tip for the day

Some interesting things that tourist or any foreigner might want to know while being in Taiwan.just a quick summary of the things I found out and some I have seen , one is umbrellas are always along by a Taiwan person, one could be unpredictable rain showers other is protect from sun. Not all Taiwan person reply emails, this has happened to me while trying to contact two professors. They never replied. Profile on Facebook might look funny. Moving on is your behavior should be watched or media is looking at you, that is cameras are all over .next tip that I have observed don’t feel weird if people stare at you. Another interesting thing would be more than two people on a scooter so don't be shocked .People on this part of the world love dogs and cats. So if you will be seeing many of them holding and taking good care of their dogs, so few babies here ha-ha. Don't panic friends. Okay for other things check the link below and learn other things that I didn't mentioned.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/3lleryy/20-bits-of-advice-for-foreigners-moving-to-taiwan-bbbb

The plan

Looking for the best in Hong kong. Hong Kong is a small 

island country about and hour from Taiwan via air. Anyone 

of you having an interest in going there be it for getting 

a glimpse of it. Then let me say due to my travel recently 

to this place not much of attractions as in cultural , 

seems more of a modern city with various shopping malls. 

Therefore if you are into shopping I recommend you this 

place .the best place to shop for the best brands go to 

time-square. There you will find many brands of clothing 

if you want some souvenirs head on to the station of Mong 

kok , on this area you can find some souvenirs. Actually 

not much of souvenirs there but just a few but the price 

is reasonable. The other spot I went shopping was around 

Causeway Bay .Guessing is enough for shopping now let me 

mention some place to have fun other than their Disney 

land park, there is the place to see the big Buddha statue 

called Po Lin Monastery. At this place you can get a great 

view of the city since you take the cable car to get to 

the Big Buddah.The peak tram is a good place to capture 

that good sunset picture , simply a train takes you up and 

you see the island and you can also buy the ticket to see 

Madam Tussaud's .The ticket is not cheap but if you are 

into viewing this Hollywood stuff then there you got it. A 

tip if you are planning to head there is Don't go there 

too late as it gets very crowded and you will have to wait 

1 to 2 hours . Other spot to get the view of the stars or 

see a small concert and the harbor is the Avenue of Stars. 

It is quiet nice since you see the different colors of 

lights shinning from the other end of the island and the 

night cruises. This place gets extremely crowded so flock 

there early to get the best video shot of this extra 

ordinary place. After the light show is over you might 

want to walk and see the stars of HongKong. Lastly you 

might want to visit the history museum . Other things 

about transportation is that if you are trying to go the 

local way don't get frustrated that when buying the tickets 

for trains , no counter help except for changing 

coins.Sorry but you are on your own to buy on the machines 

so study the map and just be sure to always have those 10 

dollar coins. moving on is to say there you can buy the 

card as locals, I didn't really understand why but just 

keep out of the stress or else take the Cab but is a little expensive.

This is it for now and see what else you want to know then 

drop the message .

get real

where to start, one thing bothering sometimes .Is going to pick a small meal trying to eat just to feed the brain after reading some boring notes at school.it so happens , the college has on campus restaurant ,sounds convenient .one thing take a look are you one of those person's afraid of getting sick or the sort of thing while you are in a new country or unfamiliar place .this place should not be much of a headache to me whenever i want to eat like locals.Since i can save few bucks and not eat western food.it so happens to me that i yet don't understand how can a place at least the education institution cant take any serious measure about healthy food . here you have it i wont right more details as the truth is food here is sold like this especially vegetables , in this case cabbage look at the photo and you will know my meaning.

looks like some insect was eating this .

can see the black holes 

welcome to the room

Hello dear diary,

I have no idea what is exactly eaten in many countries until I get a small taste of it.it still leaves me questioning or wanting to see what else is eaten there.this just happened not very long ago.below I will give u a glimpse of some Burmese food .i did go out to the country as usual it happened by luck someone knew the place where there are several restaurants and not long I and the others got a taste of it. Moving on if you ask me what I thought or if I like it. Honestly not exactly but it was wonderful to grab a taste of the food around other South East Asia countries.basically I thought if the noodles were have been hot then perhaps I would have enjoyed it.the cook asked for the amount of spicy we wanted but still but not that of the best to me once more i confirm.take a look  and see the pictures and hope your journey in Asia be wonderful .

