We just received our glamour shots from Taiwan. At first we were 신났어. I mean, what girl doesn't want to have some professionally photo-shopped portraits of herself? But, then we started to feel a little embarrassed. I mean, what girl wants an album full of unnaturally photo-shopped portraits of herself?
Regardless of our mixed reactions, we were still curious to see the photos. We purchased the smallest package available, which came with a 4" x 6" photo album, a large 8.5" X 11" portrait, a CD filled with the jpeg files of the photos featured in the album, and a small double-sided key chain.
Guess what my family's getting for Christmas...
Here's what we each got:
Meet Cyndi-san, the newest singer to hit the J-Pop scene.
Meet Annielog, Cantonese Pop Star Wannabe.
You take a bunch of photos during the shoot, but you only end up with twelve in the album. Usually, you get to pick your photos, but due to scheduling constraints we had to let each of our photographers select the photos. I SO wish we could have had a final say because there are definitely some cheesy photos. Oh well. C'est la vie.
Against my better judgment, I am going to post a few photos. Otherwise, why take glammed up photos if you're not going to show anyone, right? After I show my family and friends, I'm going to store the album and not look at it until I am old and wrinkly.
Before we proceed, let me warn you that all of these photos have been generously photo-shopped. (I'm glad that they whitened my teeth, but did they really need to reshape my nose?) They seem to do a lot of editing around the face area, but they didn't really touch up the rest of the body, which is a shame. We really would have appreciated longer torsos and legs or toned arms.
By the way, I better not find any of these photos in some Asian mail order bride catalogue...or worse.
Without further ado...
CYNDI
ANNALOG
A note about the first picture: I'm surprised that the photographer put this photo in my album. Throughout the whole photo shoot, he kept telling me to stick my tongue out in that cutesy way. Every time I tried this, we both ended up in a fit of laughter because it looked like I was having a seizure. I guess after twenty tries or so, I managed to get the pose right.
This sticky pic is way back from our Taiwan vacation. The machine suggested poses, so we just mimicked the models.
Here's another one from Taiwan, featuring Ben, Ben's Wife, and Ben's Brother. :) This one is adorned with all sorts of junk because the sticky booth attendant took it upon herself to help decorate our pictures. She went crazy with the borders and message stamps.
Speaking of Taiwan... I had meant to write up a nice summary of our time in Kaohsiung, but I've sort of lost steam. I'll just say that Kaohsiung was lovely. It reminded me of Hawaii -- a little bit. We're very grateful to Ben + Ben's Brother for being such attentive hosts. I don't know how we would have gotten around Kaohsiung otherwise. There is a newly built metro system, but I don't think it's been centralized yet. The city is gearing up the World Games in 2009, so if you're interested in checking out Taiwan's largest port city, I suggest waiting until then.
Here are a few of my more scenic (non-food) photos:
Cijin Island - Home of one of Taiwan's oldest naval forts.
I'm not a fan of black sand, but the sea looked beautiful.
Dream Mall
Um...something of cultural significance?
We spent a very long morning hiking, and got to hang with a bunch of wild monkeys. Monkey poo is quite nasty. I suspect that it's particularly nasty because these monkeys are feasting on abandoned cups of bubble tea. Do not feed the monkeys bubble tea, people!
Apparently, one of the musts of traveling to Taiwan is a trip to the Taiwanese Night Market. We made visits to two of Taipei's most popular night markets, Shilin Market and Rao Her Market. Night Market is very similar in feel to Namdaemun market, with all the stalls of street food and inexpensive clothing and trinkets. In terms of trendy fashion, you can't beat Seoul's Dongdaemun, but the Night Market is nonetheless fun with all the interesting smells, sights, and sounds. I thought that Night Markets ran all night-long, hence the name, but the markets we visited closed up around 11 pm or 12 am. I believe that there are certain Night Markets that stay open until the early morning hours, but we didn't visit any of those.
I must also note that the Taiwanese vendors are more open to bargaining. Perhaps this just shows how bad at bargaining I am, but in Korea, only after much wheedling will the salesperson magnanimously award me with a measly 1000 won discount. In contrast, the Taiwanese vendors seemed quick to negotiate and slash their prices. Whenever I get a discount from a Korean vendor, I always walk away feeling a little resentful because the salespeople make me feel as if their children will have to eat ramyun for the rest of their life all because they gave me a 500 won discount. Whereas in Taiwan, I felt very proud myself when I was able to get several dollars knocked off. I felt really smart at that moment (I know that in actuality I'm just a foolish little tourist with "sucker" written all across my face). My tip to vendors is to significantly mark up your merchandise, then when some fresh-faced foreigner comes along, allow them to engage in some hard core bargaining. Once you come to a more palatable price, the customer will walk away feeling very pleased with herself, as if she won a great prize. Seriously, I fall for it all the time.
