Hej again dear reader! I have been quite busy now for the last weeks for various reasons. I have fill my days lunches, dinners and snacks. School, shopping and sightseeing. Computer, TV and cinema. Parties, beaches and scooterdriving. Hang-over days, high speed days and slow days.
Yes i do a lot of things all the time here in Taiwan and there is no time for sleep but i have to admit that i love it! I really like this city, im starting to know the streets and where they lead and even some favourite routes or places to go to. I know some good shopping places and some good places to eat. but this town is sooo big that i haven't even seen a fourth of what's worth seeing! Im looking forward of seeing the rest of it.
What i like the most this far is going through the town on my scooter! (even though it's pretty much a pile of crap)
Jhong Shan road which is the main road. In the middle is Kaohsiung 85, the highest building in town.
Me, Bob and THA' SCOOTER!! :)
So what has happened now the last week that is worth mentioning...
Last week Meg took me to a place among the cliffs behind the university area (yes the school is located on the mountain side). It was a lot of restaurants and cafés hidden along the small mountain road leading dow towards the sea. Scary to go by scooter along that small narrow roads but it was totally worth it, beautiful view!
Sunset in the Pacific
Last week we also went to a club downtown named Dreams (second of the two clubs in town!). I really enjoyed it, Meg and her friends had booked us a table so we had somewhere to sit all the time and we had a private waitress, of course there were endless with alcohol provided! Delicious drinks and soooo V.I.P! :) (for the same price as one drink in sweden!!)
There is something different with this picture (except the bad quality)
And so this weekend Bob came for a visit from Taipei, i was so happy for that, its so nice to have someone around that know everything about you! So this weekend we went to Kenting to find the beach and the sun. Well things didnt directly go as planned... We went there by scooter which took 4 hours. the way we got kind of lost but eventually found our way there. we went through the industrial areas of Kaohsiung which was really interesting. I didnt know that the air could be so dirty!!
Bob is not so happy, she forgot to take on her face mask...
When we came there ít had been some misunderstandings, i thought my friend had booked a room for us but suddenly we stood without any bed for the night. Bob convinced me to stay at the beach for some hours but i wasnt available to enjoy it really since i were stressed about our stay for the night... After these hours it started to rain and then kept on raining until the next day so we dicided to go home through the rain storm. life threatening and instead of crying about our awful situation we sang loudly. guess we scared some taiwanese along the way, hahaha!
The beach :) the water :) the heavy clouds :(:(:(
Two of my wonderful french friends that took us in to share their room :)
Now Bob is back home and i was supposed to go on another vacation to green island tomorrow but now there is apparently a god damn typhoon coming in which means that we will have to cancel it! Too bad since i was looking forward for some sun!! Well well, now i can do my chinese test this week then instead, yey (irony)
Japp jag överlevde hela väg till Kenting på scooter. Kenting är känt som Taiwans Hawaii och eftersom Bob var här och hälsade på i helgen så ville hon passa på att åka dit och spendera någon dag på stranden i solen. Well... det blev inte riktigt som vi tänkt oss. Efter 8 timmar på scooter fram och tillbaka så fick vi i alla fall tre timmars (halv)sol på en ssandstrand med turkost vatten. Frågan är bara om det var värt det, min röv var i alla fall så gott som död...
Jag tror ajg redan börajar ta tillmig kulturen här och håller till och med på att bli en asiat... Jag menar jag äter med pinnar flera gånger varje dag, jag ser på Taiwan MTV så fort jag kommer innanför dörren, asiater överallt, inte undra på att man blir en själv till slut!
MTV har verkligen gett mig en insyn i hur de coola asiaterna ser ut. och.. ja.. jag vill se ut som dem! Inget jag är stolt över at erkänna precis, speciellt eftersom alla andra här egentligen vill se ut som mig! ;)
Jag har helt och hållet kört ner mig i en koreansk sång och en japansk, de taiwanesiska sångerna är lite väl smöriga
Sunday i went to a nearby city to Kaohsiung, Tainan where i was going to meet some of my taiwanese friends that i met in Austria, Belle and Viviane. I went there with Poyi and two of his friends by train. it took about 40 min and as soon as the train left my district the sk totally cleared up and went from heavy clouds to blue sky. It is really smoggy here!!
