Date: Sunday June 27, 2010 Taiwan Time: 7:20 PM California Time: 4:20 AM (Sunday)

















I feel as though a lot has transpired over such a short amount of time here in Taiwan. It’s difficult to put into words all my varied experiences here but I’ll give it a try.

Hsinchu, Taiwan (the town I live in) is a “small” city of roughly a million people. I live only about a 10 minute ride by scooter from my work and downtown which is very busy and crowded with street vendors, tourists and scooters. What I have come to appreciate about Taiwan’s unique beauty and splendor is its diversity and dichotomy not just culturally but also with its ever changing landscape. So over the past few weeks I’ve vowed to do some exploring for myself to experience the other side of Hsinchu.

The first place I went to was to Nanliao, a coastal community with over 17 kilometers of biking/hiking paths along the ocean. I went with some local Taiwanese friends and we spent the day biking and walking around the beach! The weather was overcast and threatened to rain but that didn’t stop our enjoyment of the scenic atmosphere and breathtaking views!

















After biking for a few hours, I was pretty exhausted and very hot and sweaty so we decided to go down to the water to cool off. The only problem was that this particular beach didn’t allow people to swim in the ocean because of the huge waves and strong currents. I did get to at least dip my feet in the cool water.


As I was submersing myself into the water I realized (a little too late) that I had recently shaved my legs and for anyone who has never experienced this painful sensations let’s just say that it feels like a million pinpricks attacking your legs all at once. I casually mentioned to my Taiwanese friend about this crazy phenomenon and I was shocked to realize that she had never experienced this before. The reason being for this was that most Taiwanese women don’t shave at all! This came as a bit of a shock but apparently they have very little hair on their bodies and feel no need to shave. As I look back on the excruciating experience of having my nurse rip the hospital tape off my arm (quite ruthlessly) it seems to make a little more sense now. She simply wasn’t expecting it to hurt because most patients have very little arm hair which must make me a very hairy woman for Taiwan standards! Anyways, after dipping our feet in the water we returned to our bikes and continued back to their car only this time we took a shortcut which happened to be through a forest. I didn’t mind it at first but after about five minutes I was horrified to find myself being attacked and eaten alive by hundreds of mosquitoes! Every time I stopped to brush one off another two would land of me so I biked faster and harder to try to escape the throng of insects trailing behind me. When we arrived back at their car I was sweaty, exhausted, hungry and covered in literally hundreds of mosquito bites but still managed to enjoy myself! It was a day well spent in good company and having experienced the local beaches in Taiwan.

The second nature experience came when I decided to take a day trip to a local nature preserve called “Eighteen Peaks.” It got its name because it’s situated on a mountain that apparently has 18 peaks (who knew). I had never been there before but knew generally where it was located and tried to follow the signs but the only problem was that they were all in Chinese! I turned on this road and followed it until I came upon what I thought to be the place where the park begins. So I parked my scooter (behind a local mechanic shop off the main road) and hiked into the park. It was a small dirt path with no marker but I figured it would lead into the park eventually. After a few minutes of hiking up this steep hill I finally found the entrance to the park. The path I had followed just met up with a major road in the forest so I took it and began my hike. What I didn’t realize at the time was that this little pathway back to my scooter would be impossible to find again since it wasn’t officially a trail but rather a dirt path somebody had made long ago. The forest was beautiful (although a bit crowded on a Saturday afternoon). I saw many new species of animals and insects I had never seen before in my life including many colossal sized spiders whose markings were similar to Black Widows but slightly more colorful. They seemed to be hanging from every available tree limb so I did my best not to venture off the beaten path. I also saw some squirrels, lots and lots of wild dogs, black butterflies and many insects and new species of birds. As I was hiking around the mountain it occurred to me that there was some music playing far off in the distance that I couldn’t quite make out. Periodically throughout the hike, I noticed several tiny speakers placed in inconspicuous places playing traditional Chinese musical instruments. It was a little weird at first but after a while it was quite soothing and added my overall pleasant hike through the woods. After a few hours I decided to head back to the trail and drive my scooter home. This was quite a difficult experience and I ended up losing my way in the forest as I couldn’t find the small pathway I had taken earlier. At this point I was sweating profusely and starting to panic as the sun was setting and I still had no idea where I had parked my scooter. Forty five minutes later I finally decided to take the main road and hike (about a mile) up to where I had left my scooter. Despite me being directionally challenged at times, I had a wonderful experience (mostly) as this time I remembered to bring plenty of water and bug repellent!

