Orchid Island | LanYu

Orchid Island is a small island off the coast of south eastern Taiwan. This tiny little island is by far one of my most favorite places! I so desperately want to return another time because three days was simply not enough for me to explore and enjoy this island to its fullest. Warning: you either take a small plane or a boat to reach this island. I took a boat, be sure to bring seasickness pills, the first 30 minutes is rough water. Also take care to go during the summer, as the seas are supposedly inhospitable for travel during other months.

Contrary to its name, Orchid Island does not have any orchids. In the past this name held true, however, exploitation and over harvesting of the orchids has left this island orchid-free, or so I've been told. The island is occupied by natives, who are not aborigines of Taiwan but actually from the Philippines. The island has only one gas station, its main form of transportation by moped. If you don't know how to ride a moped, don't go to this island for you will be extremely limited. Much of the inner land is untouched. The coast is paved with one road with a few villages/tourist towns dotted here or there. During my stay, my cousins and I joked that there were more wild goats here than people. Trust me, you'll see a lot of them, such as this herd I witnessed:

The natives are known commonly as Tao. Traditionally, the men would wear loin clothes but this tradition seemingly has died out. Even the traditional fly fish fishing festival has fallen out of favor with the young as one local had lamented. The culture's customs are barely preserved through the aging elders. If you wish to learn more about the history read this. 

Nevertheless, the island has plenty of beautiful scenery, green grass, fresh waters, snorkeling, unique and endangered animals, and a sea abundant with so many shades of blue you'd think you were looking at a National Geographic magazine. This is a place where you can relax, taking in the ocean breeze on one of the raised pavillons. It is a safe little island, so safe that I felt I could sleep on one of these pavilions without incident.

Since there is so much to cover on this small island, I will give anecdotes through personal photos. 

This is a flying fish, cut in half and fried. A bit bony, but pretty good. You will find plenty of these hanging around to dry on laundry lines. 

Traditional canoes used to catch flying fish. At one part of the island, they let tourists try a hand at these canoes in the bay for a small fee. 

Everywhere was literally green or blue, simply breathtaking. 

 Every coast made me want to take out my camera and photograph every inch, every horizon.

This is a traditional underground house of the locals put on display near the small museum. I was told the reason for the half underground floorplan was to protect against typhoon season and to escape the heat. 

On another note: I was told that further in the island there are locals who live in such houses and it is ill advised and disrespectful to start taking photos of them and their homes. I personally did not encounter any villages that were relatively untouched by tourists. But if you do on your travels, be respectful. Just imagine if it were your home and lifestyle being photographed like some commodity. 

 Traditional women's dress displayed in a mini museum. 

 Traditional men's dress displayed in a mini museum. 

 A very endangered coconut crab. These are heavily protected creatures, if you even try to take one home, you will be fined a large amount of money. These coconut crabs have been poached as a delicacy, They get their name from their ability to crack upon coconuts. They can and will break your fingers. According to our "animal expedition" guide, this is a juvenile sized crab. He used to see ones that were easily two to three feet in diameter. Not so much anymore :(.  

Our snorkeling picture. The fish were so close you could touch them! It was a surreal experience seeing all those fish up close. I wish I had an underwater camera....

Sea poison tree flower. In Chinese, the name for this flower is "mo gui hua" or "devil's flower." I was told it received this name because the flower only blooms at night. Though I was lucky enough to see this stray bloomer nearing sunset. 

There is a small owl that is famous in Orchid Island, but during our expedition in search of wildlife, we could only hear it's calls. It was too shy to greet our group. 

Also during our expedition, the guide showed us the constellations little dipper and sagittarius. Never in my life have I seen so many stars fill the sky. I perhaps never will get another chance to. That's what makes this place all the more charming. It exposed me to stars, exotic fish, and shades of blue found in the ocean that I never thought I would experience.

Jiufen Old Quarter 九份老街

Jiu Fen at night

Look like a scene from Miyazaki's film Spirited Away? You'd be correct! Jiufen was the inspiration for the village in the film! This historical district's name literally means "nine portions" because during the Qing Dynasty, the village housed nine families and requested nine portions of food to be sent up to them. It was a gold mining village until the 1950s. After that, the village declined and became forgotten until the film A City of Sadness brought it bad into limelight.  Soon it became a bustling district for nostalgia. Traditional cafes, teahouses (from the Japanese occupation during WWII), crafts stores, artist studios, and specialty stores sprung up. 

