New Year #4: Thingyan Water Festival

Myanmar celebrates thier new year at roughly the same time as their neighbors. The celebration is called Thingyan. Like Thailand, cities across the country celebrate with a nation-wide water fight. The festivities in Myanmar, however, have an edge to them.

Rather than mere squirt guns, the people of Yangon bust out the industrial strength hoses and pressure washers. An unwary visitor may find themselves nearly blasted off their feet if they're not careful. Revelers with a devious streak, fill their guns with ice water. Others add food coloring (usually red) to their tanks.

Yangon doesn't isolate their celebrations either: the entire city is turned into a friendly war zone.

New year #3: Songkran Festival

Thailand's biggest holiday of the year is Songran: the celebration of the new year. How do they celebrate? With a nation and city-wide water fight.

Have you ever seen Hot Fuzz? Do you know the last scene when everyone in the aparantly peaceful village suddenly pulls out pistols and semi-automatics.... make those water guns and you're getting closer to what Songkran is like. Everyone, everyone!, has a super soaker, water balloon, or bucket; and everyone's a target. If you venture outside, you will get soaked. Resistance is futile. 

Khaosan Rd, Bangkok

Pool party at Davy Jones Locker, Koh Tao

Top of the food chain

It's easy to forget how fragile humans are. But you quickly remember when faced with 600 lbs of furry death. Okay, maybe 'faced' isn't the right word. Maybe 'cuddled' is more realistic.

At Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai, it's possible to snuggle up to some of natures most efficient hunters: the Bengal Tiger. There are several ages to select from: 3 month, 6 month, etc. The babies are the most fun.

Back in town

So you knew this would happen eventually: It's been a while since my last post. Sorry. It's Asia. What else can be said?

In the time I've been gone from the blog, I've been scuba diving in the Thai islands, wrestled with baby tigers, wrung in the new year twice in 3 different cities, got robbed, sought medical attention in the lowest health-rated country in the world, and been on a 3 day treck through the mountains of Myanmar. Not to mention hanging out in Bangkok.

So consider this my formal apology for being absent so long. Now please read on, and follow this bunny down the rabbit hole...

Disneyland of Asia

Thailand is a reality trip after visiting the rest of SE Asia. Not only are there are western stores (Starbucks, McDonalds, KFC, 711, and more), but everything else is western as well: there are regular toilets (not to mention real toilet paper rather than spray guns), real napkins on the table, forks and spoons, consistent electricity, trucks on the road, pop music, real bread, and EVERYONE speaks english.

Coming from Laos, Chaing Mai or other major city in Thailand is as close to home as you can get without actually getting on a plane. But beware, if you are looking for authentic Asia, you're in the wrong place.

Night Pissing

It may seem like SE Asia is paradise: there are beautiful beaches, ancient temples, and lush scenery. But getting around is a bitch!

It doesn't matter what you are promised at the travel agency - your bus will not have a bathroom; the a/c will barely work if at all; the trip will take 2-6 hours longer than they say it will.

So, what is a girl to do? Suck it up sweetheart - and piss on the side of the road. In the dark. With no flashlight. And if you're really lucky, there will be a dirt path you can duck down for some privacy.

Elephant Bathing

Usually, when someone mentions elephants, your mind automatically jumps to the sweeping planes of Africa. Zebras and lions may also be lounging in the corners of your imanginative scene at this very moment. 

But Asia has elephants too!!!!

Luang Prabang is the very best place in southeast asia to get one-on-one time with one of these magestic creatures. Why is LP the best? Because the elephants are gorgeous, healthy, and treated well: not once did our mahout resort to force with our girl. For $20, it's possible to go for a ride on the back of an elephant (or if you're lucky, thier neck) and then hop into the river for some bathing and frolicking.

Laos Roads

It’s not that things are terribly far apart in Southeast Asia. It’s that the roads are so damn bad it’s not possible to drive faster than 20 miles per hour. Consistent pavement begins to seem like a treat. And after a while it doesn’t matter how beautiful the scenery is, you just want to get the hell off the bus.

