Our flight back to Tainan left at 2:00pm, so we had the morning free to do a bit more exploring. I noticed that we hadn't checked out the Shun Cheng City Gate, so after breakfast we decided to check it out. It was blocked off with safety tape but we still climbed up to check out the view. We then followed the old city wall (what was left of it) and happened upon a small disused stone "village" that was being restored. We had a marvellous time walking around the houses with their doors hanging off their frames and nature taking over. Two of the houses had been turned into makeshift museums honoring pop musicians who had grown up there.
We emerged at the northern end of the village and were walking down the road back to town when I noticed a sign in English that indicated there was a military museum at the end of a laneway. We walked down and sure enough there was a small museum dedicated to explaining the history of the area. Apparently the small stone "village" we had just visited used to be the officer's quarters for the Japanese military. When the Japanese surrendered Taiwan the local people took over, hence the famous pop singers. Two ladies who were volunteers at the museum came over and gave us some English brochures, and tried to explain a bit about the history in Mandarin. We couldn't communicate much, but I think they were just happy to have some Westerners come by and show an interest. They even asked us to sign the guestbook!
We wandered around the city a bit more before heading back to the hotel. We checked out and caught a taxi to the airport. The flight back to Tainan was short and sweet. Outside the airport we caught a taxi and I asked the driver to take us to the "kuai kaui haoche zhan" (fast fast train station). He laughed because I used the wrong term to describe the High Speed Rail, but he knew what I meant. At the station I bought our tickets and after that we just had to wait for the next train north to Taipei.
Mom and Simone had a great time on the bullet train. They couldn't believe how fast we were traveling, and how comfortable it was to ride. We arrived at Taipei Main Station at rush hour so we caught a cab to the hotel instead of trying to negotiate the MRT with luggage. The staff at the Dandy Hotel welcomed us back with big smiles and welcomes, and set up Mom and Simone with a lovely room on the top floor.
For dinner we tried a Thai place I had seen on the way home a few nights earlier. It had a photo menu and I was able to ask enough questions to be sure we were ordering something we liked. (For example, when I asked if something was noodles, the reply was "no". The waitress then pointed at the only noodle dish on the menu, which I had mistakenly thought was a vegetable dish. Go figure.) The chicken satay, egg rolls, "pad thai", and rice were excellent and we even had some left over.
I was exhausted so I caught a cab home right after dinner and collapsed into bed. I tell you, keeping up with my 75-year-old Mom is exhausting! but fun.
6.8.13
Day 12: Penghu
We had breakfast at the Munching Kitchen again. Our taxi driver arrived promptly at 8:00am. She was a lovely middle-aged woman who spoke only a limited amount of English. Her cab was like new and spotless - it even had a satellite TV built into the dashboard, which was tuned to a TV station playing Chinese pop music videos.
Our first stop of the day was the Penghu Wind Farm, located just north of Magong City. We were able to drive right up to the turbines and take pictures from below. They were so quiet and the movement of the turbine arms was mesmerizing.
From there we drove north a short distance. Our driver pulled off the main road and stopped in a village next to a small kitchen garden. She instructed us to get out of the taxi, and she took us to the "rock" wall surrounding the garden. It was actually made from large pieces of coral!
I won't go into huge amounts of detail about the day's tour. The highlights were the Erkan Village, the Matsu Temple with the underground turtle sanctuary, the West Fort tunnels, and Whale Cave Park. At lunchtime our driver asked if we wanted "xiao chi" or "canting" - we totally wanted canting, or a sit-down air-conditioned restaurant. She took us to Ching Shin Seafood in Xihu, which I'm guessing is quite famous for its food and funky seafood-themed decor. The menu was partially translated into English - probably why our driver took us there - and I was able to order two or three dishes for us. We were the only "whiteys" there and I'm willing to bet that Westerners didn't frequent the place.
Sadly, we had to be back at the hotel by 4:00pm. We said goodbye to our driver, Lily, and headed to our room to wash off the day's sweat. Mom and I had massage appointments at 5:00pm and Simone's appointment was 6:00pm. The "spa" itself was on the 9th floor of the hotel, in some repurposed hotel rooms. The owner of the spa was my masseue, and I should have guessed I was in for a pummeling when she told me she was quite powerful. An hour and a half later I was sore, bruised, and definitely not "relaxed" from my "relaxation massage." Hah. We compared experiences afterwards and I guess we all had the same treatment.
One thing that is culturally different about Taiwanese spa massages is ... where they massage you. We were all quite shocked when our masseuses pulled down our knickers and gave our bottoms a good rub-down. The masseuses also massaged our bellies and breasts. It was a little bit too intimate for my liking but I guess it's standard practice.
After a day of adventure and our "relaxation" massages, we were completely tapped out. It was an early night for us again.
Our first stop of the day was the Penghu Wind Farm, located just north of Magong City. We were able to drive right up to the turbines and take pictures from below. They were so quiet and the movement of the turbine arms was mesmerizing.