Entrance

Jiufen is a beautiful place to visit. The panoramic view is fantastic at the top of the stairs and the architecture is beautiful to see. The red lanterns that line the streets accent antique buildings. You really have to have a nostalgic heart and mind. 

As common in Taiwan, food and shopping is found here. Though most people go to Jiufen for the historical aspect and atmosphere. Do be aware that it can get very crowded because the old streets are narrow. Additionally, it gets crowded because locals and tourists alike visit this location. The way up Jiufen is literally steps after steps. The stairs can get slippery when wet and also lack railings. Take caution and consider your age or the ages of those travelling with you since the stairs can get steep and tiresome. 

Take a tea break at one of the tea houses. Stray from the well worn path and explore the smaller streets! Consider purchasing handicraft souvenirs instead of fashion. I think traditional items are key here. For instance, handmade Chinese wooden clogs, qipao dresses, tea leaves, pottery items, things that look "traditional."

In short, your visit to Jiufen is what you make of it. If you don't explore, try things, or appreciate the antiquity of the place, then you won't have fun. 

Manners and Superstition

Here are some general guidelines in terms of manners, customs, and superstitions that you should follow so you don't get weird looks or come off as rude in Taiwan. I personally don't believe in all of the superstition ones, but it is still good to keep in mind as I have been scolded for doing some of them.

DO NOTs:

• Don't ever stick your chopsticks straight up in your bowl of food. This action/image resembles incense sticks at a temple and if you do this with your food it will be seen as very disrespectful. Either place your chopsticks on the chopstick rest provided or across the top of your bowl. Also don't mix your food around with your chopsticks or use them to move bowls and plates. They are solely to move your food to your mouth
• Don't write people's names in red, it also as connotations with death
• Don't point at the moon, supposedly you'll get a cut on your ear
• Don't point at deities, it is considered rude. If you must gesture at one, use an open upward facing palm
• Don't whistle or ring a bell at night as it calls forth ghosts
• Don't point at cemeteries or graves, it is disrespectful to the dead
• When giving gifts do not give umbrellas, fans, shoes, clocks, or sharp objects such as knifes. 
• Umbrellas and fans in Mandarin Chinese are homonyms to the words "break up" or "to send away/wish away." If you have to give one, you "borrow" or "rent" them out for a small amount of money like $1 for example. 
• Clocks have a grammatical relation to "to perform last rites." To counter this, the recipient may give you a coin to rid of the curse.
• Shoes for the elderly signifies sending them to heaven
• Knives/sharp objects are seen as violent
• Do not get overly drunk
• When entering and leaving a temple, do not step on the extra step (a single raised step) that divides the outside and the inside of the temple. Step over not on!
  

Travel Tips

I have mainly posted a lot on what to eat and do in Taiwan, but here are some key travel tips that you may not have known about. In addition, I will mention things that you should be aware of when traveling in Taiwan. 

Hand sanitizer: While Taiwan is increasingly becoming more modernized, some parts of it may not be as cleanly as other western countries. So it is a good idea to carry around a travel size hand sanitizer because bathrooms don't always have soap readily available. It is also difficult to find a sink to wash your hands. Taiwan is also a very heavily populated country and regular cleaning/maintenance isn't as strict in certain areas. The hand sanitizer is good to prevent the spread of germs and to protect yourself from germs.

Squatty Potties: It is heavily advised that you get used to using what my friends and I call the "squatty potty.  I'm not going to lie, it is pretty much a hole in the ground that you literally squat over to do your business and flush after you're done. In homes and hotels you will find the standard western toilet, but most public restrooms do not offer them and prefer the squatty potty (maybe sometimes you'll find one or two standard toilets but it isn't as sanitary, in my opinion). It is a little weird at first, but its a good idea to get used to it because chances are that you'll need to use one in between your travels.  

Tissues: The squatty potties bring me to my next issue of tissues. Like the hand sanitizer, I carry around mini packets of tissues. More often than not, I have been saved by my own pack of tissues when going to the restroom, because either A. the restroom ran out and rarely replaces new toilet paper and/or B. there was none offered to begin with. If you had to pick hand sanitizer or tissues, I would go with tissues.

