Met bright and early to go to the train to Taipei- this time with Spike, so I had much less pressure to be group leader :) First went to the Jade Market and I saw these pair of fat feet with spiders on em that apparently meant, be happy with what you have so i wanted to buy a pair but couldn't find some good ones. I did end up buying a pair of bronze and jade horses. Bargaining process: 1 for $1000NT, then two for $1500, then I asked for $1100, SOLD. So it was a little too easy so I feel I got gipped but that was still $33US for the pair so I think thats ok. They're a little beat up but i like them like that. Then we were supposed to go to the Flower Market but we just decided not to and we stopped somewhere to eat that Spike chose. We ended up getting noodles with oyster and pig intestine...mmm. Pig intestine is actually not bad, the way they cooked it made it taste like pork, but after eating a few, the mental block of eating instestine was too much and I felt like vomiting so I stopped eating. That was only have the bowl. Then we went to the Suho Paper Museum which I've been wanting to go to since the first day in Taiwan. It was really small but very modern looking. We got there just in time for the extra paper making session so first we learned how people make paper old style. Then learned about how paper was invented (some guy was washing clothes with a big stick and noticed that when he was done, the pieces of wood had stuck on the rock).
Then we got to make our own paper! Ours was green and the pulp looked like vomit, but it was fun and surprisingly easy. Then, just because we were foreigners, the guide showed us how to make recycled paper. It was really cool, you just need a blender, some organic material that has fiber (certain vegetables) and used paper. You rip it all up in some water then blend it, then put it over a screen and mush it wish some absorbing paper and its done! Then she also whipped out some paper mooncakes (in celebration of Zhong Qiu Jie or Moon Festival) and said we were getting them cuz we came from so far. There were only 3 so me Josh and Jerome got one. Then we looked through the museum and there was a funny exhibit right by the bathroom about the progression of toilet paper: hand --> water --> rocks --> big leaves --> sticks --> rough paper --> ratty toilet paper --> today's toilet paper! along with two paper mache butts. There were also cool exhibits about the differences in paper made from different materials and for different purposes. Then we went back downstairs and there was a video to watch on the history of Taiwan's Tang Cao (pith tree?) which was one regarded as the finest quality paper by Great Britain. It was the core of the pith tree which felt like soft styrofoam. You slice it carefully to unroll it and when you write on it with water that paper expands so it looks like you are writing, just no ink. Now they are very rare. We went next door to a paper store and on the top floor was an art class with a gallery of their work. They all looked like paintings but were actually made using paper scraps, it was amazing.
Next took the MRT to Wanhua, where we first stopped at Longshan Temple (regarded the most beautiful/artsy temple in Taiwan by some). It was beautiful and had a gorgeous pond with 3 waterfalls and HUGE koi in the front. In the inside there were lots of people praying, burning incense, and giving offerings. There's these two wood pieces that you throw and if they are opposite (like heads/tails) then you are done praying and your wish will be answered. If not you must keep praying. Then we left and there was this guy sitting on the curb with bags of mourning doves it was so weird. The guy also had this small squirrel like animal climbing on it and he let us hold it. First ben had it and passed in on to Josh then I wanted to hold it and it jumped right on. 5 sec later pee was dripping off my arm. Then it was cute and was cleaning itself as people took pics of my pee stained arm. Then no one else wanted it (of course) so i gave it back and ran to the bathroom to wash it off. Then used hand sanitizer also.
Next off to Snake Alley (Tourist Night Market). Spike bought some dried squid for us to eat...it was ok. Josh really wanted to drink snake soup. Here they apparently kill the snake in front of you. We got to the main little store that did this and it had a huge boa constrictor on the table. Then i saw in a big aquarium on the side a lot of baby bunnies, so that made me sad cuz i realized they feed them to the snakes. The guy kept pushing us to stay for the show but we decided to walk to the end to see what else there was then come back. At that point I decided I wasn't going to go for this, I think I would be traumatized if i saw this snake get skinned alive. They also said they were going to show it eating a baby bunny. Definitely not for me. Then we saw this other place and all the guys were like crowding around and I couldn't see what was going on. Josh was like, Amy you see what's going on!? And i looked on the counter and i saw the body of a dead turtle (no shell) and a woman was talking and I guessed that she was showing it get killed by all the comments. Ugh, apparently she cut off the head and poured out the juices inside...blegh...This was not where I wanted to be. By the time we got to the end and turned back there were 3 more turtle bodies in the tub. Then we went into the snake place and they were making a big show of starting the event so I just decided to leave and come back in 20min. When I got back then I saw the boa and baby bunny still on the counter...both alive. Apparently nothing had happened. But they had eaten some snake. We waited some more and they still weren't doing anything. It seemed more like they kept saying theyd do it to get people to sit inside and eat. So we finally left, thank god, without seeing anything get eaten/killed. Spike then said we could meet up with other international students who were coming to Taipei to go to a club. Even though I was tired, looked like shit, and had a bag with two bronze horses, I still wanted to go. Josh said he'd go, but the 3 guys were tired. We went to an underground mall to kill time and in the meantime we all decided not to go. This was mostly because Spike said clubs close at 5am so we could catch the 5:30am train home...and we were planning on going somewhere else tomorrow morning so I'd be dead. But we are planning to still go out next weekend. That was mostly it. Oh, and all the fish are alive!
