Harper's Adventures

Travel Story:

Back in 2009, right after my high school graduation, my best friends Sen and Young were going to visit their family in Taiwan. I had never been outside the country at this point and I half-jokingly asked them to convince their parents to let me tag along. When they actually did ask and their parents said yes I was surprised and thrilled. I had to pay for all my own travel expenses and such but they would let me stay with them and feed me when we ate at their house. We were there for 34 days and we also went to Tokyo, Japan for 5 days. These are the better pictures below and a short journal entry for each day's activities.

Travel Blog:

• ~Day 1~: 7/9/09 First day of travel from Kansas City to Taiwan. Our first stop was LA ,which took about 4 hours but with the time zones it took it down to about 1 hour on paper (9:00 am KC to 10:30 am LA), then left LA on a bigger plane that would take us to Taiwan at 4pm. The flight from LA to Taiwan was 13 hours but again time zone changes made it much less and we landed around 8:30 pm the next day (time zones are weird) just as the sun was setting.
• ~Day 2~: 7/10/09 We went from the airport in Taipei to my friend's grandma's house in Keelung, where we would call home for most of the trip, and passed out immediately. Overall we were awake and in the sun for almost 23 hours that day. The time zone changes made it a very long day, or 2 days I suppose, since we were going with the sun so this was probably the longest day of my life.
• ~Day 3~: 7/11/09 First official day we got up at a decent time around 8am and walked into town to see a bit and buy some food. After walking around a while we go back to the house and take a nap before setting out for the town again at night to go shopping at the night market.
• ~Day 4~: 7/12/09 Today we have plans to explore some more of the town nearby again and see a concert on the beach a decent drive away. So we started with going to town to get food again. This time I tried some new fruit called guava and pitaya (also called dragon fruit), both are delicious. You can get these in the states but nothing compares to local and fresh since they have to pick them early to ship them, they just don’t compare. After breakfast we head up the hill to a local park/temple and get a beautiful view of Keelung. We rested a while and then headed down the coast to Fulong Beach for the concert. The stage is set on a huge sand barge and there are hundreds of people. My friend's aunt doesn’t let me swim because it’s typhoon season but I still play in the water and have a great time at the concert before we head home for the night.
• ~Day 5~: 7/13/09 We go into town looking for a place to get a phone sim card for the brothers so they can call/text while we are here without international charges. After we find that, we get dropped off in Taipei and visit one of my friend's uncle's shops and they catch up for a while. We then go and get our hair done. Both the brothers get a bit cut and styled with one even getting red dye while I try and see what dark hair looks like on me, they don’t let me get black so I go with dark brown (it did not look that good but at the time I thought it was cool, should have taken the hint from the stylist). We then meet up with my friend's aunt at her work and try to chat in English with some of their coworkers' daughters to help them practice. We head home after that.
• ~Day 6~: 7/14/09 Today we are heading back to Taipei to visit another of my friends' uncles, aunt and cousins. This time we take the bus into the city and then hop on the train to get there (my first time on a train ever!). We hang out with their cousins till dinner and all go out to a nice restaurant where I get my fill of sushi and pork. We then go to the local night market and buy some clothes. We stayed the night with their cousins.
• ~Day 7~: 7/15/09 Woke up and had breakfast with the uncle and cousins then took a train to Ximen to buy some anime stuff and site see. We then met up with their other relative (his grandpa’s sister’s daughter, they have a lot of family) and went to visit their house. They lived in a huge building up on a high floor with an awesome view of the city nearby. We all hung out for a while and visited with the family and kids. After that we went back to the Shilin night market and looked around again, ate some amazing street food and shaved ice. After that we got picked up and went back home.
• ~Day 8~: 7/16/09 Today was a free day with no plans so we lazed around and had some awesome home cooked food.
• ~Day 9~: 7/17/09 Today was my favorite, going to the tallest tower in the world! (was the tallest during this trip) We started walking to the bus and taking it into Taipei to see Harry Potter 6, it was ok. After that, we headed over to the Taipei 101 tower. We made a bank visit while on the way to get more cash and went to a NT$39 store, a 39 taiwan dollar store which is like a dollar store in the states, and got some souvenirs. Once at the tower we head up to the top of the roof on the 91st floor but only get to see half the roof since it's windy and still typhoon season. It was the most amazing view and I could see all the way to the mountains. We stay till sun down and go to a bookstore on the way back home and pass out after a long day.
• ~Day 10~: 7/18/09 Same usual morning start but today we went to an anime event in town. Lots of people were in cosplay and there were lots of vendors and cool stuff all over. We spent a few hours there looking around and then headed to Taipei. This time we went to the Taipei world trade center to see a concert. It was awesome but I really didn't understand any of it cause I don’t speak chinese but it was still fun to watch. Headed home after that.
• ~Day 11~: 7/19/09 Took the bus back into Taipei and the train to Ximending to their uncles again. Went to some stores and walked around for a while. Went back to their uncle's house to hang out with the cousins and then went out for dinner.Can’t remember the name but it was a huge store with regular shops and all kinds of food, at least 12 floors tall. We went to a Japanese restaurant where me and the brothers all had ramen, finally! I had been waiting for real ramen for the whole trip. Hung out back at the uncle's house till their aunt came and took us back home.
