I could go for some coffee right now

 Hello! Today I wanted to talk about some of the cafes we have visited. Of course there's the quick coffee places attached to the 7-Elevens and the typical Starbucks that attracts both international and local peoples, but we have tried to pick some more quirky places with a bit of charm to get our coffee fix. This past week we tried a place called Vino Vino Cafe, that's set in what seems to be a more laid back street with some small boutiques and restaurants. In fact we ate at the Italian restaurant right by this cafe a while back which is what sparked my interest in this place. We  arrived around lunch time and found out that they unfortunately don't serve their "special" coffee until night time but we decided to stay and have a light snack. We had a tuna sandwich and green tea. I was surprised by the tea though because it came in a tall glass and was foamy at the top giving it the appearance of beer! And here I thought everyone in the restaurant just liked to drink afternoon beer out of little twisty straws haha! This cafe was charming to me partly because it reminded me of some of the cafes in Paris. It had an open view facing the street with windows ajar letting in the breeze and soft relaxing music playing overhead. There was also a second floor where customers could sit in a more open area without windows.
toilet Chaplin lol

 
Our whole reason for visiting this cafe in particular though was for their specially made coffee art, so as not to be disappointed we came back again that same evening to get our drinks. It cost a little bit more for the fancy coffee but it doesn't seem like something many places do so it was worth it for the experience.
Caramel cake~

         

The next cafe we visited was kind of a surprise to me. It is called  安和65 or Anhe65 and it is an art gallery/ cat cafe. The entrance was kind of set back away from the main streets and not entirely noticeable at first as any sort of coffee shop. Once we walked in I noticed the first cat asleep on an ice cream trolley. You have to walk down to get into the actual cafe area where it opens up into a basement-like area with concrete floors and various artworks decorating the walls. I was a little bummed at first that there was only one other cat asleep on a chair but the place had a really nice urban artsy feel to it that distracted from the lack of kitties. The art work was fun and colorful and they had some small items by local artists for sale as well. We sat and enjoyed our drinks with some cheesecake adorned with a cat drawing done in some kind of green sugary stuff. 

             

The last cafe we visited actually visited today was Minimal Cafe which is also a cat cafe but this one lived up to it's name and was full of cats. The first thing I noticed aside from the cat drinking from hte fountain on a shelf was the smell, it definitely smelled like cats! I didn't mind at all and neither did any of the other customers. It had a very laid back feeling much like all the sleeping cats we kept spotting. Some in chairs and others lazying about on the counter where we made our orders. I had a French iced coffee and Yue had a weird banana latte thing blegh. The coffee was delicious but kind of pricey at $6, I just hoped the extra money was going to pay for the cat food lol.. the furniture was a bit shabby and covered in cat hair but we didn't have to pay any extra fees to sit with the cats or pet them. They came and went as they pleased, one even found its way onto the coffee mugs and was just laying there on top of them. I sure hope they wash those haha! I honestly didn't mind it at all but I don't think a place like this could ever exist back in the US simply because they have such strict laws about workplace hygiene with food.  We both thoroughly enjoyed our cat time though after being surrounded by dogs everywhere all the time. Definitely a unique place I'm glad we could check out.

<---This cat wasn't haven't it today lol
                                         
                                   

Well that's it for now, I'll add more updates soon!

Bye~

Side trip to Tainan

Alright guys, so from Pingtung we took a short overnight trip to Tainan that backtracked us a little more North. It wasn't really included in the plans but Yue's family recommended we try going somewhere and we ended up in Tainan. It was about an hour by train and we were greeted enthusiastically with maps and guides of the area. We checked into our hotel, which was pretty nice and located right near the station and a variety of shopping, and then headed back outside to explore the area. We had arrived fairly early so we had plenty of time to walk around. We browsed the shops and then found ourselves at yet another mall so we took the opportunity to find ourselves some lunch. This mall didn't really have a food court area but instead had a few nicer restaurants around the top and by top I mean 13th floor. This mall had 13 floors! We were pretty hungry after working our way to the top so we decided to try a burger place that had a sort of 50s theme. They had a good selection of burgers and the prices were only a little higher than usual. We ate a burger that was topped with a dollop of peanut butter and it was surprisingly good. That was some of the best peanut butter (º﹃º)