From there we drove north a short distance. Our driver pulled off the main road and stopped in a village next to a small kitchen garden. She instructed us to get out of the taxi, and she took us to the "rock" wall surrounding the garden. It was actually made from large pieces of coral!
I won't go into huge amounts of detail about the day's tour. The highlights were the Erkan Village, the Matsu Temple with the underground turtle sanctuary, the West Fort tunnels, and Whale Cave Park. At lunchtime our driver asked if we wanted "xiao chi" or "canting" - we totally wanted canting, or a sit-down air-conditioned restaurant. She took us to Ching Shin Seafood in Xihu, which I'm guessing is quite famous for its food and funky seafood-themed decor. The menu was partially translated into English - probably why our driver took us there - and I was able to order two or three dishes for us. We were the only "whiteys" there and I'm willing to bet that Westerners didn't frequent the place.
Sadly, we had to be back at the hotel by 4:00pm. We said goodbye to our driver, Lily, and headed to our room to wash off the day's sweat. Mom and I had massage appointments at 5:00pm and Simone's appointment was 6:00pm. The "spa" itself was on the 9th floor of the hotel, in some repurposed hotel rooms. The owner of the spa was my masseue, and I should have guessed I was in for a pummeling when she told me she was quite powerful. An hour and a half later I was sore, bruised, and definitely not "relaxed" from my "relaxation massage." Hah. We compared experiences afterwards and I guess we all had the same treatment.
One thing that is culturally different about Taiwanese spa massages is ... where they massage you. We were all quite shocked when our masseuses pulled down our knickers and gave our bottoms a good rub-down. The masseuses also massaged our bellies and breasts. It was a little bit too intimate for my liking but I guess it's standard practice.
After a day of adventure and our "relaxation" massages, we were completely tapped out. It was an early night for us again.
5.8.13
Day 11: Penghu
We caught a cab to the Tainan Airport at 5:45am on the advice of the hotel's front desk staff. We got to the airport around 6:25am, only to discover that the airport didn't actually open until 7:00am! So, we had to wait around until counter staff, baggage check, and security staff arrived. Funny.
The flight to Penghu was a quick 30-minute puddle jump. The views from the plane were amazing. The Taiwan Straights beflow were a gorgeous blue, and we could see numerous fishing vessels trolling for the day's catch. The islands of Penghu appeared to be mostly flat and verdant - heaven!
We caught a taxi from the airport to our hotel, the MF Penghu. It was around 9:00am so we had breakfast at the "Munching Kitchen" attached to the hotel. After that we walked around Magong (the main city on Penghu), checking out sites marked on the tourist map. Our favorite place was the historic alley leading from Huimin Road to the Four-Eyed Well. Next to the well was a traditional apothecary that we learned was over 100 years old. The proprietors kindly allowed us to take photos inside as they were preparing someone's "prescription". From there we walked to the City God Temple where we could see further evidence of Ghost Festival celebrations. We kept heading north, where we came across the Penghu Reclamation Hall. We would have liked to go in but it was closed. Our final stop that morning was the Bei Chen Market, a traditional "wet market" where you can buy fresh fish, meat, vegetables, fruit, and so on. Simone took quite a few photos of the foods on display.
Back at the hotel we had lunch at the Munching Kitchen. We still couldn't check into our room so we decided to look at the tour and spa packages available through the hotel. After much back-and-forth discussion with the front desk clerk we decided to hire a taxi to take us on a private tour of the connected northern islands the next day. We also booked massages at the spa.
Eventually we were able to check in to our room, which was smaller than I expected and had a somewhat outdated bathroom. Still, it was brighter and more modern than the Hotel Hwa Du. We freshened up and thought about what to do with the rest of the day. I needed a rest because I hadn't slept well on the cot at the Hotel Hwa Du and I was nursing a case of heat rash from the previous couple of days of walking. So, I stayed at the hotel while Mom and Simone went out and explored the harbour.
That evening we went out again and explored the city at night. Like many cities in Taiwan, Magong comes alive as soon as the sun sets. We checked out some of the touristy stores that were only open at night, but Magong is a pretty small city so pretty soon we decided to head back to the hotel. We picked up munchies at 7-11 and enjoyed a quiet night in front of the TV with salad, chips, and pop.
The flight to Penghu was a quick 30-minute puddle jump. The views from the plane were amazing. The Taiwan Straights beflow were a gorgeous blue, and we could see numerous fishing vessels trolling for the day's catch. The islands of Penghu appeared to be mostly flat and verdant - heaven!
We caught a taxi from the airport to our hotel, the MF Penghu. It was around 9:00am so we had breakfast at the "Munching Kitchen" attached to the hotel. After that we walked around Magong (the main city on Penghu), checking out sites marked on the tourist map. Our favorite place was the historic alley leading from Huimin Road to the Four-Eyed Well. Next to the well was a traditional apothecary that we learned was over 100 years old. The proprietors kindly allowed us to take photos inside as they were preparing someone's "prescription". From there we walked to the City God Temple where we could see further evidence of Ghost Festival celebrations. We kept heading north, where we came across the Penghu Reclamation Hall. We would have liked to go in but it was closed. Our final stop that morning was the Bei Chen Market, a traditional "wet market" where you can buy fresh fish, meat, vegetables, fruit, and so on. Simone took quite a few photos of the foods on display.
