This past weekend we took a 4 hour bus ride to the southern cities of
Tainan and Kaoshiung. We left at 1 o’clock after Chinese class and
lunch. Our group stopped at our favorite beef noodle soup place for
lunch. Everyone got the tomato broth base with thick knife shaved
noodles. This huge lunch only costs 4 dollars. Of course, we had to
get bubble tea afterward. We hopped on a luxurious coach bus with
curtains, “wood” paneling, and flat screen tvs. The seats were
comparable to a Lazy Boy recliner, which made the trip very
comfortable. Once we arrived in Tainan we stopped by a local night
market for dinner. There was a larger emphasis on seafood at this
market compared to those in Taipei. There were grilled oysters, squid,
and cuttlefish all over the market. On Saturday we visited a variety
of museums in the Tainan area. It was extremely hot and humid. It was
in the mid 80’s while it was snowing heavily in Maryland. My family
was very jealous. We visited the Proventia fort that was initially
built by the Dutch and then knocked down by the Chinese who then built
a Chinese style compound. The site was in the middle of a modern city
which made for a very beautiful contrast in scenery. We then drove to
a battleground site where the Chinese fought the Japanese and the
French, and walked around the Tainan area. We had a lunch of local
delicacies, which didn’t appeal to me that much because of my lack of
interest in fish. We ended the day with another visit to a Dutch fort
which offered lovely views of the city. For dinner we stopped by a
different night market in Kaoshiung which was delicious.  I loved the
tiny crabs that were deep fried with garlic and basil leaves that
could be eaten whole.  We all had a great night’s sleep in a local
hotel which was a nice change from our dorm rooms in Taipei.
        On Sunday we spent the day in Kaoshiung which is south of Tainan. We
drove to a huge Buddhist temple in the morning, which was absolutely
beautiful. My writing can not do it justice, so I have attached
several pictures for anyone’s viewing pleasure. The insides of the
buildings were a bit bizarre to me however. They were extremely
elaborate and seemingly against the simplistic teachings of Buddhism.
There were colorful 3d wall displays, robotics, and sound effects. The
feeling reminded me of waiting in line for Disney World rides. We had
a delicious lazy-susan style lunch at a restaurant next door, then
drove to a nearby University on the harbor which was absolutely
beautiful. The sea breeze felt fantastic and it was lovely watching
all the local fishermen cast out against the sunset. Afterwards we
drove into Kaoshiung to briefly attend Dr. Liu’s nephew’s wedding. It
was so interesting to see how Westernized Taiwanese weddings are.
White dress, bossy wedding coordinator, and proud parents.
        Today, (1/6) was a pretty simple day. We went to class, made
dumplings, then relaxed at “home.” After a quick rest, Will and I
walked all the way to Taipei 101 on a whim. It was a very refreshing
walk that ended the night nicely.
        Cultural Observation: On the way south I noticed a similar green,
blue, and red neon sign that was outside many store entrances. I
decided to research this upon our arrival in Tainan. I discovered that
it’s a commonly used sign for “beetlenut” or binglang stores. A
binglang is a nut filled with an amphetamine paste that is chewed for
a heavy buzz. It destroys your teeth very quickly, and creates a blood
like spit. I found this similar to the use of tobacco in the American
south. I suppose as one heads south towards a more agrarian culture,
the use of such things is more acceptable. Whereas in New York City
you will not find people spitting out their chewing tobacco “juice” on
to the street. The same applies to Taipei as a metropolitan area.  I
suppose people do this for relaxation, and its something that could be
passed down through generations. A father chews binglang, so his son
does as well.

Future expectations: Tomorrow we have class and will go to a Confucian
temple. I am very excited to learn more about the teachings of
Confucius. I am also looking forward to travelling to the famous Raohe
night market sometime this week, which is known as the best night
market for food.

On a side note, the internet has been too weak lately to upload pictures on to blogger. I am looking into a photo sharing website so I can upload dozens of pictures at a time in albums instead of 3 or 4 on here. I'll post the link as soon as I get set up!