Met bright and early to go to the train to Taipei- this time with Spike, so I had much less pressure to be group leader :) First went to the Jade Market and I saw these pair of fat feet with spiders on em that apparently meant, be happy with what you have so i wanted to buy a pair but couldn't find some good ones. I did end up buying a pair of bronze and jade horses. Bargaining process: 1 for $1000NT, then two for $1500, then I asked for $1100, SOLD. So it was a little too easy so I feel I got gipped but that was still $33US for the pair so I think thats ok. They're a little beat up but i like them like that. Then we were supposed to go to the Flower Market but we just decided not to and we stopped somewhere to eat that Spike chose. We ended up getting noodles with oyster and pig intestine...mmm. Pig intestine is actually not bad, the way they cooked it made it taste like pork, but after eating a few, the mental block of eating instestine was too much and I felt like vomiting so I stopped eating. That was only have the bowl. Then we went to the Suho Paper Museum which I've been wanting to go to since the first day in Taiwan. It was really small but very modern looking. We got there just in time for the extra paper making session so first we learned how people make paper old style. Then learned about how paper was invented (some guy was washing clothes with a big stick and noticed that when he was done, the pieces of wood had stuck on the rock). 
Then we got to make our own paper! Ours was green and the pulp looked like vomit, but it was fun and surprisingly easy. Then, just because we were foreigners, the guide showed us how to make recycled paper. It was really cool, you just need a blender, some organic material that has fiber (certain vegetables) and used paper. You rip it all up in some water then blend it, then put it over a screen and mush it wish some absorbing paper and its done! Then she also whipped out some paper mooncakes (in celebration of Zhong Qiu Jie or Moon Festival) and said we were getting them cuz we came from so far. There were only 3 so me Josh and Jerome got one. Then we looked through the museum and there was a funny exhibit right by the bathroom about the progression of toilet paper: hand --> water --> rocks --> big leaves --> sticks --> rough paper --> ratty toilet paper --> today's toilet paper! along with two paper mache butts. There were also cool exhibits about the differences in paper made from different materials and for different purposes. Then we went back downstairs and there was a video to watch on the history of Taiwan's Tang Cao (pith tree?) which was one regarded as the finest quality paper by Great Britain. It was the core of the pith tree which felt like soft styrofoam. You slice it carefully to unroll it and when you write on it with water that paper expands so it looks like you are writing, just no ink. Now they are very rare. We went next door to a paper store and on the top floor was an art class with a gallery of their work. They all looked like paintings but were actually made using paper scraps, it was amazing.
Next took the MRT to Wanhua, where we first stopped at Longshan Temple (regarded the most beautiful/artsy temple in Taiwan by some). It was beautiful and had a gorgeous pond with 3 waterfalls and HUGE koi in the front. In the inside there were lots of people praying, burning incense, and giving offerings. There's these two wood pieces that you throw and if they are opposite (like heads/tails) then you are done praying and your wish will be answered. If not you must keep praying. Then we left and there was this guy sitting on the curb with bags of mourning doves it was so weird. The guy also had this small squirrel like animal climbing on it and he let us hold it. First ben had it and passed in on to Josh then I wanted to hold it and it jumped right on. 5 sec later pee was dripping off my arm. Then it was cute and was cleaning itself as people took pics of my pee stained arm. Then no one else wanted it (of course) so i gave it back and ran to the bathroom to wash it off. Then used hand sanitizer also.
Next off to Snake Alley (Tourist Night Market). Spike bought some dried squid for us to eat...it was ok. Josh really wanted to drink snake soup. Here they apparently kill the snake in front of you. We got to the main little store that did this and it had a huge boa constrictor on the table. Then i saw in a big aquarium on the side a lot of baby bunnies, so that made me sad cuz i realized they feed them to the snakes. The guy kept pushing us to stay for the show but we decided to walk to the end to see what else there was then come back. At that point I decided I wasn't going to go for this, I think I would be traumatized if i saw this snake get skinned alive. They also said they were going to show it eating a baby bunny. Definitely not for me. Then we saw this other place and all the guys were like crowding around and I couldn't see what was going on. Josh was like, Amy you see what's going on!? And i looked on the counter and i saw the body of a dead turtle (no shell) and a woman was talking and I guessed that she was showing it get killed by all the comments. Ugh, apparently she cut off the head and poured out the juices inside...blegh...This was not where I wanted to be. By the time we got to the end and turned back there were 3 more turtle bodies in the tub. Then we went into the snake place and they were making a big show of starting the event so I just decided to leave and come back in 20min. When I got back then I saw the boa and baby bunny still on the counter...both alive. Apparently nothing had happened. But they had eaten some snake. We waited some more and they still weren't doing anything. It seemed more like they kept saying theyd do it to get people to sit inside and eat. So we finally left, thank god, without seeing anything get eaten/killed. Spike then said we could meet up with other international students who were coming to Taipei to go to a club. Even though I was tired, looked like shit, and had a bag with two bronze horses, I still wanted to go. Josh said he'd go, but the 3 guys were tired. We went to an underground mall to kill time and in the meantime we all decided not to go. This was mostly because Spike said clubs close at 5am so we could catch the 5:30am train home...and we were planning on going somewhere else tomorrow morning so I'd be dead. But we are planning to still go out next weekend. That was mostly it. Oh, and all the fish are alive!
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