Saying Goodbye

 We felt a bit melancholy knowing it was our last day, but we rallied and it didn’t disappoint.  Following our last Taiwanese hotel breakfast, we headed over to the Red House.  Next stop, via the metro, was the Creative Park.  We enjoyed shmiing around, but the best part for Romi was certainly his waffle. 

 After 13 days in the heat and humidity, climbing countless stairs and walking literally miles a day, we decided on some pampering.  We ducked into a local store for foot massages.  Our toes received a hot soak and a wonderful rub, and they also worked on our head, neck and shoulders.  This little storefront had everything from comfortable chairs to hot towels, all for $550 (which equals about $18 US).  We left an hour later, relaxed and happy.

 After a brief stop at our hotel to freshen up and cool off, we headed out for an early dinner.  We had reservations at Mia Cucina, an all-vegetarian Italian restaurant with good online reviews.  What we didn’t expect was for the restaurant to be in a department store.  It was a total throw back to a different time, with the fancy-ish eatery in the middle of a large retail establishment.  It even had chandeliers and overlooked the cosmetics department.  (We were happy it wasn’t perfume!)

We ordered a wide variety of tasty treats, including salad, pizza and pasta, and a waffle to share for dessert.  The food was really, really good, but the best part of the meal was when every member of the waitstaff took a look at the three of us and turned to Romi to speak with him in Mandarin.  He was used to it at this point in the trip and just went with it, nodding along.  Rob was concerned that he was agreeing to buy a time share, but it seemed to work out just fine.

We returned to our hotel to shower and pack up.  We even had time to make a video reflecting on our trip.  Far too soon it was time to head downstairs to meet Mr. Yeh. 

Mr. Yeh was our driver 15-years ago on our first trip to Taiwan.  In 2008 he spent a week lugging us and two other families (shout out to Lee, Theresa and Maddy along with Kim, Kent and Kai!) around the country, alternating between paperwork and site-seeing and baby feedings.  We had arranged the ride to the airport through Gladney, but I am not certain they explained the connection, because when we showed Mr. Yeh photos of himself with baby Romi and baby Maddy, he got really excited.  The language barrier presented no problems when we took a moment for photos at the airport.

We had some time, so we hung out at the airport.  There were many, many duty-free stores, but no convenience shops.  I have no idea what people who need last-minute gum or a magazine do at TPE.  We did manage to find a Jamba Juice, and used some of our last “free” money on my Easy Card to enjoy some smoothies.

Our flight home was uneventful, the best kind, and even a bit shorter going that direction—only 12 hours instead of 14!  In a weird twist of modern travel, we took off close to midnight on Thursday night and landed at LAX at 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, three hours before we took off.  China Airlines was lovely, and paying for the upgrade was once again clearly the right choice.  Thanks to Global Entry (also totally worth the cost) we breezed through customs, picked up our bags and then waited for what felt like forever to get our rental car. 

We arrived safely in El Cajon at 2:00 a.m. and managed to sneak into the Dinsdale’s home without waking up anyone.  We found our beds and gratefully fell into them.

Return to Taipei

Our morning consisted of mad repacking in a desperate attempt to add in the random stuff we acquired these last two weeks. Loaded down with two roller suitcases, two duffel bags, and two backpacks, we headed to the train station. 

Transportation anywhere outside of the States is impressive, but it especially rocks in Taiwan. We easily navigated purchasing tickets, finding the platform and getting on the correct train.

I have to confess, I am in love with high-speed rail travel. It was quiet and smooth as we moved along at just under 300 km/hour. The seats were comfy and the fellow passengers quiet. I'd like to say I enjoyed watching the bucolic scenery pass by, but it all went too fast. There were at least 12 cars on the train and it literally took seconds to pass the train going the opposite way.

We arrived at Taipei Main Station less than an hour later. We were all so happy to be back in the Capitol. We love this city. Our hotel is in Ximden, a fun and lively part of town. We arrived around 2:00 and our room was ready, so we dropped our stuff, cleaned up and headed out to play.

We were prepared to brave the heat and make the four-minute walk to the metro, but instead we found the underground pedestrian metro tunnel right outside our hotel. We descended the stairs and immediately came across a kids' dance class. I tried to convince Romi to join but he demurred. Along the way we also found a library, right in the metro. Such a brilliant idea!

We jumped on the blue line for one stop and ascended to find Longshan Temple. Thanks to our guide Stephen, we knew what to do. We quickly recreated a picture in front of the waterfall and entered on the right. 

We admired the gifts, ornate architecture and incense, and reminisced about the last time we had been there as a family. There are 13 separate gods who reside at Longshan, and their specialties range from security to job success to pets.