This is the entrance to Rao Her market in Songshan. It was very Las Vegas (the entrance, not the market).
The highlight of our Night Market experience, besides all the successful bargaining, was the full-facial threading. We used to get our eyebrows and upper-lip threaded back in the Homeland (Shout out to Deepa), but have not had the opportunity since moving to the Motherland. We were quite pleased to hear that threading would only cost us around 8USD, but we were taken off guard when we found out that $8 would get your whole face threaded!
After coating your face in baby powder, the threading professional will then attack your face with a simple piece of thread. I'm not going to lie. Threading hurts. The pinching from the string is bearable, but VERY uncomfortable, especially the cheek area.
I had my face threaded by a young twenty-something guy. I think he was some sort of trainee, because when it came time to shape my eyebrows, he sent me to an older gentleman. Based on the fact that this older man's face was plastered on a bunch of posters, I think he may have been the founder of this whole setup. If the website ever gets to working, you can find more info at teacherchi.com
We were instructed to refrain from washing our face for 24 hours. We were allowed to use baby wipes and apply sunscreen, lotion, and makeup, but we could not wet our face with water. Go figure. It was quite inconvenient, especially since we had the glamour shots the next day. Imagine taking all that makeup off with a baby wipe.
So, you're probably thinking. Dang! Do Asian women have that much facial hair to require such extensive threading? Apparently, threading is not just about hair removal. If I am able to understand the following sign, hair removal is not the primary aim. Threading can also clear out your pores, stimulate your metabolism, and change your destiny. Pretty lofty goals for such a humble piece of string.
ADVANTAGE OF WAN-LIEN 1) Easy to absorb other cosmetic articles. 2) Are to make-up and next to the face. 3) Don't easy to grow pimples. 4) Show highlight and fair on your face. 5) Beginning of destiny and change destiny. 6) Remove acne. Face lifting. 7) Clean the dirt of pore. 8) Stimulate facial nerve and metabolism. 9) Remove skin-dulling. 10) Remove facial hair...
As interesting as it was to get our entire face threaded, I would not do this procedure again. First of all, it was very uncomfortable. Secondly, I still saw a lot of unwanted hair on my face. Thirdly, rather than removing acne, I think the thread merely aggravated existing pimples.
Cyndi, on the other hand, would do the threading again. She says that her face felt cleaner. Her only word of caution is that the thread may open up any old cuts on your face. The thread opened up an old battle would from Piggy.
Based on the intrigued expressions of many locals passing by the stand, threading is not an established Taiwanese custom. In fact, my Taiwanese classmate had once told me that facial hair on the upper lip area and arms were considered signs of beauty. I was surprised to see so many Taiwanese women getting their beauty threaded off. Times are changin'.
Cyndi and I had our faces threaded at Rao Her Night Market, while J.IM had her face threaded at the Longshan Undergroud Market. Check out the video to catch a glimpse of this new-fangled threading technology (Just kidding. Threading has been utilized for centuries by hairy women across Asia).
Here are Cyndi's recommended beauty buys for the summer.
Tiger Balm Mosquito Repellent Spray (purchased at Watsons in Singapore) The mosquitoes seem to luvvvvvv Cyndi. Instead of walking around swathed in a big mosquito net, she makes an effort to protect herself with this spray on repellent by Tiger Balm.
VICHY Myokine Intensive Anti-wrinkle Eye Cream (purchased at some drugstore in Seoul) Cyndi's had several eye creams in rotation, but her current favorite is this eye cream from Vichy. Neither of us knows what "Myokine" is, but it sounds impressive. Cyndi reports that since using this cream, she's noticed less "white bumps" under her eyes. Sounds like the Myokine is kicking butt. Cyndi also likes to use the "Regeneration Age Resisting Eye Cream" by Simple, in case you were wondering.
Olay White Radiance "Crystal Clear Lotion" (purchased at Tokyo Drugstore in Taipei) It looks like a toner, but it's a lotion. Cyndi suspects that this "Crystal Clear Lotion" is what Koreans call "skin." Or maybe"essence." Truthfully, we don't know. It comes in a pretty bottle and doesn't make her break out; that's all that matters.
