Mmmm Chicken Butts

I'm discovering that Taipei is a really easy city to navigate. There have been many improvements in the cities infrastructure in the past decade which makes every corner of the city accessible by a short train or bus ride. Peter has not been the most ideal tour guide for me. We have been to Keelung and some other night markets, but he doesn't seem to know anything about the cities main attractions. I've been setting off on my own over the past couple days after class to check out some of the sites.

My class schedule allows me to wander around the city for a couple hours before dinner during the week. I was able to see Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, Longshan Temple, and Taipei 101. This weekend I'm going to summit Yangmingshan mountain which is just outside of Taipei. One funny thing about wandering around a foreign city is that you will stumble on things you wouldn't normally seek. I accidentally walked down hooker alley when trying to find the MRT station to leave Longshan. At first, I was walking down a street market also known as snake alley. There were some normal restaurants and shops, but I also noticed some sex shops which I haven't seen in normal market areas. I suppose it makes sense that if you keep on walking, you will eventually run into the red light area.

The night markets are a great way to spend an evening. The stalls have all sorts of various food items, CHEAP clothes, and toys. The food here is sooooo friggin' cheap! I can eat three meals daily for about $10 a day. My stomach has been bombarded with many questionable eats over the last few days. I think that a normal stomach would be turned inside out from all the foreign food. But hey man, I was in Bolivia for two weeks! My stomach has seen worse days. I think back to Bolivia and say to myself that maybe I could retire in Taiwan on my current savings. It is cheap an better than Bolivia!