So for my current adventure, I took some time off and traveled into rural Taiwan. Tiffany came along with, and it's interesting travelling with someone who can speak the language - namely, you can go to places you never would have thought of going before. I never saw these places listed in any English guidebook or website, so it's pretty off the beaten path, at least for western folk. And rural Taiwan is kind of funny - I can be in one of the most remote parts of the country, miles from anything resembling civilization, and yet I still maintain full 3G coverage. Get it together, America.

We started out from Taipei after I finished work on Saturday night, to the city of Taizhong. I've been to Taizhong before, during my around-the-island hop super vacation in July. This time it was just a stopping off point for Sun Moon Lake. We did visit a night market for some grub, but turned in a bit early to get a start in the morning.

And then next morning, off we go to Sun Moon Lake! Sun Moon Lake was one of the few places left on my list of "stuff I want to accomplish in Taiwan", so I was excited to go. It's a bit surprising - you have to travel quite a distance to get there, along windy dirt roads with farmers tending to rice paddies. Then suddenly, boom. Resort hotels, McDonalds, fancy cars, you name it. We got a day pass to go to the various stops around the lake. This place has a rep for being a mainland China tourist destination, and they weren't kidding. It felt like I was back in Xiang Lake at Xiaoshan. So much pushing, nonchalant littering, shouting, and complete disregard for anything resembling a line. Oh, how I miss it!

We stopped by a market where we sampled some local delicacies - some sort of dough wrapped around a bamboo stick, pumpkin bread, milk tea, and mushroom ice cream. The ice cream tasted how you would expect. I also sampled the local beer. GOD, Asia! Learn how to pour a beer. TILT the glass, don't use it like a soda fountain. This guy also had a ladle on hand to scoop out the foam after dispensing the beer like some sort of waterfall. Or, ya know... just tilt the glass and don't make foam. The beer was really light, kind of tasted like Snow back in China. Oh, the horror!

Back to the main street, we went to catch a bus to the Monster Village. I don't really know what this place is, but on Google Maps there is a road running to the middle of the island. At some point that road just stops. That is where we were going. The road to Xitou was a bit long, but the driver was a friendly guy - also, we were the only ones on the bus. We arrived after dark, and monsters apparently have an early bedtime because it was kind of dead. However, we did get to see a monster show with a giant stuffed cat. The real star was a Japanese restaurant where I got sake noodles. On the side you got a cup of sake to add more if you liked. I liked. Sake really makes noodles taste awesome. During dinner, one of the monsters came out in costume and asked if we would like to play a game. I said sure. I got to call highs or lows, then compete in a dice roll with him. After winning 3 times in a row, I got a keychain and a postcard that said "Happy Halloween!" Another guy lost, and the monster drew all over his face in makeup. I kind of wanted to lose, actually.

We spent the night in Xitou and headed out to the nature preserve next door in the morning. We didn't have much time, but it honestly was just a forest without anything exceptionally great. Just pretty and remote. Speaking of remote, while walking through the forest we came across a HiLife convenience store, which I think wins the award for "most remote convenience store in Taiwan". I got boazi and a coffee, because that's awesome. We headed back to Sun Moon Lake to go to Puli, and then onto Qingjing. We had a layover back in Sun Moon Lake, and found a store/restaurant where everything was made of cardboard - even the tables and chairs.

After a good deal of time we were on our way to Qingjing. Qingjing is amazing. It's pretty much the dead center of the island. It's also the most un-asian looking place I've been in Asia. This is only one of a couple roads connecting the east side and west side of the country, so I guess you get a weird mix of cultures. But one of those cultures apparently is a lot like the Swiss Alps. High, high up in the mountains, and I mean really high, were giant chateaus situated on mountain sides, next to farms. I've never seen anything like it. We got to the tippy top, which is a sheep farm. There's really not too much to do here, except look at sheep and feed sheep. Oh, and a horse ride in a circle if you are so inclined. I think the scenery is the main draw, because it's just amazing. We got the last bus back to Puli, and checked out a chocolate store that hand makes its own stuff. The chocolate was pretty great, but their ice cream was even better - handmade gelato, in the middle of nowhere. Who would've thunkit?

And yet one more bus back to Taizhong for the evening. Before turning in we went to another local night market, this one significantly smaller. Despite staying in a budget hotel, they offered free breakfast in the morning. Mad props to this hotel's breakfast, because it was pretty flipping awesome. I stuffed myself full, because I haven't had a giant western style breakfast buffet since Dandong, China. Dandong is that city next to North Korea, and to this day the nicest hotel I've ever stayed at. We didn't have much on the agenda for Taizhong, but I wanted to check out the local winery. It's a pretty small place, and I got a bottle of deer antler spirits. Supposedly, deer antler in ancient Chinese medicine helps with circulation and is an aphrodisiac. I think it's just alcohol, and that just makes it feel like you are accomplishing those two things. I also had a wine and peanut popsicle, and Tiffany had liquor instant noodles. While we were eating, the workers commented about crazy foreigners who eat popsicles without a jacket in the middle of winter. 

We went back to the city center and took a walk towards the Taizhong Conservatory, which I didn't get to see last time I was here. It's cool, but a bit small. It has plants. They photosynthesize a lot. Finally, the very last stop before heading home was a cat cafe - a cafe where you drink coffee while playing with cats. This was a trip full of disaster. A little off the beaten path, Google suggested we take a bus, then walk about 15 minutes. I think Google assumed 15 minutes at my walking speed. At a normal persons, this is closer to 45. We eventually made it, in the pouring rain, only to find that it is closed. We wanted to get a taxi back to the station, but none were to be found. We made it back to the main road, the same road the train station is on, albeit about 4km away. The bus station didn't have a paper sign thingy saying what the stops were, but it was a straight shot and Google said it is so. We got on, and Tiffany asked if this goes to the train station. The guy said no, you need the one across the street. A bit odd, but I figure the driver knows where his bus is going better than Google. So we go across the street, get on that bus, going away from the station. The guy says yes he goes to the train station. I assume this guy is going to turn around, but after 15 minutes, he never does. Searching online, he goes to some other train station north of Taizhong. His route never goes near the main station, but the other guys definitely does. I assume these drivers are both retarded, or went out of their way to screw us. Anyway we took the local train from this nowhere station to a city further up the tracks called Fengyuan. Once there, we had to wait for about 30 minutes, transfer to a fast train, and got back to Taipei, eventually. Tired, wet, and bitter at Taizhong's glorious bus system.