Mainland vs. Taiwan

Disclaimer: These are my opinions and observations. I would like to hear any comments you may have.

Taiwan 101

Spending about six months in Beijing has made me forget about how different Taiwan is compared to China. In China, I am usually told that I look Chinese, and I respond by telling them that my mother is from Taiwan. The other person, in turn, states that I am a zhongguoren, which basically means, I am Chinese. At this point, it is easier (and less mafan) to agree that I am Chinese, instead of disagreeing as Chinese people firmly believe that Taiwan is still part of China.

So when I landed in Taiwan, besides some of the differences I already knew, I recognized so many differences between the two people. Some of the differences start with the language: Taiwanese still use traditional Chinese characters and learn it through bo po mo fo method, while the mainlander use simplified Chinese characters and learn it through the easier pinyin (especially for westerners) method. In addition, there are many Japanese words such as kawaii (cute) that are frequently used and understood by the Taiwanese. Some of the older generation Taiwanese still use and understand Japanese. Whenever I meet older folks, I generally communicate with them in Japanese. Taiwanese generally have no animosity towards Japanese, in fact, it’s the complete opposite of the mainlanders.

I can keep on going about the differences, however, I would like to share the biggest differences I observed during my time here.

1. 1/14/2012 was voting day for the Taiwanese. It was so strange to watch how enthusiastic the Taiwanese were about the political parties. If one usually asks a mainlander about political situation, for obvious reasons, it’s usually a robotic and bland answer, however, the intensity of the Taiwanese people’s thoughts and beliefs was a fresh view. More than 80% of the people voted! It was so intense, that after the winner was announced, many people from the losing party cried.
2. There are less anti-Japanese sentiments in Taiwan. There are many Japanese products. In fact, the foreign language section at bookstores is broken down to Japanese language, and then all the other foreign language sections. Most signs are in Chinese, English, and Japanese.
3. People recognize that you may not understand or speak Chinese. When this occurs, they will take the time to have extra patience with you and attempt to communicate with you in your native language.
4. No unnecessary honking. There is less traffic; there is also an emphasis on pedestrian and bikers first. Drivers will wait for pedestrians to walk before attempting to drive forward. In addition, honking is at a minimum from both bicycles and cars.
5. Since I have been in Taipei, I haven’t seen or heard one person spit. I haven’t seen spit droppings in random indoor places. I’m not saying it’s perfect…in Kaohsiung, I saw about a handful of cases of people spitting…outside.

It seems spending time in China has brought out my cultural identity as a Taiwanese as in so many aspects, we are so different from the mainlanders.

“When a person has an accent, it means he can speak one more language than you”

Freezing Half to Death in Harbin

Ice Festival

Happy New Year! I am currently writing from Taipei, Taiwan. I came here a day after spending a long weekend in freezing Harbin, China in order to see their famous Snow and Ice festival.

Since starting my MPA at Tsinghua last fall, it has been pretty difficult to keep up with the blog. There is always something to write about, whether it is writing a term paper, thesis, or applying for an internship. Creating time for the blog is now a priority, but please note that it is not a New Year Resolution!

If you ask me about Harbin, the only thing I can say is that it’s a cold place. I took a train to the frozen city. On the way, there was a nice quaint old lady looked at every piece of my clothing, from my jeans, sneakers, jacket…all the way to my socks. She scared me by telling me that they are all no good and I needed to buy new ones. After we got off the train, the first thing I saw were blocks of ice sculpted into a gateway. An amazing and scary first sight to see…

So what was interesting about Harbin…there was a huge Russian influence. Lots of Russian restaurants and of course, there were many people that spoke Russian. The architecture in itself was Russian as well.

A couple of pointers

-       Bring a student ID! If you don’t have one, get a fake one made, specifically a . It’ll be worth the money. For example, the Sun Island Snow Sculpture Fair is normally RMB240, but with a student discount, it’s RMB120. The Ice and Snow World is RMB300, with a student ID, it’s RMB160.

-       Bring heat pads…multiple amounts!!!

-       Dress like you’re going to go skiing or snowboarding.

-       Try some Russian food when you are there

-       Go to the Ice Bar near Stalin Park

-       Walk across the frozen river of Songhua.

-       Check out the Tiger Park…It’s bizarre and it should only cost about 35-40 by taxi. Don’t make a deal with the taxi drivers, as you can get a ride back easily.