Simple Soothing Facial Toner (purchased at Watsons in Singapore) Cyndi likes this toner because it's 100% alcohol and fragrance free. It is indeed "simple." After cleansing her face, Cyndi gently runs toner across her face using a cotton pad. Then, she applies one of her eye creams and dabs the Olay Crystal Clear Lotion all across her face. Cyndi has pretty nice skin, so perhaps I need to use toner as well.
Provice Star Shine Hair Mist (Missa) The "nutritive system" of this hair mist is supposed to make your hair "elastic" and "vital." I'm not sure what that means, but I hope it means that your hair is less likely to melt off once it's been hit by a downpour of Seoul's tainted rain water. In any case, it has a nice fragrance. Cyndi purchased the mist based on a recommendation by her co-worker. Plus, the spray was on sale for about 2000 won.
Given the number of lotions, masks, and cleansers Cyndi has acquired since our sojourn to Korea, her list of beauty buys is quite modest. I think I may have to get her to put together content for a second list. Or maybe she just wants to keep all her beauty secrets to herself. 그렇지, Cyndi?
Other than my trusty BB cream, I still don't wear very much makeup. This fact, however, doesn't stop me from regularly perusing Seoul's plethora of cosmetic shops and drug stores. Cyndi, J.IM, and I have recently spent a lot of time and money (eeps!) picking up some great new products, so I thought it'd be a good idea to share our top Asian beauty buys for the summer.
The following items are my picks. I will post Cyndi and J.IM's list within the next few days, if not sooner.
Okay, let's proceed with the budget beauty extravaganza!
LET ME FINISH BB CREAM SPF 37 PA++ (Banila Co.) I recently switched from my Missha "M' BB Cream to Banila Co.'s "Let Me Finish" BB Cream. Banila Co.'s BB cream is slightly more pricey (over $20), but in my inexpert opinion, it seems to do a better job of covering up my blemishes. It also gives me a "dewy" look (as opposed to a matte finish) that makes me feel more polished. I just smear the cream all over my face; dab a little extra cream on the bigger blemishes; then cover it all with a slight dusting of powder.
AQUAIR "Deep Moist" Hair Treatment Lotion (purchased at Watsons) My over-processed hair is in dire need of some extra TLC, so I picked up a bottle of this Aquair hair lotion at a Watsons in Taipei. This hair lotion, made by the Shiseido Co. comes in a handy spray bottle and has a nice light scent. It may be all wishful thinking of my part, but my pama-induced curls seem to look a tad more healthy.
DR FORMULA ESSENTIAL LIP BALM SPF 10 (It's Skin) Since I'm down to my last tube of Labello (which I could only find in Hong Kong!), I'm always on the lookout for another replacement lip balm. Despite the similar packaging, Nivea lip balm just doesn't cut it. It's like smearing a candle across your lips. My current substitute is a tube of "Essential Lip Balm" from It's Skin. The lip balm feels smooth going on, without leaving any sort of sticky residue. Plus, it has SPF 10. That can't hurt, right?
PROCURE 365 HAIR MIST (Missha) Even though I had just picked up a bottle of Aquair Hair Lotion in Taipei, when Cyndi told me that Missha's "Hair Mist" comes with sun protection, I decided that Procure 365 would make a prudent purchase. The hair mist comes in three scents: floral, fruity, and something blue. I picked "Fresh Flower." I can't single out any noticeable effects on my hair, but I do feel better knowing that my hair's got a little SPF. I spray this one on in the morning, and Aquair in the evening.
I love drugstores in Asia. They're always filled with interesting regional items. In Taipei, we made many stops at the various drugstore. I noticed a line of Garnier products that featured a Chinese fruit, longan, aka "dragon eye." I picked up a bottle of the "Gentle Clarifying Foam," and was very pleased with its soft texture and fresh scent, so I wet back to the drugstore to pick up a tube of the eye cream. Both bottles were described as "light." I had thought this meant "gentle," but I soon realized that it referred to the fact that the products are meant to help whiten the appearance of your skin. I'm already pretty fair (bordering on glow-in-the-dark), so I could do without the whitening agents. Oh well. The products also claim to be "tested on Asian skin." Better Asians than lab animals, I guess.