Oh, and just because your tour agency assures you the bus is VIP and has a bathroom, it doesn’t mean it will. You’re better off buying the cheapest ticket you can find, they’re all for the same thing anyway.

Blue Lagoon

For an afternoon respite from drinking in Vang Vieng head to the Blue Lagoon. 6 km outside of town, towards the mountains, is a popular swimming spot called the Blue Lagoon. The name comes from the turquoise water of the slow moving river (or was it a pond?). 

There are small huts for relaxing and mats for sun bathing. A dip in the lagoon is refreshingly cool. And if you get bored, you can climb up to a cave in the mountainside.

It's Vang Vieng

Laos is said to be a quiet, sleepy country. You won’t get hassled by Tuk-Tuk drivers or street vendors. It’s easy to see most of the country in a week or 10 days. That is only, however, if you survive Vang Vieng.

VV is the party capitol of the entire country – perhaps one of the top spots in the whole of Southeast Asia. While there are lots of activities for the non-alcoholics, getting wasted (again and again) is name of the game in Vang Vieng. And you have your choice of where to do so.

The riverside is the spot for those with an early thirst. It gets going around 1 pm and lasts until nightfall – but be careful making your way back along the unlit and unmarked banks in the dark. Along the river, bars that are little more than wooden docks jut out into the river. It’s easiest to swim from bar to bar and they staff are more than willing to throw you a line and pull you in. If budget isn’t a concern, you can rent a tube rather than swim. At every new bar, you are given a bright bracelet and a free shot.

When the riverside dies down, it’s back to town for a shower, a sandwich, and….a bucket. Cups be damned. Drinks in Vang Vieng are served in small buckets, like the ones you see children playing with at the beach. The best spots in town for finding free buckets: Sakura, Smile Bar, and of course, Bucket Bar. Again be warned: if they let you pour your own bucket, don’t make it straight up. The liquor is really cheap and you will shortly find yourself blacking out, being escorted back to your hotel, and waking up with the spins.

Vang Vieng is not for the faint of heart (or liver).

Goodbye Vietnam

Southern Vietnam is beautiful. But the north can be skipped. Should be. Maybe it’s the cold weather, but the people in northern Vietnam and around Hanoi are just vicious. I wouldn’t say the Vietnamese were known for their friendliness, but the northerners raise that sentiment to an artform. A friend of mine was hit by a moto when she was standing on the ‘sidewalk’, and they didn’t even stop to apologize.

From Hanoi, many people bid farewell to Vietnam and head West to Laos. The bus from Hanoi to Vang Vieng takes 28 hours. And don’t expect to get any sleep: the crew has no qualms about waking you up and moving you so that they can make room for a package they just picked up and will deliver in another few hours. Only in Vietnam is a package more important than a passenger. And like everything else relating to buses, “direct bus” is a flexible term.

Treking in Sapa

When you think of Vietnam, one of the first things that comes to mind is rice. Indeed, it’s mind boggling to see where the ingenuitive people can squeeze a paddy into. But for sweeping views of mountains covered in tier after tier of rice paddies, you need to head to Sapa.

Sapa is a mountain town that has managed to capitalize on the tourist’s desire to experience authentic Vietnam without totally destroying the authentic part. Yes, Sapa Town is crowded with high-rise hotels and trendy wifi cafes… but that is where the development stops. Guided by one of the many available tribes women, a trek into the hills of Sapa gets you away from anything more high tech than the occasional motorbike. Don’t be surprised if your guide is joined by a chatting cohort of other local women….they’re happy to follow along and answer any questions, but when you stop for lunch, they will badger you endlessly to buy a nick nack.

The hills of Sapa are exactly what the sick-of-overdeveloped-Vietnam-backpacker is looking for. The hills are quiet and misty, the trek is a nice chance for some exercise, the homestay is comfortable, and the food is good.