 

“traveling thounds of miles will be more beneficial than reading thousands of books” – Old Chinese Proverb

Random Microbrews I Had in Japan

Blue Beer from Abashiri, Hokkaido

Otaru: My Quick and Dirty City Guide

Otaru is a beautiful seaside city in Hokkaido about half-an-hour away from Sapporo. It is considered a tourist city even for the Japanese people. They are famous for their canal, sushi, crabs, glasswork, and surprisingly, music boxes. Easily accessible by train from both Sapporo and Chitose International Airport (1740 yen one-way), this is a must-stop side trip for any trip to Sapporo.

There are two main stops in Otaru; Otaru station (the main station) and Minami-Otaru station. In between the two stations is where the beautiful old town of Otaru is located. This consists of Sakaimachihondori St. and the Canal area. I suggest visiting the canal at night as this is a chance to take a very beautiful picture of the canal and the building surrounding it.

I am writing this quick mini guide a little too late, as I visited Otaru about 2 months ago, so my memory is a bit rusty (already!). Anyway, here are the places we stayed, ate, and did. I’ve also added some of my comments.

To Eat:

-       Go to Sushi Street. To be absolutely honest, when I visited, there were not many places that were opened after 5 PM. I later found out that July is still considered low season. Stop at a random place, but it is considerably expensive and very tasty even for Japanese standards.

-       Warehouse next to the Canal – across the street from a Bikkuridonkey is a warehouse, which has many types of restaurants. A pretty cool place to eat and sample different types of Otaru foods.

-       Kaiten Sushi – on a street, which is parallel to the Canal and Sakaimachihondori St.

-       Ice cream place – the only thing I can say about this ice cream is that it is right behind Hotel Vibrant (see below) and it has the craziest flavors. I had squid ink and uni flavor ice cream. My girlfriend had coenzyme Q10 flavor (it tasted like a mixture of clementine and lemon).

To Sleep:

-       I stayed at the Hotel Vibrant (1-3-1 Ironai), which is about a 10-minute walk from the main station. It used to be a bank, which was then refurbished into a hotel. Location and price wise, it’s pretty unbeatable. You are basically right in the middle of everything. There is also free basic breakfast (bread, coffee, tea) in the morning.

To Drink:

-       Otaru Beer Hall (263-19, 3 Chome, Zenibako) – a Bavarian style brewery still owned and tended by a German. They have tours every hour; unfortunately, I cannot remember if they have non-Japanese tours. In addition, the beer hall serves all types of western foods.

To Do:

-       Hot spa – Can’t remember where it is exactly but it is the only onsen on Sushi Street. Beware, no one with tattoos is allowed.

-       Glassmaking – K’s glassblowing and other places are available. I advise you to make reservations at least one or two days beforehand.

-       Walking around old Otaru

Have You Ever Thought About Eating a Live Donkey?

This dish originates from China, supposedly from the northern provinces.

Basically, for this dish, the main ingredient is a donkey…well, a live donkey to be exact. Its legs and head are tied to a pole fixed to the ground. The chefs start cutting off pieces of the meat and serve it to the diners.

Now there is another variation to this in which, the chef pours boiling water on the donkey, cleans out the hair, and then slices the meat off. This becomes more like tartar as the outside is seared and the inside is still uncooked.

Eating donkey in the first place freaks me out. Yes, I have tried it. However, eating donkey sashimi from a still-living animal freaks me out a lot more.  If I eat this, it would definitely top the list of weirdest things I have eaten and I would also receive tons and tons of hate mail from PETA.

If you are interested in more strange foods, check this post out!

How I Keep Traveling…

Having been back in the US and then telling people that I am heading out again, I have had them ask me certain questions. The question asked most is how am I able to travel for so long? The simple answer to that is through savings. The longer answer to that is, I travel places using miles. When I get to a location, I always use public transportation. In addition, I save money by staying at the dormitories, through friends, and if fortunate, through cultural exchange programs such as couchsurfing.

Random things I see during my travels...at the real Monkey Island, Vietnam

Remember, I don’t have rent or mortgage, I don’t have a lease or car payments, I don’t even have a phone bill anymore. I pick up what I need during my travels. I’ll change it up once in a while. I may fly on miles, but I may splurge on a really nice meal. So in a way, I’ve sacrificed the nice amenities of living at home and in return, have been able to extend my money.

I’m sure there are other ways in order to travel for long periods of time. It’d be great if you leave some ideas under the comments page.

My Travel Inspirations

Many people ask me why I do what I do. Why did I quit my job to travel? Besides the simple answer that I really like to travel and explore, I was tired of my previous life. It was too easy; there were no challenges in my life. I also felt that it was the right time to make a move like this, as I do not have other responsibilities.