We walked around the mall and found an even bigger Daiso, then we looked for the night market that we heard was nearby. Everyone told us it was pretty far by foot but we walked all the way there and back and we made it okay, exhausted but hey at least we had the softest hotel beds to crash in. The night market was smaller than many we have been to but just as lively. There was food and vendors selling all sorts of stuff as well as some games thrown in. We tried some Takoyaki and it wasn't Japanese standard cause there was corn inside and the octopus was teeny, but it was still good and cheap so no complaints. 

The next day we had the hotel's complimentary breakfast which was made up of a vast assortment of both Asian and American breakfast items. We checked out and walked around again but this time lugging our extra bags, We went back to the mall because there was another mall literally right across the street and we figured we'd check it out. Unfortunately so did every other person in the city. All the malls and most other businesses don't open until 11am here so that was why we assumed all these people were outside waiting. It turned out that there was also some sales and special deals going on at the mall for the weekend so people were shopping like crazy. We were both pretty tired and my eye was bothering me more than usual so we stopped and took a break at a cafe in the mall called The Dazzling Cafe. We had a Croque Madame and some drinks. We've made a habit of trying unique cafes and this one had a specialty we did not get to try but perhaps at it's other location in Taipei we will get to. Our Trip To Tainan was short and uneventful but it was nice just being the 2 of us for a little while. Then back to Pingtung and the land of lost wifi we went. We stayed another night and then took the train all the way back to Tapei. 

Back in taipei now wooo~

 Savi

South Bound 3 - Pingtung

 Taichung→ Kaohsiung→ Pingtung then an overnight trip to up to Tainan and then back to Pingtung

     As we exited the train on a arriving in Pingtung it truly felt like another part of the world. Surrounded by palm trees with a strange ashy smell in the air, it was as if we had come to stop in a jungle. It was the epitome of the countryside far away from the lights and crowds of the city.

     Although we were staying at a relatively bigger home than the others we had visited, we were once again without wifi so I took the time to catch up with some reading and watch some American movies I had never heard of. Many of the American movies I've seen on tv or on the train here I've never even heard of before!
     We didn't get to see many of the sights of Pingtung but instead found ourselves at another fancy mall. Now I may not have explained this but we have frequented many malls here, mostly because we enjoy going to the food courts lol. The food is still very well priced, although not as cheap as on the streets, plus there is air conditioning and fairly clean restrooms. We found our first Daiso of Taiwan and those of you who know about Diaso will understand the excitement. At the top floor was a movie theater and once we checked prices we decided to go ahead and see a film. They have this weird movie experience here where the seats move called D-box but we opted for a less nauseating option. I had been wanting to see Annabelle, and it had just come out so it was time for our first Taiwan movie experience. The theater was well sized and clean and the seats were comfy enough. Apparently the girls here are just as annoying as the ones back home during scary movies. As for the film it was subtitled so Yue and I could enjoy it in it's original format and not worry about horrible dubs. The movie was terrifying for me but I also have a fear of creepy dolls so that might have made it more frightening for me.

We had CocoCurry for lunch and it was my first time trying it even though I saw it all over Japan. It tasted just like I imagined aha like Japanese curry! Yue got herself a latte as well.

                          

             

    The next day we went to Tainan daaaadadadaaa (/・0・)

South Bound 2 - Kaohsiung

    Taichung→ Kaohsiung→ Pingtung then an overnight trip to up to Tainan and then back to Pingtung

From Taichung we moved onto Kaohsiung which felt like the complete opposite of the previous city. It felt more like Taipei at first because of the grimy feeling. It was apparent we were heading further from the big city and more down South. I received a great deal more stares around the area we were staying. We were being housed by Yue's Uncle and Aunt and her cousin and grandmother were there as well. They lived in a building that felt like a townhouse, it had many many floors that reached all the way to the roof. Most of the housing in Taiwan tends to have a similar look. Oftentimes they don't appear as if anyone could even be living there, they look like old run down buildings from the outside with birdcage balconies. The outside has been misleading many times though, because the inside can be very spacious and clean. Another note about Taiwanese housing and possibly much of Asia is that you can tell who and who does not have air conditioning because it is not included with the house. They pay for and install them separately. 

