long as its either really small clothing or food on a stick). Like I said, the food is absolutely the highlight...they have candied cherry tomatoes!! Delicious. There are also these little illegal (I think) carts that set up shop in the middle of the street (creating pedestrian traffic jams like you wouldn't believe). These shops are interesting because they all have little walkie talkies...on the other end are their buddies on the lookout for the cops. Whenever the cops are close by they all hustle their carts (and run into people in the process...apparently I don't know the word for "Get the hell out of the way" in mandarin yet) into another spot in the market. Anyway, I have realised that I didn't bring enough shirts (5 only) so i need to get one at a night market. I am trying to find a tee shirt that has the worst written english ever....something along the lines of "Good thing yes baseball"
I managed to do one of the day trips I was thinking about doing. It's difficult without my own transport (more on this later...) so I was happy to go to a town called Wulai. Wulai about a 40 minute bus ride outside of Taipei. Finding this bus was not the easiest thing in the world, but luckily for me I am relatively smart (relative to whom you might ask...) and I figured it out eventually. I met a really nice couple on the bus (which was an adventure in itself) and ended up seeing them around town and actually eating lunch with them! Anyway, this town's top draw is a gorgeous waterfall...you can take a small little log train from the downtown to the waterfall and then there is a gondola ride to the waterfall! Absolutely stunning, so green and full of fresh air and friendly people. I loved it, I wish I could show pictures on this thing but I haven't figured that out yet so I will just post a link to my pictures here.
I mentioned my own transport...so Josh has a scooter here and I have just been sitting on the back of it riding around. Unfortunately, from what I have learned getting around the East Coast and West Coast (which is where I really want to go) is a lot easier with your own transport. With Josh going to be working during the weeks I am not going to have any way of getting around other than my own two feet. "Not to worry", I think to myself I can just rent a scooter. The problem is, however, that I am absolutely useless on anything with two wheels, a seat, and a motor (even if it didn't have a motor I would probably be lost as to how to groove on it). The only other time I tried renting a scooter I was in Bali, Indonesia and I drove the scooter straight off the lot into a parked car (hahahahahaha, hindsight makes it pretty funny actually). A little nervous, Josh has offered to lend me his to go around the parking lot in his building...I went today for a little and I think a few more times and I'll be able to get it...or not. We shall see. Until then like Bob Nesta said "My feet is my only carriage, so I've got to push on through....and while I am gone, everything's gonna be alright, everything's gonna be alright..."
I think that's it for now, later team.
Ari
ps - I've been listening to a pretty good Dead tune recently and I wanted to share some poignant lyrics from it that mean a lot to me and what I am doing these days:
Well, I sure don't know
What I'm goin' for
But I'm gonna go for it,
That's for sure.
- Saint of Circumstance
indeed.
Right now I am in Tainan staying with my friend Josh in his killer apartment. Luckily he had an extra room for me to stay in so I am saving money by not paying rent. Money itself was a little problem because for some reason the ATM's here in Tainan wouldn't let me take out money for a few days...I managed to find one that spit out a few dollars today though.
Tainan is in the South of Taiwan, to get here I took a 6 hour train ride a couple days ago. You can take a 2 hour train ride but it was three times the price. So far in Tainan I have seen a couple temples and eaten some great food, especially at one of the night markets here.
Night markets are fantastic. Its a blend of clothes, food, carnival games, and even a pet store. They get PACKED as well but the food is cheap and well worth being sandwiched between a thousand people. I wonder if they would work in Toronto??
The best (of 2...haha) night market I have seen so far has been one in Taipei called Shilin. Its in a maze of a dozen different streets and you could get anything you want there (as long as its either really small clothing or food on a stick). Like I said, the food is absolutely the highlight...they have candied cherry tomatoes!! Delicious. There are also these little illegal (I think) carts that set up shop in the middle of the street (creating pedestrian traffic jams like you wouldn't believe). These shops are interesting because they all have little walkie talkies...on the other end are their buddies on the lookout for the cops. Whenever the cops are close by they all hustle their carts (and run into people in the process...apparently I don't know the word for "Get the hell out of the way" in mandarin yet) into another spot in the market. Anyway, I have realised that I didn't bring enough shirts (5 only) so i need to get one at a night market. I am trying to find a tee shirt that has the worst written english ever....something along the lines of "Good thing yes baseball"
I managed to do one of the day trips I was thinking about doing. It's difficult without my own transport (more on this later...) so I was happy to go to a town called Wulai. Wulai about a 40 minute bus ride outside of Taipei. Finding this bus was not the easiest thing in the world, but luckily for me I am relatively smart (relative to whom you might ask...) and I figured it out eventually. I met a really nice couple on the bus (which was an adventure in itself) and ended up seeing them around town and actually eating lunch with them! Anyway, this town's top draw is a gorgeous waterfall...you can take a small little log train from the downtown to the waterfall and then there is a gondola ride to the waterfall! Absolutely stunning, so green and full of fresh air and friendly people. I loved it, I wish I could show pictures on this thing but I haven't figured that out yet so I will just post a link to my pictures here.
