Category Archives: tourist

Shark’s Cove

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One of my favorite snorkeling places on the island of Oahu is Shark’s cove. (But trust me, there aren’t any sharks there. Maybe those little reef ones that sleep during the day and only eat fish and stuff. But I’ve never seen one in all my trips out there.)

The cove is inside this little bay area, and the water is pretty deep in the middle, about 15 feet. It’s deep enough for people to scuba, and there are these large rocks that create tunnels that you can swim through if you’re brave enough with snorkeling gear.

And the fish! Just schools and schools of different kinds of fish feeding on the coral and rocks, and on most days, the water is so calm since there aren’t any waves breaking and it’s totally relaxing. I like it a bit better than Hanauma, because there’s a lot more water between you and the rocks/coral, so it doesn’t feel as claustrophobic.

We also put a swing up there. If you ever go, please let me know if it’s still up!

Hanauma Bay

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An awesome place in Hawaii is Hanauma Bay. It’s an amazing preserved place where you can snorkel your heart out. You have to pay for parking and admissions, but if you don’t feel comfortable about snorkeling in the wild, this is definitely the place for you.

It’s a great place for beginners, although I kind of freaked out a bit when I went there the first time. The welcome video that everyone is required to watch before they enter the premises strictly states that you’re not allowed to touch the reef. The surface of the water is pretty close to the reef, and the reef is so expansive, so I got scared about skimming the reefs while swimming around and having my tummy exposed to the holes in the reefs because there might be eels or reef sharks or something, you know.

But the sights are amazing, and there are tons of fish and maybe even a turtle or two if you’re lucky.

Hawaii

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If you’ve never been to Hawaii, this is something to encourage you.  I think about this weather all the time. The sun shines every day. Literally. It only rains for a few minutes to a few hours if it does, and then the sun is back. Hence, the Rainbow State.

Family Visit, Week Two

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The family has gone back to the states. It was a hectic two weeks crammed with visits and meals with friends and relatives that my parents haven’t seen in at least ten years. I took three days off work the second week so I could spend some quality time with them.

We traveled to Ilan, where my mom is from, and saw the beach and sand castles.

We stayed at the Shangri La Leisure Farm Hotel, which was located on top of a mountain, so it had an amazing view with trails throughout the orchards filled with fun surprises like swings and drums on a cliff.

At night, the hotel provided sky lanterns that we could write messages on and send off into the sky.

Back in Taipei, we also did the obligatory trip up Taipei 101, but this time, I got to go out on the 91st floor outdoor observatory. It was always closed all those other times. But there really isn’t much of a view. You mostly see big bars.

All in all, it was a good time. I don’t know when I’ll get to see my parents and brother again. Hopefully, by the end of this year!

Family Visit, Week One

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My parents and brother finally made a visit back to Taiwan to come see me. They haven’t been back in nine years, and to them, Taipei has changed so much. We’ve been eating a lot this past week with me taking them out for the good places I know and with our scores of relatives who have been penciled in to their hectic two-week schedule.

We went on the Maokong Gondola, which I thought was going to be one of those short cable car rides to the top of a hill, but it was a rather long (about 20 minutes) ride to the top of Mt. Everest (or at least it felt like it.). If you’re brave enough, you can take the glass-bottom bar. There are four stops along the ride, and it only cost $50NT ($1.50USD) for a one-way ride all the way to the top, and once you make it to the top, you can walk around in Maokong or take it back down and stop in the zoo for a tour.

On Friday night, we decided to take my 20-year-old brother out to the Taiwan Beer Factory, which was hopping by the way, and after a couple of drinks, a bit after 10pm, we hailed a cab to head back home. Just as we’re about to merge on the highway, the entire back side of the cab was smashed in, and my brother and I were thrown against the front seats, hitting our heads with glass shattering all around us. Some car had hit a scooter, dragged it along for a few meters, then slammed into our cab (which also ended up hitting another car due to the force of impact), and continued on to bump into a third car before finally coming to a stop a ways ahead.

The police and ambulances got here pretty quickly. They took us to the hospital and had us checked into the ER, x-rays taken, seen a doctor within 15 minutes. The scooter guy hit his arm and all his skin was rubbed off for being dragged along, but he was okay. The driver of the rampant car was pretty injured.  Our x-rays were fine, just a bump on the head and some scratches from the glass, and soreness is to be expected.  We had to stay at the hospital for a couple more hours for observation and the paperwork to be settled. Luckily the fees weren’t bad; I have health insurance so mine was just $300NT ($10USD), and my brother’s, as a tourist, was about $1100NT ($40USD) for x-rays and doctor’s fees.

My poor brother, he has the worst luck with cabs. The last time he was back, he got clipped by one when walking in an alley, and this time, he gets beaten up in one. It’s also scary that seat belts are not required here in the backseat, just in the front, so a lot of cabs don’t even have them even if you wanted to buckle up.

Then Saturday night, the dinner of my parents and the boyfriend’s parents first meeting took place. It was stressful, but at least we got that first meeting over with, and both sides approve of us and all is good in the world.