This are the 2 kinds of noodle .

lastly the fish soup along with noodles.this was the only one that was hot.

lets keep moving on with things around me. i just have a quick thought since i have been growing up in a different place than Latin America.there is this one fruit i found on local market and some supermarkets around the city.At first i didn't know exactly what it was ,since i had seen the fruit back at home and also the tree but we never ate that or never saw it at our local market.Seems people in my country don't eat it.Well , i then asked someone what is the fruit for and if it is eatable,hhaa. Surprisingly it is eaten by people around Asia but one thing is kind of smelly.so be on lookout for this strong smell which i have learned the more it smell means ready to eat.Then just now i have found out it has healthy benefits and honestly i haven't tried it except the biscuits ,which attract the smelly flavor.Other thing that i also don't know is how to buy them however there is a website here and you can read if you ever get interest in trying it off and i let you know what i feel when i get to try it.

http://thaifood.about.com/od/howtopreparethaifruit/ss/durianstepbystep.htm

Beach time


what is next , today .It happens that few weeks or lets say 

sometime in June i had some interest

in going to the beach.I found a friend to go with me so we took the train from the city to the 

popular and most nearest beach to Taipei. the beach is called Fulong .It takes about 2 hours to 

get there by train as that is what my friend and i took.The reason we wanted to go is play a little 

on the sand and see the  sand sculpures. With my acquaintance on getting there is to check the 
train schedule or else u might be in some trouble and be coming in a crowded train .Once you 

get there it will only take you a few minutes to get to the beach, but whoah be aware you want to 
go into the beach just to take pictures or go for a swim don't be surprise, you got to pay 100 

Taiwan Dollars.I was quiet shocked that to go to the beach i needed to pay an entrance fee. 

That is dumb to me And the other thing that surprised me was that people can't swim wherever 

they wished.Guess what you better stick to one area or the coast guard will chase you . 

Guys this is the link for the Fulong Beach ,just have fun and check it out it might not be the most 

beautiful beach but just to see the real thing be okay.



reference http://events.necoast-nsa.gov.tw/SandArt13/en1.html

good day

A day of stopping and try to explore what is around me.As to be sure was not craving or wanting anything sweet on a hot day but i ended up buying it. Is just simply a candy that is found in Belize .It has been awhile i have been around Asia so not really worried in wanting something sweet for a small snack after my lunch hhhaa!  It just happened accidentally that i ran out into this mini market and ended buying the sweet and sour Tamarind candy. I thought it might taste similar to the country of Belize so there i have it.
this candy looks quiet different .I had seen the big rounded one but not a tiny as this on the picture below.this one is sold in a much bigger bag, so basically the price is a little high.My opinion after just trying one is that is is not the same taste .it has more sugar than the tamarind sold in Belize.

this is the small bag of tamarind in the market.

this image i got from google just to make a comparison of how it looks .

this is more delicious as i remember ,has less sugar and more of the tamarind sour flavor.

Fear Not

Just awhile ago was trying to find something to read while sipping a fruit juice and guess what.

Don’t be too shocked .it was one of those ordinary evening stopping to see what is going on and

Came across and an article of rat meat in china. Why do I point out this just that you may not fear?

The island of Taiwan as I did many times. I thought I would find this sort of thing over here and

The thing of eating worms but is way safe. So don't run up with this on your mind. They have

Some good places to eat so don't need to always end up in the night markets or the street

Vendors. The strangest thing I have found here on the city of Taipei is the snake corner which is

A snake corner. The temple is called “Longshan” feel free to take a look you don't need to try the

Snake blood or any organs.

this is the article going viral in china but must be okay in other areas you might visit.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22467484

then if you ever come to Taipei might want to go over the snake area and just take  a look there you have it .

