Buggers Travel Taiwan 2016: The Skinny
00:06:00Every year or so, me and my bestest buddies in the world, collectively known as the Buggers, will sit down in front of a map and blindly point at a random spot. In 2012, we flew to the Land of the Morning Calm; Seoul, Korea. In 2013, our fingers landed on Bangkok, the City of Angels. In 2014, we jetted off to The Land of the Rising Sun, Japan. 2015 was sort of a break time for all of us, but we still managed to witness Bugger Seah propose in Langkawi. Then, adult life took over; with a healthy juggle of work, love, commitments.
It was a very strange time for us.
But this year, after almost 9 months of planning prior, the Buggers gathered together to travel again. This time, we were joined by the entire gang; something unprecedented in the history of our travels. For the first time ever, all five of us Buggers were travelling together, bringing along all their significant others as well.
So with a motley group of 8, we traversed Taiwan with the gusto that only the Buggers could bring. If you've been following my social media postings, you may have gotten a tinge of what happened in Taiwan. And man, I can tell you, it was amazing. It was like something out of a Taiwanese coming-of-age movie, which I do believe it was because of the underlying themes of growing up and entering adulthood prevalent in our group.
Man, that was deep. Is this the tendrils of adulthood clutching at my chest?
I digress. As with all my other travel blog posts, I will start with a skinny post, both in reference to my skinny frame and my laziness to write more than 200 words. So yeah, WARNING: Picture deluge ahead.
We arrived in Taiwan just off the back of a week's worth of rainfall. The weather was amazingly cooling, and more often than not, we had to put on a few more layers than usual.
Of course, with the weather comes a kind of fashion that we cannot pull off in the hot Malaysian weather. So it was basically 8 days of mixing and matching the best outfit that also helps to keep us warm.
Of course, with the weather comes a kind of fashion that we cannot pull off in the hot Malaysian weather. So it was basically 8 days of mixing and matching the best outfit that also helps to keep us warm.
The food was fantastic.
You know everything they told you about Taiwanese snacks? It's all true. We literally ate our way through Taiwan, trying out almost all of the delicacies available on offer.
We had Taiwanese hot pot (perfect for the cold weather), a BBQ meat and seafood buffet (perfect for everything),
and all the Taiwanese delicacies you could find at the night markets.
My personal favorite was everything I ever ate there.
The sights were something to behold as well. From the narrow alleys of Jiufen, also known as the place that inspired the designs of Spirited Away,
to the rolling lavender fields of Xinshe,
the hopeful train tracks of Shifen,
the tranquil forests of Alisan,
and the bustling night market scene,
Taiwan was amazingly picturesque. It was like being in a postcard; y'know, if postcards included a bunch of Buggers all vying for the camera.
Speaking of cameras, all of us spent the majority of our pictures trying to look away from the camera. It was because we wanted to be cool and hipster.
The 不望镜头 format of our pictures (there were plenty) was so carefully planned, that we probably looked like a huge group of celebrities to passers-by. But it was, on hindsight, something very silly to do.
Shopping played another huge part in the trip. From the hip and happening Ximending Square, to the nooks and crannies of the Shilin night market, there was something to buy all the time.
Although, it must be age catching up with me, because I found none of the fashion sense appealing at all. It was all too; and I hardly get to say this word often without it sounding condescending, childish for me.
So yes, that was basically my Taiwan trip in a skinny, low-fat post. I'll be feeding it and fleshing out the rest of my Taiwan trip in future blog posts, y'know, once I manage to find some time to do so.
Cheerios!
You know everything they told you about Taiwanese snacks? It's all true. We literally ate our way through Taiwan, trying out almost all of the delicacies available on offer.
We had Taiwanese hot pot (perfect for the cold weather), a BBQ meat and seafood buffet (perfect for everything),
and all the Taiwanese delicacies you could find at the night markets.
 |
| The most prevalent street food ever. |
My personal favorite was everything I ever ate there.
 |
| My face says it all. |
The sights were something to behold as well. From the narrow alleys of Jiufen, also known as the place that inspired the designs of Spirited Away,
to the rolling lavender fields of Xinshe,
the hopeful train tracks of Shifen,
the tranquil forests of Alisan,
and the bustling night market scene,
Taiwan was amazingly picturesque. It was like being in a postcard; y'know, if postcards included a bunch of Buggers all vying for the camera.
Speaking of cameras, all of us spent the majority of our pictures trying to look away from the camera. It was because we wanted to be cool and hipster.
 |
| "Everyone look there!" |
The 不望镜头 format of our pictures (there were plenty) was so carefully planned, that we probably looked like a huge group of celebrities to passers-by. But it was, on hindsight, something very silly to do.
Shopping played another huge part in the trip. From the hip and happening Ximending Square, to the nooks and crannies of the Shilin night market, there was something to buy all the time.
Although, it must be age catching up with me, because I found none of the fashion sense appealing at all. It was all too; and I hardly get to say this word often without it sounding condescending, childish for me.
 |
| Pictured: Condescendingly childish. |
So yes, that was basically my Taiwan trip in a skinny, low-fat post. I'll be feeding it and fleshing out the rest of my Taiwan trip in future blog posts, y'know, once I manage to find some time to do so.
Cheerios!
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