Eye Contour Whitening Cream with SPF 15 (Garnier Skin Naturals)
Gentle Clarifying Foam with Pure Lemon Essence + long dan (Garnier Skin Naturals)
I also picked up a jar of moisturizing cream another product in the Garnier Skin Naturals line. It's nothing special in terms of the moisturizing, but I keep using it because it smells so darn good. The scent reminds me of a gardenia lei.
Speaking of smelling good, I picked up Anna Sui's "Flight of Fancy" Eau de toilette at the Duty-free. It's my official scent for the summer; meaning, I use it liberally in order to mask the damp odor of a shirt that has not dried properly thanks to the humidity. It smells colorful, like a fruity cocktail.
Time to highlight the eats from the second leg of our trip to Taiwan.
The food in Kaohsiung was delicious. As a port city, Kaohsiung has some great seafood. I especially enjoyed the sashimi. It's been awhile since I've had good sashimi (Sorry Motherland, but Korean sashimi is just too slimy).
I also finally mustered up the courage to try stinky tofu. I've been told that stinky tofu may smell like a leaky sewage pipe, but it's actually quite tasty. I will concede that stinky tofu is nowhere as bad as it smells, but I would still say that stinky tofu is an acquired taste. Folks may disagree, but stinky tofu is surprisingly dry, and tastes just as it smells, perhaps a little milder.
Stinky tofu aside, I would say that everything I tried in Kaohsiung was quite delicious. In addition to various seafood dishes (similar to Chinese cuisine), I tried a number of street food and snacks for the very first time. Some of the more memorable eats were:
Pork Dumpling (Meatball wrapped in rice dough and smothered in a sweet Taiwanese gravy)
Spicy shelled sea bugs (I have no idea what they were, but they were compared to Korean bbeondaegi)
"Virgin crab" (crab with a mega load of eggs)
Taiwanese shave ice (In my opinion, it's much more delicious that Korean shave ice. The fruits in Taiwan are so fresh and yummy. We had fresh mango. It was the perfect cure for a blistering summer day on the island).
Taiwanese ice cakes. (A man was selling these near a shrine. It's similar to Korean jujuba, only a little more creamy. It reminded me of the Samurai ice cakes back in Hawaii, only the Taiwanese ice cakes tasted more like actual fruit.)
I have to give major thanks to Ben and Ben's Brother for introducing us to so many good eats. Everything they put in front of us was mighty tasty. The only snack they did not endorse was deep fried ice cream at the night market, and of course, that tasted like crapola. Actually, it tasted more like deep fried chalk. It was the stinky tofu of desserts.
I repeatedly tried to post some pictures to help you visualize some of these eats, but either Blogger or my Internet is being a major jerk, so you'll just have to sit through another one of my videos if you'd like a visual sampling of our Kaohsiung eats.
I've sampled some Taiwanese food back home, but I had forgotten that Taiwanese cuisine is quite different from American-Chinese food. Taiwanese food is less about stir fry and more about pork, pickled vegetables, stewed meats, and unfamiliar spices (unfamiliar to me). Though the flavors are quite different, Taiwanese food vaguely reminds me of Korean food, though more brown than red.
I will admit that the food may not look very pretty, but it's often quite tasty. Though, I think J.IM and Cyndi would disagree.
I have to admit that we did a pretty terrible job of sampling the good eats in Taipei. This was primarily due to the fact that we only stuck to restaurants with picture or English menus.
At least, we tried some authentic Taiwanese beef noodles at the Rao Her Night Market in Shongsang.
We also tried out a shabu shabu buffet in Ximen. Unlike the hot pots back home, the broth was filled with all sorts of unidentified spices and dried thingamabobbies.
Cyndi had read about a placed called "Modern Toilet," a concept restaurant where you sit atop toilet bowls and eat out of dishes shaped like toilets and urinals. Against our better judgment, we decided to check it out.
The food was pretty disgusting, and I'm not even taking into account the fact it was served in a toilet bowl. Even the complimentary fro-yo (poop shaped-- mmm...) was disappointing.
Sadly, the best meal that I had in Taipei was the boxed lunch that I purchased at the train station. Back in the day, these travel lunches came in tin boxes. Today, the lunches come in a cardboard box or one of the plastic containers pictured below.
We asked the sales clerk about the contents of one of the wrapped box lunches. He said that it was "rice." I asked him if it was chicken, and he replied "yes." Then, I said, "Or, is it pork?" Again, he nodded his head, and said "yes." Thankfully, the mysterious box lunch turned out to be a yummy pork chop.
