Taipei the day before NYE

MEETING XIAOCHOU

xiaochou is the name of my friend who is a tour guide for a living. his name is pronounced "chow-show".
i met with him yesterday and learned quite a few things.

we first went to get soy milk. i thought, ok, i'll bite. we're going to get milk, but he knows what he's talking about so it could be really good. turns out, we go to the oldest soy milk place in the city. but it's not milk. it's a creamy soy milk soup that you can either order sweet or savory. i ordered the savory and it comes with an egg mixed in with scallions. it's really pretty good! the sweet one was only slightly sweet and creamy--without eggs. they came with these fried puffy sticks that resemble churros without the ridges, and they have no flavor, just air to absorb the milk in each soup. we also ordered these light fluffy light buns pronounced "pow" but they came with an omelet inside. everyone has probably seen these buns that are usually filled with pork or some kind of "surprise". needless to say, i'm saving snake alley for a different day.

he then took me to a really remote mountain area that has natural hot springs. the little town has a huge wooden eco-friendly library thatt has a sloped roof with plant growth on top to monitor the teperature innside the building. it is a stunning example of how the taiwanese culture is very progressive. he then footed the bill on a luxurous hotel and we had a huge marble bath that we could fill with either hot spring water or regular water.

he also taught me some rules about taiwan, which explains also why the city is impeccably clean.

1. no smoking indoors, and no smoking in public. you can't smoke if there are more than three people present....meaning ?? how close in proximity do they have to be?

2. you can only smoke if you can see the full sky. if you step half way under a roof, you can be fined by the police.

3. no.chewing gum, eating or drinking on the metro. you wil be fined up to $1500 if they catch you chewing gum.

4. and this one is good: you are allowed to sit on other peoples' sccoters while they are away, then you leave when they return.

5. you can drink anywhere on the street.

i also learned about the chinese characters and how they came to look like they do. it has to do with a description of the object you're spelling. for the word "bright", for example, the character is a drawing
of the sun and the moon. the sun gives light and even at night, it lights the moon. that is described as "never dark", hence the word "briight". it's really surprisingly poetic, being that cantonese is not a romance language.

tonight, he's taking me out for a surprise for new year's eve.

day one in taipei

i'm going to make this short. i arrived safely, got here around midnight last night. i woke around 6am and headed out to walk around while it was a bit empty. i had an egg mcmuffin for lunch bc there was nothing else open. great first meal, right? i have already gotten lost a few times but i've worked out the metro system for the most part.
with little mandarin, the people are still very very friendly and helpful. it's amazing how far a smile, a how are you, lots of pointing, and a thank you can go. i am determined to learn more of the language. i had an unbelieveable sushi lunch. i thought i was getting your average two plates of sushi with a bowl of miso soup. oh no, they kept bringing more and more food out. i had to bring it back to the hostel, and i'm going to TRY to eat it. i don't want it to go to waste.
i was given the DL on where to go new year's eve. it's called taipei 101, which until this year was the largest building in the world. they have a food court that was featured on bizzare foods that i can't wait to try. the elevator alone goes 37 miles per hour, and 400,000 people will be there to watch the fireworks. pretty exciting!

anyway, i have this hostel for 5 days, and it's fine. it's a run of the mill hostel, but at least they speak english.

the taiwanese people i have met are very curious about me. i stand out like a sore thumb with my hair and my obvious foreignness. i didn't think i would be as open to the culture as i have been the past day. i have heard so many stories of people blowing snot rockets and pushing you out of the way. so far, i think this is one of the CLEANEST cities i have ever been to!! no one throws trash or cigarettes on the street. not at all. surprisingly, there are very few trash cans. i obviously haven't seen the gritty parts of the city. the people are well dressed (mostly in black) and they like their markets with food i've never seen.

if today is any indication of what i have yet to experience, this is going to be a great trip!

VT rank 1101!

movin' on up!

going to taiwan in t-minus ? days

i will be blogging daily. cheers!

VT rank 1,143!!

virtualtourist.com is a great travel website i use, and take part in, to give and receive travel advice from other travelers. along with tripadvisor, it is the top travel site around the world for gaining knowledge on tips involving things to do, transportation, accommodation, warnings, local customs, etc.

millions of people all over the world use this site as a "go-to" for travel information. hopefully someday, my illustrated book will be a beacon for all who want to travel to brazil, live in brazil, and know all things about travel.

Thoughts on Brazill

it's hard to survive in brazil, unless you get a job with an american company i suppose. the wages are low. it's so strange how you can just jump from place to place without signing a lease. at least, that's the way it was in rosa.

rosa is a strange and magical place. most of the people who live there have been there all their lives. but there are some transient people like me, and people from curitiba and porto alegre. it's a small town, maybe pop. 2000. then they have the surf season (wct) and it gets packed. so it's quiet most of the year and crazy during the new year.

i did meet some good people but i never felt i could trust them. they were always talking behind each others' backs. everything you did, everyone knew about. they would cheat with their friends' husbands and get in fights. it's just weird to imagine that friends treat each other so poorly. they're open armed, don't get me wrong. there just seems to be a "live for the now, no matter if it's wrong or right" mentality, from what i experienced.

but it was a beautiful experience and i WOULD move back to brazil at some point, if i had a job figured out. i didn't teach english. there was no place to do it in that small town (i had some leads) but brazilians seem to be fickle. she just kept postponing it and postponing it. that was my experience with most people. they are lazy. they say they will do something, and in the states, it gets done at least the next day. in brazil, it takes months. from burning cd's to fixing roads to building houses... and they wonder why they are poor. they don't want to work !!

that was my experience there. but good food, fresh food. and they seem to utilize what they have. they conserve and they are resourceful. i think this attitude should be the same in the states. i mean, they use a bottle of cachaca to roll out pizza dough. they use empty yogurt containers as tupperware, and the list goes on. i really liked and respected that about them.

the people i knew mostly sat around and got high and then went to the beach. that was my life for 7 months. i don't get high, but i would just drink and hang out. they watch favelas (very important) but when work seasons come around, they do work. i have to give them credit for that.

it seems that they never have money, or so they say. i began to feel resentful because we would go to get groceries, and they would say "i only have this much money" then someone would chime in "regina tem". i was like fuck, what am i? the money tree? i'm on a budget with no work and because i'm american, you're asking ME to pay?? fuck that. they NEVER HAVE MONEY. because they don't work. it kind of sums up why they steal from each other, or at least foreigners. we're bate. i was bate.

i hate to reminisce about the bad parts. there were really sweet moments as well. i met some great friends with whom i still keep in contact, people who will welcome be back with open arms and warm food. i loved learning the language, laughing with people and being able to have the experience of doing absolutely nothing while my american friends are all working 9-5's. it was refreshing. my parents never liked the idea because they believe in productivity. i believe in balance, and i have worked a lot in my life. i prefer to work, then play as a reward. so that's what i did!
overall, i can say i would do it again. but i would do it differently. i would get a job, something permanent in rio, maybe working at the copacabana palace as a hair stylist or something. i would have to do more research. i think with more time, i can finish my book on living in brazil.

Itacuruca, Rio de Janeiro

this is the house i am saving to buy

http://investmentsonthebeach.com/private_islands_and_properties_for_sale_in_brazil.html