Taiwan: Day 1

Last weekend, we had Friday off for (another) holiday, so I took a semi-last minute trip to Taiwan with a few friends. I realized that it was a place I really wanted to go before I left Hong Kong, and with it being only an hour and a half flight, I should go while I could. It was a really easy trip in a lot of ways, partly because my friend Michelle speaks Mandarin and my other friend did a lot of the detailed planning for us.

Overally, I loved Taiwan and wished I had more time there. It's a place I could easily have spent a week or more exploring. Many people from HK go to Taipei for the weekend and report that it's really similar to HK, but I found it really interesting. Sure, it's reminiscent of HK, and also of mainland China, but it certainly has it's own unique feel to it as well. There was some really interesting food choices, a couple of extensive night markets, and a lot of history. We didn't have time to do everything, but we crammed a lot in. The one thing I missed was the museum...where a lot of ancient Chinese art is housed, as a result of the cultural revolution. Instead, we saw a lot of the city and ran into a couple of unexpected events as well, such as a protest and a Buddhist parade. Taiwanese people reminded me very much of HK-ers...very proud to NOT be from mainland China, and proud of their own heritage. Taipei is a modern city, packed with history and culture. I loved it. Then again, where in SE Asia have I had a bad experience?!

Oddly enough, there were crane games everywhere. Michelle and Tad are modeling the most interesting one...fishing for bread. Weird.

We ran into this parade on our way the first night and asked our taxi driver to stop. We're still not sure exactly what it was for.

Tall, frightening, masked parade marchers.

Night market snacks..candied fruit (and cherry tomatoes). They looked better than they tasted.

Night market food stalls.

In the late afternoon, we took a mini-excursion to the Maokong area, where tea is grown and packaged. We stopped at a tea house for a snack, watched the sunset and looked over the valley and the city, hoping to get a glance of some fireflies.

I loved this sign on one vending machine. At the same vending machine, you could buy Asparagus Juice. We found it at breakfast the next morning as well. It wasn't so good.

Changing of the guards...a very formal process.

Beautiful National Theater

We weren't sure what this parade/protest was for, but there were crews of policemen ready with shields and sticks.

Steaming seafood.

Playing carnival games...an unexpected find.

Snack choices at 7-11 include Slurpees, hot dogs, tea eggs, and char sui bao (steamed pork bun). I suppose this is similar to some HK 7-11's, but I've never actually stopped to take a picture of it.