Mind Dump: Rest will come later.

I keep forgetting that I am on vacation now, because I have been doing that hybrid thing for so long. But I feel like I am getting the hang of it again.

Taiwan was fun—more fun than I expected it to be. I found the culture really interesting, very unfamiliar to me. The art was great too, and the temples were a nice sight.

But not everything was fun.

Hills:

Alishan Park

The nature was great, and the sights were beautiful! Definitely worth all the travel hassle.

The Modern Art

The Modern Art museum was great. It was different from what I am used to, with a lot of interactive pieces and videos, but I loved it.

I was okay with missing the TWICE Concert

Seeing all the TWICE stuff in Kaohsiung felt like they were kind of rubbing it in my face that I missed out on the tickets. Seeing all the other ONCEs walking around, and hearing their music blasted in all the stores.

I thought I would be really sad, but in the end I was okay with it. I had already seen them in Macao, and at the fan meeting, and when I saw what they performed, I understood that the concert wasn’t for me, but for the Taiwanese fans instead. I was fine with it.

Learning about the culture was fun!

I learned so much about Taiwanese culture and history. It was so interesting to me. While walking through the museums I kept wondering, “How does that work?” and I spent the evenings watching YouTube videos about it and reading Wikipedia / asking ChatGPT.

Energy levels were good!

I made some long days and did a lot of things, but my energy levels were good throughout. While in Japan I felt a lot more tired. Sleeping helps, I learned.

The Valleys

The Food

I had some trouble finding food I liked. The signs were hard to read sometimes, and there weren’t really that many things I wanted to eat.

I felt a bit underprepared

I spent quite a bit of time planning each day in the morning. I heard that is normal, but I didn’t like it all that much. I prefer to have it all written down, so I don’t “waste” time here.

What I did notice is that I have more context of what is here, so I know better what to adjust and focus on—like seeing what stuff is put on the souvenirs—but I would have rather had it written down before.

I was happy with how the travel to Alishan worked out in the end.

What to look forward to?

I have 6 days left, 7 if you count the last day of traveling, for this “work-cation.” I am spending it in Hong Kong. The main reason I am here is because of the MNET Asian Music Awards (MAMA)—the K-pop extravaganza taking place here over the weekend. But I have some other stuff planned too.

2025-11-28: MAMA Day 1
2025-11-29: MAMA Day 2
2025-12-01: Modern Art Day
2025-12-02: Hiking the “Dragon’s Back”
2025-12-04: Flying back home

I thought it would be a very sulky week here in Taiwan. I even thought about cancelling my plans after missing out on the TWICE tickets, but I am glad I didn’t! I had so much fun here. I saw some great sights, learned a lot about the history, and ate some interesting foods.

I can confidently say: “TAIWAN #1”

Week 9

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Week 9

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