I was totally hang-overed from the party the night before and was sooo tired but who cares, how often will i have the time to go to Tainan in the future?
Belle, me and Viviane standing inside a really big temple with a lot of small temples inside for different gods. The buddhists has like infinite of gods, in this temeple there were altars for school gods, love, business and fortune. They took me for a tour and ir seems that really everything inside they temple has a meaning.
I was not dishounoring the temple, just praying a little bit ;)
Tainan is famous for its cusine and its ancient buildings. We ate a lot but did not have so much for the buildings, next time! I found this in a store though, it is not cake!! Guess what it is, i had never seen it before...
Taiwanese!!
I liked Tainan a lot, its not at all like Kaohsiung. Since that town is a bit older it had smaller streets and not so much pollution, it felt in a way a bit more european. It felt good to be back home in Kaohsiung though, in our central apartment, where the sky is always grey and the food stands is everywhere :D
Time goes really fast here but on the other hand it also goes really slow, this since i do so much everyday. I dont even know what i do all the time but still i hardly spend any time in the apartment. Scooter driving, lunches and dinners, beaches and parties, school and meetings with friends. So sorry for not updating the too often. Its not that nothing is going on, quite the opposite.
We had a house warming party last week just to show of this wonderful place ;) No just kidding, i just want everyone to know where i live so that people can come here anytime they want!
The other days without school i've been to some shopping malls with Megan, you just have to love the shopping here!
Me and a lion/dragon outside Hinshan mall. The culture here is that you hang out with some friends and take a tour into the malls. Look at some clothes and sometimes finding something to buy. The prices inside the department stores is a bit higher than the ordinary stores in the streets. But its definetely worth being inside in this heat!!
Another housewarming party and then going to the night club; Lamp. Where this hiphop gangsta asian girl works. hahaha, she's so cool and has the voice of a man, totally different from any other asian women :P
I veckan hade vi lite tid över så tog Meg och Poyi med mig till Cijin Island som är en liten ö strax utanför hamnen i Kaohsiung. Man tar en lite färja över vattnet som tar typ 5 minuter. När man kommer över kändes det som om man hade anlänt till en liten by typ, inte alls som resten av Kaohsiung. På andra sidan ön så finns det en strand, en superlångstrand med svart sand. Först var ja lite skeptisk till den svarta sanden men nu tycker jag om den riktigt mycket faktiskt, har aldrig sett det innan...
Poyi och jag på scooter (jag körde inte utan sitter på Megs scooter), fyren på Cijin och slutligen jag som hoppar med det oöndliga havet i bakgrunden. Vattnet var precis lagom, det är varmt i luften och vattnet är precis lite kallare så det svalkar att gå i. Tyvärr ska man visst inte bada här på grund av alla lastfartyg som åker in och ut ifrån hamnen men jag kommer nog lägga mig här en dag i alla fall ;) Får väl se om jag tappar håret, blir grön av radioaktivitet eller får muterade lemmar som börjar växa ut på udda ställen :p
Så här ser stranden i stort dock ut. Full med stora stockar som sköjlts upp från monsunen som var för någon månad sen.
Höga klippor ut mot det stormiga still havet. Till höger är ett stånd med Barbeque squid, jag var väldigt skeptisk först men det var faktiskt jättegott! inte alls slemmigt eller fisk-smakande.
City lights meet Sun light
Utanför ett tempel som ska hedra havsgudarna. det finns hur många gudar som helst.
You have to love the location of our apartment. In the morning its just to take the elevator down and take like ten steps and then im in Seven/Eleven! There is also a McDonalds, Subway, the Metro station and not to mention all the traditional chinese restaurants thats everywhere. Down the road there is Kaohsiung arena and also a really big mall. Today we also found the roof, no pool unfourtunately but still really nice so i think i will spend some hours tanning up there when it gets a bit more human friendly weather!
We also have a nightmarket one crossing away that Meg and Poyi took me the other day. Really cool! So much food, so much people, so hot and so many smells!