There is a shopping center under Longshan, so we shmied around, looking for last-minute treasures. At one point we wandered into a tea house in search of some gifts to bring home. The lovely proprietor immediately greeted us, described her teas, and kindly coerced us into a tasting.  We sipped hot tea and learned all about her life in Canada and Taiwan. It was such an unexpected delight; encounters such as this are one of the things that makes Taiwan amazing.

We did some more shopping at Net, the Far Eastern Department Store, and the Ximdening pedestrian area (which is basically a night market). The whole thing was bittersweet, knowing our time here is coming to an end. We had our last mango smoothies and headed back to the hotel for our last sleep here in Taiwan.

Random Observations

Here are some things we now know:

• Toilets can be complex, including toilet paper.
  
  
• This country has few trash cans and yet very little litter.
  
  
• Lay's potato chips come in both seaweed and steak flavors.
  
  
• Taiwanese drive like Israelis but there is no honking.
  
  
• What you think are baby stores are actually for dogs. 
  
  
• Highways have scooter-only designated lanes.
  
  
• 7-11 is a serious thing, and yet there are more temples than conveniece stores in this country.
  
  
• Construction sites all have green walls (from plants, not paint).

Pizza for the Win!

To truly appreciate Taiwan, you need to be able to handle three things: steps, heights and the smell of stinky tofu.

Taichung doesn't have a metro system, sadly, but we have become quite adept at taxis. Our first adventure was to Rainbow Village, a collection of dilapidated military housing that has been recast as a tourist attraction through the efforts of an elderly resident. It's become quite the selfie haven.

Next we headed into the city for some shopping. It took a while to achieve success, but that was fine because the journey itself was fascinating. We visited Tiger City mall and a department store with 18 floors. We managed to get some things we were looking for (arm socks, a UV umbrella, fancy chopsticks) and some things that found us (scissors in a tree). 

I've been craving pizza for days, so we hoofed it to Pizza Hut. I know, I know, but I miss cheese! We ordered two plain pies (on special for $405!) and settled into Family Mart for lunch. Convenience stores in Taiwan are a way of life, and they often offer refuge from the heat, clean bathrooms, a place to sit and relax, and free wifi.

We escaped the heat of the day by returning to the hotel for an afternoon of relaxing and resting. We rallied after the sun went down to explore Taichung's famous night market. Once again, we couldn't come close to identifying all of the food on offer, but we did manage to buy squeaky shoes and an extra duffle bag.

We topped off the evening with "milk shakes," basically fruit juice, milk, ice and simple syrup. We tried mango and also watermelon, but no one was up for the avocado pudding flavor. 

Rob and I also both decided on temporary tattoos. We couldn't talk the boychick into one. While it would have been fun, I'm going to take that as a win!

Sunrise and Sleepy Train Rides

Rob and I woke up at 5:00 a.m to catch the famous Alishan sunrise over the mountains. We didn't get the cloud sky effect the mountain is known for, but it was still lovely to be curled up on the couch on our balcony watching the sky.

We lingered over the beautiful breakfast (honey plantain muffins!) and dragged our feet to leave the loveliest hotel of the trip. We remarked on the cool room numbers, cherry blossom video in the elevator, and animal-sound tunnel to the lobby as we sadly rolled out our luggage.

Our melancholy was soon forgotten as we hiked around the Alishan forest. Our guide pointed out a local variety of bamboo that looks perfectly normal, but when you wrap your hand around it, you realize it's actually square. My mind is still trying to reconcile it.

Romi shmied around the cute little town while we hiked, and we meet up to take the Alishan Forest Railway, an historic train that goes through the mountains. The views were spectacular, and the train rickety enough that the swaying put Romi right to sleep. 

We enjoyed traditional working lunch boxes sitting at the train station, watching as it rained. We made our way down the mountain on yet another winding Taiwanese road. The roads are well paved and marked, which is a good thing because at times the rain was real or a cloud engulfed us, seriously limiting visibility. 

Next up was Sun Moon Lake, the largest lake on the island. For a great view, we walked up a million steps, just to get to a pagoda with a million more. Luckily it was absolutely worth it. The lake is impressive and unspoiled and sacred to the indigenous people.  

The game plan was to bike around the lake, but the rain defeated us. We were able to check out Wenwu Temple, which was built in a Northern China palace style and was therefore much more ornate. The intricate carvings stood out even among imposing features and shrines.

