We had a bit of a late night last night greatly due to socializing with our fellow hostel dwellers. We met one man from just outside of Taipei. He just finished his military service and is doing a 10 day trip around Taiwan with the goal of visiting each county. He was enthusiastic to inquire about our time in Taiwan and how we liked living here. All the other guests were a bit confused how we as English speakers had booked this hostel, since it isn’t on Hostel World or any English websites. My host from Tainan, Anne, booked it for us and did most of the communicating with the hostel owner. Another great perk of couchsurfing is that many times locals are willing to assist you with your next destination. We all spoke for a while and then hit the hay. This morning was spent at the Wang Ji Tea House in Hualien, which I highly recommend. Try the passion fruit green tea and sweet potato fries... Yum! We took a late train to Yilan and met up with our separate couchsurfing hosts.
Tim’s was a family of five who live just outside of Yilan and mine was a man my age that lives about ten minutes from the station. Yuche Kuo Kuo or James was at first a bit timid speaking English, but he quickly warmed up and was a delightful dinner companion. We walked through the night market, ate hot pot, visited a very hipster coffee shop (where several locals told me about how proud they are of Yilan’s artist community), and drove to a free hot spring. At the end of the evening he took me to check out his coffee shop. Mean while, Tim was given the royal treatment by his lovely hosts and even had his own floor of the house! Oh how I love couchsurfing!
Tim’s was a family of five who live just outside of Yilan and mine was a man my age that lives about ten minutes from the station. Yuche Kuo Kuo or James was at first a bit timid speaking English, but he quickly warmed up and was a delightful dinner companion. We walked through the night market, ate hot pot, visited a very hipster coffee shop (where several locals told me about how proud they are of Yilan’s artist community), and drove to a free hot spring. At the end of the evening he took me to check out his coffee shop. Mean while, Tim was given the royal treatment by his lovely hosts and even had his own floor of the house! Oh how I love couchsurfing!
