Last month, I spent eighteen days with my wife and kids in Taiwan. My mother-in-law had passed away in Taiwan in the spring, and we had to visit to lay her ashes to rest and take care of legal and financial matters. However, we made the best of the trip and made it an opportunity for the kids to appreciate one of their ancestral homelands.
I took a little over a thousand photos during the trip, roughly 60 per day. For this blog post, I’m going to choose just one photo for each day of the trip to share.
Day 1: Zhongli
We arrived at my mother-in-law’s apartment in the late morning. She has a very nice view looking southeast towards Dongyanshan.
Day 2: Xpark Aquarium
The Xpark Aquarium is a few metro stops down from the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, and next to the Gloria Outlets, an upscale shopping center. These strange fish are one of the aquarium’s main attractions. They float in the water like sea grass, but retreat into the sand at any sign of trouble, only to slowly pop out again when the coast is clear.
Day 3: Toilet Theme Restaurant
Modern Toilet Theme Restaurant in the Shilin District of Taipei was surprisingly good. The decor is like a bathroom, and gourmet food is served in toilet bowls. My son on the left had the “shit spray hot pot,” while the son on the right had the “laosai curry” (laosai in Taiwanese means diarrhea). I can’t remember the names of the other dishes (probably because they were not as amusing).
Day 4: Taiwanese Food
Ask any Taiwanese what they miss most about Taiwan and the answer invariably is the food. The street food is legendary, but the food you find in the small hole-in-the-wall restaurants is even better. Also, the food is cheap. The food I’m enjoying in the photo costs about $2 (USD) per bowl, and it’s made fresh to order, no added taxes and no tip expected.
Day 5: Din Tai Fung
Din Tai Fung is a world famous Taiwanese restaurant chain specializing in xiaolongbao, a type of Chinese soup dumpling. Personally, I still prefer the street food, but Din Tai Fung was still impressive.
Day 6: Alishan
We took an organized tour for a two-day trip to Alishan.
Day 7: Sunrise
We got up at 4 AM the next morning to see the sunrise over the tallest mountains in Taiwan. I took this photo through a protective filter they handed out so we could watch the sunrise without permanent eye damage.
Day 8: Jade Cabbage
Here you go. It’s the famous Jadeite Cabbage, featured at the National Palace Museum.
Day 9: Sky Lantern Lighting
A tradition at Shifen Old Street is to write your wishes on a sky lantern and set it free into the sky. I’ve pretty much forgotten how to write in Chinese, so I just wrote in English, “Wish us a long and happy rich life. Bitcoin to the moon!” LOL.
Day 10: Night Markets
Taiwan is also famous for its night markets, where you can find all sorts of street food, cheap goods, and entertainment. This is the Raohe Street Night Market, and just inside the gate is a Michelin-starred street food vendor selling pepper pies.
Day 11: Taipingshan
Railroad tracks built by the Japanese over a hundred years ago in Taipingshan. They are now overgrown and abandoned.
Day 12: Longshan Temple
Our experience at Longshan Temple was very memorable. We got caught in a heavy thunderstorm, and had to wait it out amongst the offerings tables while the monks were chanting in the background. Once the storm cleared, everyone joined together in chanting praises to Buddha.
Day 13: Taiwanese Baseball
We went to see a baseball game between the Wei Chuan Dragons and the Rakuten Monkeys, at Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium. Taiwanese baseball has cheerleaders, and to be honest, the cheerleaders are probably more popular than the players.
Day 14: Beef Noodle Soup
Taiwan is also famous for beef noodle soup. I think I had it about three or four times this trip. Each bowl of soup typically costs about $5 USD.
Day 15: Tax Day
We had some business to take care of at the local tax office. It also happened to be tax day in Taiwan. It got quite chaotic and crowded. I took this picture after things calmed down a bit, so it doesn’t do it justice.
Day 16: Crystal Gondola
We took the glass bottom “crystal” Maokong gondola up the mountain. It was the best gondola ride I’ve ever taken. The whole trip took about 30 minutes, so it felt worth the money.
Day 17: Last Night in Taiwan
I think this picture sums up the chaotic awesomeness of Taiwan perfectly. We’re standing in the street outside a 7-11 convenience store at the local night market, holding onto bottled tea and a bag of street food (I think that one was fried sweet potatoes).
Day 18: Last Call for Pineapple Cakes
On the last day of the trip, we called a taxi to bring us to the airport. We made a few last purchases at the stores in the airport. Lots of pineapple cakes.
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