Yes it is sweaty here! ;)
The food is (belive it or not) even cheaper at the night market than in the normal restaurants. When i learned the characters a bit more i will maybe even be able to go there by myself :) I have actually already been able to recognize the characters for chicken, pork and fish (very useful!). I'm proud of my new skill with the chopsticks as well, before i couldnt old anything but now i have strong finger muscles so that i even can rip the meat! I am the greatest! ;)
Hello fellow reader! Sorry that i havent updated for a while, i have moved now to a new partment and internet was not the first thing the owner got fixed (now we're instead waiting for the hot water...) but the new place is totally awesome, so nice!
New room mates (even though i never really got one at the dorm) New view (won't miss the jungle but i will miss the ocean view) Much more space and beautiful room
The living room with the white windows on the side which is the guest room, never had a guestroom before! :D Bob has already scheduled a time when to come for a visit.
I also celebrated my birthday here with some of my new found friends and such a party it was! It was not the biggest i had but it was just such a surprise! It started when i went after Dan and Ulrika (the roomies) and when we came back to the bar the time was just a few minutes after midnight. Suddenly they turned of all the lights in the bar and everyone stood ud started singing Happy birthday to me! And if that wasnt enough they had also gotten me a bithday cake in the middle of the night! Oh my, i have never been so surprised :D
But it has been a really busy first week here in Kaohsiung and the speed of the living here doesnt seem to enddont get me wrong i love having a lot to do, its just that it igetting a bit exhausting, especially since i dont go to bed since i want to talk to you guys in europe and the classes starts quite early in the morning.
But dont worry more updates and PICTURES! will come soon :)
So now i have finally gotten bit more settled here in Kaohsiung, i know its always hard to get at home in a new place and get to know people and so but now the has gotten started. Yesterday Meg helped me around the university a bit and showed me the gym, pool, library and main buildings. The uni is really BIG! Enormous brick buildings all over the place.
To the left is my library, imagine that this is the buiding that i from now on is gonna mean when i say im going to"bibblan ("library")I should rather call it castle! On the right is Dr Sun Yat-Sen homself with Shang kai check next to him. The two most important persons in taiwan history i think...
this is also one pic of how my room look right now:
Sad isnt it? I need to order all the cables, all the important stuff (clothes) i have very nicely hanged in the closet or folded but all the cords just gives me a headache :P It's also that if i order things to tididly it will get really empty in here...
Yesterday I also met a swedish girl in the stair case, Julia, from Jönköping. Then she said she was meeting the rest of the swedish non-växjö-people before the exchangestudent party and of we were to a pre-party! So nice to meet the some of the crew that im gonna hang out with for the next months.
So there was a gathering yesterday evening in the fisherman's wharf with the rest of the exchanges (even though its only like half of them thats arrived this far, i still havent met my room mate!) Some beers became many beers and turned into drinks the later the evening carried on. Which lead to not the best condition to meet and remember people's faces, names an nationalities.
After the wharf we went on to one of kaohsiung's few clubs, Lamp. it was really cool. the music was way to high and the fog from cigarettes was thick but the people were dancing like crazy and the DJ was great. Icame back home at 04:00
Today i went up at 10:00 to go with Meg to IKEA to buy some cookies and eat swedish meatballs. I forgot to buy things since we were in kind of a hurry to get to the cinema but we'll go back, its not so far... The cinema was awesome, we saw the movie Orphan. Really good movie, like really thrilling, scary and a very thought through plot.
IKEA looks exactly the same everywhere, nice.
Me in Kaohsiung, i found a swedish magazine in a bookstore, about kitchens! haha!
Kaohsiung Eightyfive
Meg got her scooter taken because it was parked badly, haha! ;)
Tonight i've hanged out with some people and just relaxing, tomorrow it's introduction at 09:00 and i'll meet even more exchanges, sweet :)
Måste väl ändå va ett bra datum att börja om på nytt med? Jag har nu anlänt till staden i Taiwan där jag ska bo i knappt ett halvår. Och.. ja... vad ska jag säga... det är inte Hong Kong.