Halong Bay

One of the most iconic images of northern Vietnam is Halong Bay. Limestone mountains rise out of the turquoise waters, shadowing the floating fishing villages and cruising boats of the bay. This time of year, the bay is cloaked in semi-permanent fog, making the bay a calm, eerie place. It’s hard to tell exactly when a mountain will emerge, looming out of the mists. There is no wind, and the fog muffles any sounds from the other boats.

Motorcycle Drive By

I will try to explain this as plainly as possible:

Christine (a friend) and I rented a moto for the day to see the Tombs of Hue. I was driving. I have been driving motorcycles for the past 10 years, if not for that, things could have ended differently. I’m pretty sure my experience as a driver saved someone’s life today. But I’ll get to that. Just know that there were two passengers on each bike.

Our first stop was the Esplanade on the south side of town. In front of the Esplanade, the road ends in a T. There is little traffic control in Vietnam, the few lights and signs are apparently optional. There was very light traffic when we arrived at the intersection; I made a slow and wide right turn, making sure to signal. As we were almost out of the turn, another moto came up behind our left.

I saw them coming, and noticed they were going too fast – their turn was taking them right towards us. I sharpened my turn, veering right. It was as much as I dared with Christine on the back. Still, they collided with us at the angle of 2 o’clock, knocking into front of the bike, between the steering column and front wheel.

The collision forced my handlebars, knocking me off course and compromising our balance. Either the collision or the resulting wobble knocked Christine off the back of the bike. Falling off at this time may have saved her right leg from serious damage, but again, I’m getting ahead of myself. At the time, I only remember seeing her fly off and worrying about where, and how, she had fallen.

Because of their speed, the other bike was now in front of us. They were wobbling as well, and a moment after Christine, the woman on the back fell off and was summersaulting as she tumbled to a stop. I had just about regained control of my bike when I saw her go. Even though I was breaking, I was heading directly for her: I was about 3 feet away from running over her head. In an instant, I realized I had only one option if I didn’t want to kill her…

It is amazing how quickly the brain can process information. In less than a second I realized that in order to avoid the woman on the ground, I would have to turn my bike so sharply that I would fall. Because the distance was so close, even the turn may not be enough to avoid her completely. I knew that Christine had already fallen off, so I could do what I had to without putting the bike down on top of her. I steeled myself, made the turn, and kicked the bike out from under me, slamming the bike and me onto our right side, breaking, and desperately hoping this added friction would be enough to stop the bike before I collided into her. I didn’t have time to worry about my own body.

I felt myself bounce off the dirt. The bike came to a stop. My front wheel was literally resting on the top of her helmet. Another foot, another few inches, and I would have run over her.

The woman had a bloody nose from her fall. Christine had landed in the middle of the busy street and has a nasty patch of road rash on her left calf. If she hadn’t fallen off when she did, I would have had to dump the bike on top of both of us. Because she was on the back, her right leg would have taken most of the impact if I had. I asked her about it later, and she says she has no idea why she fell then. I have a few scrapes and bruises on my shins. The driver of the other bike has nothing but the knowledge that he is a shitty driver.

One of the most remarkable things about the accident was the reaction it didn’t cause. No one came over to see if everyone was okay. They didn’t call the cops. They didn’t even seem particularly interested. Finally another English-speaking moto driver named Ti showed up and helped me exchange information. While Christine was dressing her rash, he asked the few bystanders what they had seen. It turned out the other driver was completely at fault. “It was their fault. I told them to run away,” Ti explained to us.

Strangers

Travelling in SEA, it is not unusual to find yourself sleeping in a dorm with 8 other people you've never met.

But the best option is to find one or two other travelers and spring for a hotel room. The average accommodation ranges from $8 to $15 per night. There may be one or two beds, and there may or may not be hot water.

Conditions vary widely. As do the English abilities and friendliness of the staff. The Vietnamese are not known for their hospitality skills.

Night Dive

After several days in the sun and surf, you have the option to mix things up by diving at night.

A reason to consider doing is the fact that many species on the reef are only active at night. It is possible to see lobsters, eels, and fish that only come out after dark. There is also the added element of suspense: you never know what could be looming out in the deep dark water.