   The morning after our arrival we made plans to go bike riding around the city. Apparently Kaohsiung is a newly developed city and is considered to be very spacious. It is also considered a "green" city so I'm supposing they are very economical. The blow dryer in a bathroom I used stated it was out of use and to please use your own tissue(why not just take it down then I wondered instead of deceiving me!?) Anyyyway we made a vlog about our time here riding around the bike trail and checking out all the sites but I am having trouble with the video editor so it may be a little longer before I can put it up. Have some pics instead for right now. 

The train used these little tokens instead of tickets

At an art museum we stopped by. There was a lot of artsy stuff here

 CHUUU

(~￣³￣)~

               
          
  The next day in Kaohsiung we visited the Pink House. This is, as the name states, an extremely cute and very pink building that's easily noticeable. It houses a restaurant and cafe that are Hello Kitty themed as well as a gift shop with many Sanrio goodies. I made a video about it but I'll be uploading it later sorry DX
I took some pictures too though. What I thought was unique about this restaurant is that along with well-priced desserts they also served actual food items like hot pot for instance. I ordered Earl Grey Tea and Yue ordered a Cappuccino and we shared a delightful fancy waffle. The staff all wore complete pink outfits even the male staff were looking good in pink. I was surprise there were so few people dining at the Pink House because I thought it was quite nice and not overpriced like many themed cafes.    

          


    After our pleasant snack we walked to a mall nearby and wandered through the expensive designer stores occasionally wishing we could afford some of the outrageously priced clothes. We ate lunch at a Japanese Udon place at the mall and although it was a bit pricier that usual it was a BIG meal even for the two of us. It was about $13 ans we got a huge bowl of kimchi udon along with a drink and a few sides. I was STUFFED!

We also visited these amazing temples on Lotus Pond. There were 4 temples total but 3 of them incorporated GIANT creatures including a dragon and a lion. We didn't get to go inside because they were closed but you could actual walk into the temples through the mouth of the beast haha. It was fantastic and the lake was covered in Lotus hence the name  (although it's man made so it's intentional).

Okay so that was about it for Kaohsiung, I'll try and get those videos up!
Bye~

South Bound - Taichung

Hey guys as I mentioned in the last post, we went on a week long journey down South to visit Yue's relatives and more family friends. I actually didn't realize we would be away from Taipei for that long so I was inadequately prepared clothing and shoe wise which is why I am wearing basically the same outfit in every picture lol;;
   Any way here's the route we took from Taipei: Taichung→ Kaohsiung→ Pingtung then an overnight trip to up to Tainan and then back to Pingtung. 

  The trip to Taichung took about 2 hours by bus which wasn't too bad really, at least there was air conditioning and comfortable seats. We were picked up by some family friends and driven back to what appeared to be a newly constructed area. All the buildings were clean and shiny, quite different from back in Taipei. We were treated to a very nice dinner at a hotel buffet. I had never heard of this before but I'm thinking it must not be uncommon here to dine at hotel restaurants since many people were waiting to get into the buffet. During the evening we visited what turned out to be an enormous night market. It started out with a few shops and then grew into a vast expanse of stalls and shops and food vendors selling pretty much everything.

   If there is one thing I can say for sure about Taiwan at this point it is that there is a variety of smells that arises on the streets, including potent incense and piles of garbage as well as the amazing scent of different food. The strongest and most repulsive of these smells though belongs to probably one of the stinkiest foods I've encountered, stinky tofu. This food is sold at many of the markets we've visited and on this particular night I agreed to try it out. Well no surprise but it tasted like tofu lol just a little spicy because of the sauce. We wove our way through the busy and cramped streets and I thought to myself "why on earth would you bring kids and older people here?!" because there were old people in wheelchairs or limping with a cane and mothers pushing baby carriages (some with children others full of dogs) trying to push through these crowds! We had a hard enough time getting through I can't imagine how long it takes for them ( >A>; )!