I also read a lot of books and watch a lot of media. I was sick and tired of reading about these experiences that people went through. I wanted to go through them myself. For example, I wanted to scuba dive in Thailand, smell the different spices of India, and get plastered with other Germans at Oktoberfest.

I was also sick of “vacationing.” I didn’t want to go see some place for a week then head back to my job. It was exhausting and I felt like I wasn’t seeing anything. Sitting at a café in the middle of Milan, relaxing and drinking coffee doesn’t seem like something to do when you have a week to see the country, however, when you are doing long term traveling, you start to appreciate the small things the locals do.

I guess I’ll leave you guys to a nice quote I know from the Beach, “So never refuse an invitation, never resist the unfamiliar, never fail to be polite and never outstay the welcome. Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience. And if it hurts, you know what? It’s probably worth it.“

Top Tips on a Trip to North Korea

A Fine Soldier in the Making

In May of 2011, I had the privilege of visiting North Korea, the mysterious country. For those that do not know, North Korea cannot be visited unless you are someone very special or with a tour. As I am no one special, I ended up going with Young Pioneer Tours. There are many tour companies with different prices but at the end of the day, they all take you to similar places. YPT on the other hand tries to do different things such as visiting a beer factory. Their tour groups tends to be very diverse and their North Korean tour guides are friendly and very informed as well. My tour was 5 days and 4 nights. (I will be putting down my itinerary below.) Our tour company took care of our visas and round-trip flight to and from Pyongyang.

Couple of tips

-       Bring Euros or Chinese RMB. Those are the 2 currencies that the DPRK will accept from foreigners.

-       Take a picture of your visa when you receive it as once you get to the DPRK they will take it away from you

-       They will take away your cell phones and return it at the end of the trip.

-       Use common sense; don’t ask questions like “are there concentration camps” to the DPRK tour guides. They will respond with a no, then hate you for the whole trip. This can also ruin the trip for the rest of the tour group.

-       Drink the DPRK beers, it’s really good and it’s a lot better than the Chinese beers.

-       The DPRK folks will show you only the good things about their country. There are definitely bad things about the country that you will never see.

-       The North Koreans are as curious about your culture as they are of yours. Talk to them and get to know them. ***Remember; don’t put them in a hairy position, as they will be the first to be punished. Most likely, their families as well will be punished.

Itinerary

27th April (Wed)

·Meet your western Guide Troy at 2 pm in the SanLiTun district of Beijing to go through DPRK procedure, and to receive your tickets and visa.

·Departure at 17.25 from Beijing Station for the 24-hour sleeper trip to Pyongyang.

28th April (Thurs)

·7 am Arrival at Dandong for China border formalities before crossing over into Sinuiju. At Sinuiju your guide will show you to the cheapest gift shop in North Korea! Situated at Sinuiju Station.

·19.30 arrival in Pyongyang to be greeted by your Korean tour guides.

Transfer to the Yanggakdo Hotel

Dinner and drinks, quick look around the hotel and overnight.

29th April (Fri)

Morning

· Drive to Kaesong City

·Panmunjom (village situated at the DMZ)

·Koryo Museum

Afternoon

·Lunch at Kaesong Folk Customs Hotel (traditional Korean banquet)

·Tomb of King Kong Min

·Drive back to Pyongyang

·Raekwon Beer bar

·Dinner at local restaurant and overnight at Yanggakdo Hotel

30th April (Sat)

Morning

·Drive to Mt. Myohang

·International Friendship Exhibition

·Poyon Temple

·Lunch at Chongchun Hotel

·Drive back to Pyongyang

Afternoon

·Revolution exhibition (Industrial hall)

·Pyongyang Metro

·Handicrafts souvenir shop

·Duck BBQ Dinner

·Magic show OR night drive to see the water fountain

1st May (Sun)

Morning

·Kumsusan Memorial Palace (Mausoleum of Kim Il Sung)

·May Day Celebration Art Performance and Sports Festival of Working Class in Mt. Daesong Funfair (chance to go on the rides!)

·Juche Tower

·Chongryu Korean Hot Pot Lunch

Afternoon

·Party Foundation Monument

·Mansundae Grand Monument (The big statue of Kim Il Sung)

·Mangyongdae (Birth place of Kim Il Sung)

·Walking on Moronbong Hill. This is without doubt the highlight of the trip, with your chance to play football, have a tug of war, and eat drink and dance yourself merry with the celebrating Koreans!

