Taiwan, stranded in a typhoon!

So not the holiday and relaxing retreat that was idealised in its conception, but it was a place that held much more than rain, and thousands of NT in shots...

Kristal, Cinja, Iga, Logan, Mark and myself, flew into Taipei, Taiwan after booking tickets maybe a week in advance, despite this we never even considered the possibility of a typhoon and so didn't check the weather. A mistake which will NEVER be made again, by any of us! Obviously the typhoon changed everything about our holiday, directing it from lying on a beach in Kenting (south taiwan) to staying in Taipei, or at least most of us... We actually managed to see a lot in the first day, realising it was probably our only chance to see the city before it shut down for the torrents of rain. We saw on the first day, the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial, Matyrs Shrine, The National Palace Museum and Taipei 101. Taipei 101 was pretty cool, the elevator up to the top is the fastest in the world, and let me tell you with a blocked nose, is actually a pretty painful experience. Taipei is huge, from the top of Taipei 101 you can see the entire city, sprawling in every direction, with nothing more than a river running through to divide up the city. We also went to the night markets, and while Logan got stuck into the street meat, I was somewhat apprehensive, he survived though so it can't have been too bad, Taipei is a really cool little city.

The second day we attempted to play tourist again, but failed MISERABLY. We got up early in an attempt to see a lot and maybe even beat the typhoon but to no avail, by the time we got to the Sun Yat Sen memorial (btw did he even set foot in Taiwan? Logan and I seem to think not...) it was closed, or probably never opened, but either way couldn't go there. Determined not to give up, the female contigent of the group went on the Taipei 101, hoping like Hong Kong, the shops would be open even under the worst of conditions, yet another epic FAIL. Soaked from head to foot we tucked our tails between our legs and headed for the nearest Maccas, conveniently located opposite Taipei 101. Of course, like everywhere in the world, Maccas can be counted on in rain, hail and typhoon, PERFECT. After watching Transformers with the others relegated to our hostel a group of us went out for, "some food and a few drinks". Of course this never happened, staying out until about 5am and downing almost 10,000NT worth of shots and gin and tonic, not a smart plan as we were meant to go to see Temples in the morning but definitely a fun plan. I learned a few things this night also, which makes it more justifiable...

1. Never play chess against a guy who can solve the Rubic Cube in seconds and studies Chinese. (I lost in 3 moves)
2. I am amazing at pool when Drunk
3. Don't make bets you can't win
4. Don't sample the entire shots menu
5. Don't give Guy money, he enjoys burning it.

The next day was spent recovering, and so basically involved sleep, movies, eating Maccas (again) and eventually getting up off our sorry butts to be taken to a great Yunnan restaurant. Shame I couldn't enjoy it more... Other than some hot springs, which were really awesome, on the way back to the airport, that was Taiwan. It wasn't really a tourist trip so much because we were stuck inside, but the people we met and the sights we did see, made it an unforgettable experience!

Pictures:The group minus the photographer at Maytrs Shrine.
Logan and the Epic Fail at Sun Yat Sen memorial
Guy burning 100NT