If there was one person that would love diving at night, it's Chelsea Cote.

Diving

The diving in Nha Trang is the best in Vietnam. So they say.

The water is clear and warm, the coral is stunning, and the fish are friendly. Vinadive has the cheapest prices in town and arguably some of the friendliest staff: you may find yourself being invited to coffee or being tutored in Vietnamese. But watch out: you may also be thrown into the water during an unguarded moment.

Diving five days in a row is exhausting but rewarding. The types of fish you may see include:
lionfish
cuttlefish
triggerfish
angel fish
clown fish
starfish
yellow damsels
sturgeon
puffer fish
and more.

Hungover

It doesn't matter where you are in the world. If you're hung over, even paradise is miserable.

Cheap Date

Nha Trang is no HCMC, but it's still a lot of fun. There is a decent backpacker scene and during happy hour, beers sell for less than a buck. I spent only $2 last night, but somehow managed to get spinningly drunk off free shots at various bars.

On my to do list today: advil and coconuts on the beach - the best hangover cure SEAsia has to offer.

Cu Chi Tunnels

Northwest of HCMC are the remnants from an area devastated during the Vietnam War (The American War as they call it here).

You can visit B52 bomb craters as well as crawl around it tunnels used by the Viet Com.

Another highlight is that for less than $20 you can fire an AK47 or M16. I opted for the AK47 and my shoulder is still sore.

Sexy and I know it

After a long day hiking around in 90degree weather, you want a shower. Or an ice bath.

When I got back to my hostel, I realized I'd lost the key to my locker. 'No problem,' I thought to myself, 'The front desk will have a key.' After a few moments, someone came up with a ring of keys and tried them one by one on the lock. None of them worked. And so they disappeared and a few minutes later came back with another ring of keys. Again, none of them worked. They gave me a wave and disappeared again.

After another 10 minutes, they returned. This time, they had only a screw driver and scissors. Oh wonderful. Now, half an hour had passed and I'm running late for drinks with that unfairly attractive Argentinian.

I've got to shower, so I beg some shampoo off another backpacker and hop in the shower. As soon as I'm done, I realize I don't have a towel. With no other options, I sacrafice an entire roll of toilet paper to drying myself as much as I can.

Kerfuffled, moist, and makeup-free. I maked my way to our rondezvous point. No sooner do I sit down then the Argentinian leans over, plucks a small white crumble of paper off my back and asks 'What's this?'.

HCMC

Saigon, more recently known as Ho Chi Minh City, is the second largest city of Vietnam. It's streets are lined with tall trees and trendy shops, parks line the river front, and busy markets spill over from side streets. It's a great place for a backpacker.

Especially when you meet an absolutely gorgeous Argentinian who efficiently manages to be a very bad influence on you. I swear their kind have magic powers: they are just so damn charming.

In situations like that, you find yourself cursing your bad luck that you are staying in a dorm room. So unfortunately, there is no happy ending to this tale. At least not yet..... it's a small world and who knows who you may bump into down the road. Here's hoping.

Mekong Delta

If you want to feel like an explorer in a lost time, head to the Mekong Delta. At the center sits the vibrant town of Can Tho. The people are friendly and the town is full of delicous restaurants and quirky cafes.

For more authenticity, its easy to rent a small boat for a half day tour of the river and surrounding delta. Your first stop, if you're willing to meet the 5 am departure time, is the floating market. The floating market is exactly what it sounds like: there, farmers display their fruits and veggies in heaped in huge piles that fill their boat.

Rabbit Island

Huts where we slept
on the first night.

When you think of beaches in SEAsia, you probably imagine something not unlike Koh Tonsay ("Rabbit Island").

The beach is soft and the sand is warm; there are palm trees and calm, teal-colored water. Bungalows with thatched roofs line the beach and a fresh fruit smoothie is only a call away. It’s paradise.

In the evening, beers are 75 cents during happy hour and if you are so inclined, you can have a full body massage on the beach for $7 an hour, while watching a beautiful sunset over the water.

