Taipei, Part 2: Days 5 to 13

This past week, I didn't do much in terms of exploration. I'm more living like a local. The dorm that I'm staying at doesn't get direct sunlight and it doesn't feel good. It's almost as bad as the hostel in Osaka. Most nights, I would sleep for 12 hours. That's two hours more than my average.

I try to go outside everyday so that I don't get stuck inside and feeling down for myself. Though there were a couple of days of that. To be productive, I've walked to Taipei City Hakka Cultural Park and Treasure Hill Artist Village, revisited Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall and Daan Park, and went to Huashan 1914 Creative Park.

Dating is harder in Taipei for some reason and I don't get a lot of matches, unlike Vietnam and the Philippines. However, I did meet a few people from Coushsurfing.com who were willing to join me for a meetup. I played a tour guide for an afternoon to Shooni, a girl from Myanmar who was studying in Korea before coming to Taipei. Then I went bicycling around Sanchong district in New Taipei with a girl named Evelyn. It was a fun, two hour long bike ride. Then two days ago, I met Dora and her friends, Julien and Natalie, in a cafe in Taipei 101 tower. We went to lunch then explored the 44 South Military Village.

I'm up in the air about what to do and where to go after Taipei. The lease on the dorm ends on January 21. I'm thinking of going back to Manila to see about a girl. But I'm still unsure since I don't really like the food in the Philippines. Too much meat and not enough vegetables. Maybe I should go to Thailand to continue my travels. However, at this point I feel like I'm too tired to do any solo traveling. Traveling seems to be a chore now. I don't really want to go back to the States either since it's winter in Philadelphia. I just don't know what to do.

Today is New Years Eve and I have no plans as to how to spend it. Reflecting on this past year, I traveled for about half of 2023, which I do feel good about. But now I'm beginning to think about settling down somewhere when I get back to the US. I was looking at houses on realtor.com and realized that houses are too expensive and too big for me and condos have high HOA fees. I'd rather continue renting to save and invest more into my brokerage account. This will also make my lifestyle a flexible one, I can move whenever and wherever. I also feel that now I'm a minimalist it's hard to add more stuff into my life without feeling overwhelmed. So renting is a better choice for me overall.

I shouldn't think too much about the future but I can't help it. I need to enjoy the present since this is what I've always wanted to do for the past 25 years. To travel. I hope to reset my mindset in the next few weeks so that I can continue to travel more. Right now, I'm in limbo.

Sculptures at Taipei City Hakka Cultural Center

Sculpture at Hakka Culture Park

Guting Riverside Park

Large fortune cookies sculpture at Treasure Hill Artist Village

Treasure Hill Artist Village

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall

Sculpture on Shida Road

Amphitheater at Daan Park

The pond at Daan Park

Beef noodle soup!

Huashan 1914 Creative Park

Sculptures at Huashan 1914 Creative Park

More buildings at Huashan 1914 Creative Park

Sculptures at Central Art Park

Me and Evelyn about to ride our bikes in Sanchong

Bike ride in Sanchong, New Taipei

I dream of sheep

Me, Dora, Natalie, and Julien in Taipei 101

44 South Military Village with Taipei 101