The third and final local nature experience I came upon quite by accident. I was driving my scooter back from a friend’s house and decided to take a shortcut through a winding scenic road. I should have learned my lesson from previous scooter experiences but regardless ended up getting turned around and slightly lost. Instead of turning left at the fork in the road I turned right and began to drive down this narrow, crowded street. I knew immediately my mistake but decided to continue down a little further. As I turned the corner I came upon this enormous larger than life statue of an ancient warrior god sitting atop a large temple. I immediately parked my scooter and took a look around. Inside the temple I found people burning incense and praying to various gods and goddess. There were a lot of old statues and shrines and people paying respects and offering gifts to the gods. I was just in awe at the magnificent sights and smells of the ancient dank but beautiful temple. Just past the temple was a large warehouse where a large number of incredible artifacts were housed. It’s a pretty random collection but there was some outstanding works including what is claimed to be the largest jade panel in the world. Still my favorite sight was the huge statue dedicated to the Warrior God called Guang Gong, a 130 foot god towering in the sky giving a thumbs up. The only way to see the whole thing is by standing a couple hundred yards away and looking straight up! Through all of this I’ve learned that getting lost has its perks too, if I hadn’t lost my way and decided to turn down that road I would never have found this amazing plethora of ancient Chinese artifacts and temples.

When It Rains It Pours….

Date: Sunday June 13, 2010 Taiwan Time: 1:00 pm California Time: 10:00pm (Saturday)


