Taichung one

Here are a few random shots of my first few hours in Taichung, Taiwan. The above was my meal at LAX during the 5 hours of downtime between flights. I'd really forgotten just how taxing flying 16 hours is- I'm already not looking forward to the flight back in 1.5 weeks. The one day I am in LA happens to be the 1 out of 365 days where it's cold and windy and rainy.

The photo below is my first steps out of the airport, greeted by my cousin in the middle. My sister (on the right) and I (on the left) look so tired and dumpy. The shots after that are of Taichung, which is a really old city and where my dad is from. Also, I could drink passion fruit juice every day for the rest of my life and I'd be totally happy.







This is one of the day markets for vegetables, which is located in key areas in every city in Taiwan. They're amazing for both street food and fresh groceries, and with Taiwan's tropical climate perfect for fruit. I've had some of the sweetest fruits here- nowhere else compares. Below that is a cute Japanese clothing store- lots of sheer flowy dresses, lace, and crochet. And then tiny cacti in a mall I went to today.





I'm staying in a room on the fifth floor in this house owned by my dad's side of the family, and boy is it a workout going up and down 3 flights for bathroom and 5 flights of stairs for food or water. Not to mention we walked a lot today and my legs are still cramped from the plane.

I'm also always surprised at how polite and helpful everyone is here- it's really similar to Japan, after all, and I always get the feeling that people here go out of their way to help each other out. Why can't the rest of the world be so awesome?

xx.