Location: Taipei, Taiwan

My eyes snapped open at 7AM and I was just rearing to go, but I slowed my roll a little so Garrett could sleep some more. It was kind of a blessing to be up early because we got to explore the Ximen (pr. ‘she-min’) neighbourhood a bit before the city really woke up. One thing about Taiwan is that the functional clock is shifted significantly later than North America – by which I mean that shops tend to open in the late morning and close around 11 or midnight.

With that in mind we wandered through the public market area near our hostel and the only thing open was one teeny-tiny food cart with a teeny-tiny lady behind it. We walked up and she was selling flat chive dumpling-esque things (maybe Jiu Cai Jiao?) in a paper baggie for $1.50 CAD. Garrett was absolutely delighted about this being our breakfast. Across the street there was a bubble tea shop opening. Now listen up- if you’ve ever tried bubble tea and are not a fan of the nasty little tapioca balls at the bottom then I implore you to try brown sugar boba instead which are little molten balls of brown sugar jelly that are WAY better. My friend Pauline steered me towards them last time I was here and I haven’t spent a day in Taiwan without getting one since. My turn to be delighted!

It was raining on and off so we pulled out our umbrellas as I guided Garrett through the city, talking about this thing or that thing, excitedly pointing out buildings I recognized. We walked along Bopiliao Ancient Street, a narrow little road lined with restored traditional wooden front shop houses and brick buildings that have been converted into museums or public spaces. Near the end of the street I told Garrett to look left! Only look left! NO don’t look right. Keep walking, keep walki… KEEP LOOKING LEFT!

Until we were standing directly in front of Lungshan Temple and he was looking in the opposite direction. I told him to turn around and he basically staggered backwards a step from surprise at seeing the temple gate – the most intricate one in the city. Tiny colourful stone figurines cover much of the rooftop, while red, teal, white and gold patterns lined the underside. Just inside the gate a waterfall rushed down into a mossy koi pond. Buddhist chanting played over hidden speakers and a large gold incense burner sat in the middle of the courtyard. People in prayer stood or kneeled in every corner but even so it was still the least busy I’d ever seen it! Last time I was here it was Chinese New Year and you couldn’t stand anywhere without touching like 4 people at once.

Anyone who was following my last adventure through Taiwan might remember me being mildly obsessed with Din Tai Fung. The restaurant is so popular that they have two locations right across the street from each other! I swear every single time I have dumplings at home part of me is sad they aren’t Din Tai Fung dumplings. We happily devoured two orders of the famous soup dumplings and some spicy cucumber salad, and Garrett was basically dancing in his chair from how good they were (shh don’t tell him that all other dumplings will be ruined after this).

It was raining in earnest now so we wandered over to Da’an Forest Park and sat under a stone gazebo to play some cards while we waited for it to slow down. Stands of bamboo shoots shook and creaked around us and little rivers formed between the green and white tiles of the pathways. Herons walked stiltedly around in the grass and giant black squirrels leapt around in the trees. Older ladies practiced Tai chi under gazebos nearby and every now and then they would just start wildly slapping their own faces and heads. I found out that it’s a beauty routine apparently?? Whether that actually works or not I sure enjoyed the spectacle of it and they all had amazing skin sooo who am I to judge?!

Our next stop was Taipei 101, the tallest building in Taiwan. It’s a bright tealy colour, and the shape sort of reminds me of what a loose stack of takeout noodle boxes looks like. We came out of the train station, looked up at it, remarked how beautiful it was, and then Garrett looked down and promptly spent the next 3 straight minutes taking a photo of a flower in a puddle, which I found absolutely hilarious. Beautiful building?

No.

Flower in puddle.

I remembered Village 44 was nearby, with the low little houses now holding simple goods shops and tasty treats. I was getting sleepy so we stopped in for a coffee and a sit down at Good Cho’s in one of the houses so I could write and relax for a few minutes. The rain poured so hard outside that the seams of the roof started leaking in multiple places, which only added to the cozy atmosphere.

Despite the coffee we were both fading pretty fast, but it was way too early to go home to bed. We managed to force ourselves awake long enough to explore the city a bit longer and grab a quick dinner after which we dragged ourselves home to collapse.

Garrett was asleep in minutes and I blearily blogged until I fell asleep with my iPad in my lap, which is why the late post! Here’s hoping we’re all rested up for tomorrow!

Sav