Umbrellas: Regardless of whether or not it is raining, you will definitely see locals using umbrellas. This consider very strange to non-asians, but it has logic. First off, the sun over in Taiwan (and most of Asian) is VERY strong. You will get burnt if not tan. So the umbrella is really more so like the old fashioned parasol to shield from the sun's harmful rays. So feel free to blend in and use an umbrella under the sun if you burn easily, trust me, no one will give you weird looks in Taiwan. It is also a way to stay "pale" and not get tan. Asians for some reason, find that the paler your skin, the more attractive (so a lot of females use umbrellas extensively). In addition, Taiwan is right on the Circle of Fire, which means that it faces a lot of typhoons which brings in heavy rain. It is convenient to be protected from both the sun and the rain with your umbrella. Umbrella stores are very common and inexpensive and you can even find some in 7-elevens. 

Sunscreen: Along with the use of umbrellas under the sun, treat your trip to Taiwan like you would a trip to the beach. USE SUNSCREEN! Even though you'll most likely be in the cities, the sun is just as harmful as the beach, if not worse. 

Tipping: Tipping is not a common practice in Taiwan with the exception of bellhops in high end hotels. Full service restaurants automatically put a service tip on the check. Even in taxis, tipping is not needed.

Driving/Traffic: Is crazy. The end. No seriously. Drivers in Taiwan are reckless. Be very careful when crossing the streets. I do not advise anyone to try driving a moped or car in Taiwan, stick to public transportation! If you really do want to try driving a moped around, I would go to a really small town or one of the tourist islands where traffic is not abundant. 

Taxis: Taxis are generally pretty safe, but be careful that some don't purposely take you around for an extra loop just to get more money on the mileage. Use your gut instinct when picking a cab driver. They are for the most part honest like most locals. But, like anywhere else in the world, women should be cautious when taking taxis alone late at night. 

Currency: Know your currency conversions! From US dollars to NTD is roughly $3 to 100NT. It is just important to know when making purchases. On another note, name brands are more expensive in Asia so save your money on that (unless of course the brand is Asian to begin with ;) ). 

Bargaining: Most outside vendors will allow you to haggle for a lower price. I personally am terrible at it, but give it try to save even a little bit. Example: Ticket price or seller's price is 400NT, haggle to 350NT. I typically won't go more unless you feel you are being cheated. Note: if a piece of clothing is listed as 100NT do not haggle. That is the cheapest price for clothing. Don't haggle with food either. Bargaining is typically when buying from independent stores/street clothing vendors. It is a bit confusing but stick to this rule of thumb: haggle when buying: accessories, clothes, cell phone cases, hats, jewelry, and at night markets/markets in general. Instead of listing a price, you can even just ask the boss "can sell it to me cheaper?" or "is there a discount?" Typically they'll knock off a few digits. 

Wary of sympathy/guilt tricking: You will most likely see a disabled, blind, or a beat up person begging for money or selling gum, lottery tickets, or little items on the streets or the side of the night market. I'm going to sound heartless for saying this but DO NOT BUY OR GIVE MONEY TO THEM. I repeat: DO NOT. It is tough to ignore a person in need (who often times looks like they came back from a war zone). I understand that, but chances are they are being used by the mafia and you aren't helping them out, you're helping the mafia. If you finance their heartlessness, they'll only increase it by maiming and injuring more innocent people. While that is not to say that all of the disabled people selling things are controlled by the mafia, it is difficult to tell. It is like when you give money to homeless people in America: Are you feeding their habit of alcohol/drugs? Or are you really helping them get back up on their feet? 

Sales People: On a lighter side of guilt tricking, when you're out shopping, if you want something: buy it. If you don't: just leave. The vendors often times are beautiful, young, cute girls who will flatter, beg, and essentially trick you into buying something you don't really need or want. Don't be fooled!! Just leave if you don't like the fit of a shoe or something. Don't listen to their pleadings. Trust me, you won't hurt their feelings. It is a manipulative business/just part of their job to sell as much as they can. Be executive with your decisions and actions not suspicious. So don't go around thinking you'll be tricked everywhere you shop :). Though the vendors might particularly try to sell things to you if they know you are a tourist, just be aware. 