Back at the hotel we had lunch at the Munching Kitchen. We still couldn't check into our room so we decided to look at the tour and spa packages available through the hotel. After much back-and-forth discussion with the front desk clerk we decided to hire a taxi to take us on a private tour of the connected northern islands the next day. We also booked massages at the spa.
Eventually we were able to check in to our room, which was smaller than I expected and had a somewhat outdated bathroom. Still, it was brighter and more modern than the Hotel Hwa Du. We freshened up and thought about what to do with the rest of the day. I needed a rest because I hadn't slept well on the cot at the Hotel Hwa Du and I was nursing a case of heat rash from the previous couple of days of walking. So, I stayed at the hotel while Mom and Simone went out and explored the harbour.
That evening we went out again and explored the city at night. Like many cities in Taiwan, Magong comes alive as soon as the sun sets. We checked out some of the touristy stores that were only open at night, but Magong is a pretty small city so pretty soon we decided to head back to the hotel. We picked up munchies at 7-11 and enjoyed a quiet night in front of the TV with salad, chips, and pop.
4.8.13
Day 10: Tainan
The breakfast buffet at the Hotel Hwa Du was disappointing, as we expected. There was no cereal or yoghurt, and the only fruit available was some sliced watermelon. (Mom has to have her banana-a-day.) There was a small salad bar, but the rest of the options were hot Asian foods like congee, cellophane noodles, steamed veggies, and tofu. We all grabbed two or three complimentary cookies and rice snacks from the lobby on the way up to our room afterwards as a sort of breakfast replacement.
Shortly afterwards we caught a cab to Fort Zeelandia in the Anping District. We toured the museum and learned more about how badass General Koxinga laid seige to the fort and forced the Dutch to abandon their colonial rule of Taiwan. While we were at the fort we heard what sounded like gunfire, but turned out to be fireworks being set off at the nearby Anping Matsu Temple. So, we left the fort and walked down to the temple to check it out. The fireworks were over by the time we arrived, but a band was playing in the entrance to the temple and it looked like some traditional dancers were milling around. There were a large number of people wearing team uniforms and we thought that perhaps there was some kind of competition later in the day. (We learned later that it was the start of the Ghost Festival, which starts at the beginning of the seventh month of the lunar calendar.)
We sat on some plastic chairs set up inside the entrance to the temple and absorbed the amazing chaos and peace at the temple. I say "chaos and peace" because the temple was full of people praying, leaving offerings, and catching up on the latest gossip, while at the same time there was this amazingly spiritual atmosphere that was almost soporific. We wanted to stay longer but we were getting a lot of stares from the locals plus it was so hot that we were dripping with sweat. So, after about 30 minutes we decided to head outside and see what else Anping had to offer.
We got some much-needed beverages at the 7-11 across the street and then walked to the Anping Tree House. It's not a tree house in the western sense. It's actually an old merchant warehouse that was slowly "consumed" by a banyan tree. It was eventually abandoned because the locals thought it was too creepy. It was restored in the last few years and is now a big tourist draw. The first time I visited the Anping Tree House I only had my old point-and-shoot camera and it couldn't quite capture the shadows and colors. This time I had my big DSLR with me, so I spent a fair amount of time looking for good photos.
We visited the small museum in the building adjacent to the Anping Tree House, as well as the Zhu Ying Jiu Residence which has been transformed into a calligraphy museum.
From there we wandered back into the tight confines of old Yanping Street. We tried to find a restaurant with air conditioning but every place we checked out was full. We wandered through the Cultural Market (I don't know the real name) between Yanping and Anping, near Yunhe Road. When we exited onto Anping there was a dumpling and noodle restaurant that looked tempting but there were no seats inside and I couldn't read the Chinese menu.
We continued walking up the road a piece and I spotted the entrance to a restaurant I had researched the night before. The staff at the restaurant couldn't speak any English so they indicated they were going to get someone to help us order lunch. The "someone" turned out to be the owner, a lovely middle-aged woman. She led us to a table upstairs, got us set up with drinks, and then helped us choose something appropriate from the menu. I say "appropriate" because the restaurant specialized in gigantic portions - imagine pork cutlets that are bigger than the plate they're served on. Mom and Simone decided to share a bowl of pork donburi and I ordered a chicken sandwich. Even though we were sharing, it was still too much food. But, it hit the spot.
After lunch we thought we might catch the free tourist shuttle to the Eternal Golden Castle. We got to the bus stop and discovered that we'd missed the shuttle and the next one wasn't for another hour. We had just decided to return to the hotel when a cab swung around the corner and pulled up next to the bus stop - convenient! So, off we went to the hotel.
