Wrap Up- Taipei, Taiwan

This week we were in Taiwan, the plane ride there was not bad at all. It was only 6 hours to get from Korea to Taipei. We actually ended up getting two free upgrades to first class because Alex started talking to the one of the ladies that was checking us in and told her about what we have been doing and she thought it was really neat and since there were open seats she wanted to make the experience even more special for a few of us. So we decided to draw straws and Mary Beth and Mark won and got to sit up in first class for free. Once we arrived we went directly to our beautiful hotel, Hotel Sense. We took a taxi to the hotel from the airport it was NT$1250 which is $41.34 USD.

The hotel this week was absolutely AMAZING. We stayed at Hotel Sense which is in the heart of downtown and it is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. We stayed in the double superior deluxe room. We had our own personal butler Greg who was just wonderful and very accommodating. We had a full kitchen in our room plus TV’s everywhere including one in the bathroom! The hotel had a coffee shop and a bar downstairs that added fun for us early morning and late night. When we checked in we got free vouchers for both so that was fun. The interior designing of the hotel was spectacular. I think I am probably the only one that really really enjoyed it but there were leather couches in the lobby and beautiful black and gray stone décor accenting it on the wall. The rooms were beautifully decorated and very fashionable, I loved it. On the plane we got a lot of snacks so when we got the hotel it was about dinner time but we were all full so we just wondered around, got a free drink and hung out.

Monday we went to Shuangxi Park and garden. This place was so pretty and authentic. The stone lions at the front were the hit of the trip for Alex and Noah they were practically obsessed. It was a really neat place to go and the type of place I enjoy visiting to get a cultural feel of other places. We had rice bowls for lunch which was my favorite. We walked from the hotel to the park it was not far at all and I really enjoyed all the sight seeing along the way. Not to mention the weather was absolutely beautiful with a high of 75. Noah and Mark of course were joking around on the walk and Mark pushed Noah out into the street and a biker ran into him and fell off his bike and was not very happy about it. Other than that it was a pretty uneventful day. On the way back to the hotel we passed a street vendor that had all kinds of crazy animals to eat, so we decided to stop and grab dinner. Basically they just have a whole bunch of meat to pick from and you go down the line and tell them everything you want and they boil it for you and serve it to you on a plate. I just got noodles and vegetables because I could not stomach the idea of not knowing what you are getting. Maribeth got what we think is chicken breast and some kind of beef and noodles. Alex tried scorpion and chicken, he said the scorpion tasted just like the chicken. Noah tried chicken feet. It is actually a delicacy there and he said once he figured out how to eat them they were not that bad. Mark got mushrooms, and duck tongue. Yes, duck tongue… it was quiet interesting. He said besides the bone in the middle, and having to get over the fact he was eating a tongue it was not that bad. So after our exciting dinner or mystery and crazy meat we headed back to the hotel for bed. The total for dinner was NT$1132.3125 so $37.50 USD.

Tuesday we went to Boaoan Temple. This was also a really fun place to go. We rented scooters for the day which I think was all of highlight. Of course right when we get them Alex, Noah and Mark have to have a race and Mark almost killed like 10 pedestrians because he decided to beat the other two by riding up on the sidewalk. Once we made it to the temple we all really enjoyed it. I could not believe how well maintained the building was. Literally the cleanest place I have seen in Taipei. For lunch we stopped at another street vendor but this time everyone was a little more conservative about their selections considering everyone felt a little sick last night after we got home. We also split a piece of cake it was delicious.

Wednesday we went to Taopai artist village. This place was wonderful. There were 13 full studio buildings we spent over three hours walking around in here. It was truly wonderful to get to see the amazing pieces of art these talented people created.We left a nice tip in the donation jar and you could tell the people were extreemly greatful for our donation. We took the long way home and stopped at McDonalds to grab some dinner. McDonalds is only two blocks from our hotel and we were all really excited to get some american food. However, McDonalds in Taipai is not McDonalds in United States. At mcdonalds in Taiwan the buns are made of rice. So we all got chicken toasted rice burgers. They were actually really good and we all really enjoyed them. We walked back to the hotel and got a good nights sleep.

Thursday we went to Saichia air sports park. This was by far my favorite day. We went paragliding and it was the time of my life. The park was really crowded so that was the only down fall and the long taxi ride but I would do it all again in a heartbeat. It is the only air sports park in Taipai so that is what led to the crowd I would imagine. Paragliding is something I have wanted to do for a long time and I am so glad we did it. They dont want you to eat alot before you go so they provide a meal for you after you have gone. We were one of the last groups to go so we ate our lunch really late so it ended up tying us over for dinner. It was really good cuisine that was cooked right in front of us on a grill. We all had chicken, rice, noodles, and soup. This was definitely one of the most memorable adventures of the trip we have been on.

Friday we hung out at the hotel and recuperated from the week. We met some interns from California that were there for a business conference earlier in the week and they had the day off so we all went for a swim in the huge Olympic size pool in the hotel and Greg our butler brought us all free drinks all day long. It was alot of fun. We had dinner at the hotel in the restaurant which is very fancy so we all got dressed up and enjoyed ourselves. Dinner totaled to NT$ 7065.6300 which is $234 USD after we tipped our waitress who I am pretty sure Mark is in love with. His flirting with her paid off though because she gave us a free desert which was chocolate ice shaving with chocolate pudding. It was amazing.

The totals for the trip are:

Flights= NT$- 61738.4584 USD- $2,045.00

Taxi to Hotel= NT$- 1250 USD- $41.34

Hotel= NT$- 371653.94 USD- $12,313.00

Monday= NT$- 2189.63 USD- $72.50

Tuesday = NT$- 1607.75 USD- $547.43

Wednesday=NT$- 5,890.75 USD- $195

Thursday = NT$- 13,594.05 USD- $450

Friday= NT$- 7065.6300 USD- $234.00

Total= NT$- 464990.21 USD- $15,898.27

Left from last week: $56,331.47 USD
Minus: $15,898.27
Amount left: $40,433.20 USD