   We spent the night at one of the friends new apartments and it was by far the cleanest place we had been in but then again no one had actually been really living there so of course it would be clean. Unfortunately, although it was clean and had a real shower it did not have air conditioning so we were dying in the heat. It was very difficult to sleep because of the temperature but I was grateful to have a bed to sleep on that didn't feel like it was made of wood.  We put on face masks to make ourselves feel better and then tried to sleep. I woke up feeling pretty weird and slightly nauseous possibly from how hot it was so I ended up sitting out in the living room and passing out on a beanbag chair aha..

 

The next day we just sort of drove around a bit and stopped at an art museum along the way. It was a very big museum full of contemporary work. It's nice sometimes to see other artists creations but I really can't linger on everything for long, We headed back out for ice cream and came across this very unique sweet shop that looked like an old bookstore. All the employees wore safari uniforms all and all the candy was wrapped so intricately.We had ice cream at the shop next door called Bee&Milk. They served some different flavors and used real honey comb. I tried the milk tea and honey ice cream and it was amazing but quite a lot of ice cream all for me so I had a hard time finishing it. After our little snack stop we were taken to the train station where we took the Taiwanese version of the bullet train to our next destination~

OOPS I'M BACK

Woah sorry for that long gap without any updates. We took a short trip that ended up being not so short haha( ^▽^;)

I'll get to that in the next post though, for now let me start back in Taipei before we left. This post is pretty picture heavy so I apologize if it takes longer to load. We had our first "shaved ice" (more like Suno) here at this place called Smoothie House. I guess it's a pretty popular location for it because there were many of these same restaurants in the area. Anyway, we tried the one covered in fruit and it was quite big. We split it between 3 people and I was satisfied. The pricing was about average I think for something similar in the US. 

After the tasty treat we hopped on the train and headed over to see the Chiang Kai-Shek memorial hall. It's a fairly large and noticeable building built in a very traditional style. I thought maybe it had been a former palace or something but it was actually built in the 80s as a memorial to the deceased president Chiang Kai-Shek. It houses a performing arts center and a concert hall as well as a historical center.

 HUUGE DOORS

 There was a band getting ready to practice I think, as we left. There were a couple gardens surrounding the main halls. They were pleasant and although very small, they offered a refuge from the hustle and bustle of outside where you could sit for a moment and watch the wildlife. It was extra hot outside while out in the open so we didn't stick around too long.
   Bicycles and scooters seem to be the travel must around here so we thought we'd give bicycle riding a shot. My last attempt at using a rental bike resulted in torn tights and a few scrapes, this time I'd say I fared a little better. Tell me why all the bikes for rent are always so BIG!? They never have smaller ones available so I'm stuck riding very high off the ground with my feet barely touching. It's okay while I'm moving but stopping and getting off are a challenge hence my new bruises on my leg. We rode and rode very far all the way to the shopping district of Wu Fen Pu and I only nearly got hit twice, not too bad for my first time biking in Taiwan! WE SURVIVED HAHA

We walked around a bit and I'm not sure where it was we ended up (We were basically just following our guide of the day) but there was more shopping and food so we stopped and ate at this funny little Italian place where they played kpop and most of the customers appeared to be women. Yue and I had a pesto pasta dish that was delicious and as usual it came with black tea (I don't know if I mentioned this fully but Black tea is the tea of choice here).

The day was not yet over though, there were many salons in the area so after checking some prices we picked one and Yue got herself a haircut. The salons here seem much more laid back and very busy for how late it was (it was after 9pm). I suppose people don't have time to get haircuts and end up getting it done in the evening. The stylists appear to wear what they want so they almost look like customers until you see the scissors come out! Yue is pleased with her new cut~

OKAY we called it a day after the haircut and a stop by the steam bun stand! And what a full day it was. I'll be updating more soon with our trip down south as well as a few more vlogs hopefully. The next few posts will also be pretty picture heavy as well so be prepared! 

~Savi