Getting out of China.

Arrived at an airport with free WIFI. Three men helped me find my correct bus to get into the center of town. A Japanese man befriended me in the bus line and instructed me how to pay and when to get off the bus. The airport bus that takes you to all the different parts of the city was a limousine bus! This was the nicest bus I've ever been in. I think they polish the armrests. The bus driver then bowed to us before he started driving. Oh, and he was wearing white gloves. There where a dozen people on the bus and everyone was quiet. How rare for me. The woman behind me made a phone call and was practically whispering. Then a Chinese man answered his phone; he was two rows behind the Korean girl and was much louder. However, there are Korean music videos playing... and boy band is scaring me with their perfect cosmetically sculpted faces. And this was my first impression of South Korea.

It was pretty simple to find my hostel. I changed real quickly and went to meet a friend who conveniently lived a two-minute walk from my hotel. We grabbed dinner at a Korean BBQ restaurant down the street. Then met a few of his friends at a bar. They are all in the military and the neighborhood they live in is called Itaewon.  The army base has been in this area since the 50's so there is a large international influence. In fact the little downtown area of Itaewon felt similar to downtown Fullerton.

The following day I did my favorite thing: walk around a new city. I truly get giddy walking around a new city. I think also because walking in Hangzhou can be so unpleasant at times (smells, people, etc) so being anywhere else is rather refreshing.

I did that for two days and in the evenings went out with Nick. It was so great to have someone to hang out with. Sunday morning I left for Taipei, Taiwan. I got into Taipei around 6pm. From the airport I took about an hour bus into the center of town. I'm getting really good at navigating and finding my way (without a smart phone to guide me that is). After arriving at the Main Station I found my way to my hostel. The place was super cozy and clean and I was instantly given a glass of wine from a guy from San Francisco. The next two days I did the same thing as in Seoul: explore.

I went to the top of the second tallest building in the world (though soon to be surpassed by The Shanghai Tower in Shanghai). I walked all day and in the evening visited a few night markets and temples. I wasn't aware of the heavy influence of Buddhism here. I took a glass bottom gondola to some mountains/tea fields on the outskirts of the city, then went to the zoo!! Animals make me happy... Why not.

I wanted to visit another area of Taiwan while here. Taipei is great in that it is a big city with a very tropical feel, but Taiwan is also known for their beautiful beaches. A Taiwanese couple I met highly recommended Hualien. From Taipei it was about a two and a half hour train ride. I arrived in a very small city and spent that evening just walking around and people watching. The owner of my hostel was so helpful in helping me to plan my stay. He highly recommended renting a scooter (I was planning/hoping to do so) and riding to Taroko National Park. This park is known as one of Taiwan's most beautiful attractions. It was about an hour ride up the coast to the park. I spent the day riding through the park on my little blue scooter, stopping often to go for a hike and explore some of the trails. I met so many nice people; Taiwanese are extremely friendly and helpful. In China I would often feel hesitant to ask a stranger for help, here not at all. The language barrier isn't as much of a problem here, which makes a HUGE difference!

After a few hours in the park I continued up the coast a bit to see a beach I'd heard about. It was so tranquil and calming to be near the ocean. I had to head back the Hualien to return the bike by 6:30. It was a great day! I enjoyed being in nature and exploring on my own. Also I saw monkeys in the park. You can't be mad when you see monkeys!

I took the train back to Taipei the following day. The older Taiwanese woman on the train asked me a few questions in broken English then handed me an orange. She then got my email address, had our neighbor take a photo of us, and put her scarf on me like a blanket when she saw I was cold. She is my new adopted grandmother.

I spent a total of ten days traveling on my own (well, I guess I wasn’t really alone in Seoul). It was a great experience and test for what’s to come next year. I have a one-way ticket to Bangkok, Thailand for January 28^th. I have given myself a window of about six months to travel in Southeast Asia. I will have friends with me at times and will be meeting up with friends a long the way, but there will definitely be many times that I will be on my own. So I have to really prepare myself for time alone as well as really put myself out there with strangers and trying to make friends…

This is my last week of work here in Hangzhou. I’ve been working part time this last month. Saturday my friends and I will celebrate Thanksgiving, which will be so wonderful! It will be the last time I see a lot of these wonderful friends I’ve made here. I will fly back to Southern California on Friday December 6^th!! I am beyond excited to see friends and family again.