Både jag och Bob hade byggt upp ganska höga förväntingar av vad vi skulle möta här i taiwan efter vad vi hade upplevt i Hong Kong men taiwan går inte att jämföra med det alls, det känns mer lantligt här på nått sätt, storstadskänslan har jag inte hunnit känna än. Vägarna är enorma och raka och fylls med scootrar och bilar (med betoning på scootrar!) Jag funderar på om man kan korsa en väg utan att befinna sig på en scooter, gatorna är nämligen ganska tomma.
Tack och lov för att jag blev hämtad av min kompis Megan som jag lärde känna i Österrike. Hon kommer från och bor nämligen i denna stad. (Till höger på bilden). Sen var det en till tjej som jag träffade i Ö-rike, Aileen och min buddy (mentor) Poyi.
Vi anlände till rummet i alla fall, jag alldeles svettig på grund av mina kläder. Jobbigt det där när det är kallt inomhus och så varmt utomhus. Jag hade frusit på flygplatsen och sen svettas som en gris så fort man kommer ut. Rummet är väl okej ut ändå, ser ganska nytt ut vid en första anblick men sen när man tittar närmare är det väldigt skitigt... :/
Det första vi var tvugna att göra var att köpa en madrass till min säng som bestod av en träplatta... Så vi tog scootern iväg (lugn mamma jag körde inte! och jag hade hjälm) men det var riktigt härligt i alla fall, susa genom trafiken och känna den varma vinden. Vi gick sen till en kinesisk restaurang och traditiotinellt taiwanesiskt, gott!
Natten var sådär, får köpa en madrass till tror jag och AC:n är inte den bästa...
Det värsta var nu imorse, det bor typ ingen annan här än jag :( Jag kännermig ensam och känslorna kommer krypande. Saknar alla vänner och familj, tänker ni på mig?
Men det är precis samma känslor som jag känt tidigare när jag flyttat till nya ställen, vill bara att skolan ska starta så man kan träffa lite folk. Ikväll ska det va nån grej för oss utbytesstudenter i alla fall, ser fram emot det. nu ska jag duscha ort nattsvetten och ersätta den med dagssvett, Megan kommer snart och vi ska hitta på saker att se och göra i Kaohsiung
So me and Bob have ended our last day here in Hong Kong, feels so sad to leave. I really really like this city but next adventure awaits me on the other side of the chinese sea, Taiwan!
Today i really killed my feet, we went once again up pretty early. This time with Victorai Peak as a goal (a mountain top with a panorama view over whole Hong kong) I was really surprised of how big this city is, the skyscrapers just never seem to end!
I took like one million photos but will only post this one right now.
The other side of the mountain had the archipelag view:
We also went for a walk in the heat to find the worlds (almost) most expensive house. This means that it was almost sold for 900 million HK dollars but for some unknown reason the owner didnt want to sell. The next week it was a financial crisis and the house price never got as high again.
Here's the house on 23 Severn road:
It was so many of these houses along the road but no wonder it is expensive to live up here, the view is astonishing!
We later went downtown for one last day of shopping, i found the last things i needed (ok, i just really wanted it!). You have to love HK
So to conlude the shopping done in this lovely city:
short swimming trunks (the less clothes the better in this heat) converse shoes gym shorts shirt underwear sunglasses lacoste perfume pants watch
And my favourites that i found today, A fred perry bag and a HK t-shirt!!
The bags has been packed, now its time for the next adventure, KAOHSIUNG!
Igår var en riktigt lång dag. Vi gav oss upp tidigt för att vi skulle kunna ta rulltrappan ner till central, den går nämligen bara neråt före kl 10 på morgonen,sen vänder den och går upp istället. Vi hann med den och tog åter igen en frukost på subway, man kan nog se oss som stammisar där snart!
Vi var ute efter att ta oss till IFC mall (international financial center, Hong Kongs högsta byggnad med ett shoppingcenter i botten). På vägen dit kan man inte låte bli att ta bilder på allt som man går förbi. Här ovan är en ständigt återkommande vy, lika ofta som skyskrapor så finns dessa små vägar, översållade med skyltar så man knappt kan se gatan där under.
Utsikten från IFC mall till Kowloon, så coolt att det är palmer mitt i storstadsbilden, inte det första jag tänkte skulle finnas överallt men med tanke på hur tusan hett det är så...