My blog for this week is entitled “When It Rains It Pours….” I mean that both in a metaphorical sense as well as in a literal sense because in Taiwan it doesn’t ever rain—it pours! For those of you who have not been fortunate enough to visit this lovely and diverse country of Taiwan, you probably have never experienced rain in its fullest sense or entirety.
When I first arrived in Taiwan, I had the privilege of staying with a local Taiwanese family for a few days until I found a more permanent place of residence. This family also happened to be a member of my faith, so I attended their local Chinese church (which was quite an experience to say the least!). Everyone there was so kind and welcoming and helped with translation as best they could since the whole meeting was in Chinese! This continued on for a few weeks until I found out there is an English-speaking church that meets in the next city over (about thirty minutes by scooter). So today (Sunday) was my first day attending this particular church. I had gotten directions from the church leader and was pretty confident I knew where it was. When I left Hsinchu, it was party overcast but really quite pleasant otherwise. When we talked on the phone his directions were quite straightforward as I was to turn onto this main road and follow it until I passed a McDonalds at which point I was suppose to make an immediate left. The church meeting started at 9 that morning so I decided to leave at 8:30 to give myself plenty of time (or so I thought). As I’m driving down this major road on my moped (wearing a helmet, black heels, and a skirt), I pass by a McDonalds and make an immediate left. Everything was going fine, I turned into the first building, parked my scooter and looked at the time—it was five to nine, I even had time to spare! I walk into this building and push the button to the third floor. As I’m waiting for the elevator I look around and think to myself (this doesn’t really look like a church but maybe I’ll find other people on the third floor). I get into the elevator and start doubting myself a little, thinking if this is really where I should be. I get off on the floor and notice two double wide doors so I’m thinking yes this is it! So, without giving it much thought, I pull open the doors and walk in to find about thirty Taiwanese business men sitting in conference chairs just staring at me! I have no words (even if I did it would be in English so they might not understand me) and immediately turn around and book it as fast as I can out the door! Okay so by now it’s after nine and I have apparently no idea where I am suppose to be. I frantically call my church leader praying that he picks up and luckily his wife answers the phone. After explaining where I am she explains that I need to turn at the second McDonalds. Of course being on a busy road there are quite a few McDonald’s, as all the streets in Taiwan are filled with McDonalds, KFCs and 7-Elevens! So I get back on my scooter and continue down the road, only this time it’s starting to sprinkle. After a few more agonizing minutes of driving I finally arrive at my destination (a little wet) but only about a half an hour late! The rest of the meeting goes well; I meet some members of my faith who speak English (although most are actually not American or English). There is a Filipino family and some others who are from Argentina and Paraguay.
When the meeting was over I started my drive back home to my apartment. The only problem was this time it was raining but not just raining, down pouring! If you have ever heard of the expression “raining cats and dogs” or “pouring buckets” I’m convinced these phrases are derived from Taiwan. I have a purple rain jacket (not really a rain jacket so much as a plastic coat with snaps on it). Well this is intended to keep you dry as long as it’s raining only a little bit otherwise it’s completely useless. In Taiwan, it doesn’t really rain vertically but rather horizontally so that the wind and water whip you in every direction, making driving a scooter nearly impossible. On my drive home, I pass over a large bridge and many small bridges and lower lying areas (sort of like ditches). By the time I cross some of these they are completely overflowing with water which is also gushing onto the street. Remember at this point, I’m still in heels, wearing this useless bright purple plastic tarp, have a black skirt on and am driving cautiously forward, hoping by some miracle that I arrive home safe. My helmet does little to block the torrential rain so I can barely see enough to navigate my scooter through the flooded streets. Every time a car passes, I’m careful not be too near otherwise I get completely drenched from the tidal wave they create! Anyways to make a long story short, I eventually (by some miracle) make it back to my apartment complex, sopping wet but safe! After changing into dry clothes, I decide to eat lunch because I’m soaked and starving! But of course by this time it has stopped raining almost completely (just my luck right?)
While shopping at the local grocery store yesterday I happened to find a can of salsa which I am so excited about since I love Mexican food and miss it very much! Once I find the salsa I decide to pick up some tortilla chips to have for an afternoon snack. This proves to be such a daunting and challenging mission to accomplish. In Taiwan, you can always find a plethora of snack foods, especially different flavors of chips. In fact, there are a lot of unusual flavors that you simply cannot find in the United States. So as I’m perusing down the grocery aisle I am just overwhelmed but the sheer number of chip flavors, especially the Doritos brand. Here is just a sample of Doritos Chip Flavors that I found:
-Wasabi flavored
-Grilled Basin Chicken, Chicken Sizzler, Roasted Turkey
-Seafood (I think a type of shrimp with seaweed salt flavoring)
-Honey Ribs
-Flaming Cheeseball
-Pizza
-Spicier Nacho, Nacho Cheesier
-Winter Cheese (I didn’t even want to know)
-1st/2nd/3rd Degree Burn flavors (vary in spiciness)
-Late Night All Nighter Cheeseburger
-Late Night Tacos at Midnight
-Late Night Last Call Jalapeño Popper
-Toasted Corn
-Sweet Chili Heat
And my personal favorite….Cool American
These are all flavors of chips that I found at the local grocery store but alas, it proved to be impossible to find just plain tortilla chips so I had to settle with Nacho Cheesier. Which to be quite frank isn’t half bad considering my other alternative chip flavor options. So now I am sitting in my apartment listening to the soothing sound of a summer rainstorm and eating my salsa with Nacho Cheesier Doritos—life is good, real good!
This just goes to show you that you never really know what to expect in life and when in Taiwan, do as the Taiwanese do (keep driving and have a smile while you do it!)

