Glimpses of red lanterns, brightly colored shops and vendors calling out in Chinese flash by as I walked down the bustling streets of JiuFen Old Street. So many different smells waft by as me and my friend, Stella, (我的好朋友), squeeze through the masses of people. We dip in and out of different stores, full of typical Taiwanese souvenirs and over expensive jewelry. The click of my camera is always going off as I’m entranced by the beautiful & detailed red lanterns filling the sky. The traditional Chinese characters glimmer in the evening light. We reached a viewpoint overlooking the mountains at the end of a main path in the Old Street, and it was breathtaking, a true testament to the wild side of Taiwan. With mountain peaks stretching out towards the clear sky, the sun setting… It was gorgeous.
Heaving and huffing, the bright sun beating down on us as we traverse the steepest road I’ve ever walked up. It felt like I was going to melt in a puddle right then and there; people didn’t joke about the heat in Asia. Though we knew the view was going to be worth it, we savored any bit of shade along the way like it was water and we hadn’t drank in days. Honestly, even the road view was beautiful; stunning mountains on the East and West of us, dropping down to the gradient waters of the sea.
Finally, we reached as high as we could go, and stood, observing the light blues fading to dark blues til we couldn’t see anymore as the ocean extended on and on and on….
Sighing, tired and content, I laughed with my friends as we skipped through a night market in Kenting, a beach town and beachy part of Taiwan. We played silly games and got scammed more than twice, but it was so fun! I even won a fan to keep me cool. Then, we encountered a boba stand (奶茶). We watched as the lady shook the plastic container that encapsulated the delicious balls of heaven called boba pearls. That was some of the best boba tea I will ever try.
Finally, one of the most gorgeous bike rides I’ve ever done was one I did in Taiwan. We drove quite a ways to this small outdoor parking garage, and all 30 of us hopped out the bus, not knowing what to expect. All around us were rice fields, which in itself are pretty. The people touring us gave everyone rusty old blue bikes, a typical tourist attraction. My bike's brakes almost nearly failed me! But that didn’t matter the moment we started, because the views were incredible. Rice fields, green and yellow, stretched on for miles reaching mountains far away that made for a spectacular ride. We weaved through the town streets before reaching a crossway of tons of different little paths all throughout the rice fields. We even encountered a little ice cream shop with the cutest cat! It was memorable, to say the least.