Jag hittade tyvärr inget, alla de finnare galleriorna innehåller mest finare affärer som inte en vanlig student kan ha råd med, man går mest runt och tittar på sakerna, njuter av kylan och all personal som följer varenda ens steg. Vi drog sedan vidare in bland skyskraporna där det finns fler affärer. Vi Hittade ett H&M, okej det låter kanske inte så smart att gå in och handla på H&M när man har det hemma i Sverige medn de hade kläder här som vi inte har hemma, och mycket kläder som jag är glad att vi inte har hemma! En massa asfula grejer och en del som bara var allmänt konstiga.
Inne i central stötte vi återigen på The Center, alla speglar, glas och metall (eller kanske bara den extrema värmen) gjorde att vi hade en spontan photoshoot ;)
Vi gick sedan vidare för atthitta ett promenadstråk längs med hamnen, då hittade vi dessa skyskrapor! Känner ni igen dem? Fräscha upp ditt minne här
På kvällen gick vi ut på en klubb, vi hittade en på toppvåningen av ett hotell, sååååå coolt! alltså shit, jag kunde inte sluta tänka på miljön som vi satt i, tänk om man kunde få festa där varje kväll...! Tyvärr blev bilderna därifrån inte så bra, fick till en video, fråga om ni vill se!
Idag har vi tagit det lugnt, vi bestämde oss i sista stund för att utforska Hong Kongs skärgård lite så vi tog en färja till en ö ungefär en timma bort från central. Perfekt dag fick vi, inte ett moln på himlen! Hong Kong vattnets kvalitet går väl dock att ifrågasätta, inte så turkost man kunde hoppas men stranden var stor och befolkningstätheten minimal.
The life here is so thrilling and amusing at the same time. To think about how much energy it takes to keep this city is crazy and the idea of how it would be to live here really talks to me. So big contrasts all the time, on one side of the street is some of the highest glass buildings in the world and on the other side there is the torn buildings of concrete. But i guess that is why i like it so much, the luxury malls with all the high fashion brands is everywhere, but so is also the labyrinth-department stores where you can find all the chinese specialities and cheap fake accessories.
The conflict between western capitalism culture and traditional chinese markets is total, its Hong Kong baby!
Yesterday we took a tour to the other side of HK, more known as Kowloon. To go there we took a ferry where could get a panorama view of whole Hong Kong and the best with it is that it only costed 2 SEK (which is nothing). You just have to love those bargain prices!! :)
It was not as much skyscrapers but some parts seemed to be reall new. But this changed pretty fast the further into the central Kowloon we came. We took the " golden mile" which is known for all its shopping. Well, the street was really really long! Straight ahead as far as one could see through the smog. All along the streets was also Indies that was wispering to us; "suits, watches, bags". At first it was just exotic and a bit weird/fun but when the 20:th came to us and asked if we wanted to buy it, one only want to kill them! :P
Im so glad that we live on the Island, feels more like everything is in order there :P But it was nice in the evening because then we went to a night market. Bob found some pearls and jade necklaces and i found a pair of converse (my first ones ever!).
On our way back to the ferry we stoped at the pier to see the lightshow. It included all the skyscrapers on the HK island. It was really cool, but my feet hurted like hel and the pier was overcrowded.
Jag är kär!! I denna underbara stad, den är så stor och så hög. Skyskrapor är så snyggaoch här i Hong Kong så är de dessutom överrepresenterade bland all hus som finns. Hong Kong är dessutom väldigt kuperat med kulla och backar kors och tvärs så det är konstigt att de valt att bebygga just denna sida med så mycket höghus. Mark är uppenbarligen väldigt dyrt eftersom det finns vissa 30-vånings hus(!) består av enbart ettor. Tänk er en lägenhet på typ 25 kvadratmeter och bygg sen 30 till ovanpå, det ser väldigt ostadigt ut! Finns det ens plats för nödtrappor i sådana hus? Man undrar ju...
Höghus och skyskrapor så långt ögat kan se och man får verkligen ett speciellt förhålande till sina "grannar" på andra sidan gatan eftersom man kan span rakt in i deras vardagsliv. Vi har redan hittat vår favorit, en gubbe som sitter vid interet halva nätterna och hans fru som bara står och diskar, myyyycket intressant...