Travels in Taiwan: The Unedited Version

Dear friends and family (or whoever else is reading this blog):

After some probing and convincing from my dear friend Candace I’ve decided to document my travels here in Taiwan. At first I was reluctant and overwhelmed simply because everything is so foreign and new. It only took a few days in the hospital and some sleepless days and nights to find time to do it. I’ve never written in or read a blog before but thought I should start somewhere and now is just about as good as any other. So here it goes:

Date: Sunday June 6, 2010 Taiwan Time: 11:30am California Time: 8:30pm (Saturday)

Before I begin to divulge into all my amazing and shocking experiences thus far I should probably start with the most obvious and shall I say most critical—my health and stay here in the lovely Qua Tie Hospital in Hsin Chu, Taiwan. About a week ago I got a common cold (or what I thought to be) so I went to the doctor to get some medicine. A few days later I started feeling worse as I had a very high fever and uncontrollable bowel movements (I’ll spare you the juicy details-no pun intended). Everything I ate I threw up……this endless misery and torment continued for three long days until I finally went back to the doctor on Friday. Instead of prescribing me more medication he immediately sent me to the ER to get further testing done. Needless to say I was shocked but a little relieved because I was finally receiving the proper medical attention I needed. There was a slight problem though, I spoke very little Chinese and most of the people here spoke very little English. Luckily I had my good South African friend Japie and Sandy, a Chinese Teacher, accompany me to the hospital. At this point I could barely walk because I was so physically and emotionally drained. All I wanted to do was sleep! They immediately made me strip down and wear a hospital gown (which I’m convinced is the doctors’ way of humiliating their patients) and a mask (which just made breathing more difficult). So I felt completely exposed, exhausted, hungry, and disoriented because people were constantly probing me and asking me all these questions but I had no idea what they were saying. Fortunately for me, I had Sandy translate and I got the gist of what was going on.
Next, the nurses handed me a small cup (you know where this is going) and sent me off to the bathroom to fill it. I tried to explain that this was impossible considering the fact that I had been unable to eat or drink for three days and was severely dehydrated. They wouldn’t listen (or probably understand) my plea and gave me a giant cup of warm (not cold) water to drink to help the process along. It was a fruitless attempt at first but they eventually got their desired prize and a lot more than we both bargained for. After getting all the initial tests and blood work done they sent me to a large room filled with beds and tagged my wrist and assigned me a bed number. Most people who occupied the beds were elderly or really sick, I was one of the lucky ones (or so I thought). Sandy translated to the nurses as they tried (many, many, many) times to find my veins to stick an I.V. in my arm.