I mentioned my own transport...so Josh has a scooter here and I have just been sitting on the back of it riding around. Unfortunately, from what I have learned getting around the East Coast and West Coast (which is where I really want to go) is a lot easier with your own transport. With Josh going to be working during the weeks I am not going to have any way of getting around other than my own two feet. "Not to worry", I think to myself I can just rent a scooter. The problem is, however, that I am absolutely useless on anything with two wheels, a seat, and a motor (even if it didn't have a motor I would probably be lost as to how to groove on it). The only other time I tried renting a scooter I was in Bali, Indonesia and I drove the scooter straight off the lot into a parked car (hahahahahaha, hindsight makes it pretty funny actually). A little nervous, Josh has offered to lend me his to go around the parking lot in his building...I went today for a little and I think a few more times and I'll be able to get it...or not. We shall see. Until then like Bob Nesta said "My feet is my only carriage, so I've got to push on through....and while I am gone, everything's gonna be alright, everything's gonna be alright..."
I think that's it for now, later team.
Ari
ps - I've been listening to a pretty good Dead tune recently and I wanted to share some poignant lyrics from it that mean a lot to me and what I am doing these days:
Well, I sure don't know
What I'm goin' for
But I'm gonna go for it,
That's for sure.
- Saint of Circumstance
indeed.
Monday, March 9, 2009
First Impressions of Taiwan....
Well I have been in Taipei for about 24 hours now so I thought I would give some first impressions...
Firstly, my Mandarin is way worse than I thought it was...I thought I could at least count but the speed in which people talk over here is just mind boggling. I think I need a couple days to get used to it. I did, however, realise that I remembered the characters for some food. I have been eating at places that only have mandarin menues and just pointing to the things that I recognise and are cheap. So far everything I have had has been very very tasty...lets hope I keep the streak alive.
Secondly, its very wet. And colder than I thought it would be, I found myself wearing lots of layers today (or at least the layers that I have...which is 3).
Thirdly, Taipei 101 is huge. I went there today and it is a freakin awesome structure. It really stands out and was well worth the trip over there. One thing I noticed, however, was there was no mention of the CN Tower on their world's tallest building list. Maybe its only Canadians that think it is the tallest (except for the new Burj)...a quick check over at infoplease.com says that the CN Tower is the world's tallest tower at 1815 ft and Taipei 101 is the world's tallest building at 1667 ft. Which means that the CN Tower is the taller structure....which makes me feel warm inside....haha. There is a picture in the observatory on the East side with cities and famous buildings to the east of Taipei. There is no mention of Toronto, but there is a picture of the CN Tower and they make it look small. And I mean small...smaller than the space needle in Seattle among other things....I sense a little jealousy perhaps??? On a side note, First Canadian Place is 38th on that buildings list...who knew?
Overall Taipei is a very easy city to get around in, extremely friendly and has some great food. Tomorrow I am going to a town called Wulai just outside of Taipei on a day trip. Supposedly there are some nice waterfalls and nature to check out, so I am hoping that it is warm outside. After that I am going to make my way down to Tainan to see my friend Josh, and stick around there for a couple days to bother him. He and I at the end of the month are going to be going to a music festival at the southern most point of the country called Spring Scream...supposedly its free but there are tickets for sale. We shall see...either way I am very excited to hit festival number 3 with my good buddy Moss (1 and 2 being CTMF).
Just as an aside, my plane ride over from Singapore was fantastic...that is until they started to descend into Taiwan. We got stuck in clouds for what seemed like an hour and every now and then the plane would drop a couple feet...and by drop I mean FALL. And my heart went with it believe me...by the end my palms were pretty sweaty and my knuckles were white...so much so that I almost forgot my camera on the plane. I had to run back through the terminal and while the crew was cleaning up run back onto the plane and search for my camera. Luckily I found it but I was a little thrown off...I need to start paying more attention haha.
Tonight I am going to a night market called Shilin to eat some crazy food and possibly purchase some cheap crap..errr I mean artifacts. Anyone want anything??
