Today we played the part of the Taiwanese tourist, and as we explored the beautiful city of Kaohsiung, I grew more and more excited that this is now my home.
In the morning, we hopped into our bus--much smaller than the one we had been using; this one actually matched how many people we have--and drove to the water, then up the mountain to Sun Yat-Sen University to take a Chinese placement test. However, since my Chinese experience is limited to a month-long class last summer, I opted out, in favor of just starting anew. Which meant that I, together with the other people in the group who didn't need to be tested, either because they were already fluent (Samia and Karina) or, like me, knew nothing whatsoever and were headed for the beginner's class (Tiffiany and Andrew), got to explore.
In the morning, we hopped into our bus--much smaller than the one we had been using; this one actually matched how many people we have--and drove to the water, then up the mountain to Sun Yat-Sen University to take a Chinese placement test. However, since my Chinese experience is limited to a month-long class last summer, I opted out, in favor of just starting anew. Which meant that I, together with the other people in the group who didn't need to be tested, either because they were already fluent (Samia and Karina) or, like me, knew nothing whatsoever and were headed for the beginner's class (Tiffiany and Andrew), got to explore.
Let me just say, I went to the wrong college. First of all, Sun Yat-Sen sits at the top of a lush green mountain overlooking the ocean. Second of all, walking down, we saw a sign reminding us not to feed the monkeys, unless we wanted to face a major fine. Which means that THEY HAVE ENOUGH MONKEYS THAT THEY ARE SEEN AS PESTS! Unfortunately, we didn't see any. BUT STILL!
Sorry, SPU, but our squirrel epidemic just can't compare. And the view? Mt. Rainier and the Space Needle need to up their game. Just take a look at the view from campus, and you'll realize that you went to the wrong school, too.
Next up on our little tour was lunch and shaved ice with fruit, which was beyond delicious and so refreshing--not even remotely related to snow cones, I discovered. FRESH FRUIT--mango, watermelon, apple, pineapple, strawberry--all on shaved ice that melted after a while into a wonderful slurry concoction. Mmm...
Then, after a brief and rather pointless stop at the railway museum--we only went in because the bus we were waiting for wouldn't come for another half hour or so--we headed through the city with a Chinese tour guide. I somehow ended up at the front of the bus, near the tour guide and surrounded by Chinese ladies. In the back I could see Samia translating some of the key information for the other ETAs, but my lip-reading skills are not the best--all I caught was something about the resident of Kaohsiung fleeing through a tunnel in the mountain. Wish I had heard the rest of it, but what are you gonna do.
When the bus stopped, we found ourselves at the base of the mountain where Sun Yat-Sen sits, and we were instructed to climb up the hill to the British Consulate. I had noticed the building in the morning as we drove past--a beautiful structure overlooking the water and the lighthouse from the hilltop beside Sun Yat-Sen, and promised myself I'd go up there at some point. Didn't expect it to be so soon though!
I. Love. The British Consulate! The old residence was perfection itself--a gorgeous brick building with an exterior walkway and innumerable windows to let the constant sea breeze blow through it and into the surrounding gardens. The Brits sure do know how to pick 'em. Here's a shot of the city from the top:
And here's the building itself:
The Discovery Channel was filming a documentary while we were up there, so we couldn't go clear around to see everything, but I did get a shot of the film crew hard at work!
Also, while we were up there, Andrew decided to climb a rock that connected the road to the ocean at the base of the hill. The rest of us watched on from the top, exclaiming as he went, until we had a largish group of Taiwanese people watching us/him. But his climb was a success! (Side note: anyone who uses Blogspot know how to make a photo flip 90 degrees? This one was right-side-up in my files...)
Next up was a trip to Pier 2, a kind of Bohemian art enclave converted from railroad tracks and old warehouses, and then, after a quick rest at home, a jaunt out to a night market for delicious pineapple juice and (Japanese style) chicken skewers. I love this beautiful city!
In totally unrelated news, I seem to have fallen victim to a local spider, given the swelling, itchy, round bulb on the side of my foot. However, as it so far shows no signs of either killing me or endowing me with superhuman powers, I'm not too worried.
ALSO, if you're my friend on Facebook, here's a link to my photo album:
August in Taiwan
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