We rested at the hotel for the remainder of the afternoon, then decided to try a local restaurant called My Steak Home for dinner. As far as I could tell from the online menu, you could pay NT$200 for all-you-can-eat salad bar, which suited us just fine. We got to the restaurant, got a table, and tried to order the salad bar but it became clear after some back and forth in Chinese that we couldn't order just the salad bar - we had to order some kind of meat and then we could get the salad bar for free. So that's what we did even though we were still stuffed from lunch.
After dinner we decided to go for a short walk up the street to digest our ginormous dinner. We met a "shop cat" at a scooter repair shop that was very friendly, but also very dirty - poor thing. The mechanic thought it was great that we liked his cat and offered to let us wash our hands inside, but from the looks of it the sink and soap would just make our hands dirtier.
Our flight left at 7:30am the next morning so we went back to the hotel, sorted out our luggage, and watched a bit of television before calling it a night.
Shortly afterwards we caught a cab to Fort Zeelandia in the Anping District. We toured the museum and learned more about how badass General Koxinga laid seige to the fort and forced the Dutch to abandon their colonial rule of Taiwan. While we were at the fort we heard what sounded like gunfire, but turned out to be fireworks being set off at the nearby Anping Matsu Temple. So, we left the fort and walked down to the temple to check it out. The fireworks were over by the time we arrived, but a band was playing in the entrance to the temple and it looked like some traditional dancers were milling around. There were a large number of people wearing team uniforms and we thought that perhaps there was some kind of competition later in the day. (We learned later that it was the start of the Ghost Festival, which starts at the beginning of the seventh month of the lunar calendar.)
We sat on some plastic chairs set up inside the entrance to the temple and absorbed the amazing chaos and peace at the temple. I say "chaos and peace" because the temple was full of people praying, leaving offerings, and catching up on the latest gossip, while at the same time there was this amazingly spiritual atmosphere that was almost soporific. We wanted to stay longer but we were getting a lot of stares from the locals plus it was so hot that we were dripping with sweat. So, after about 30 minutes we decided to head outside and see what else Anping had to offer.
We got some much-needed beverages at the 7-11 across the street and then walked to the Anping Tree House. It's not a tree house in the western sense. It's actually an old merchant warehouse that was slowly "consumed" by a banyan tree. It was eventually abandoned because the locals thought it was too creepy. It was restored in the last few years and is now a big tourist draw. The first time I visited the Anping Tree House I only had my old point-and-shoot camera and it couldn't quite capture the shadows and colors. This time I had my big DSLR with me, so I spent a fair amount of time looking for good photos.
We visited the small museum in the building adjacent to the Anping Tree House, as well as the Zhu Ying Jiu Residence which has been transformed into a calligraphy museum.
From there we wandered back into the tight confines of old Yanping Street. We tried to find a restaurant with air conditioning but every place we checked out was full. We wandered through the Cultural Market (I don't know the real name) between Yanping and Anping, near Yunhe Road. When we exited onto Anping there was a dumpling and noodle restaurant that looked tempting but there were no seats inside and I couldn't read the Chinese menu.
We continued walking up the road a piece and I spotted the entrance to a restaurant I had researched the night before. The staff at the restaurant couldn't speak any English so they indicated they were going to get someone to help us order lunch. The "someone" turned out to be the owner, a lovely middle-aged woman. She led us to a table upstairs, got us set up with drinks, and then helped us choose something appropriate from the menu. I say "appropriate" because the restaurant specialized in gigantic portions - imagine pork cutlets that are bigger than the plate they're served on. Mom and Simone decided to share a bowl of pork donburi and I ordered a chicken sandwich. Even though we were sharing, it was still too much food. But, it hit the spot.
After lunch we thought we might catch the free tourist shuttle to the Eternal Golden Castle. We got to the bus stop and discovered that we'd missed the shuttle and the next one wasn't for another hour. We had just decided to return to the hotel when a cab swung around the corner and pulled up next to the bus stop - convenient! So, off we went to the hotel.
We rested at the hotel for the remainder of the afternoon, then decided to try a local restaurant called My Steak Home for dinner. As far as I could tell from the online menu, you could pay NT$200 for all-you-can-eat salad bar, which suited us just fine. We got to the restaurant, got a table, and tried to order the salad bar but it became clear after some back and forth in Chinese that we couldn't order just the salad bar - we had to order some kind of meat and then we could get the salad bar for free. So that's what we did even though we were still stuffed from lunch.
After dinner we decided to go for a short walk up the street to digest our ginormous dinner. We met a "shop cat" at a scooter repair shop that was very friendly, but also very dirty - poor thing. The mechanic thought it was great that we liked his cat and offered to let us wash our hands inside, but from the looks of it the sink and soap would just make our hands dirtier.
Our flight left at 7:30am the next morning so we went back to the hotel, sorted out our luggage, and watched a bit of television before calling it a night.
3.8.13
Day 9: Kaohsiung and Tainan
Once again we gorged on the delicious offerings at the breakfast buffet at the Hotel Dua. Afterwards we frittered about in the room for a bit, then decided to check out and head for the train station.