• ~Day 12~: 7/20/09 The plan this day was to visit the National Sun yat-sen Memorial Hall. Got there just in time to see the guard change over, they had guards like buckingham palace that don’t react while on duty. Walked around the memorial hall for the rest of the afternoon and then went to some more expensive shops we hadn't looked at yet and got some more clothes. After that we called it an early night and relaxed the rest of the day back at home.
• ~Day 13~: 7/21/09 This day was one of my favorites. We went to the National Palace Museum. I was not allowed to take pictures inside so I only got some of the outside garden, which was beautiful. I did get some postcards and a spoon from the gift shop for my dad since he started collecting them. Afterwards, we ate with some of their family at a restaurant that served every part of the animal. I tried pig’s ear, pig's stomach, fish stomach and the hottest red pepper I have ever had (it burned worse than a raw habanero). Walked down the street to a neighborhood memorial where I think the president used to live. Then we took a taxi to the Taipei story house but didn’t stay too long. Tried to go to a museum next door after 5 so it was free entry but they were closing soon so we headed home.
• ~Day 14~: 7/22/09 The only real thing we did today was go to the bank to get money for Japan. Had to convert money over to Yen and I kept some of it when I returned home as a keepsake. The rest of the day we packed, played games, journaled, and watched tv.
• ~Day 15~: 7/23/09 Woke up early, finished packing and called my parents back in the states. After everyone gets ready we head to the airport, apparently they messed up my name on my ticket so we have to fix “happer” to harper before they let us through security. Get through fine and take our flight to Japan. Flight was only about 3-4 hours and we took an hour-long bus ride into the city arriving at our hotel about 6pm local time. Walked around the city near our hotel for a while and ate at an AMPM, kinda like a 711 convenience store, since we couldn’t all agree on something. The brothers and I shared a room to make it cheaper so I took the floor and they took the bed.
• ~Day 16~: 7/24/09 Wake up, get breakfast and head out to the train station. Have to figure out the ticket system but after we do we go to Akihabara to shop. We walk around like total tourists since none of us speak Japanese, well the oldest brother knows some which helps. We went to several anime shops, 2 arcades (way different than ones in the states, they are huge and way more popular), and a couple random stores where I got a magnet which I like to collect from places I've traveled. We took the train again to aqua city, another huge shopping area near the bay with an awesome view. After that we wrap up and head to the hotel.
• ~Day 17~: 7/25/09 Tried to call home again but the phone card doesn’t work so I go to the store and get another one then have to get help getting it to work and finally call my parents to update them. After all that we get breakfast and head by train to Tokyo tower! We go to both the normal level of the tower and the top deck observation room too and we see the whole city with the amazing view from up there. We went to some pokemon store first and then headed to Sunshine city, a popular skyscraper with shopping on the lower floors, and Tokyu hands, another popular and unique store. I Found many other stores and anime shops nearby but my favorite was an arcade where I got to play a gundam game where they actually have a pilot cockpit.
• ~Day 18~: 7/26/09 We went to Akihabara and Harajuku, Shibuya, both very popular areas with lots of touristy stuff and shopping. Can’t remember how many stores we looked through that day but it was a lot of fun walking around and riding the train everywhere. I do remember going to a 100 yen store much like a dollar store again where I got chopsticks I still use to this day. I also got a satchel bag I still have at zenmall. We kept walking around town a lot and finally ended up back at the hotel to call it a night.
• ~Day 19~: 7/27/09 Woke up early and packed up or stuff to head back to Taiwan. Took a bus back to the airport and hoped on our plane arriving back in Taiwan around 4pm. We then take another really long bus ride back to Taipei to meet up with their aunt for dinner and head back home.
• ~Day 20~: 7/28/09 Another free day today so I get more money from the bank then walk around the town a bit with the brothers. We get some noodles and food from 711 then head home for the night.
• ~Day 21~: 7/29/09 Woke up early to catch a ride with their aunt into Taipei on her way to work. We take the train after that into the city to meet up with the aunt’s coworkers daughter and friend to go to the zoo. We get off at the wrong stop but end up finding the zoo just fine after some walking. We spend several hours at the zoo and after we get sweaty from the heat we want to find somewhere cooler and head to the Taipei underground mall (also called the Taipei city mall), which is underground in the train station and very cool. We then go back to the aunt’s work and drop off the girls while we wait for the aunt to take us home.
• ~Day 22~: 7/30/09 We woke up early to drive to southern Taiwan to visit more of the brothers' relatives, I think another aunt of theirs. It was a 3 hour drive with little stops but we stopped a lot. They had cool huge rest stations along the highway and we also visited Zhushan Zinan Temple along the way. We detoured to see the brother’s dad’s old house but kinda got lost on the way and it ended up taking a few hours. We stayed at a hotel and ended up at the local night market walking around and getting some food. I got a fresh coconut milk from a street vender; he just cut it open, added a straw and handed it to me which was very impressive.