At this point I was so delusional and beyond exhaustion I really didn’t care what was going on around me. The nurses gave an estimation of about two or three hours before I would be released to go home. I was so overjoyed I almost cried out—I could endure three more hours of being in a Taiwanese hospital right? After a while, my friends Japie and Sandy left to go to work and they gave me an English speaking nurse whose name was Pepsi (yea like the drink). They gave me medication for my fever and abdominal pain so life was good, real good (Nacho Libre accent)….until…..I started feeling really really sick again. Did I mention that my bed was the farthest away from the bathroom? At first it was controllable and less frequent but soon I was dashing up and running with my I.V. Pole swaying in the air and all these Taiwanese onlookers wondering what was wrong with this mad foreign woman. This continued on for several hours until I finally felt somewhat stable and less queasy.
On my last trip back from the bathroom I passed by an automatic sliding down, I looked over and noticed that it was down pouring pretty hard outside. Just as I was walking by this girl stopped me from outside and motioned to me to come out, I looked around and was like me? She nodded so I hesitantly (and probably stupidly) braved the weather and walked out into the torrential rain. Remember at this point I had just come from the bathroom, had needles and tubes stuck in my arm, a large pole with wheels, a mask, hospital gown, and socks. I know it must have been important that she talked to me so I obliged. When I looked at her I saw the situation—she was in crutches and trying desperately to open her umbrella which was slightly bent from the wind and rain. So I gladly opened her umbrella and sent her on her way (or so I thought). She didn’t speak any English so we were just grunting and motioning to each other. Then she started hobbling away and what could I do but follow right? At this point I was trudging through water, my pants were soaked, I was carrying this ridiculous pole with tubes attached to me, people were probably thinking I was a runaway hospital patient, and this girl was just smiling and appreciative of my nice gesture. Finally, after what seemed like an hour, we arrived in the parking lot where her mom was waiting in the car for her and she waved and then they drove off. Soon I realized the mistake I had made and ran (as quickly as I could with a six foot metal pole on wheels) to the nearest entrance. When I arrived the nurses looked at me like I was a crazy, delusional woman as I desperately tried to explain in English what happened but it was useless. They probably thought that I fell in the bathroom and had an “accident.” They stripped me down again, took my temperature, gave me more medication and sent me off to my bed which is where I wanted to go in the first place!
One benefit about modern medicine is that it makes you feel so happy and warm inside, it took a feel shots, but soon I was like floating on clouds and asleep before I knew it. Later (at this point I had no reference as far as day or time) missionaries from my church came and gave me a Priesthood blessing to help me towards a fast recovery. One of them was Elder Shumway (from St. George, Utah) and the other was Elder Lee from Taiwan. They were really nice and talked to me a while and then administered a blessing to me. Afterwards I felt so calm and happy, I didn’t feel any better physically but what they said I knew to be true and that I need not worry. When they left I drifted off to sleep for a few hours before being woken up to being transferred to an actual room! They assigned me to the thirteenth floor, room nineteen. As we were entering the elevator (at this point I was in a wheelchair with I.V.’s in my arm), I see out of the corner of my eye a guy with a giant red box on his back getting off the elevator. I thought it was weird but I was like whatever I must just be really really tired. Later I found out that what I saw was a delivery boy for McDonalds! And they think that Americans have a problem with fast food and obesity!
The next few days seemed to go by in a blur in a half-conscious state of deliria. I do remember a few things though from those three days of being bed bound. Because I was unable to eat or drink any significant kind of food, I was starving so when they told me I couldn’t eat for a whole day after arriving, my heart sank and I almost cried! But when I did get food I almost preferred starvation. Words could not do justice to hospital food in general and this food was no exception. It especially didn’t help the fact that I had no appetite despite my hunger pains. You will see later by the photos of my wonderful and diverse menu choices….
















I also failed to mention that the previous night, they asked me for a culture sample which I gladly surrendered a cup brimming to the top full of (well I need not complete the sentence). An hour or so later they came back with this vial of pinkish liquid (that had my lab result tests written in Chinese of course) and gave it to me, I guess as a souvenir to remember this day by (as if I could ever forget it!) The next event occurred while I was attempting to take an afternoon nap. My curtain was open as I was trying to get a cross breeze from the window. Out of nowhere this male nurse came zooming in with a patient in a wheelchair, got to the end of the room, turned around abruptly and stopped and stared at me, asking how I was. I said fine thanks and then he quickly left. I’m like whatever he probably had the wrong room or something. Then later when I was returning from the bathroom there he was in the hallway just smiling and waving and trying to get my attention. I waved and got back to my bed quickly. Then he came again while my friend Japie was visiting but he just wheeled away looking dejected. I’m sure he was just doing his job and was really nice but it was still kind of a little weird. The last incident was when I went to the nurse to ask for a tampon or pad and she was like “okay, wait here” so I’m waiting for a while and she returns with this gigantic male diaper built for two! I seriously was wondering how I would ever even put that thing on if my life depended on it (no pun intended!) I was resisting the urge not to burst out laughing and explain but she doesn’t understand so I had to write it on a paper and then she translated on it on the computer. Funny but embarrassing story for both of us!
Despite me being sick, I really cannot complain about the medical care or the amazing staff and hospitality of the Taiwanese. The nurses have been so generous and serving, always willing to help in the slightest way even if we cannot communicate with words. I’m just glad to have this ordeal finally over and done with!


After reading my first blog entry, I don’t want to give my readers the impression that I dislike Taiwan or that it’s all been doom and gloom but rather thought I would give them the whole story (the good, the bad, and the ugly). I’ve had some truly amazing and unforgettable experiences here and have grown to appreciate Taiwan’s unique culture and natural beauty.