Our last meal with Life of Taiwan was at a splurgy vegetarian restaurant on the 16th floor of a department store in Taichung. The set menu was ample and the food delicious. We especially liked the salad with a wide variety of fruit, tofu pudding with some sort of sweet drizzle, and the filled steamed sesame buns that were black with a gold decoration. 

We bid goodbye to our guide, who had taken such good care of us, and checked into the iCloud Luxury Hotel. I'm not certain how to describe this place. It's a throwback to what would have been considered chic in the '80s, with plush couches in a gray velvet, hot tub bathtub, wallpapered walls and upholstered everything. But it has great air conditioning, two double beds (rare in Asia), and plenty of space. As a bonus we are handwashing some clothes and using the sauna as a dryer. 

History Lesson

This morning's breakfast buffet was the most expansive yet, and not just because it had ICE. For as hot and sticky as summer gets in this country, they have yet to embrace the blessing that is frozen water. All that is to say we nearly lost our minds when both shaved AND cubed was on offer.

Taiwan has a complex relationship with its past, and that has been even more apparent in the country's first capital.We checked out Fort Anping, a Dutch then Japanese than Chinese fortification. 

Following the fort, we wandered through Tainan's back streets, getting a glimpse of where people live. My favorite moment was walking down a narrow alley and passing a tiny neighborhood temple on one side of the street while hearing the Sunday morning church choir on the other. Quintessential Taiwan! 

Anping also boasts a famous treehouse. Nope, not the kind you're picturing, but an abandoned salt warehouse that was taken over by bantan trees in about 60 years. It was both eerie and beautiful. 

To combat the oppressive heat we stopped for a Taiwanese treat--shaved ice. It's kinda hard to describe, but picture a large cup of ice with a drizzle of tea topped with rubbery bites of sweet potato and taro, red bean paste, and a scoop of boba. It was pretty good and definitely refreshing. 

It was a two-hour trek to our next destination, punctuated with a stop at 7-11 (of course), a drive through an indigenous people village, and buying some fresh flowers on a thin wire, Taiwan's brilliant answer to a car air freshener. 

We headed back to the mountains today with their gorgeous views and lower temperatures. We are in Alishan, home of Taiwan's best oolong tea, and that's saying something in a country that takes its tea very, very seriously. We visited a tea house that grows its own for a lovely tasting.

Our day concluded early, not only because we are exhausted, but also so we could squeeze every bit of enjoyment out of our lodgings. We are encamped at Alishan's newest and swankiest digs, Hotel Indigo. A premium room was the only option, so here we are, enjoying the amazing room, rooftop pool and jacuzzi, incredible views, and sick amenities. Alishan is known for its sea of fast-moving clouds through the forest and incomparable sunrises, which we hope to enjoy tomorrow morning at 5:20 through the floor-to-ceiling windows feet from our comfy bed.

Flea markets and Giant Buddhas

If you ever find yourself in Taiwan, make your way to the Neiwei Flea Market. That place is a trip. It's filled with, well, everything. 

We especially enjoyed the antiques, like old typewriters and rotary phones. There were also clothes and jewelry and state spoons and stalls giving massages. Like I said...everything.

On our way to our next stop, our guide took a detour to what seemed like nowhere. He dropped us off at the side of a random road and indicated we should climb some random staircase. Seeing as we have complete confidence in our guide, we headed up. If that wasn't eerie enough, the wind whistling through the bamboo added a haunting soundtrack to our trek.

We followed a dirt path to find a gurgling geyser of mud. The bubbling mess wasn't hot, but it is part of active earth activity on the island. Very cool.

I cleaned myself up for the Buddha Museum. Our guide dropped us off because the closest parking lots are only for people over 70. Following a pit stop at the pee pee bus, we headed in. 

It's grand and ornate and has a Starbucks in the main hall. We enjoyed the vegetarian buffet lunch (yea Buddhists!) before exploring the galleries and shrines. We learned a ton, and even snuck a peek at an actual relic--a tooth fragment of Buddha himself.

After a stroll through Shennong Street, a 300-year old street that is now a pedestrian mall, we checked into "the place," the most modern hotel yet. Stephen, our local guide, met up with us to take us on a walking tour of Tainan.

The first capital of Taiwan, Tainan is a mix of new and old. It has been reclaiming its past, including architecture from the Japanese occupation. 

Stephen guided us through a few local temples, and explained so, so much about what we were seeing. His expertise was invaluable. And he didn't seem to mind when we grilled him over yummy western dinner about everything Taiwan.

An addendum to my post about bathrooms: the fancy bidet controls also have a button for heated seats, which I learned early this morning after someone (not me) left it on all night. Nearly burned my bum!