Our cab dropped us in front of the Kaohsiung Main Station just before 11am. After some twirling place, I spotted the line ups for "today's tickets" and bought us three tickets for the next train to Tainan - which happened to leave in 10 minutes. We hoofed it to Platform 4b and had just stashed our luggage when the train started moving.
The train ride to Tainan was quiet and uneventful. We arrived just after 11:30am and made our way to the taxi stand. We had another interesting taxi experience - this time, the cab's truck had a gigantic plastic container in it and there seemed to be no room for our suitcases. The driver managed to pack Mom and Simone's big pieces into the trunk. When I showed him my carry-on luggage he waved at me to put it on my lap. "Okay, then," I thought. We got into the cab and he started driving away before I could tell him where we were going. I told him the name of the hotel and the address in Mandarin but something was amiss. He pulled over and I showed him the English and Chinese versions of the hotel name and address, but he still seemed confused. I asked him if he understood and he hesitated so I suggested to Mom and Simone that we should get out and catch another cab. As soon as Mom opened her door the driver suddenly knew where the hotel was and motioned for us to stay inside. We decided to give it a try and see what happened.
When we got close to the hotel I figured out the issue: the hotel name and address was written in pinyin, but Tainan uses a different Romanization system for Chinese writing. "Wenxian" Road was actually "Wunshun" Road.
It was too early to check in at the Hotel Hwa Du so we caught a cab into town and did the "Temple Tour", as I like to think of it - Fort Provintia/Chihkan Tower, Tainan Grand Matsu Temple, Beiji Temple, Tiangong Temple (just glimpses), National Museum of Taiwanese Literature (outside only), and Tainan Confucius Temple. Sadly, the most interesting parts of the Confucius Temple were being restored so we could only explore the musical instrument and sacrificial implements displays.
The heat was getting to us by then so we caught a cab back to the Hwa Du Hotel and checked in. I'd booked us the "Oriental Suite," thinking that the king-sized bed and extra space would be a real splurge. You guessed it - the "king-sized" bed was just a large double. Thankfully I had ordered a rollaway bed just in case. Well, I was thankful until I saw that it was about as wide as my body, had no mattress, and the folding/support bar was located so conveniently that no matter how I shifted, it was always jabbing me in the middle of the back.
To be fair, the room was clean and in good nick. It just had a sad quality about it. Simone summed it up perfectly when she said that she could handle staying there two days, but she would become darkly depressed if she had to stay there any longer.
After settling in we talked about options for evening activities. I hesitated to suggest the Flower Night Market because I'd had such a bad experience there the last time I was in town. I was surprised when they jumped on the suggestion. The hotel had a free shuttle to the market between 7:30pm and 9:00pm. However, I knew from past experience that the market would be jammed solid with people by 7:00pm. So, we caught a cab there just after 6:30pm. It was a good thing that we got there so early, too - we had just enough time to make a slow lap around the outer perimeter and try some food before it became impossible to move independently of the crowd.
At a certain point night markets reach a maximum capacity and you lose all choice about where you go. You move forward with the crowd, turn with the crowd, and stop with the crowd. To exit the night market you have to thrash your arms and knock your body against other people until you force an opening and throw yourself out into traffic or onto the sidewalk. In the case of the Tainan Flower Market, you get spit out into a dark parking lot where vehicles are jostling to leave the market or get one of the precious parking spaces.
We were catching our breath in the parking lot when Simone noticed some people looking at us - two young "whiteys" in dress shirts and ties, and three Taiwanese guys in regular attire. We went over to say hello and learned that the two whiteys were Mormons. They were missionaries sent by the church to spread the word of God in Taiwan. One of the young men had been in Taiwan for two years and was heading home next week. The other young man had been in Taiwan for a year and still had a year left before he would return home. The three young Taiwanese men were clearly some local Christian friends. We chatted for a good 30 minutes then said our goodbye's and headed home.
Our cab dropped us in front of the Kaohsiung Main Station just before 11am. After some twirling place, I spotted the line ups for "today's tickets" and bought us three tickets for the next train to Tainan - which happened to leave in 10 minutes. We hoofed it to Platform 4b and had just stashed our luggage when the train started moving.
The train ride to Tainan was quiet and uneventful. We arrived just after 11:30am and made our way to the taxi stand. We had another interesting taxi experience - this time, the cab's truck had a gigantic plastic container in it and there seemed to be no room for our suitcases. The driver managed to pack Mom and Simone's big pieces into the trunk. When I showed him my carry-on luggage he waved at me to put it on my lap. "Okay, then," I thought. We got into the cab and he started driving away before I could tell him where we were going. I told him the name of the hotel and the address in Mandarin but something was amiss. He pulled over and I showed him the English and Chinese versions of the hotel name and address, but he still seemed confused. I asked him if he understood and he hesitated so I suggested to Mom and Simone that we should get out and catch another cab. As soon as Mom opened her door the driver suddenly knew where the hotel was and motioned for us to stay inside. We decided to give it a try and see what happened.
