Cooking and typhoon are coming!

Today I've arrived from Kaoshiung to Taipei on 5:30 and on 6:30 I've opened the door of my host family in Yingge. After a long sleep me and Geena went to have a lunch a buy some noodles in case of incomming Typhoon :-)

For our luck, Typhoon is coming tomorrow, so we've decided to prepare for our international coking party in San-Ying Arts Village, Speed Coffee and for our host-family :-) I've done a list of raw materials I need and we went shopping. There are two supermarkets in Yingge. I the first one I've bought the most things, but I was really surprised about the price. Later I've been to the market to buy some vegetable and when I've asked the man about 2kg of potatoes he has been very surprised :-) And later we've been in the second supermarket and I've found the rest of my raw materials. The only thing I can not find there is marjoram. I'm going to switch it with some Italian spicy, I hope it won't be such difference.

Ice-cream

And after our shopping we've had an ice cream - amazing again :-)


I'm going to cook from Czech kitchen Garlic soup and Potato pancakes with Chicken meat sauce. And as a desert I might going to prepare Apple strudel. All of this meals and dessert are in my country made from very cheap raw materials. But there it's going to be very fancy dish. For example cow milk cost about 20NTD and here it's about 80NTD! The same is butter. In Czech 250g cost around 35NTD and there it's about 70NTD. And potatoes? The base of my whole food? One kilogram costs 80NTD (in Czech about 20NTD). The flour is also much expensive (50NTD, in Czech about 20NTD) and one apple cost about 25NTD. So I hope, they are going to like my food a lot! :-)

After shopping we've been taken with Blues, Eveline and Pierre to Banquiao for dinner. We've been to the Japanese restaurant and we've had some traditional Japanese noodles with meat, sauce and egg. I've also tried deep fried mashed potatoes with cheese and fried tofu. The first one has been good, but the tofu? Eeee :-D But whole dinner has been very good. These people really know, what is good.

Japanese food - delicious!

Oh, I'm getting hungry to write this. Looking forward to eat again, I hope I'm not going to be later addictive on eating!

Kenting national Park and Kaoshiung

Kenting national park and Kaoshiung are visited - checked!

Today was a little bit cloudy, so some of us have decided to visit park in Kenting. It's pretty far, but it has worth it. We've created a group of five persons and we're heading up. Violetta (trainee from Belorussia) and Marius (trainee from Germany) were running pretty fast, so me, Freddy and his friend Lydia were going together. The journey has been never ending and still straight to the hill. I was sweating so much.. And it was very humid this day. After about 3km walking straight to the hill, some car had stopped by us and took us to the park. It has been quite funny, because we've passed by Violetta and Marius and they were very shocked to see us on the hill earlier than they :-)

Anyway Freddy and Lyvia went to another city and I've entered the Kenting National Park with Violetta and Marius. It has been really great day. I've enjoyed it a lot. We've seen a lot of nature. From our almost four our tour around Kenting park I liked very much the view from one tower, special caves and whole the nature around.. On the pictures are some moments from our journey.

The view from the park

Amazing view

Lydia, Freddy and me

Trails

The entrance

Sometimes the trails were very tiny

Trees are growing widely

Nature is beautiful

Sometimes you can use the trees like to swing

Journey was interesting

Tree in the road - natural

Weeping Fig trail :-)

Climbing on the palm is so good :-)

Caves and the view from the tower

Fairy Cave I

Fairy Cave II - exit

Silver Dragon Cave

Silver Dragon Cave II

This is a stone creature in Stalagmite Cave. I think it looks like a fox, do you see it?

The view from the Viewing Tower

From plants mainly crazy trees, from animals monkeys, lizards, crabs, ants, butterflies and one death snake :-) These animals were everywhere, especially lizards and crabs. I've tried to make some photos, but my camera is not so good. But in my memories there are going to be a lot of these animals. Violetta and Marius are very friendly persons, we've laugh a lot and make a lot of jokes. I liked it a lot. They were both very nice..

Animals

First I've seen a monkey, but it was too fast, so I've taken only this picture :-)

Small animals everywhere

The crab in the park..

..and crab's house (hole in the ground)

Lizards, which acting like a model

This is not only a rock, there is an animal - frog! Find it :-)

Earthworm - at least something I know from my country

Flowers

Nice flower

Red is nice :-)

Kaoshiung in the night

Later we had gone home. We'd found quite cheap taxi to Kaoshiung and we entered it around 6PM. The journey was tight, because we're sitting in one taxi six with the taxi driver. But it has been pretty fast. It took about one hour and forty-five minutes. In Kaoshiung we'd taken a KMRT (Kaoshiong MRT) and went for some dinner. We'd found something like Night Market and ate a little. Later I've decided to see second highest building in Taiwan. It's name is Tunex Sky Tower and you can visit 74th floor by high-speed elevator. I've finally found it on 22:05. But it has closed on 22:00. I begged the lady to let me in, but she said only for 350NTD to 75th floor to some restaurant. But I don't want to eat and for one view it's too expensive. Normal entrance fee is 150NTD. I've given up and left. I've been very said. I met other trainee and I said to myself - there must be a way, how I can get to Tunex Sky Tower. I wanted to returned back and Marius and Violetta have supported me to do it. It has been amazing gesture from them. I went to Tunex Sky Tower again and asked one more time. At first the answer were no, only 350NTD, later that I can use credit card, later one small view from normal entrance fee and at the end for free! I was so so happy! I took high-speed elevator and see a view from 75th floor. And I've tried to make some pictures :-) It has been perfect end of my Tour around Taiwan. Later we took night bus to Taipei and have a dream about our amazing Study Tour.

