TLDR; This past summer I had the privilege of bringing my boyfriend back to two of my home countries and discovering a new one with him. We went to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore and had so much fun! The only regret I had was not using my Canon camera more often, it was hot and humid and I just didn't feel like carrying a clunky camera around and sweating on it. All photos were captured on an iPhone 6. Travel is pretty trendy now, and I'm just lucky that its a frequent part of my life.
Taiwan
Just so you know Taiwan has incredible food. Asia in general has an amazing palette but Taiwanese food holds a special place in my heart. The photo below has a bunch of great plates that are a combination of traditional and innovative. Here we have a oyster omelet, sweet plum fried chicken, teppanyaki tofu, stewed beef and veggies, and sautéed eggplants with garlic and spice.
This is a traditional Hakka (native) dish that uses sweet potatoes dough to wrap pork, wok-fried vegetables and peanut powder. The raw dumplings wrapped in banana leaves and cooked over the fire. The results is a wonderfully gooey dumpling with sweet and savory goodness.
Love One was constructed about two months before I left Taiwan for my second year of college, so I didn't have the chance to try it until this past summer. This restaurant is Great Gatsby themed, and fuses western and Asian cuisines. The dish I loved was a beef stew risotto that used Taiwanese cooking techniques and flavors.
Discovering new quirks in familiar places is my favorite. This rock is called 花瓶石民宿 and is shaped like the continent of Africa. It is located on the island of 小琉球. We explored the entire island and had a lot of fun riding around on rental mopeds.
Trekking through the interesting coves of 小琉球 where soldiers hid from their enemies (I don't recall which war or which soldier, pardon me).
I have never thought of myself as an island girl, but I really am. Kenting is a popular tourist spot and is comprised of several beaches, bed and breakfasts, and the strip. The Kenting strip is basically one long street that comes alive at night as a night market. Street food everywhere, cheap souvenirs, and plenty of carnival games where you can win a stuffed animal.
This is the Gaomei Wetlands in southern Taiwan. The beach is always covered with a thin layer of refreshing sea water and there are tiny crabs that will nip you if you step on them. Between the squishy sand and cool water we basically had a free spa session.
Rainbow Village was originally the size of a small town, but consequently diminished after the government claimed the land for redevelopment. A veteran named Huang Yung-Fu decided to literally 'paint the town' in order to preserve it after several of his fellow military comrades moved away to better housing. He hoped that his artistic talent would attract the attention of Taiwan and save his village. The population has diminished to about ten individuals who stand by their homes, and after a campaign the government decide to preserve the houses left standing as a cultural area.
Sun Moon Lake is another tourist attraction that proudly hosts the Thao tribe and several stops via boat tour. It is the largest body of water in Taiwan and can be enjoyed by cable care, boat, or if you're really a feeling it - a hike.
The National Palace Museum is full of artifacts and history. It is THE museum of Taiwan and holds decades of history. We weren't allowed to take any photos inside but the Jade Cabbage and Meat-shaped Stone is worth a Google search.
What you don't see in these photos is the sweat and suffocating heat that was present the entire time. Regardless of the weather, I had so much fun showing this guy around!
Teehee.