When we got close to the hotel I figured out the issue: the hotel name and address was written in pinyin, but Tainan uses a different Romanization system for Chinese writing. "Wenxian" Road was actually "Wunshun" Road.
It was too early to check in at the Hotel Hwa Du so we caught a cab into town and did the "Temple Tour", as I like to think of it - Fort Provintia/Chihkan Tower, Tainan Grand Matsu Temple, Beiji Temple, Tiangong Temple (just glimpses), National Museum of Taiwanese Literature (outside only), and Tainan Confucius Temple. Sadly, the most interesting parts of the Confucius Temple were being restored so we could only explore the musical instrument and sacrificial implements displays.
The heat was getting to us by then so we caught a cab back to the Hwa Du Hotel and checked in. I'd booked us the "Oriental Suite," thinking that the king-sized bed and extra space would be a real splurge. You guessed it - the "king-sized" bed was just a large double. Thankfully I had ordered a rollaway bed just in case. Well, I was thankful until I saw that it was about as wide as my body, had no mattress, and the folding/support bar was located so conveniently that no matter how I shifted, it was always jabbing me in the middle of the back.
To be fair, the room was clean and in good nick. It just had a sad quality about it. Simone summed it up perfectly when she said that she could handle staying there two days, but she would become darkly depressed if she had to stay there any longer.
After settling in we talked about options for evening activities. I hesitated to suggest the Flower Night Market because I'd had such a bad experience there the last time I was in town. I was surprised when they jumped on the suggestion. The hotel had a free shuttle to the market between 7:30pm and 9:00pm. However, I knew from past experience that the market would be jammed solid with people by 7:00pm. So, we caught a cab there just after 6:30pm. It was a good thing that we got there so early, too - we had just enough time to make a slow lap around the outer perimeter and try some food before it became impossible to move independently of the crowd.
At a certain point night markets reach a maximum capacity and you lose all choice about where you go. You move forward with the crowd, turn with the crowd, and stop with the crowd. To exit the night market you have to thrash your arms and knock your body against other people until you force an opening and throw yourself out into traffic or onto the sidewalk. In the case of the Tainan Flower Market, you get spit out into a dark parking lot where vehicles are jostling to leave the market or get one of the precious parking spaces.
We were catching our breath in the parking lot when Simone noticed some people looking at us - two young "whiteys" in dress shirts and ties, and three Taiwanese guys in regular attire. We went over to say hello and learned that the two whiteys were Mormons. They were missionaries sent by the church to spread the word of God in Taiwan. One of the young men had been in Taiwan for two years and was heading home next week. The other young man had been in Taiwan for a year and still had a year left before he would return home. The three young Taiwanese men were clearly some local Christian friends. We chatted for a good 30 minutes then said our goodbye's and headed home.
2.8.13
Day 8: Kaohsiung
We were absolutely spoiled by the breakfast buffet at the Hotel Dua. Imagine, if you will, an entire wall of hot food options including custom-made omelettes and my favorite - real bacon. (Bacon in Taiwan is usually a processed meat product that is shaped and colored to look like bacon, but isn't really bacon.) For the Asian clientele there were three different congee mixtures as well as a long table of congee "condiments" such as pork floss, fish flakes, pickled radish, nuts, etc. There was also your traditional cereal and yoghurt station, croissant and toast station, and fruit display. What got me was the gigantic salad bar. I don't know why, but it's really hard to find fresh salad in Taipei. When I saw that salad bar my brain shut out all other food options and I piled my plate high with different types of lettuces, frisee, radicchio, cucumber, carrot, pea greens, and so on. Yes, I was in salad heaven - for breakfast. Don't judge me.
It was pouring rain by the time we finished breakfast so we discussed our options for the morning. We decided to take advantage of the hotel's free self-serve laundry facilities and do a load or two of laundry. When we got to the laundry room we discovered that many other people had made the same call. We had to wait until a washing machine was available, then we had to "ponder life's vicissitudes" until the one dryer wasn't being monopolized by some woman who was using it to dry out her shoes. (It was during this time that I walked into the very clear, very heavy glass door between the hallway and the laundry room. I hit my head so hard that I saw stars and bent my glasses. I also executed a physical comedy routine worthy of the Three Stooges that involved me bouncing off the glass door and landing on my heiney. We all blamed the wet sneaker lady for closing the door because the sound of her shoes banging around in the drum of the dryer was quite loud.)
After our laundry was "done" (still damp but hanging in our room) we caught the MRT out to Sizihwan Station. Our plan was to walk to the former British Consulate building at Takao, then meander along the waterfront in the Yangcheng area of town. We started walking to the British Consulate building when we realized that it looked pretty non-commercial. In other words, we might not be able to find a place to eat for quite a while. We decided that food was a priority and stopped at a place called Fresh Brunch because it met all of our lunching criteria: seating was indoors, it was air-conditioned, there were proper tables and chairs, there was an English menu, and there was a restroom.
