It's been a couple days since I have blogged so I will update y'all on what we have done! On Saturday we went to Danshui and then to Shilin night market. We took the bus for a while and then the MRT (similar to subway or Marta) to Danshui. The views while traveling on the train are so pretty. We got to Danshui and I realized it was one of the places we went while I was here for study abroad two years ago. It is a beautiful area to walk around and shop and play carnival-type games. Oh yeah...and eat. The street food here in Taiwan is so yummy!! We didn't even eat lunch or dinner that day. Just snacked. The first thing we did after getting off the train was to go to Mister Donut. The donuts here taste different than the American donuts I am used to (and that I never eat), so I like these better. I had a chocolate and strawberry one that was quite delicious. We walked around Danshui for a while and then headed to Shilin. Shilin night market is very very crowded (of course). There's lots of food and shopping and games. It is a very popular activity for youth, couples, foreigners, and well...pretty much everyone. We also went here on the trip two years ago. Night markets are quite fun to explore and Shilin is only one if many in Taiwan.

On Sunday, Cyndi went with her boyfriend while he signed a contract for a new apartment. I just chilled in the apartment and finished unpacking. They came back with McDonalds. I was curious to see whether or not it tastes the same here. It does. Haha. We all had big macs and fries. I haven't had a big Mac in years! McDonalds here do offer a few different options on their menu apparently, such as a shrimp burger. I guess I will try it sometime! Speaking of products different than in America...I noticed a blue Sprite in a 711 so I thought I would try it. Turns out it is Sprite with mint. It is not bad but I am not crazy about the Monty aftertaste. Anyway, after lunch we took the MRT to Taipei Zoo. I had not been to a zoo in many years so I was excited. The views from the train were again beautiful. We only had a cole of hours before the zoo closed but it is very cheap so I am sure we will go again sometime. We saw the pandas, penguins, nocturnal house, zebras, camels, and more. It is interesting to see the types of animals they have that you wouldn't typically see in an American zoo such as bison, a horse, and guinea pigs. After the zoo closed, we went to Ikea. As expected, it is pretty much the same as the Ikeas in America. There are a few things that are different but very little. We ate dinner there as well and then went home.

The past couple of days have been pretty chill, which is nice. Yesterday we went to get a cell phone for me. It is small and light and simple...and cheap. So it is a good choice for me while I am here. Later we went to Shilin night market again but this time it was to meet up with my friend Michael who went back to California today. We mostly walked around and talked and I bought a very inexpensive purse. I ate a potato chip swirl thing and Cyndi introduced me to a baked potato type of snack that tasted kind of like hash browns with toppings. I also had some lemonade with some sort of jelly. All of the snacks and drinks were good. We went back to the apartment where Cyndi's brother is taking care of his friend's English bulldog so we played with it for a while. Today we took the dog to a park near Cyndi's apartment and walked around the lake and now I am just watching TV! For those of you who asked me before...yes, there are English stations and yes, they have Chinese subtitles. We have been watching a lot of CSI and The Voice and a few movies. Most of the commercials are in Chinese, and yes, they are different than America's commercials and often more interesting.

Update on the Internet situation...both my laptop and iPad can find the signal now but I can only browse the Internet on my iPad.