Cheers, Ari
ps - The WBC is huge over here...I was having a coffee and watching the Puerto Rico/ OZ (?) game earlier today...they also have a MLB store right near my hostel with WBC stuff. I asked if they had any Team Canada "jia na da" tee shirts and they laughed at me....
Firstly, my Mandarin is way worse than I thought it was...I thought I could at least count but the speed in which people talk over here is just mind boggling. I think I need a couple days to get used to it. I did, however, realise that I remembered the characters for some food. I have been eating at places that only have mandarin menues and just pointing to the things that I recognise and are cheap. So far everything I have had has been very very tasty...lets hope I keep the streak alive.
Secondly, its very wet. And colder than I thought it would be, I found myself wearing lots of layers today (or at least the layers that I have...which is 3).
Thirdly, Taipei 101 is huge. I went there today and it is a freakin awesome structure. It really stands out and was well worth the trip over there. One thing I noticed, however, was there was no mention of the CN Tower on their world's tallest building list. Maybe its only Canadians that think it is the tallest (except for the new Burj)...a quick check over at infoplease.com says that the CN Tower is the world's tallest tower at 1815 ft and Taipei 101 is the world's tallest building at 1667 ft. Which means that the CN Tower is the taller structure....which makes me feel warm inside....haha. There is a picture in the observatory on the East side with cities and famous buildings to the east of Taipei. There is no mention of Toronto, but there is a picture of the CN Tower and they make it look small. And I mean small...smaller than the space needle in Seattle among other things....I sense a little jealousy perhaps??? On a side note, First Canadian Place is 38th on that buildings list...who knew?
Overall Taipei is a very easy city to get around in, extremely friendly and has some great food. Tomorrow I am going to a town called Wulai just outside of Taipei on a day trip. Supposedly there are some nice waterfalls and nature to check out, so I am hoping that it is warm outside. After that I am going to make my way down to Tainan to see my friend Josh, and stick around there for a couple days to bother him. He and I at the end of the month are going to be going to a music festival at the southern most point of the country called Spring Scream...supposedly its free but there are tickets for sale. We shall see...either way I am very excited to hit festival number 3 with my good buddy Moss (1 and 2 being CTMF).
Just as an aside, my plane ride over from Singapore was fantastic...that is until they started to descend into Taiwan. We got stuck in clouds for what seemed like an hour and every now and then the plane would drop a couple feet...and by drop I mean FALL. And my heart went with it believe me...by the end my palms were pretty sweaty and my knuckles were white...so much so that I almost forgot my camera on the plane. I had to run back through the terminal and while the crew was cleaning up run back onto the plane and search for my camera. Luckily I found it but I was a little thrown off...I need to start paying more attention haha.
Tonight I am going to a night market called Shilin to eat some crazy food and possibly purchase some cheap crap..errr I mean artifacts. Anyone want anything??
Cheers, Ari
ps - The WBC is huge over here...I was having a coffee and watching the Puerto Rico/ OZ (?) game earlier today...they also have a MLB store right near my hostel with WBC stuff. I asked if they had any Team Canada "jia na da" tee shirts and they laughed at me....
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Riches!!!
Well I wasn't going to do a posting for a little while, as I was trying to build a few stories instead of just recounting my entire day because...well...quite frankly not every day is exciting enough that people would actually want to read about it.
Having said that, I neeeeed to tell this story:
Last night this friendly Dutch girl mentioned she was going to a nice restaurant for dinner and asked if I wanted to tag along. Worried about how much it would cost I politely declined saying I was trying to save money. After a few minutes I thought to myself: "Self, when is the next time I am going to be in HK? I might as well just go...whats an extra couple of dollars, especially at the beginning of the trip." So I went, and as it turns out this restaurant has a view equivalent of Canoe except nicer. And I am not exagerating....30 floors up, right on the water in TST looking out over the gorgeous HK Skyline with its magical colours and interesting architecture. Anyone that has seen a picture of the Skyline (or seen it in person) knows what I am talking about.
Anyway, after dinner my new friend and I decided to go to bar that a friend had told her about called The Feather Boa, in Soho. We walked into this place and immediately we noticed we were underdressed. Undeterred by that we order a couple drinks...my friend orders a Chocolate Strawberry somethingorother and the martini glass has chocolate dust all around it. I asked how they do it and the bartender told me it was a secret...
Now, this place is packed to the tits so as soon as two seats become available we snatch them up. As soon as we sit down I look to the ground and notice three 100$ bills just lying there. Not one to keep money lonely, I pick up two of them (the other was caught under something) and throw them into my pocket. As I am doing this, I take a closer look at the bills and realize that those weren't 100's, they were THOUSANDS. My friend and I look at each other, grab the third bill from the ground and get out of there before someone notices they are missing 600$ Canadian....