http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0002090&id=93

turn and look

HI  there do you know how a lunch in Taiwan looks. that is if you want to eat the local way and are on a

rush for instance have a class within 40 minutes and are a slow eater.Well there you have it it is usually

bought in either cartoon boxes or some plastic plate.the strangest things are some sort of tofu served with it i

mean u get rice and some piece of meat either fried or stewed you name it. so usually i don't like to buy and

sometimes they seem oily even i like fried chicken but has the fat and that makes it a bit to think twice and

just buy it from the buffet .since usually these boxes are already prepared so you just grab it on the go and

pay then go eat and class or work .however if it is your first time you might try and perhaps who knows you

could end up liking it.i have some pictures to show you what it looks like .so take a look and have fun

exploring .This lunch boxes are not very expensive so you might consider buying if it is the case of low budget or just try and get out of the curiosity. jjja

take a look of it and  this chicken is stew and at the far end you might get the glimpse of the weird things that they add as perhaps think of it as a small salad. 

this is the fried chicken  and at the very low end  is the rice just same thing with the above picture as was bought in same vendor .

yet another small lunch box .just simple i thought only poor people ate like this .

a stop over

It’s been a few weeks I tired some new food. What is it and 

where was it. Okay well sometimes just get tired of eating the 

same lunch or food, so there we go it was a glimpse of Brazilian 

food in Taiwan’s have never had any of this food so what are my 

feelings is that it looks and tastes like some typical Belizean 

beef soup which is referred as caldo de rez .As you can see on 

the picture it consists of beef meat, some sort of curry along 

with potatoes. Then on the side it has raw carrots, peas and 

white rice. The uncooked carrots along with the uncooked peas is 

what makes it a difference but am not exactly sure if it’s done 

to adapt to the culture in Taiwan.Overall it is of good taste so if you are around Taiwan you can go there and try it .

below is the Facebook page to get the address in case you might be interested 

https://www.facebook.com/IaraPontoDeEncontro

eye catching

JUST  a while ago it happen that i was reading a little about some expats lives and came across a blog that teaches about some Italian  food.
this blog shows you the various foods that are known to be Italian .perhaps it might be useful whenever you have free time and can give it a try and prepare one of them.I know nowadays its easy to just go out and buy one of this Italian plates, however you might want to test if it is better than what you bought or simply just do it for fun.Within the blog you can find the recipe and her tips .okay have some fun ....



http://www.expatcucina.com/

foodie

Chinese food, another new taste had heard about this by some of my friends but never thought I might sort have like it. This small kind of snack or appetizer I was introduced by my friend is called xialongbao[ 小笼包].One might think this can’t satisfy your hunger I would say five of this little buns are enough .moving on what is inside of this bun, simply pork meat a mixed of veggies with it. On the outside usually chilly to give some good flavor. Before eating them was told they are cooked by steam in some basket. Then whenever you order it is usually by the basket. It is good to take a look from the Google image which I am providing the link.then also note there is a link from wikipedia further explaining about this buns in Chinese cuisine .

https://www.google.com.tw/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=667&q=pictures+of+xialongbao&oq=pictures+of+xialongbao&gs_l=img.3...2700.9091.0.9653.22.10.0.12.12.0.99.505.10.10.0...0.0...1ac.1.7.img.XNxtmE4tI5k

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiaolongbao

this is the xialongbao photo taken by me.
this is yet another image to demonstrate the Chinese bun. Same as above however this is more of the Chinese taste as inside it has some juicy meat flavor. not that bad guys.the outer layer is flour taste so no bad smell just sort of sticky and you just have to be careful while trying to bite and a warning tip don't let the water or juicy meat flavor fall out into your plate.that is the best part of it.Then be sure to grab some soy sauce and a sweet chili which is usually on the table or just ask the waitress for it.i don't like soy sauce so i just prefer the sweet chili.

Vietnam food

Vietnam food in Taiwan

A quick look at a Vietnamese food. Actually this seems more like a snack however for females probably two of this roles are enough. The name of this is GOI CUON TOM THI. Exactly what is inside, shrimp, herbs, some kind of noodle, lettuce and it also comes with some peanuts, and then is served in a small bowl with a chili sauce. All of the ingredients that I mentioned are wrapped with rice paper .there is no bad taste except there was one herb which I considered as bush in belize,however it is eatable in Vietnam cuisine .I simply don't like this herb because it tastes bitter. Let me now show you a picture of it and then you might want to try.There are other foods among such as something called PHO(mainly it is a soup ).

this is a quick snap of the menu. 

the soup called PHO.

