Saving Room for Dessert

I spent most of the day preparing for my two-week vacation to Taiwan and Hong Kong. I ran through my itineraries again, double-checked flights and hotels, and made sure all my visas and permits were correct. Looking over everything I have planned made me even more excited for the days to come!

I also got the raw pictures from the photoshoot back! I looked through all of them, and most of them turned out out great. I’ve learned it’s pretty hard to be a good model — there are so many photos where I’m squinting at the sun, looking odd, or my posture is completely off. It’s also strange seeing myself the way others see me; a mirror is only one angle. I got to pick my favourites to be edited, and I had to be really picky because there were so many I liked. Here’s a small selection.

Souvenir Shopping

Before heading out, I wanted to pick up a few more souvenirs. I already have quite a few for myself, but I still needed some for friends and family. I went to a very touristy spot where I knew there was a souvenir shop. Unfortunately, I arrived at the exact same time as a bus full of Thai(?) tourists. On top of that, the place felt pretty overpriced for what it offered.

The tight schedule and the overstimulation from all the other customers didn’t help me think clearly, but I think I got everything I needed. Now let’s see if I can actually fit it all in my luggage.

Eating Live Octopus

There was one dish I still wanted to try before leaving. I wanted to try it last time too but never managed to find a place that served it. This time I found out they had it at the Gwangjang Food Market, which was close by.

산낙지 (san-nakji — literally “young octopus”) is a dish where a live octopus is cut up and served raw, with the tentacles still wriggling. It comes with some bean sprouts for colour and a small dish of sesame oil. I mostly wanted to try it for the experience.

The dish came out quickly, and the tentacles were still moving across the plate. My first reaction was, “Oh no, that poor animal,” but then I remembered that I’ve also eaten plenty of cooked octopus here — the only difference between that and this is heat and time. It was very fresh, the texture was chewy, and there was barely any distinct taste. The sesame oil helped a lot, but then it mostly just tasted like sesame oil. I also struggled a bit getting the pieces off the plate because the suckers were still working.

It was definitely an experience, but I don’t feel the need to order it again.

Trying to Catch Some Sleep

When I got back to the hotel, I did a bit more preperations before trying to fall asleep. Trying being the key word here — I didn’t have much luck. I still feel like there’s so much I need to do before leaving, and fitting it all in is pretty stressful. My head kept racing: “Did you think of this?” and “Remember to do that.”

Let’s see if I can relax a bit more once I’m actually on this vacation.