In August, I took a trip to Taiwan. I was able to stay with my friend Elaine. Every time Elaine tries to remind me about how long we have been friends, I tell her just to say it has been a long time and let it go. Otherwise we have to remember how old we are getting!
The flight to Taiwan was very good. I cleaned my apartment before I left and found I had a rotten egg! (Lourens and Ulandi, the South African teachers, found a rotten egg the other day. They said they had asked their mother how they would know if an egg was rotten and their mothers said, "You will know." My mother told me that too some time ago.) Yes, if it is rotten, "You WILL know!"
When I got checked in at the airline, I was very hungry and needed to get some food. I went to one of the fast food chains here Lotteria. A very nice man let me sit down at his table to eat. He was so kind and I didn't have to eat standing up.
I got to Taiwan very late at night. Elaine and her mother picked me up from the airport. I slept well and in on the first day there, Elaine's mom took me on her motorbike to a restaurant where we ate beef noodles. Then we went to the National museum. I found the museum very interesting. Elaine's mom made sure we went on a tour with an English speaking tour guide. He was very funny and informative. He was so knowledgeable about his subject that he Got through the brass and some of the jade and that was all that he had time for. Two of the most famous exhibits are 1. A jade carved cabbage and 2. a stone that looks like a piece of pork. I found it fascinating that two most famous exhibits were of food!
When we went to the gift shop, I found a pretty scarf. I asked the sales man for it. He said,"It is not silk." I said that it was fine, I just thought it was pretty. He said,"It's not silk. It is cheaper, but it is polyester. It isn't silk." I said that was ok, but he reminded me, "It's not silk." Finally I realized I couldn't buy the scarf. He just was not going to let me leave with something he considered inferior in spite of how pretty it was. Oh, well, I didn't get the "not silk" scarf after all.
The architecture is very interesting in Taiwan. It is a blend of Asian and western architecture. I am more accustomed to the Seoul area of Korea where most of the buildings are modern. They have been built since the Korean war and in a western style. In Taiwan though, there is a very big mix of styles to the buildings.
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| Taipei 101 (famous building) |
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| Back street in Taipei |
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| Food at night market |
Elaine, her mom, and sister took me to the night market in Taipei. It is very famous and I got to see and smell so many things. I saw quite a few strange things to eat there. Elaine and her sister let me taste some beef rib stew, stinky tofu, iced milk tea, several different buns, some cake like desserts and more. I did not try the duck tongues, various organs, or other such delicacies. I did get a cotton candy shaped like a duck. Elaine's nephews got one shaped like a minion. Some places the market smelled of waffles, other places of spices, or even clothing, then there were places that smelled of a mixture of a sewer and a butcher shop. It was quite overwhelming.
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| Duck Cotton Candy and Elaine's nephew |
On Saturday, we went to a market in the morning. I bought some passion fruit, some dragon fruit, and some pineapple. Elaine's sister bought some mangoes. Elaine's mom cut up the fruit for us at home. I was enjoying the delicious sweetness, but Elaine's nephews preferred the squid their grandmother gave them.
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| Fruit at market |
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| Dragon fruit and passion fruit |
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| The boys preferred squid |
We went shopping in some of the more expensive mall areas in Taipei. The malls were fascinating. The stores have an entire floor that is a food court, but it is nothing like the food courts in the US. Also when you buy food there, they put it on actual dishes, not disposable paper. Some of the food is made by chefs. I got to see and taste so many things there. It is nice to have a friend who knows so well what you like. I also got to see how some of the soup dumplings that I love are made. I watched the people preparing them. My mother would be very good at making them.
We went to a Costco. I was amazed at how many US brands there are. In Korea I can't find so many things. I was tempted to buy so many things. Elaine was amazed at me, but I tried to explain, "These cheese flavored chips are not sweet! No sugar on everything! Look real toothpaste! Macaroni and Cheese! Actual Macaroni and Cheese!" She just didn't understand. Also, the culture even in Costco is so different. People line up in looooong lines for samples. They get testy if someone tries to cut in. When we got food at Costco, Elaine's mom and nephews staked out a table until the occupants left so we could claim a spot to sit. The carts next to the tables were three deep. So different than I am used to.
We went to the Taipei zoo. We rode a cable car to the top of a hill where the entrance to the zoo is located. Then we walked down the mountain through the zoo to the exit. The flowers in Taiwan are beautiful. I enjoyed not just the animals, but the flowers. I think they thought I was odd taking photos of the flowers.
We ate at an all you can eat hot pot for the evening meal. The waiters brought us beef, seafood and more. They thought I disliked the spicy half of the hot pot. I like spicy food, but I don't like coagulated blood and organs much that were simmering in the spicy half. The all you could eat included desserts. I had panna cotta, and Hagan Daz ice cream, as well as fruits.
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| Pastries in Department store |
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| Dessert stall with only cream puffs. (This photo is for Tom) |
Elaine's mom took me on a walk through their neighborhood. They live in a very nice neighborhood and there is a wall that has plants growing on it. It is similar to the "living wall" on the Carver Farm in Jefferson City. I guess when there is so much city, they try to incorporate plants as much as possible.
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| Wall of ferns |
I enjoyed my time in Taiwan and was sad not to spend more time with Elaine. It was just not enough. The summer vacation, however was very short, not even an entire work week off, just from Thursday then back to work on Wednesday.
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| Escalator at the Taipei airport. (Shortest in world? This photo is for Juanita.) |
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| Wall of plants in Taipei airport. |
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