I've been in 75th floor of Tunex Sky Tower!

The view has been amazing

High speed elevator

Different view of Tunex Sky Tower in night

At the end I'd like to thank you, OC Study Tour (Organization Committee) - Vera, Polly and Joy, for taking care of me and arranging everything. I would be so lost without you, guys! And thank you trainee for letting me be part of your group. Even thou there were some misunderstandings I've enjoyed it a lot - a lot. Thank you very much! Hope to see you one day again.. Maybe in Czech Republic :-)

Hsei Hsei Bye Bye!!

Thank you (Source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjagqP6FdY_pZxRVyp2YzVTRJ3MPrkQ9XgA9dnyhFDvp1OQCN5gzBDpnnHtWlsNR8kqLHfk9oozLZ4e2abo7MFyWkU6mIyZ7Zg8SMarteEhJVPIOR637L6pRdlzTcHMeaYUTy6JzLrFU/s1600/thank-you-languages-hcjb-global%5B1%5D.jpg)

Swimming in the sea!

Today we've travelled from Tainan to Kenting. It took quite a lot of time and money, but we are here and I've swum in the sea!!

After we'd taken a train and minivan to Kenting, we'd taken a lunch and went to the beach. So many people were there, but it was fine. I took off my clothes so quickly and run to the sea. Oh, it has been soo great! I've spent there a lot of time, it has been so refreshing. Whole afternoon we've spent on the beach. Enjoying the sun, swimming and relaxing. We've been thre until sunset. So amazing..

South China sea - great afternoon

In the evening we've been tot the Kenting Night Market. So many people everywhere. A lot of kind of drinks, food, souvenirs, places to play some games and so much more :-) Also we've been to the beach during the night and I've been tunung to the waves a draving some pictures, but all of them have ben taken with the sea :-( But anyway this day has been great!

Kenting Night Market full opf people

A lot of sea food and so much more

Salt and the history is topic for today

Today we've been to the Salt Field Eco-Culture Village, Salt Mountain and Museum.

The first stop has been quite unexpected, because we've taken a wrong bus. The number is the same, but one bus ends there and another goes to the Salt Mountain (our planned goal). This place has been weird. At first we had no idea, where we are. The place look like an abandoned village, where is a museum with dry fishes - it has been pretty scary. Later we've figured out, we're in Salt Field Eco-Culture Village and people were earlier making salt there. There are probably some occasions, when children can make salt, but not today. There has been also some kind of museum about this process and souvenir shop with colored salt and some sewed fishes. And I've seen there the worst Temple – Yongzen Temple. There has been nothing inside nad it seems like it has burned out recently... Well pretty scary and not interesting at all.

Welcomming fishes

Pretty scar..

I've tried at least a hat for making salt

Salt farm

Salt tools

Souvenirs

Temple

When our bus came, we went to the Salt Mountain, finally! It has been pretty small and the salt has been dirty, but yeeej, we're here. We've climbed up, make some pictures and went down. Someone has also tried to bring some salt home, but it has been difficult, because the mountain has been tough. We went also to the Salt House and later we've ordered an ice-cream and went back to Tainan. I have Durian ice-cream, not good :-)

Salt mountain

All our group, that climed to the slat mountain

Salt is everywhere!

In front of the sal house

Baaam!

Later, we'd missed the bus - me and Freddy (trainee from Germany, who has been on project One Child, One chance). Another bus had been coming in 50 minutes. But we'd caught it and went to the Natioanal Museum of Taiwan History in Tainan. This place is new there is no entrance fee and today is Saturday, so a lot of people were there. This museum describes history of Taiwan in three floors. On second floor you can see a lot of wax figures describing permanent exhibition: Our Land, Our People: The Story of Taiwan. The third floor is devoted to Special exhibition. There were something like woman and men exhibition – clothes and others or dragon boats.

National Museum

Nature

Tainan before

Dragon boat

Sugar mill

Ladies exhibiton

Wall of wishes

Map of the World

After our exhibition, we went to Tainan night market. It has been quite big. Of course you can buy there tons of food, drinks, clothes, play a lot of games and meet many many people (it's Saturday, so it's even worse than on week).

From my observation is a little bit difficult to find a suitable size of clothes for person, who is used to wear size M or L in Europe. Quite often you can hear - one size, one size or no bigger. When you become desperate, like me, you can just buy instead of very short and small shorts ¾ trousers suitable for relaxation or city :-) Maybe in the shopping mall, it would be better – next week :-)

Night market

Tainan night market