There's not much too look at, but I've compiled all of the highlights of our Taipei eats including photos and videos of our shabu shabu, Shilin Food Plaza, and the dreadful Modern Toilet.
I will dedicate another post to our eats in Kaohsiung, which were much more interesting and tasty.
Ack! My Taiwanese classmate told me that the place to be in Taipei is actually the posh area near Taipei 101. I wish she had told me this last week, when I asked her about where to go in Taipei. Oh, well. I still had fun.
One of the highlights of our trip was probably the glamour shots. Let me first begin by saying that Taiwanese "glamour shots" are far more glamorous than the studios you'd find at the mall. Definitely a step above Head Shots. With all the makeup, styling, lighting, and props, it's quite a production. Depending on the number of outfits you order, the photo shoot could take up to half a day. On top of all the "glamour" that they pile on to you, the photographer will then photoshop you out of recognition. If you ever wanted to look like an Asian pop star, glamour shots are for you. Many folks even fly in specifically for the glamour shots, particularly young Japanese women and engaged couples (for official wedding portraits).
Given the production value, the photos are relatively inexpensive. I say "relatively" because it is still quite pricey. We selected the smallest package, which included two outfit changes, a small album of 15 photos, a keychain, and a photo CD. I'm a little embarrassed to admit how much we paid for our photo session, but let's just say that it was slightly more than a scaling at the skin clinic. I figure that when I'm a wrinkled little ajumma, the photos will prove to be a worthy investment. The photo studios accept credit card, so you don't have to worry about carrying enough cash.
Our session took about 2.5 hours. Reservations are recommended. After some research, Cyndi found a studio called "White Ladder," and made an appointment via email. There isn't a lot of information online about Glamour Shot studios (in English), but here's a Japanese list of all the studios in Taipei. I think. The site also seems to feature coupons.
I should warn you that neither the studio staff nor the photographer will likely speak or understand English. They are more likely to be proficient in Japanese. My makeup artist, for example, only knew a few phrases: Go!, Stop!, Look at me.
The studio will ask you to pick out looks from their albums, but I believe that you can also bring in your own outfits. Most of their clientèle seems to be fairly slim and long, so if you, to borrow the words of Beyonce, are bootylicious, the studio will unlikely be "ready for your jelly."
Once we selected our looks, we were taken to a den of clothes and makeup.
The makeup artists applied some mysterious makeup base from a little vial. She said that it would make us "more beautiful." It costs 300TWD! This is why you should never nod before thinking.
Here we are with our saeng ogul (natural face), pre-glamour.
They lengthened Cyndi's hair with some extensions.
Check out the arsenal of makeup. Even if you select a "natural look" they will likely pack on a load of makeup. They use a variety of products including MAC, Bobbi Brown, and Etude House! In addition to plastering my face with foundation, my makeup artist added two layers of false lashes and taped my eyelids. I never thought I'd be one of those girls who taped my eyelids to get some ssankapul. It felt so strange.
Here are our first looks:
Cyndi went with the "natural" look.
I chose a "cute" look, which allowed me to try on some fake bangs.
For our second look, we both coincidentally went with a Chinese-ish look. I had originally wanted to wear this frilly mint green dress, but it did not fit.
I did not realize that the woman was going to stick a floral garden on top of my head.
Cyndi's look was more elegant. She must have been a wealthy Chinese concubine in her past life.
We asked the photographer to take a picture using our own cameras. He instructed us to pose with our hands at the side of our faces. I felt like a major cheeseball, but the picture turned out pretty well.
Cyndi and I were each assigned a photographer. Cyndi got a photographer that could speak a fair amount of English. I got a guy who only knew the phrases: Smile; Open mouth; Look at me. I felt bad for him. He seemed like he desperately wanted to give me more direction, but had to resort to posing me like a mannequin or miming his directions. I'm not even being false-modest when I say that I am terrible at posing. I basically had to mimic him for each shot. Let's just hope he's got some mad photoshop skills.
Usually, you return to the studio a few days later to pick out the photos for your album, but we had to go to Kaohsiung, so we entrusted the photographer with this important task. I'm excited, yet a little worried, to see what my photographer picks out. I really hope he doesn't pick out the one where I'm holding the stuffed dog.
The photos will be shipped to Korea in a couple of weeks.
Overall, I'd say that the whole glamour shot experience was worth it. It was fun to get all dolled up.
There are a number of studios throughout Taipei, but if you'd like to check out White Ladder, here are the directions:
-Take the MRT to Shuanglian. -Take exit 1. -Walk straight up the street for about 15 minutes. - Make a right at Zhongyuan. (#8 Zhongyuan St.)