This is more of a salad.

some other 2 dishes. they both have noodles .the first one is not that obvious but it is some white noodle that is eaten with that soup and pork meat.

more pictures of Vietnam food

some kind of seafood salad

spicy fish soup 

the mix of meat and seafood for hotpot[soup]

more fish soup but is in soup along with some pieces of pineapple.

creamy sort of pork with some green leaves.

an encounter

An encounter with tofu

A quick note to what is tofu and as you may know there are many types. Well tofu is made of soy bean never had the experience to actually see the process of cooking it but it might stink if you are not used to it. It is made of bean by coagulating the soy juice and somehow they press and will come out with the shape. Exactly how it tastes when u bite, not stinky, it feels like some sort of chicken skin .the sauce tastes a bit sour, perhaps this might be the smell that foreigners might smell out in night markets.therfore if you are still in curiosity of not believing me about the taste it is worth trying and then you might find your own feelings .and below you can see the picture of the kind I tried and if not yet convinced of only trying one then read the Wikipedia link below and can try as much .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofu

GUYS just an update that could encourage you to eat some tofu.
this was a video that was shared and i just got a little awake of trying to eat tofu.
nothing to be too scared as shown in the clip.it seems to be quiet useful in that it shows how exactly it is made.well good luck and lets have fun and try some tofu.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS6pSnejzZU&feature=youtu.be

Today is the next encounter with TOFU or bean curd .Was just eating some dumplings and my friend told me lets try some bean curd and i was what no way i dont want .Even i try my best to be brave and eat this i find out i am still somewhere that i cant accept it. As i said before no bad smell but i simply don't like it jaja i became afraid today. let me now show you the bean curd that i tried looks like cheese so when you put in your mouth try to think of that creamy 100% cheese. Then you should be okay and don't forget to eat it with some red chili sauce.

Look at eat this one comes out with some kind of black egg which i don't eat .However many of my friends like it .When it is in your mouth looks like a greenish look so its sort of black but is a good Dessert. 

Not much on the go but its time to share the fried tofu picture and some soup with tofu.

soup with white tofu .

chopsticks

Well by now you may all know that Chinese people use the chopsticks to eat .They come in all colors and are made of various materials such as bamboo, ivory, wood, metal, jade, to name a few used to think that all over this countries in Asia they use chopsticks but find out I was wrong mostly the countries of Japan, china, Korea and Vietnam are the ones mostly using it. It can be seen in Thailand but not as much as those other countries with a high population of Chinese was also able to find out that there are few etiquette tips in this countries  such as the way you grab the sticks, don’t tap your chopsticks on your bowl, don't point your resting sticks towards others seated at the table, never use your chopsticks upside down, don't dip chopsticks in the soup bowl to get the contents from inside and there are many other things that you can learn from this below link since Japanese Chinese and Taiwanese might share a little similarities when it comes to table manners for chopsticks. Hope this can help you whenever you make a trip or are invited to a Chinese family for dinning.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chopsticks

Amazed

 I just found an article on bbc news that is related to a real animal called the armadillo’s never thought or even told by my grandparents that this animals are used for musical instruments as pointed out from this article’s only used to be told this was considered good game meat in many places around Belize. Well you can check the article and believe it’s not only these animals but also bird’s feathers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-21436076

a window to food

food

Ever got yourself confused with some food looking similar to your favorite, appetizer or snack? Well that happened to me in the country of Taiwan, hhaa. tell what it is as some of you may be Hispanic or from other countries like Peru, Bolivia , Guatemala , Mexico or even Belize you may know that chicharones are considered a favorite snack in our countries. If you don't know what is chicharones actually it is usually pork rind = pigskin that is firstly seasoned and deep fried. So to tell you I got confused with the Tofu skin in Taiwan one day I thought that was Chicharones and then was told by someone that I was wrong.  I don't have the details on how this is prepared but when I first tried it tasted like chicken skin, no smell so I thought it is okay to eat. Let me show you how it looks like   :                                                                                                                                                                                                          

 This is tofu skin when i first saw it, to have a more clear look let me show you an image from google.