After our "fresh brunch" we walked - nay, hiked! - to the British Consulate. None of the guidebooks had mentioned that to get to the British Consulate by foot, you have to walk up a narrow and very steep path along Lane 30 Anchuan Street. It was a longer and sweatier experience than we anticipated, so when we got to the consulate we were determined to make the most of it.
Fortunately or unfortunately, there was a busload of elementary school students visiting the consulate at the same time. They were loud, excited, and all over the place. After a while I realized that the consulate itself wasn't particularly interesting. The interpretive signage only had limited English and there were no displays of historical papers, maps, photos, furniture, etc. The best part of the consulate was the excitement of the kids and the photo ops of the Kaohsiung Harbour below.
We walked back down the path and over the canal bridge to the wharf area, then walked along the water toward the Love River. Along the way we passed Banana Pier (meh) and the Pier 2 Art Center (cool!). At Love Pier we walked across what was probably supposed to be a bike-only bridge to the Qianjin area. We walked toward the information center (identified by a giant snake sculpture), which happened to be right next to the dock where you can buy tickets for a 30-minute interpretive boat ride along the Love River on a solar-powered boat. We were hot and tired but decided to give it a shot because it might be our only chance to explore the river by boat. It was great fun but the "interpretive" part of the tour was lost on us because the guide only spoke Mandarin. I couldn't catch enough of the words to provide any value, so we just sat back, enjoyed the water and wind, and took photos.
After the boat ride we agreed we were completely tapped out so we caught a cab back to the hotel. We spent two or three hours relaxing and catching up on things, then wandered out to the Liuhe Tourist Night Market to sample "xiao chi" (small eats). It was Mom and Simone's first night market visit in Taiwan and it was fantastic. The vendors were super friendly and the "dachang bao xiaochang" vendor even invited Mom behind the grill to pretend like she was tending the sausages so Simone could catch an action shot of her. It was really awesome. We snacked on dachang bao xiaochang (of course) and shrimp tempura. The other options were a bit too intimidating so we went back to the Pupu Cafe for dinner. Mom and Simone had "corn" chowder with puff pastry that turned out to be seafood chowder with whole shrimp that stared at you with black eyes when you pulled it from the bowl. I had "vegetable tempura" that turned out to be some kind of mashed and formed veggie pancake that was cut into strips and deep fried. So, our goal of having safe and familiar food at the Pupu Cafe was somewhat unsuccessful.
It was pouring rain by the time we finished breakfast so we discussed our options for the morning. We decided to take advantage of the hotel's free self-serve laundry facilities and do a load or two of laundry. When we got to the laundry room we discovered that many other people had made the same call. We had to wait until a washing machine was available, then we had to "ponder life's vicissitudes" until the one dryer wasn't being monopolized by some woman who was using it to dry out her shoes. (It was during this time that I walked into the very clear, very heavy glass door between the hallway and the laundry room. I hit my head so hard that I saw stars and bent my glasses. I also executed a physical comedy routine worthy of the Three Stooges that involved me bouncing off the glass door and landing on my heiney. We all blamed the wet sneaker lady for closing the door because the sound of her shoes banging around in the drum of the dryer was quite loud.)
After our laundry was "done" (still damp but hanging in our room) we caught the MRT out to Sizihwan Station. Our plan was to walk to the former British Consulate building at Takao, then meander along the waterfront in the Yangcheng area of town. We started walking to the British Consulate building when we realized that it looked pretty non-commercial. In other words, we might not be able to find a place to eat for quite a while. We decided that food was a priority and stopped at a place called Fresh Brunch because it met all of our lunching criteria: seating was indoors, it was air-conditioned, there were proper tables and chairs, there was an English menu, and there was a restroom.
After our "fresh brunch" we walked - nay, hiked! - to the British Consulate. None of the guidebooks had mentioned that to get to the British Consulate by foot, you have to walk up a narrow and very steep path along Lane 30 Anchuan Street. It was a longer and sweatier experience than we anticipated, so when we got to the consulate we were determined to make the most of it.
Fortunately or unfortunately, there was a busload of elementary school students visiting the consulate at the same time. They were loud, excited, and all over the place. After a while I realized that the consulate itself wasn't particularly interesting. The interpretive signage only had limited English and there were no displays of historical papers, maps, photos, furniture, etc. The best part of the consulate was the excitement of the kids and the photo ops of the Kaohsiung Harbour below.
We walked back down the path and over the canal bridge to the wharf area, then walked along the water toward the Love River. Along the way we passed Banana Pier (meh) and the Pier 2 Art Center (cool!). At Love Pier we walked across what was probably supposed to be a bike-only bridge to the Qianjin area. We walked toward the information center (identified by a giant snake sculpture), which happened to be right next to the dock where you can buy tickets for a 30-minute interpretive boat ride along the Love River on a solar-powered boat. We were hot and tired but decided to give it a shot because it might be our only chance to explore the river by boat. It was great fun but the "interpretive" part of the tour was lost on us because the guide only spoke Mandarin. I couldn't catch enough of the words to provide any value, so we just sat back, enjoyed the water and wind, and took photos.