The studio also has a location in Ximen.
I will conclude with a removal of all the color and spackle.
We're back! Our stay in Taiwan was great, but I'm glad to be back. I have a lot of pics and comments to post, so there will be a lot of Taiwan talk for a short while.
I'll begin with my notes on transportation and accommodations in Taiwan. We took Thai Airways to Taoyuan International. Our flight was quite nice. The staff is very friendly, the interior of the plane is a vibrant purple, and we had our own individual screens. (Can't say the same for our return flight though). Thai Airways, by the way, has the most hypnotic safety instruction video I've ever made an effort to watch. The flight, a little over 2 hours, went by very quickly thanks to the on board media. I was finally able to watch Be Kind Rewind! (The film has its flaws, but its so very enjoyable.)
Once we arrived in Taoyuan, we purchased a SIM card (I brought my unlocked GSM phone from the Homeland). Then, we purchased shuttle tickets to Taipei Main Station from the first window that we could find. Unfortunately, this was a bad call. Our ticket was quite inexpensive at just 90TWD (about $3) -- suspiciously inexpensive. Our cheap seats got us a ride on the roundabout route that makes multiple stops, including a cruise down the street with all the Betel Nut Girls. I should have known we were on a poor choice in bus when the driver said with a quizzical look, "Taipei Main Station?"
I recommend that you shell out $12 or so for tickets for an express bus to Taipei.
Once we got to Taipei Station, we caught a taxi to our hotel in Songshan. It turns out that taxis are relatively more expensive than taxis in Seoul. The starting fee is 70TWD. Most Taipei drivers do not speak English, and our Mandarin accent is quite off, so it was a bit of a challenge to direct our driver. But, we worked it all out thanks to our map and broad gestures.
Cyndi and I shared a room at a budget hotel called Wonstar Hotel (not to be confused with Onestar Hotel). The hotel also goes by the name "Wantai Hotel." The exterior of the building is nothing to write home about, so I was quite surprised by the cleanliness of the room. The bathroom looked like it had been recently remodeled, and the bed was quite comfortable. I had no complaints. The hotel offers a complimentary breakfast, which included a buffet of congee, eggs, ham, toast, and other fixings that I imagine that your Taiwanese auntie would prepare for you on the weekend.
We arrived at the hotel in the evening, so most of the shops were closed, but we were able to check out Raohe Street Night Market.
The Wonstar is near many prominent spots including Taipei 101, City Hall, and the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. It's also walking distance from the Yongchun MRT stop. Take exit 5. Head LEFT. Cross the bridge, and walk straight up the street for 7-10 minutes.
Due to room availability, we also had to book two nights at a hotel in Ximen, called King Shi Hotel. King Shi is not your typical hotel in that it only takes up two floors in a non-descript building. Since J.IM was joining us, we booked a deluxe double room. King Shi is located in the midst of the bustling Ximen district and is very close to Taipei Main Station. The room was big enough for three people, but the facilities were less shiny and new, at least in comparison to Wonstar. The bathroom was also a little small, and looked like it could use a little updating. Nonetheless, the hotel adequately clean and centrally located.
To find King Shi, take the MRT to Ximen. Take exit 6. Walk up Cheng Du St. Make a LEFT at Kuming St. (You should see a KFC and Family Mart).
Our humble little budget hotels in Taipei were sufficient, but they pale in comparison to the brand spankin' new Garden Villa in Kaohsiung. To our surprise, our room at Garden Villa was significantly less than our rooms at Wonstar and King Shi. Of course, we received a little discount thanks to our friends in Kaohshiung. More on Kaoshiung later...
We primarily got around Taipei on foot or the MRT, which thankfully, had many English signs. We did take a cab a few times. At the risk of harping, I just want to say that based on what I've observed, Taipei taxi drivers are a lot more helpful than Seoul taxi drivers. The Taipei drivers may not know a lick of English, but they'll help you load your bags into the trunk, unlike some Korean taxi drivers. Yeah, I'm talking about you Mr. Bundang Ajusshi, who just sat in your air conditioned cab, while we three ladies tried to swing our heavy bags into your crowded trunk.
Hello. Thanks for stopping by! The short story is: I am interested in the way children learn and like helping them find the fun in learning.
I'm also really into cute things.
If you'd like to know more about me professionally, here you go:
http://about.me/anna.ho
