#16 - comings and goings

It's hard to know what to write sometimes... especially when you want to say the truth. I don't want to sound cheesy or come across cliched, but moving to Kaohsiung, Taiwan has been one of the best things I have ever done in my short 23 years of life. I can honestly say that I have lived properly here; I have conquered some of my fears, I have witnessed beautiful lives come and go, I have been touched by the kindness of this country and its people.

 This is an experience I would recommend to pretty much anyone. I'd like to thank Matthew Meadows and Eva Hsu for introducing us to this remarkable country, and encouraging us to make our lives here. Lexus Lin, for taking us into his home with no hesitation and such warmness. Pauline Sho for lending us her phone so we could make phone calls to prospective employers and helping us find our apartment, and for so much more.

Since my last blog quite a lot has happened! Hannah (my lil sis) visited me for 2 weeks; which was bloody fantastic!

We mostly staying in Kaohsiung, where she met some of my dearest friends...

Yes Kaitlin, you're meant to wear shoes not hold them...

We also visited the Lotus Ponds on the most gorgeous day ever:

Yes I know, this does feel a lot like being back in England...

... where Hannah revisited her childhood

and generally loved it!

Next, we headed down to Kenting. We stayed in a little hostel for one night, and got up bright and early to enjoy the beach and the sun that the beach resort had on offer.

We got back from Kenting feeling relaxed, roasted and ready to party! The following Friday (her last weekend) we got the fast train to Tainan - Kaohsiung's immediate neighbour, to support Ed DJ at the famous Tin Pan Alley. We went with my friend Nicole. They became best buds!

Now you STOP taking pictures of me NOW!!

See??? Best buds!

 After recovering for some time... we visited Cijn Island - a 5 minute ferry ride from Kaohsiung's Gushan Harbour. We had another swim and Hannah bought a hat.

Hannah got back to the UK safely, with loads of amazing junk she had purchased on her adventures here and great great memories = ) please come again!

After Hannah left, life went back to normal... well apart from swimming 3.3 km across a lake!! That was awesome. I got really bad sunburn... but it was worth it! I turned 23

Thank you friends!!

Special thanks to the man I love

During September and October, we had some very cool visitors...

Kenting take 2!!

(starting far right) Mark, Heather and Bob.

Bike Tainan - the best hostel ever!!

Cheese anyone?!

Think you've had enough there Bob...

Lottery!!

So good to have you guys with us!! Miss you!!

I'm going to stop there... it's been an absolutely brilliant year and I will be back in the UK from the 7th of November to the 6th of January (we're coming back because we love it so much!!)

****BIG NEWS PEOPLE **** My band Rice & Pea are playing at Brickyard Beer Garden on the 3rd of November. Come find us in the park for beer, fun and other delights!!

Peas out xx

#13

Hi!

Apologies for the massive gap between this blog and my last one! Frankly, there wasn't much to report... but now I'll have to squish it into one BIG post!

In March I joined a new band, fresh from the streets of Kaohsiung called RICE AND PEA. A quirky bunch of men, including a tall and oaf-like scouser (on bass), a poetic drunk from South Africa (M.C), a loud-mouthed Londoner (south of river, also an M.C), a straight laced blond bombshell from Watford (M.C), a ping-pong fanatic from the USA (on keys), a polite and cheeky West Country bumpkin (on bongos) and a laid-back local metal drummer. Not sure where I fit in, or whether any of us fit... but we make a good sound. We made our debut in Tainan at their annual MAYJAM. It was fun! Hot but fun, and we got some good feedback. Our next gig is in Kaohsiung, on the 16th of June at the Brickyard Beergarden. Anyone who is living here and is reading this MUST come.

My mum and dad came to visit in May. They were here for 8 days and we managed to cram a lot of stuff in! Kending, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Alishan and Taipei. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to take that many photos. I forgot my camera mostly... but here are a few anyway.

At Ruifeng night market:

The magnificent sun-rise at Alishan:  

The moon!

We went up to the viewing spot by train, but walked back down.

Huh?!

What animal do you see?

Alishan is an amazing place. Definitely worth a visit if you can! The town is interesting. Due to the constant comings and goings of tourists, there is an empty, sterile feeling to it to the place. But there are some really nice places to eat and the highest 7/11 in Taiwan! We loved it, and the hotel (Da Fong Hotel) was pleasant and clean.

After a quick shower and some breakfast, we caught the next shuttle bus to Chouyi to catch the High Speed Rail to Taipei. My parents were flying back from there, so we thought we'd have a look around before they left. That evening, we paid a visit to the 101 building, the 3rd  tallest building in the world!

This pic doesn't really give the building justice.

The big yellow thing is the background is called the Tuned Mass Damper which holds it all together when there's an earthquake or strong winds.

On the MRT!

 The National Palace Museum: (well just the outside)

 Shilin night market:

It was fantastic having my parents share the wondrous sights, smells and delights of Taiwan. They had such a great time.

Our friends Lucy and Simon had a BBQ on their roof.

Debbie and Rob

The gals

Meatballs!

Girls at the BBQ!

Well that's all for now folks!!

Bye! xx