• ~Day 23~: 7/31/09 Got free breakfast at the hotel before hitting the road again for several more hours before we finally got to the city where their aunt lived. The aunt was busy so we met their uncle instead just hanging out and catching up. We went out to the National Museum of Marine Biology & Aquarium while their aunt was working. It was amazing with so many fish, penguins, dolphins, sharks, manta rays and stuff to see. While there I tried some dried squid, it was salty and reminded me of jerky. We also made a quick stop at the National Science and Technology Museum. After that we got together with their aunt’s family for dinner and afterwards got some shaved ice at the nearby night market. We also stayed the night with their aunt.
• ~Day 24~: 8/1/09 Their aunt owns a small restaurant and they were nice enough to cook us some breakfast. After that we all got ready and headed to meet with the brothers other grandparents from their moms side of the family (we had been staying with their grandma from the dad’s side this whole time). We all ate at a nice restaurant together and since it was so hot we rested back at the house for an hour or so. After that we went to Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum and it was huge. Lots of statues and temples all over it was an awesome place I highly recommend. After that we got dinner and I tried boiled pig intestines for the first time, not really that bad, just a little chewy. Stayed another night with their aunt’s family.
• ~Day 25~: 8/2/09 I don’t have anymore journal entries from here on (seems i got lazy) but i used the pictures i had to figure out what we did each day from here on. So according to my pictures it looks like we went into the city of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Our first stop was the Dream Mall which is massive and reminds me of the mall of America. There is a ferris wheel on the roof that we went on and the view was spectacular. After walking around the mall for a while we did some sightseeing around the city and ended up on a ferry tour around the harbor of Glory Pier. We walked around the beach some when we got back and ended up in the Central Park metro taking the train back to Formosa Boulevard Station which is a beautiful site itself and the roof is a huge wonderful mural. We got picked up there and stayed one more night with their aunt.
• ~Day 26~: 8/3/09 Woke up early to hop on a train back to the northern part of Taiwan from Zuoying Station to Taipei. The trip should have taken about 3 hours and after we got back we went walking around doing some more sightseeing and shopping in Taipei. Not very eventful but I got some sushi and subway before we headed home.
• ~Day 27~: 8/4/09 Not exactly sure what all I did that day but I am sure we went into Taipei near the Taipei 101 tower to see a movie. We walked around a lot going all over the city shopping and sightseeing. We took the train a lot that day and it seems we ended up in the underground plaza at one point too.
• ~Day 28~: 8/5/09 We went back to the underground mall in the morning then took the train to Miramar Entertainment Park, a big mall similar to the dream mall. It also had a ferris wheel on the roof that we went up in and it started raining which actually made it more interesting while we were up there. After that we visited Dahu Park even though it was still raining and walked around looking at the beautiful and old architecture. The big red bridge was my favorite here. Not much left to do that day so we called it a night.
• ~Day 29~: 8/6/09 It was full on typhoon weather from yesterday into today, like full on flood weather, so we mostly stayed home. Not much to report other than I got more sushi.
• ~Day 30~: 8/7/09 Still rainy and had no plans so we had another free day relaxing inside our room.
• ~Day 31~: 8/8/09 Being of the day finally cleared up enough to walk into town and we saw I think G.I. Joe this time. After that we went to an arcade and I tried playing street fighter. I quickly realized I am not good and it took me much longer to realize I was playing against someone on the other side of the machine who was very good at the game. We walked around Keelung a bit more looking at some places we hadn’t yet been to and got rained on a bit on the walk back to the house before we called it a night.
• ~Day 32~: 8/9/09 Still cloudy but no rain when we got up to go into town this time. We went to Taipei for an anime convention at The NTU Sports center. There were a huge number of people here and a good number of them were dressed up in cosplay. I was loving it and the people were really in character. I think my friend was the one to suggest it and I'm glad he did it was awesome. Never seen so much cosplay before. Spent most of the afternoon there before heading home and packing up for our return trip.
• ~Day 33~: 8/10/09 Finished packing up all our stuff and headed back to the airport. This time we would be going east toward the sun and the day should feel really short but with all the time zone changes and the 12ish hour flight back we somehow left at 4pm 8/10 from Taipei and landed at 2pm 8/10 in LA. No idea how that works but it was confusing and like time travel since we went through so many time zones. I think one of the zones is the day limit over the ocean so technically when you pass through it's the next day. Which would explain the flight leaving 7/09 at 4pm and landing on 7/10 at 8pm. Still weird and causes major jet lag. We then had a flight from 5pm LA to 6pm Phoenix AR and were supposed to go to KC the same day but got held up and had to stay the night in Phoenix. I was mad because my bathing suit was in my check bag so I couldn't even use the pool/hot tub in the hotel they booked us in.
• ~Day 34~: 8/11/09 Finally, we took our flight from Phoenix to KC in the morning and luckily they already sent our check bags through so they are waiting for us when we get there. It is also my birthday when we arrive so just in time to have dinner with my family.