Taiwan

Three hours before I was to fly to Taiwan to stay at Tim’s parents’ house, I freaked out and dyed my hair brown. I mean, I didn’t want to be greeted by gasps and stares, or drowned in a huge basket, or whatever it is they do over there to people with scandalously colored hair. Thus ended my purple hair days.

We stared out in the southern Taiwan countryside. I LOVED the people we hung out with, they were so goofy and adorable and amazingly gracious hosts.

Then we went to Taipei, which was nice, just a big city....but I liked the countryside better. We went clubbing and it was exactly as if we were in an asian club in LA--not too fun and full of drunk ugly guys and skimpily clad 18 year old girls. Yay.

And there is the matter of Taiwanese food. I never really said it out loud but I’ve always thought that Sherry and Tim were a little….obsessively overenthusiastic about their love for hot-pot. While they waxed poetic and wiped drool from their chins, I’d think “for chrissakes, it’s just meat in a pot of soup, control yourself!” but I held silent. Now, I am a convert. Hot Pot is clearly one of the most magnificent inventions of humankind. Spicy broth on one side, clear broth on the other, bbq grill where you make your own Korean bbq ribs and pork, egg yolk with satay dipping sauce…*drool*
They even had the tiny fish full of eggs that you could grill yourself! And oysters! And swallow’s eggs! And sashimi! And create-your-own shaved ice! Did I mention it’s all-you-can-eat?
Forgive me, guys, for secretly thinking you were freaks. I knew not my folly.