Initially, I felt bad about taking the money because well how would you feel if you lost that kind of money??? But really, there was no option of giving it back to anyone...how do you ask someone if they lost 1000$....anyone and everyone would say yes. I'd rather it be me with some extra cash anyway. Besides, if your out carrying that kind of money and are too drunk or too careless to not protect it then maybe you deserve to lose it???? (maybe not) Anyway, we take our new found riches to another bar where I by a couple drinks that I've been wanting to try and never have (Macallan 18, Hennessey XO) and we giddly enjoy the fact that someone else is paying....
We made it an early night as I wanted to save most of my half of the money (yea, we shared it) but that was such an amazing thing to happen that I needed to share it with ya.....
Okay well I am going to make like a banana and head out...peace
Having said that, I neeeeed to tell this story:
Last night this friendly Dutch girl mentioned she was going to a nice restaurant for dinner and asked if I wanted to tag along. Worried about how much it would cost I politely declined saying I was trying to save money. After a few minutes I thought to myself: "Self, when is the next time I am going to be in HK? I might as well just go...whats an extra couple of dollars, especially at the beginning of the trip." So I went, and as it turns out this restaurant has a view equivalent of Canoe except nicer. And I am not exagerating....30 floors up, right on the water in TST looking out over the gorgeous HK Skyline with its magical colours and interesting architecture. Anyone that has seen a picture of the Skyline (or seen it in person) knows what I am talking about.
Anyway, after dinner my new friend and I decided to go to bar that a friend had told her about called The Feather Boa, in Soho. We walked into this place and immediately we noticed we were underdressed. Undeterred by that we order a couple drinks...my friend orders a Chocolate Strawberry somethingorother and the martini glass has chocolate dust all around it. I asked how they do it and the bartender told me it was a secret...
Now, this place is packed to the tits so as soon as two seats become available we snatch them up. As soon as we sit down I look to the ground and notice three 100$ bills just lying there. Not one to keep money lonely, I pick up two of them (the other was caught under something) and throw them into my pocket. As I am doing this, I take a closer look at the bills and realize that those weren't 100's, they were THOUSANDS. My friend and I look at each other, grab the third bill from the ground and get out of there before someone notices they are missing 600$ Canadian....
Initially, I felt bad about taking the money because well how would you feel if you lost that kind of money??? But really, there was no option of giving it back to anyone...how do you ask someone if they lost 1000$....anyone and everyone would say yes. I'd rather it be me with some extra cash anyway. Besides, if your out carrying that kind of money and are too drunk or too careless to not protect it then maybe you deserve to lose it???? (maybe not) Anyway, we take our new found riches to another bar where I by a couple drinks that I've been wanting to try and never have (Macallan 18, Hennessey XO) and we giddly enjoy the fact that someone else is paying....
We made it an early night as I wanted to save most of my half of the money (yea, we shared it) but that was such an amazing thing to happen that I needed to share it with ya.....
Okay well I am going to make like a banana and head out...peace
Taiwan here I come
Day 2....
Spent the day walking around getting reaquianted with HK. Looked at all the crap for sale in MongKok, took the Star Ferry, and got caught in terrential downpour....all in all good times.
I forgot how ridiculously expensive the night life in HK was. I spent a few days worth of budget having a couple drinks last night...crazy. Ah well it was certainly a fun one, met this guy named Nicholas while waiting for the elevator to get up to my "hostel" (just as aside, you've never waited until you've waited for the elevator in Chung King mansions...takes forever) and we went out for some drinks in TST before going to Wan Chai where we met up with Corynn and her friend.
Woke up early today and took quite possibly the worst (but most needed) shower ever...no need too really explain. After that I walked around TST, went to Yau Ma Tei and just took in the sights. Oh how I missed the fresh air...
Also, I bought my ticket to Taiwan today. Heading there via Singapore and staying there for about 3 weeks. I am really looking forward to seeing Taiwan and of course to see my old buddy Moss, I think its been a year (at least) since ive seen him. I leave Saturday morning (god I hope I wake up...8 am...ugghh) and don't come back to HK until the day I fly back home. The main reason for this is because it is soooo much cheaper to fly places out of Singapore (which I will be using as my hub for getting around SE Asia, an idea I stole from Sarah Hall back in Guelph). That way it will be a lot easier to get to places like KL, Bangkok, Cambodia etc...which is good news. I may even go to Australia for a little...who knows.