Angkor Wat

‘The Temple of the Capitol’ was once the center of the Khmer empire. It stretches over hundreds of kilometers. Today, over 2 million tourists visit per year. It may be their sole reason for coming to Cambodia at all.

It is impossible to sum up the character and feel of Angkor Wat in one blog post. It has to be experienced personally. Even if you’ve done your research, it will surpass your expectations, especially in terms of its diversity of design.

I sincerely hope you have the chance to visit. I recommend the elephant.

Chelsea and Chad

It’s great when you have someone to travel with. It’s even better when they’re old friends. Chelsea and Chad have arrived in Cambodia!!!

Travelling with four people has its difficulties but I would go anywhere with those two – they are the perfect travel companions. They tease each other like an old married couple, so bystanders have hours of entertainment on long boat trips.

They leave on the 26^th and I will be sad to see them go.

Hippies.... eeeww

Imagine the Backpacker’s Stink post, plus dread locks, dirty baggy clothing, and a cloud of (pot) smoke. I hate hippies.

Get a real job, have responsibility to someone other than yourself, quit the drugs for a while, and then we’ll talk. In the meantime, stop preaching about ‘going with the flow’ and ‘feeling the vibe’- you sound like a missionary.

There is more than one way to travel, people that think their way is the only way are obnoxious.  

Backpacker's Stink

I will never understand while those travelling abroad while utilizing a backpack feel the need to avoid bathing. I get it, it’s hot, and we’re all sitting here in a small reservoir of our own sweat… but must you make it so obvious? If your stench is so powerful that it hurts my nose, it’s time for a shower. And you may want to consider burning all your clothes.

Some are worse than others. It’s the men, for obvious reasons:  their laziness. How difficult is it to take five minutes at the end of the day to rinse off the shirt coated with your own excretions, and dunk it in the sink with a bit of soap? Answer: not very difficult at all.

I staunchly refuse to be a stinky backpacker.

Sambor Prei Kuk

Not all of Cambodia’s history is full of hardship. Scattered throughout the country is evidence that a healthy and advanced culture once thrived here.

Older than Angkor Wat, the temples of Sambor Prei Kuk are a hidden gem. If you want to feel like Indiana Jones, this is the place to visit. Getting there early, you can avoid the crowds and spend the morning climbing over ruins that are barely resisting being taken over by the jungle.

Some minimal conservation efforts are under way, but for the most part, you’re on your own. Be careful not to wander off the (unmarked) trails because there are landmines buried in the area (left over from border disputes with Vietnam).

Khmer Rouge

1975 isn’t that long ago. All of the adults in Cambodia have memories of death.

On April 17^th, 1975, a communist regime called the Khmer Rouge came to power led by a man named Pol Pot, a former teacher educated in France. Over the next 4 years of his rule, genocide would claim over 2 million Cambodian lives. They were killed by their own government. 1 in 4 people were murdered.

Bodies were dumped into pits by the
hundreds, covered with DEET, and buried
naked. Their graves are unmarked.

Less than 30 km from Phnom Penh is one of the Killing Fields. Thousands of people were taken there and worked to death in the rice fields or simply killed. The deaths were without mercy: throats were cut using dried palm leaves, women were beaten and raped, and babies were smashed against a large tree.

 

Western governments had no idea what was happening. If they did, they kept that knowledge from their people. In fact, the UN supported the Khmer Rouge even after evidence of the killings emerged.

Cambodia: Phnom Penh

Coming from sky scraper-dominated Taipei, Phnom Penh seems like a large town, not a capitol city. There are only a handful of buildings higher than a dozen stories. Away from the touristy riverfront, the city is ‘eh’. The streets aren’t very clean nor are they very dirty. There are some nice restaurants and some crappy ones. The building themselves are old, but not falling apart. It’s a sprawling city, but has little character of its own.

In the middle of the city, across from the riverfront, are a few sights worth stopping by. The Palace is still the residence of the ruling monarch. Next door, the National Museum holds pieces of temples from around the country. The most action can be found around the markets: the largest is the Central Market; the best souvenir shopping is the Russian Market.