Now take a look at what is chicharones as shown in google images:

food

Food

Awhile stopping for some lunch I just remembered that wanted to share about 2 interesting things used as vegetable in Taiwan cuisine, the first one being the bean sprouts. I never thought this was eatable but once I came here I found out its okay, what a surprise. 

The second is the onion grass. As always being curious of things that are served to me and then asked a friend what is this green grass on my soup. Then was told its onion, and am like this is onion grass how come we can eat. It has no bad taste I usually see Chinese friends adding some to their soups.  by the way don't think they will give you the long grass as seen on the image it is mostly chopped into smaller particles.Therefore don't be afraid to try it won’t harm you. 

just a tip

A shared room

Just a tip for western girls who might want to ever share rooms with Asia girls’ .this is just based on my thoughts it might not take you much for some of you to get use to this different culture in Taiwan. Let me begin by saying that I have heard that Latin people tend to be loud but whoa don't be fooled that Chinese girls are not loud. They are mostly quiet during lectures but when meeting or discussing with their friends can be annoying. Another case is when you might want to share room with them like for example staying at boarding schools or for your first semester at college at its dorm. Bear in mind that you will have to cooperate with the loud voice in your rooms. You might say I would post some rules on the door for em to see, that might not be successful. Not sure what happens to them that despite they can read English they ignore such things. At most they are ages up to 21 and don't really behave like grownups . This might be that they spend most of their time at home or they think they are away from home and can do whatsoever or why not I don’t have the exact answer. However I have seen such cases at college that sometimes they ignore or pretend that there are other people staying in the same room and speak loud as an empty barrel .this sounds quiet rude for such a grown up person that ignores this things especially at a tertiary level. Other things that you might have to cooperate are that not all of em knows how to keep the room clean, make a group gathering without letting you know, play games and some forget their duty schedule. Well just wanted to share with some of you that might be interested in an exchange study program in Taiwan R.O.C. . Then by the time you come you won’t be having that much of a surprise.

learning discovery

learning discovery

A quick observation while being in the continent of asia.well I have been here for for a good while and sometimes get curious about different things regarding culture. Since I am just came to study however I have learned that one thing regarding the Christian religion in Taiwan. This came across because I have different classmates from places such as south pacific islands and Caribbean islands. From this classmate I found out that there is a difference when it comes to their religions. As I know those Christians that are non Catholics in Belize don't do certain things that this church people from this two places that I have mentioned. The first difference I noticed is that they go to clubs and also listen to music unrelated to their religion. Besides, they can also attend any party that has some alcohol since they have different friends that might not be from any church so to speak.

school curiosity

school as been quiet a good journey where i try to learn everyday going by.however am curious in knowing about my college environment due that its not in america.well last week there was a topic discussed what exactly should be worn at school in terms of foot wear.this topic was brought out since one of the university's in Taiwan has mentioned that students there should not wear sandals of any type. This matter came across because some students in that university were sandals while taking there graduation photos. Well there is no right answer to this issue, as banning students from wearing sandals during class hours, but if it is for such a special occasion then this as to be taken seriously.college students should know what to wear and remind themselves that they are in college . i believe that college there should not be any baby sitting. i say this because the very basic things have been taught during high school or junior institutes.then if colleges want to make it much easier and avoid such circumstances it is best to post in on their school policy.the last curiosity that has arisen is the way professors treat their students.there has been some occasions i have seen at college that students are treated at a high school level. there should not be any need to be embarrassing student among their fellow classmates.not sure if students in Asia or Taiwan especially are used to this learning environment. This could lead that students not concentrate well in class.i believe this creates a negative environment for other students trying to learn and even determines that the teachers lack etiquette .trying to have arguments with students is a very unprofessional way of communicating with students having a hard time understanding the teachers material. therefore the best thing is to have a meeting with that student giving the professor a hard time. then if the professor believes there is no time for such discussion he/she should write email or simply let the whole class know what exactly are the requirements for the homework.this avoids any argument among its students because college students are no longer at any secondary level to be baby sitting. i don't recall anytime in high school that a teacher has an argument with a particular student.college students should know what criteria and put their effort in completing with their task.then the professor should not do any yelling in class.an argument between a professor i do believe has a solution and the key is to communicate in a respectful way towards a student especially at a tertiary level.