One more thing...why do people keep their umbrellas open when they are walking underneath a covered walkway???? To me this is so annoying as I tend to poked in the eye with em, and at least when theres rain coming down its for good reason. But no one needs an umbrella when they are under something covered, am I right????? I have a picture but I am not sure how to add em in here...maybe I'll figure that out tomorrow...
Anyway thats all for now, have a good one
ps - burn my stuff all you want, but if you hurt the penguin there is going to be some serious reprecussions...serious reprecussions.
pps - save me some of that canadian mist??? or is it too late?
Spent the day walking around getting reaquianted with HK. Looked at all the crap for sale in MongKok, took the Star Ferry, and got caught in terrential downpour....all in all good times.
I forgot how ridiculously expensive the night life in HK was. I spent a few days worth of budget having a couple drinks last night...crazy. Ah well it was certainly a fun one, met this guy named Nicholas while waiting for the elevator to get up to my "hostel" (just as aside, you've never waited until you've waited for the elevator in Chung King mansions...takes forever) and we went out for some drinks in TST before going to Wan Chai where we met up with Corynn and her friend.
Woke up early today and took quite possibly the worst (but most needed) shower ever...no need too really explain. After that I walked around TST, went to Yau Ma Tei and just took in the sights. Oh how I missed the fresh air...
Also, I bought my ticket to Taiwan today. Heading there via Singapore and staying there for about 3 weeks. I am really looking forward to seeing Taiwan and of course to see my old buddy Moss, I think its been a year (at least) since ive seen him. I leave Saturday morning (god I hope I wake up...8 am...ugghh) and don't come back to HK until the day I fly back home. The main reason for this is because it is soooo much cheaper to fly places out of Singapore (which I will be using as my hub for getting around SE Asia, an idea I stole from Sarah Hall back in Guelph). That way it will be a lot easier to get to places like KL, Bangkok, Cambodia etc...which is good news. I may even go to Australia for a little...who knows.
One more thing...why do people keep their umbrellas open when they are walking underneath a covered walkway???? To me this is so annoying as I tend to poked in the eye with em, and at least when theres rain coming down its for good reason. But no one needs an umbrella when they are under something covered, am I right????? I have a picture but I am not sure how to add em in here...maybe I'll figure that out tomorrow...
Anyway thats all for now, have a good one
ps - burn my stuff all you want, but if you hurt the penguin there is going to be some serious reprecussions...serious reprecussions.
pps - save me some of that canadian mist??? or is it too late?
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Made it...
Ahh.....I made it.
So right now I am sitting in a quite cramped "internet cafe" making some phone calls and figuring out my plans for the evening. Found a bed in a building called ChungKing Mansions, for 60 HKD, about 5 bucks. Let me tell ya, I am getting what I am paying for...
The flight was fantastic. Free beer, free movies in front of you and a little bit of sleep made for an easy time for sure. It is sooo strange being back on this side of the world, I almost feel like I haven't left. I did notice that getting off the plane I was the only one in a tee shirt and sandals...I was afraid it was going to be cold. Alas it is 25 degrees and it feels good outside. I am not too sure how long I will stay in HK as I am pretty excited to head off to Taiwan. I am going to try tomorrow to find some cheap flights.
Anyway, I don't want to spend too much time on the comp but I thought I'd give you an update to let you all (all? I wonder if the total amount of people reading this deserves an "all") know that I am okay and I made it with all my limbs in tact...
Cheers folks
ps - thanks for some awesome going away drinking in Collingwood and Toronto!!
So right now I am sitting in a quite cramped "internet cafe" making some phone calls and figuring out my plans for the evening. Found a bed in a building called ChungKing Mansions, for 60 HKD, about 5 bucks. Let me tell ya, I am getting what I am paying for...
The flight was fantastic. Free beer, free movies in front of you and a little bit of sleep made for an easy time for sure. It is sooo strange being back on this side of the world, I almost feel like I haven't left. I did notice that getting off the plane I was the only one in a tee shirt and sandals...I was afraid it was going to be cold. Alas it is 25 degrees and it feels good outside. I am not too sure how long I will stay in HK as I am pretty excited to head off to Taiwan. I am going to try tomorrow to find some cheap flights.
Anyway, I don't want to spend too much time on the comp but I thought I'd give you an update to let you all (all? I wonder if the total amount of people reading this deserves an "all") know that I am okay and I made it with all my limbs in tact...
Cheers folks
ps - thanks for some awesome going away drinking in Collingwood and Toronto!!
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