The best of Taiwan

Let's talk about some cultural differences, shall we....

Unidentified and dangerous-looking beast, that way.

Why no gum?

No porn.... or drooling!

You know she likes it.

Okay, I get the wierd foods. But almonds and dried fish? Really?

This is just silly.

And finally,

The name of this toothpaste brand is "Black People". I'll let you draw your own conclusions on this one.

Cash is King

For the past two days, it's been raining non stop in the great city of Taipei. Making it a gloomy place. The most determined of the backpacking crowd have had only enough enthusiasm to visit the museums, and found them crowded with bus loads of Chinese tourists. Others have stayed indoors. And the smallest, most elite group of hostel-goers, have soothed thier boredom with shopping therapy.

In Taipei, there is almost nothing you can't buy. The most popular destinations for clothing, cell phones, shoes, handbags, candy, alarm clocks, hairpins, puppies, fortune tellings, or unidentified meat products... are the night markets. The key thing there is night market. Good luck finding anything during the day. It's only after dark that the stalls appear. And there isn't any space left unused: the most crafty venders set up their stalls in stairwells or the tiny alleys between buildings.

While most Americans have long ago traded their greenbacks for plastic, at the markets, cash changes hands in the blink of an eye. The currency is straigtforward: bills for NT 100 and 1000, and coins for NT 1, 5, 10, and 50. Backpackers can easily get by on less than NT 600 a day (about $20). $1 is roughly equal to NT 30.

2nd tallest building in the world

Surprisingly, the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010 was Taipei 101, in Taiwan. Now it's second to Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The 101 floors, 509 meteres of height, and unusual archetecture still make Taipai 101 a sight.

Taipei is still celebrating the lantern festival, so the area around the behemoth was also worth visiting. Temples from all over Taipei have huge lanterns on display in festive dragon designs.

Lantern Festival

Lighting lanterns at Pinsi

If you've seen Hangover II, you've got the basic idea. Its changed over the years to include concerts and other specticals, but the most eligant event of the Lantern Festival is still the releasing of thousands of paper lanterns.

Made of wax paper around a thin bamboo frame and lit with oiled paper burners, the lanterns are surprisingly large, but light. Before sending them on their way, they are covered with writing and wishes... to be carried off into the heavens.

You've got to be careful, however. Firefighters and bystanders are often called upon to help when a lantern bursts into flame before being released, chunks of burners fall off and land in the crowd, or the entire lantern drifts down onto an unsuspecting visitor. The latter is exactly what happened to me when I was happily listening to my iPod. What I thought was a particularly warm-blooded tourist bumping into me turned out to be a fallen lantern that just missed landing on my head. Carefully lifting it back up, I sent it on its way and it sailed happily away.


Pingsi Lantern Festival

Wishes written on lanterns



Frogger

At the National Palace Museum this afternoon, I felt like I was playing human Frogger in a sea of Chinese tourists... and I was loosing. If I were that little electronic frog I'd have died so many times that Nintendo would have personally written me a letter requesting I not depress the system further by suffering it to play any more. I knew they couldn't understand me, so to keep from causing an even bigger scene I would mumble and curse at them "blah blah grrr fucking blahh, move!"

If I were homesick, the thing I'd miss most is the concept of 'personal space'.

Urban Taiwan

Taipei

As per Maggie's request, here is more about the streets of Taiwan.
 
Most of the pictures posted have been of the best parts of Taiwan: the magestic mountain views, the colorful street vendors, and the occasional temple. But the reality is far different. While the people are wonderfully friendly, the scenery itself is often crowded, messy, and consistantly smelly. Most of the habitable land is covered in high density cities.

Yukai Rd in Lukang

There are lots of western stores; Starbucks and KFC appear in all major cities. I'v also seen lots of Fords driving around. The radio stations frequently play American songs and have entire stations in English. Sometimes it's easy to forget you are in a foreign country because America is such a mix of cultures it's easy to imagine your on the streets of DC or New York. Except for the fact that everyone is shorter than you are.

