Consuming Concerts, Crowds, and Random Crap

Ok so I didn't ingest any crowds of people, but crowds of dumplings and alcohol did make their way into my system last weekend.

There were also delicious beef noodles as well as store bought instant noodles that weren't too shabby.

Although I feel the Bar Beer was a bit of false advertising due to the distinct lack of other people over sharing awkward stories and numerous amounts of folks desperate for a shag that typically accompanies beer at a bar. Perhaps Kirin were hoping for a representation of taste more so than setting with this one.

Still though, saw plenty of the latter at a local bar we went to later that night called Brass Monkey. A bar that was currently celebrating Bastille day and was filled with expats and Taiwanese people in "French" berets.

There was an American army guy there who explained to me about a city in Thailand that was known as the sex capital of the world before then taking a (rather large) drink of his Kronenbourg and silently staring off into the distance.

All in all it was a decent night.

After I went home I ate some crackers and drank a little bit with this guy, who I picked up in a small vending machine.

Not bad for 60 NT

Earlier that day I also had the pleasure of finally trying some fairly famous Din Tai Fung dumplings.

I got my order to-go as the wait for a seat in the restaurant itself was an hour. They gave me a dimebag of ginger along with my food (I MADE AN ILLEGAL DRUG REFERENCE HERE (MARIJUANA) I AM NOW EDGY AND COOL).

They we kinda overpriced in my opinion. Didn't blow me away or anything, but perhaps I was not trying the right item.

To be honest I was more interested in the hello kitty cakes that were nearby.

They looked cute and tasty, and that goes a long way in my book.

The next day about 10 of us went to a famous rock festival outside of the city at fulong beach.

There were quite a lot of people.

Those last two pictures were just from the trip going there.

The whole weekend's attendance totaled at about 800,000 people I believe.

We started off by eating at a local restaurant. I ate some delicious sheep and noodle soup as well as some sort of melted rice dish which is pictured below.  

Looked like boogers, tasted like God.

Oh and there was an entire cooked pig just chillen on the side of the street. 

Looks delicious.

NOW FOR PICTURES OF THE BEACH

Some incredibly packed waters.

Had a lot of fun playing in them.

A lot more fun after buying and consuming 5 beers for 100 NT (A little over 3 dollars American).

After swimming for several hours they closed the beach for clean up before dark....They sure had their work cut out for them. 

Still kind of a pretty view


After a little while massive amounts of people started queuing up attempting to leave, or to find their way to the only bathroom within miles......(I ended up peeing behind some trashcans)

And there was this badass shirt.

 GO AHEAD, TELL ME WHAT IT MEANS

please?

Now for some more beach

 Pictured below is one of the stages that the bands played at.

 After successfully peeing some of us decided to head back for the music.

It was like goddamn Shang-Ri-La


But with (what I'm assuming is) more deep-fried pot stickers. 

Now for a close up

No but really that's as close as we could get. There was an amazing band playing that sounded a lot like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CntKZf4i_S8

Also this band

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjtAeLA9-xo

They were kinda meh.

After that I went home.

That's it.

That's all.

No cool ending, it is disappointing,

Just like real life,

unless you live in Taipei,

Which is an amazing place. 



:D

Brazil, Beer, BEAR, and Animals...Also Gondolas

Last weekend for me saw an excursion to many different places which kinda blew my mind.

But first, make it a Suntory time

'
Now that the mood is right we can begin.

Last Friday began with a visit to a local coffee shop (one of many)

It was filled with style, and beans, and a ladder.

All the beans pictured were for sale, many of them delicious.

Then after that came class and then night time.

Originally my night was just going to involve cracking open a bear and watching a recent 3 kingdoms TV drama in Chinese.

Bear beer

from Denmark

A lager

A fine lager.

However, a few sips in, my plans were cancelled when I found out about plans to attend a Brazil (hue hue hue) dancing night being hosted at an Arabian styled bar that included renting out a booth.

The flyer piqued my interest

The booth sealed the deal

The appetizers were incredible and the hookah was chill. They had some sort of Turkish blend and a menthol of sorts. Also those onion rings were the best I have ever had, and I don't even really enjoy onion rings.

The entertainment was wild as well.

hue hue

br?

(Yes she kept her clothing on, deal w/it nerds)

Oh, and pictured below is the door to enter the venue. You had to rub the silver lamp on the second shelf up on the right there and the wall would pull back and move to the right (No I am not making this up).

Now here are some city pictures

The next day we ventured briefly to the Taipei zoo and Maokong Gondolas. On the way there we stopped by a farmer's market that had a bad ass coffee making machine.

Later we saw dude who I like to call the officially sanctioned Banksy of Taiwan 

(Nearly every electrical box here in Taipei is painted in this style by, I'm guessing this guy. That cop there was just talking to him casually. It was chill)

Now for some animals.

Look at those haughty birds strutting around with their beaks in the air like they own the place.

(They do)

PANDA

BEAR

YESSSS

8>)

:/

:>

I'd enjoy a spot o' tea with those two badasses

:V

It is exactly what it looks like

 Yea, I was thinking Princess Mononoke as well....

:3



After these few pictures were taken, the zoo began to close so it was time to make way to the gondolas.

We then went for some tea and dinner in a lovely restaurant

(Best tasting lamb)

I also got pictures of the city at night while going down the gondola but they all turned out crap.

Instead have a forest hole I found in town.

.

It's full of plants and shit