Taipei 101

Taipei is pretty cool. It would be even cooler if it wasn't 95 degrees (35 C). I'm enjoying the sites here as my big Asia tour comes to a close. The highlights of Taipei for me have been the temples and the foot massages. The Taipei 101 building (currently the tallest in the world but soon to be outdone by one in Dubai) is also impressive, especially the elevator that swiftly zooms you up to the observatory on the 89th floor in what seems like only 5 seconds. The night markets can be fun, but they can also be extremely crowded. You can find a lot of interesting snack food at the markets. I'm not brave enough to try some of it, especially the various meat parts, as well as stinky tofu. Stinky tofu really, really stinks. I'm not putting that in my mouth. But they have lots of delicious sweets here, such as shaved ice piled high with fruit or sweet beans, milk tea (with or without bubbles), and herbal jelly drinks and juices. I also had some of the best dumplings ever here in Taipei. On Saturday I went to Fulong beach, a little over 1 hour away by train; it was a lovely beach, worth the trip, although I got my first jellyfish sting there! Not a serious sting. The pain didn't last long. It really caught me by surprise as I never saw or felt any jellyfish in the water.
I have really enjoyed the temples here because they're very colorful and lively, especially Longshan Temple, and a nice change from the restrained temples of Japan. I went to Longshan in the evening and was surprised to see so many worshippers there at that time, praying, chanting, lighting incense, making offering to the gods, and throwing divination blocks. Also I went to the small City God temple, which will receive its own blog entry and captivating, detailed story soon! But I can elaborate on the foot massages now. I had two, the second being better than the first and also cheaper and at more of a traditional establishment, where they take reflexology seriously. It hurt like hell at certain points, but I felt so good afterward... Each area of the foot (and also the calves) is thought to correspond to another part of the body or a specific organ. I had major pain and tightness in the areas linked to my kidney, colon, pancreas, and vocal chords. Then again, it could just be that I haven't been wearing shoes with proper arch support. The funny thing about reflexology is that nothing on the map corresponds to the feet.
Today I will see the renowned National Palace museum and pack my bags for my red-eye flight to Los Angeles.