Hot, humid greetings from Taipei, the street food capital of the world!! Tonight is my last night in Taipei, and after a few fun-filled days of walking, eating, and exploring, I'm about ready to jump into a fluffy cloud and stare into the stars for a long while.
Fay and I saw some amazing sites- Taipei 101 (the tallest building with 101 floors and a 360 panoramic view on the 88th floor), CPK Memorial Hall (the late president's memorial with tons of art exhibits and his personal artifacts), Longshan Temple (in which I prayed for all of my family and friends, so don't worry, you're included), Shilin Night Market (the biggest night market in Taiwan), and the National Palace Museum (over 8,000 years worth of Chinese treasures). Now doesn't that sound like a full two days? Every night we went to the night markets and tasted the cheapest, best street food ever!! Sticks of delicious, grilled or fried meats, vegetables, noodles in hearty broth, shaved ice filled with fresh fruits piled a mile high, and I even tasted chicken crown! (tastes a bit like licorice!) Alas, I did not have the Taiwanese infamous stinky tofu and blood items. Who can blame me??
Tomorrow I'm heading back to Hong Kong. I'm a bit weary of diving back into that chaotic, intensely busy scene of high-rises at every square inch. Taipei is a lot calmer, with sizable buildings at average height, and with a lot fewer people. I don't speak any Mandarin at all, so it's a bit harder to communicate here than in Hong Kong. Hand motions and crazy pointing only go so far when vendors speak rapidly and assume you can understand them!
My research is about to experience a rapid incline once I get back to Hong Kong, so my days filled with total freedom are over! I'm still going to stick fun in between my studies, of course, but I really hope I can nail this down and get some good results.
Best from Taipei! Cheers.
Mamie, I love following your travels on your blog. The photos are great and the your commentaries are awesome. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete- An intent reader.
Hi Mamie,
ReplyDeleteI loved seeing your pictures of Taipai. They remind me of my many trips there working with SAVE. The street food is absolutely amazing. Once while visiting I stayed with a friend from Taiwan and I mentioned to them how much I love Taiwanese food. Her parents asked me what kind of food I like in Taiwan. When I described what I had been eating they laughed because my entire Taipei food experience had been street food only. Good stuff. Have fun in Hong Kong.
Barbara
The food looks SO delish Mamie!!! I only wish that I could be there to taste and share in the experience with you! Shaved ice looks much better than Guppy's hahah. Home misses you! Safe travels my friend =]
ReplyDelete