Something old, something new

I was starting to think it didn't exist. That 'authentic' and 'Taiwan' were destined to be apart forever. But there does exist a town that is more than just skyscrapers and abused natural landscapes.

Lukang is the latern capitol of Taiwan. Shopowners there have been making traditional laturns and running the family business for decades. The streets are crowned with the colorful fruits of their craft.

Old Market Road

There are houses on the side streets, not just shops selling plastic junk. The occasional tree even makes an appearance. If you get lost on a back road, you end up in a farm, not a traffic accident.

Sun Moon Lake

Sun Moon Lake is the largest freshwater body in Taiwan. But if you've ever been to Panajachel, Guatemala, it is a giant overdeveloped let down.
The lake is great if you prefer a theme park to actual nature. For some reason 'lakehouse' and 'skyscraper' don't go hand in hand in my mind...even if they are some of the most opportunistic sky scrapers around.
The most interesting feature of the lake is the color of the water itself. I'm guessing that limestone from the surrounding mountains gives the water it's unique turquoise hue

Sun Moon Lake

Street Food

It's reasonable to budget $5 a day for food. Maybe $6 if you want to splurge and get a fancy desert.

I don't know what most of this stuff is. Do you?

Lunch is most fun because there are soooo many street vendors. You can pick and choose items as you wander among the stalls.

Most people have heard of escargo, tripe, and chicken feet, but the Taiwanese eat some crazy things. Whole fried crabs seem to be popular along the coasts... but I can't figure out how you eat them. What looks like wall insulation is actually shredded pork. If you don't know what it is, it's probably pork of some sort. They even grill it thin sheets - not at all like bacon, more like home made paper.

Don't be alarmed, they're just man-eating goldfish

At some point, you need to visit Guanziling. It is one of only a handful of places in the world where the hot springs spit up muddy water. I spent the day soaking in water cloudy with minerals and mud.

There are hot pools and cold pools.
Swim pools and soak pools.
Mud masks, body scrubs and more.
But to cap off the evening, you simply must see
the goldfish that nibble your feet.

On the way out, there is a pool of goldfish that eat any dead skin that is ready to come off your feet. They're no bigger than a few inches long but they're not shy. If you can get over the fact that they've trained the fish to eat people, its actually a fun and tickly experience.

Got Incense?

Tainan has temples everywhere in the city! I walked around for a few hours and saw 10 different ones inside of a few hours. They cover everything from good luck, to the god of war, to fertility (Maggie's not allowed in that one), to heaven and hell.

At first, the incense was nice. And subtle. But as the day wore on and more people came to worship, the clouds grew thicker. I found myself wishing for one of those face masks that everyone wears. Or better yet, scuba gear. I may need to get my lungs scraped.

Lady Linshui's Temple

Butterflies

I made it to Maolin in one piece. And was rewarded for my efforts by being able to visit the wintering site of 10-15 million of purple butterflies in the Dawu Mountain Range.

Purple Butterfly caught in flight

The only other place in the world where butterflies migrate like this is in the Monarch Butterfly Valleys of Mexico. It takes the butterflies from March to November to fly here from all over Taiwan.

It's 9 am an the sun finally makes it over the Dawu Mountains

The Road to Nowhere

Take a good look at the picture below. That's the road I was driving on in Maolin. No signs. No lights. Nothing but that set of orange poles to let you know that the road you've been driving on for the past half hour is about to take you over the side of a cliff.

Taiwan has a loose sense of what a road, let along a highway, should be. Let me go back to earlier in the day to explain:

I spent most of my day trying to drive from Kaohsiung to Yushan National Park, to an area called Maolin. According to both Google Maps and the paper map (in Chinese) I purchased, highway 10 should have extended most of the way there. About halfway through my drive, however, 10 ended. I mean to say T-boned another road at a stop light. The highway. Stopped at a light. No signs. Not even a "good luck trying to figure this out you silly American". I'll cut to the good part.

I soon found myself driving the wrong way down the middle of a highway. It was exciting to say the least. Lucky for you, I'm still alive to write this blog.