Igår var vi i alla fall och utforskade Central, stadsdelen där alla skyskraporna ligger och som man ser som centrala Hong Kong, trots att det finns mycket mer skyskrapor och hus så långt bort ägat kan se. Det var i alla fall då jag blev kär, så vackert. Ett sånt myller av liv och rörelse. Jag kunde helt enkelt inte få nog av det. Längs varje gata upptäcke man nått nytt och affärerna och alla stora gallerior tycks aldrig ta slut. Tänk den som ändå fick ha Hong Kong som bakgrund till sitt liv! Men baksidan är ju att man typ aldrig får vara i fred, vart man än ser så finns det ju människor och åter människor.
Vår utsikt från hotellrummet, Jag och Bob tar frukost på subway, skyscrapers!
Tack och laov säger jag bara för Subway, vi hittade ett igår när vi tog rulltrappan hem från stan (ja de har en rulltrappa utomhus här! Det är bara för att det är så kuperat så där vi bor är det typ rakt upp, i denna värme så blir det därför inte speciellt nådigt och svetten tar aldrig slut!)
Jag kan verkligen inte få nog av skyskrapor, allt glas och himlen som reflekteras det gör det så magiskt. Vi var också uppe i Bank of China skrapan samt inne i Hon Kong börsen, var inne i The Centers shopping galleria och utanför Lippo Lippo towers.
Som man kan se på bilden i mitten så håller de dessutom på att bygga mer!
Idag så skulle vi gett oss över till den andra sidan Hong Kong, till Kowloon. i hade tänkt ta bilder på "ön" (där vi bor) när ljuset låg på rätt sida. Men nu råkade vi visst försova oss så vi kanske drar till stranden på andra sidan ön istället eller letar upp lite fler av alla fräscha gallerior som finns...
Avslutar med den finaste bilden av alla, tror jag ska förstora upp den och fylla en hel vägg med den, eller vad säger ni? Den känns väldigt mycket HK måste jag säga
I love this city! So now me and Bob has finally arrived and landed safely in the big apple of the east, Hong Kong! The flight here was the worst in my life, no space for legs and i didnt get any sleep. (ok, Bob didnt sleep any, i slept for 1.5 hours :P). The clock has totally been turned and we havent slept or eaten properly for 32 hours, we are pretty tired in other words... But happy! We have only seen a tiny part of this enormous city but i have to admit, i really like it.
The warmth is another chock, it really is like walking into a wall when stepping outside. It feels like living within a sauna. When walking into a store or eating in a restaurang its the opposite round, then you have to take on the clothes instead to not freeze to death.
Next "chock" is all the china people, they are everywhere and it feels so exotic! ;) haha!
Now im gonna die a little bit before falling asleep, the aircondition in the room doesnt work right now... *puh!
I've heard pictures say more than a thousand words: here's a first update:
At the airport in Amsterdam, Our plane, me and Bob is surprised about the small seats.
So today is the last day in sweden. The countdown on my computer is now down at zero. I just woke up with an urge to throw up but realized that its just desperate tears, wanting to come out.
The bag is packed and the walk-in closet is almost empty. Just the computer left to put into the bag... The camera is reloaded and the important papers has been found, i think im ready.
The emotions are many now and wants to come out! But the excitement is also on the top, finally the day is here!!! Im so glad that within only a few hours i will be on a plane taking me to my biggest adventure ever!
The warmth of the tropics and the BIG city of Hong Kong is waiting for me, so awesome...
I will miss you sweden, with all i leave behind here. I wonder how it will be when i come back, what will i do then? That's whats so good with leaving, i also leave all my worries here in sweden. I will soon enter a fantasy world that will have its own troubles and worries but that will be nothing as serioius like the ones here at home.
Oh my, im totally shaking! Waaaahhhh!! excitement!!!!!
Good bye family! Yesterday my grandparents came by and then the family threw me an early surprise birthday party! First time and i was actually surprised. It will be so weird to celebrate my birthday so far away from them...
Good bye sweden! Im now changing this traditional Swedish landscape for the crazy cityliving of Asia. Well, i dont mind :)
