Chris, where’s your bags?
What do you mean?
I booked you on a cultural tour to Tainan.
The one from the Jia Jia Hotel Group.
Oh no, I’m not falling for this again!
Last time you booked me on a trip,
I spent 56 hours on a Filipino fishing boat!
No go!
This is totally different!
You promise?
This is an actual cultural tour
and not code for putting me into
physical danger?
Absolutely.
Shelley!
Hi, I’m Chris Chappell.
You may know me from China Uncensored,
or The Matrix: Refunded.
That one was direct to TV.
Anyway, you may also know that China Uncensored
is supported primarily through Patreon
with contributions from viewers like you.
It’s also supported by sponsors,
who contribute things like clothing.
And in the case of our 2016 Pivot to Asia Tour,
hotels.
Our week-long tour in Taiwan
was supported by the Jia Jia Hotel Group.
They put us up in great hotels
in Taipei and Tainan.
And in return,
we made this video showing some of the things
you might do—and maybe shouldn’t do—
if you take their cultural tour package in Taiwan.
I had my suspicions about this “cultural trip.”
As a wise man once said,
fool me once shame on you.
Fool me twice,
um, can’t get fooled again?
But the rich beauty of Taiwan called to me.
You’re right,
this is a much more relaxing trip.
Ms. Kino Tsai,
designer of the Jia Jia Hotels,
was waiting for us in the lobby,
ready to show us our rooms.
The Jia Jia Hotel was unlike anything I’d seen before.
Rooms were given special themes,
and designed and enriched by the people
who stayed in them.
I was staying in the Chinese medicine room.
There were jars filled with Chinese herbs.
And tea.
The perfect place to relax
after a long day of uncensoring stuff.
Now please leave the room so I can rest.
Shelley says she has something “special”
planned for me in the morning.
Shelley, my room is fantastic!
So glad you like it!
You were right.
This cultural tour
was an amazing idea.
Well I’m glad to hear you say that
because I’ve signed you up for a very special
traditional Taiwanese shoemaking class.
Oh, that’s fantastic!
You know, a man really should be able
to make his own shoes.
You’re so right.
Let’s go.
Well, here we are.
Traditional women’s cloth shoes.
Oh, you didn’t say it was women’s shoes.
Oh didn’t I?
That’s great, I’ll give it a shot!
Really?
Yeah, thanks Shelley!
Hotel staff were kind enough to show me the ropes
of shoemaking.
Oh yeah, this was going to be fun.
Focus.
Dedication.
Scissors.
I’m not a man making shoes,
I’m a shoe-making man.
One piece down.
Hard.
Apparently really hard.
Hi, Shelley!
Hi, Chris.
How did the women’s shoemaking class go?
It went great.
I made these for you!
Really?
Wow, they’re actually really nice.
Thanks Chris, that’s really sweet.
No problem, um,
your feet are a little bigger than I thought.
I hope they fit.
Anyway, I signed us up for
a traditional Taiwanese cooking class!
Let’s go!
Well, Shelley,
tonight we’ll be cooking some spring rolls,
coffin bread,
and Aiyu jelly!
I wonder what Aiyu jelly is.
And coffin bread…
So you can cook?
How hard can it be?
Chris!
Chris, we need to go on that
Tainan tour!
A tour of Tainan in southern Taiwan!
Our first stop was the famous Confucian Temple.
No con-fusion about it.
That was the best Confucian Temple I’d ever been to.
Oh, and one valuable lesson I learned
about being a tourist—
always be aware of your surroundings.
Shelley!
It smells bad!
The Narrow Door Cafe.
I wonder why they call it that…
Oh.
Wow, I had a really great time today.
What’s next?
Back to Taipei.
To the high-speed rail!
Shelley and I made our way back north
to the Taipei Jia Jia Papersun Apartment.
As part of their tour,
they told us we should check out the nearby
Shilin night market.
Wow, Shelley, I am so excited to be here
in a traditional Taiwanese night market!
Well, Shilin night market is one of the biggest
in Taipei.
Let’s go.
Actually Chris, that’s the Taoist temple.
This is the night market.
Woah…
Oh boy, Shelley, you got us those famous
chicken sticks I’ve head so much about?
Sorry, it was the last one, so I got you this.
Chris, you gotta try these -
candied Hawthorne fruits,
my favorite as a kid.
Oh, why thank you Shelley.
They look great.
What do you think?
They’re great!
Wow!
Want the rest?
No, I couldn’t possibly…
Please…
Oh Shelley, that looks really good.
Can I try some?
Sure.
Oh, that’s amazing!
What’s in it?
Frog eggs.
Okay, they’re not really frog eggs.
They just call them frog eggs.
My trust in you is shattered.
Let me know if you need any help, Shelley.
Well, Shelley, I had a amazing time.
Thanks for signing us up for this tour.
Absolutely.
Now tell them about the thing.
Tell who?
Tell them!
Oh.
Right.
Our hotel stay in Taiwan
was sponsored by the Jia Jia Hotel Group.
And they have a five-day tour
of Taipei and Tainan,
where you can do pretty much
all the same stuff
you saw Shelley and me do in this episode,
and stay in the same cool hotel rooms!
So click below,
and book it for yourself
when you visit Taiwan.
Was that the thing?
That was the thing.