Also, the sales people will follow you around the store, advertise everything you lay your eyes on, and persuade you to buy things. Just smile and nod, and look for what you want. Again, this is part of their job/service. You'll feel overwhelmed by all the attention, but it is all in good nature. You'll also hear them say in Chinese "welcome in" when you enter the store and "please walk slowly" or "thank you for coming in" when leaving. 

Liquids: The types of drinks you can get in Taiwan are ENDLESS, which I will post about in the future. As a general note, don't drink the tap water until it has been filtered or boiled. Most restaurants offer complimentary self serve tea or juice. Chose juice over water. Stick to bottled water in public, just remember to recycle!

Crime: Taiwan is SUPER safe for tourists, even for women at night. There is still some crime here and there though, so don't be stupid. In crowded areas such as night markets or festivals, pickpockets can be a problem. Though I have never experienced it, it is still a good idea to keep an eye on your belongings. Muggings are rare and so are violent crimes. I think if you are a non-Asian, you are ESPECIALLY safe, because they fear any western embassy repercussions. In general, crimes are within the same race as the offender, so don't worry if you're a foreigner. 

Public Drunkenness: Is an unusual occurrence whether it be day or not. The drinking age in Taiwan is 18. They are generally pretty lax about this though and it isn't a huge issue like it is in America. Exercise caution, be smart, don't be an embarrassment to your home country.

Homosexual Travellers: Fear not! Taiwan is pretty liberal compared to its neighbors when it comes to sexual preference! The country does not have laws against homosexuality, though same-sex marriages are not recognized. Violence against gays and lesbians rarely occurs. The youth of today is open to the idea, however, the older crowd might be a bit disturbed (but hey, that's the generation gap). Though I do warn that openly displaying your sexuality in public might draw some stares and whispers. But there are gay bars/pubs as well as the many entertainers who are known to be gay or transsexual. 



Let me know if I missed anything or if there are any dying questions you want to ask!

Stinky Tofu

chòu dòufu - I'm not kidding when I say that the actual Chinese name and translation is "stinky tofu." This specialty food is perhaps one of Taiwan's most notorious. The fermented tofu is smelled long before it is seen. It smells somewhat like the sewers of Taiwan, but all locals enjoys this strange food to the confusion of many tourists. It can be found at the night market food stalls, regular day food vendors, or in small restaurants. There are three styles of cooking to prepare stinky tofu. The most common is to fry it, the second is to cook it on a grill, or cook it in a spicy "ma-la" 麻辣 broth. The stinkier the tofu the longer it has been fermented.

Fried Stinky Tofu

The fried version which is most common is crispy and served with pickled cabbage and a choice of both a spicy sauce or a mild soy sauce like dipping sauce on the side. It can be found almost everywhere, restaurants, food stalls, etc. Side note: before buying an order of stinky tofu, go to the stall with the most people because you can almost guarantee that that stall will be the best. Also it is important to note the oil in which it is fried in. If the oil is clear/clean looking it should be safe to eat. However, if the oil is dark or does not look like it has been replaced in some time, I would avoid buying from that particular stall.

Grilled version

My personal favorite is the grilled style. It is juicier and served on skewers with pickled cabbage stuffed inside. This type used to be more common but now I've only seen it available at night market food stalls. Which is unfortunate because this style is my favorite because it has the most flavor in my opinion :). It also allows for a spicier kick depending on the vendor's sauce selection.

Mala style

The mala soup style version is VERY spicy. Mala is an oily spicy numbing sauce made from Sichuanese peppercorn, chili pepper and various spices simmered with oil.This type of stinky tofu is soaked and cooked in this broth. It's spicy-ness numbs the tongue and mouth. The texture is somewhat crumbly but still firm as tofu should be. I also like this version very much, but I definitely do not suggest it if you can't handle spicy.

Although the smell can be a total turn off, once you like it, you're hooked for life and want it to be stinkier for a better taste. This food needs to be given two chances before you knock it. I'll admit that the first time I ate it I was not a fan. I even gagged a bit, but after a break and trying it again, I grew to love it! The taste is really strong and kind of gross at first, but when you take the second bite, that's when the flavor kicks in and you start to enjoy it. I definitely recommend trying this food as it is a Taiwanese specialty ;) .