·Foreign Language Bookstore

·Kim Il Sung Square

·U.S.S Pueblo

·Shooting range

·Koryo Hotel for a look and a dark beer.

·Drinks at “the diplo”, Pyongyang’s number one nightspot!

·Overnight at Yanggakdo Hotel

2nd May (Mon)

Departure by Air China (afternoon), or train 10.10 for Beijing

Thoughts on My Trip and America

Ok, so I just got back to the USA last week after 13 months of being away. For those of you who have just started following my blog, I used to be pharmacist and took some time off to follow my dream of traveling, adventuring, and exploring.

So, what are my initial thoughts on being back? I have to admit, it was nice to see a heterogeneous group of people. It’s pleasant to hear different types of languages breeze by you while standing in one place. It’s wonderful to not receive the “what the hell” face when you speak English without an Asian accent.

I’ve had many people ask me what my favorite places/experiences were. My answer to that is, nothing is the same anywhere just like no one is ever the same. Your experiences and my experiences will really never be the same. But before I get more philosophical, I don’t have an exact favorite place or experience. I’ve drank beer with the locals in Germany, had sushi in Japan, had Pyongyang Noodles in Pyongyang, ate the strangest things in China, rode a camel in Tunisia, and many more. I think those experiences were awesome and I would do all of them again even if it hurt.

So now what? Now, I’m still trying to figure out if I should continue the adventure by going back to China and studying for 2 years or getting a job as a pharmacist. I don’t know what I should do. If you read it, help me out!

Top 3 “Oh Shit, I’m in China Moments”

This is not an “I hate China” list. These are just some things which makes my time in China a little more interesting, frustrating, and at the end of the day, an experience.

1. Recently, China overcame Japan to be the world’s second largest economy. Nevertheless, there are some strange flaws in their economic system. For example, my girlfriend and I journeyed with a tour group to go to Inner Mongolia and Datong for the weekend. Instead of taking the train, we took the bus to get to our destination. The bus was filled mainly with students from different countries. According to our tour guide, the trip should only take 4 hours including gas stops and bathroom breaks.

We left Beijing around 6 PM during rush hour. (I don’t know why we did that in the first place.) Obviously, we hit traffic, so by 10 PM, we were only half way to our hotel. Around 11 PM, it started to happen. The only people on the road were truck drivers, a couple of cars, and us. Once again, there was traffic! Traffic at 11 PM!!! You have to be kidding me.

The bus driver then turned off the bus. We all looked up and wondered. For some odd reason, it is ok for a truck driver to stop in the middle of the highway, turn off his truck, and take a break, because he is tired. This in turn starts a chain of other truck drivers that take breaks as well, covering the 2-lane highway into a 50 km rest area!

The weird part is, it’s an accepted reality. No one honks their horn to wake the drivers up. It’s almost as if the later drivers are happy to stop and take a break. The only reason the traffic starts moving is because there is a police officer that starts driving down and wakes up the drivers to start moving. This ridiculous cycle occurs every 5 km or so.

What should have taken us 4 hours to get to our destination, took us 9 hours! It took us 3 hours to go 50 km! This was truly an “Oh shit, I’m in China” moment.

2. China can be a very “me, me, me” society. Yes, I have heard of parents urging their kids to take the toys of other kids at the playground.  However, to be a little bit less specific, I’d like to give a better example of the “me, me, and me.” The Chinese may have gotten rid of the gene to get on line (queue up for your non-Americans). In any situation I am in, the Chinese have found a way to cut the line and other people don’t say anything about it.

Maybe it’s a western thing or a Japanese thing, but I just don’t understand it. Why is it ok to cut people on line? Why don’t people know how to wait for their turn? There is a line of people waiting to get into a movie theater, however it’s ok for some people to just cut. One time, I was at McDonald’s in the middle of ordering and some lady just tried to bash in and start ordering herself.

3.  I think an interesting experience is watching the Chinese people having dinner. They order so much, so much to the point that everything cannot be eaten. The food itself is an experience. I don’t know what it is half the time. They also order beer after beer after beer. Then comes the check; every time the check comes, it’s like the beginning of an epic battle. Hands are everywhere trying to grab it, people are screaming at each other, and then someone wins and pays. Everything goes back to normal.

There are some negative aspects as well. Sometimes Chinese people have no patience to wait for food, so they will say something like, “我的点菜还没来” which literally translates to, “My food did not come yet.”

Honorable Mention: I wasn’t there but there was a so-called “Kunming City Official Apple Store.” Read it here.