and the saga continues...

Krista and I arrived in Taiwan after a full day of trains, planes, bus rides, and walking. We finally arrived at the apartment around 2 am exhausted, and were greeted by the infamous BauBau right away.

The next day Krista got to meet my current room mates (who for some reason were expecting me to bring back a Japanese person, so were quite surprised to find a blonde american girl in their living room) And had the beginnings of true cultural shock. Taiwan is a little rougher around the edges than Japan.

The weather could have been better, but then it usually has a tendency to change dramatically overnight, which it did a few times.

I took Krista to the Maokong Gondola ride up into the mountains which was nice. Stunning views of the mountains and the city below. We hiked around and had tea at a tea house on the cliff side. We also saw signs for some legendary 'pothole', so we spent the last of our energy hiking down a path in search of it. The result was that the path ended at a small creek, and the only things that even resembled a pothole were the small holes that the river had carved in the rocks. Still not sure about this alleged 'pothole', but it turned out to be a nice little hike off the beaten path through the mountain side.

Krista also got to come to two of my meetings which was very nice. We had some really good food and spent some time shopping around some of the districts in Taipei.

Then we took a trip to the coast to the town of Jiu Fen. This is a quaint town situated on the side of some small mountains that overlook a coastal harbor. The views were pretty awesome, and every turn on the ride up revealed more and more ornate temples and shrines peeking out of the misty mountain side. The town itself is a total tourist attraction. There is this crazy market that winds it's way along the cliff sides. It gives you the distinct feeling that you are in a very foreign place. The market is full of random little shops, and vendors selling a variety of unpleasant looking food. The road is packed with buses, scooters, and cars. However the road is steep, winding, and only about 10 feet wide so there are many times when you think... "that oncoming bus is either going to crash into us or it's going to take out all those pedestrians and buildings'"- but of course they never do. They just come within centimeters of it. We enjoyed some of the best tea I've had yet, and fresh squeezed apple juice.

Finally we got to karaoke! We went with Melissa and another Melissa to one of many KTV's, which includes a buffet and private karaoke rooms. These places are deluxe! The selection of English songs is limited, but we found some gems none the less. I blew my voice out within about 5 min., but made the most of it by singing the male vocals and Toni Braxton songs for the rest of the night.

Krista's visit to Taiwan was quick, but fun. Anything I'm forgetting? ... ah pictures!

(these aren't in the best order but I will attempt to dictate locations, etc above the photos)

Jiu Fen

View from the gondola...

Oncoming traffic yield to stray Americans

Hi-fiving a mountain bug

Kristas fresh squeezed apples on top of Jiu Fen

... who wouldn't want to buy mystery meat on a stick from this fine young lady?

Karaoke, Taiwan style...

Tea fields at the top of the gondola ride

Ordering beverages by 'cc's is going to take some getting used to... who knew 500 cc's was so big?!

BauBau sulking because his wife beats him

Garbage duty... rain or shine

... this just in!

...we interrupt this story to inform you that I have FINALLY secured a job! I had my first class today. This is a part time job so I will still need something to supplement it, but it's a start! I am teaching English at an evening cram school, which is great because it frees up my mornings for field service. So half the battle is over. Yay!

... and now back to our story in progress...

Asakusa

Next stop.. Asakusa.

Asakusa is home to such sights as the Asahi Beer tower, Nakamise Market, Sensoji temple, and for a limited time Krista and Katy. If there was one thing that stood out about Asakusa, it would be the staring. Even though the areas we went were teaming with tourists (albeit mainly Asian), Krista and I felt the presence of many unabashed eyes fixed on us, and a few cameras. I had gotten used to the occasional staring, giggling, pointing and random "hello's" (or even the odd person shouting 'American!' at me) but when you're accompanied by a big-eyed, platinum blonde American- the incidences become much more frequent.

We did see some very cool parts of the city & even a dragon dance. And our last hour was spent talking to an elderly 4 ft. tall Japanese man who had many opinions about American-Japanese relations & communication. Despite the cold weather he stood in the park in shorts and t-shirt, feet wrapped in paper & stuffed into sandals, and spoke with us for about half an hour.

These were our last 2 nights spent in Japan, onward now to Taipei!

The somber wait for the train that will take us away from Japan...

The river, Asahi building, & Tokyo tower..

Mt.Fuji & Kamakura

After our trip to Kyoto we took a train back towards Tokyo & met up with one of the girls I met the week before, Yumi. She took Krista and I to their Sunday meeting. It was really nice to be around witnesses again, very refreshing. Krista and I both commented in Japanese (with the help of Yumi) and got to meet all the wonderful friends. They were all so sweet and welcoming. I was definitely able to see my Japanese lessons at work at the meeting. Even though I was only able to follow very basic points during the talk, I was able to follow along in the WT just fine and got quite a bit out of the meeting still. (Thank you Rina for equipping me with theocratic vocab!!)

After meeting we met up with a group of Yumi's friends & siblings from the area & headed for Mt. Fuji... equipped with instant ramen, coffee, tea, lots of big coats, and a big portable stove. After a long winding drive up the mountain we arrived in the dark to go star gazing. The wind was so intense that I thought it was going to rip the doors off the car. And it was SOOO cold. We were all bundled up and getting blasted by freezing wind but we were having a great time. (as can be seen in the pictures below) We made a fire in the stove, cooked up noodles and coffee and watched the stars zip by above us.

The next day the Noguchi's took Krista and I to Kamakura, which is a nearby surfer town. I really liked it there. It had a very laid back feel, and there were plenty waves in the area to surf. We went to a bamboo forest where we got to experience a tea ceremony. It was soooo yummy! After tea we drove around Kamakura, went to the beach, and had coffee at the fanciest Denny's I have ever seen. (Even their crummy family restaurants are better than ours)

After a fun filled day Yumi, Ai, and Miku took Krista and I to a Japanese hotspring. Which proved to be more than we ever bargained for in more ways than one. The springs are pumped into a 5 story building that is basically a giant spa. It cost about $9 US is all. You get issued a brown Japanese UPS worker outfit which you wear in the saunas. These aren't your ordinary saunas... there are several different rooms, each at a different temperature and each containing beds of varying stones. So you go into the rooms, each has it's unique ambiance, and lay on a bed of polished stones and sweat like you never knew you could. After about an hour of hopping from room to room you feel like you've just had a full body massage. It was sooo relaxing. Then we went to the hot springs pools. Which are separated by gender... because they are totally al naturale. This took a little getting used to, but then you realize that it isn't as much like having a nightmare where you can't find your clothes, but actually you would stand out more if you WERE wearing a suit. (Although, this was one of the few occasions I was glad my eye sight is so bad) After soaking and getting totally relaxed, reality smacked us around a bit as we realized we needed to cross Tokyo to get to our next hostel in Asakusa, and as usual we were running behind and had limited directions... to be continued!

Intense mountain air!

the girls doing their best homeless impression

(hot springs not pictured.. for obvious reasons)