After the boat ride we agreed we were completely tapped out so we caught a cab back to the hotel. We spent two or three hours relaxing and catching up on things, then wandered out to the Liuhe Tourist Night Market to sample "xiao chi" (small eats). It was Mom and Simone's first night market visit in Taiwan and it was fantastic. The vendors were super friendly and the "dachang bao xiaochang" vendor even invited Mom behind the grill to pretend like she was tending the sausages so Simone could catch an action shot of her. It was really awesome. We snacked on dachang bao xiaochang (of course) and shrimp tempura. The other options were a bit too intimidating so we went back to the Pupu Cafe for dinner. Mom and Simone had "corn" chowder with puff pastry that turned out to be seafood chowder with whole shrimp that stared at you with black eyes when you pulled it from the bowl. I had "vegetable tempura" that turned out to be some kind of mashed and formed veggie pancake that was cut into strips and deep fried. So, our goal of having safe and familiar food at the Pupu Cafe was somewhat unsuccessful.
1.8.13
Day 7: Hualien and Kaohsiung
Our flight to Kaohsiung was scheduled for 2:30pm, so we had the morning free to enjoy a bit more time in Hualien. After breakfast Simone and I "rented" a couple of the bikes available from the hotel and rode up and down the 3 to 4km bike trail along the beach. We headed south first for about 10 minutes before turning and walking the bikes up a small switchback to the top of a hill where the county had built a viewpoint. From there we rode another 10 minutes south until we reached the end of the bike trail. Not wanting to risk riding on the road, we turned around and traced the bike trail back to the hotel. From there we rode north to Chisingtan Beach where the tour bus had dropped us off the night before. We carried on a little further until we started to feel the heat, then turned around and had a slow pedal back to the hotel.
At the hotel we found Mom in the room. She was resting up after having walked for 30 or so minutes along the bike trail and beach boardwalk. We all freshened up before doing a final pack and heading down to the lobby, where we waited for the hotel van to take us to the airport.
The flight to Kaohsiung was an hour long, but the time seemed to fly by. Before we knew it we were at Kaohsiung Airport and catching a cab to the Hotel Dua. I didn't realize that I had booked us into such a swanky hotel - it was all glass and dark wood and modern furniture. The gentleman at the front desk who checked us in offered us a free upgrade to a larger room, which we gladly accepted. We were absolutely astounded when we got to our room on the 13th floor - it was so large that it felt like a suite, and the bathroom was so luxe that when you approached the toilet the seat lifted automatically in greeting. We could not believe our circumstances.
After settling in to the room and freshening up, we were in great need of food. We'd missed lunch due to the airport transfer so we were all very hungry. We asked the gentleman at the front desk for a restaurant recommendation and he suggested we go to Master Fu's. Unfortunately, after walking in two different directions we could not find Master Fu's. We noticed a small cafe on the corner of Linsin and Liuhe called - don't laugh! - the Pupu Cafe. I asked if they had an English menu and they did - just one, mind you. We ordered a set meal that came with soup and salad and a drink. It was just what the doctor ordered.
That night, after returning to the hotel, we geeked out on the computer. We downloaded everyone's pictures to my computer and spent a good two hours going through the pictures, rotating shots, and uploading a few pictures to Facebook. It was the perfect end to a wonderful day.
31.7.13
Day 6: Hualien and Taroko Gorge
Our tour bus - or so we thought - for Taroko Gorge arrived at 7:45am, a good 15 minutes early. That was no problem because we were already waiting eagerly in the lobby. We drove down what seemed like endless back alleys in Hualien, stopping here and there to pick up passengers. Then, around the time when I thought the bus should be turning north to Taroko, it turned in to the bus depot. The driver said something in Mandarin and everyone - except us - filed off the bus. Thankfully a couple of people knew enough English to explain that we were changing to a bigger tour bus. Ah-so!
The drive to the Taroko park entrance was quiet. At the park entrance we were allowed off the bus for 20 minutes to check out the park headquarters and the interpretive center. There wasn't a lot of English signage so we were back at the bus before anyone else.
Once everyone was back on board the driver turned the bus around and we headed into the park along the only road. Our first stop was the Bulowan Recreational Area. It was basically a parking lot with an interpretive center that showed a 20-minute movie (entirely in Chinese). Simone and I looked at the map and saw a trail to Swallow's Grotto that was listed as a 15-minute one-way trip. "Sweet!" we thought. The guide at the interpretive center also confirmed it was only 15 minutes long. So, we headed off down the trail.
When I say "down," I mean we walked down a steep trail and then down even steeper stairs. We kept going down and down and down and down until we'd passed the 15 minute mark and were nowhere near the bottom of the trail. We realized we'd been misled by the English map and the guide at the interpretive center, and decided to abort. We took one final picture and then began the hike back up the "trail" to the recreational area.
I had to stop several times to catch my breath and get my heart rate down. I'm not in the greatest shape right now but I swear that it wouldn't matter how fit you were, the oppressive heat and humidity would challenge anyone climbing that trail. So, I just put my head down and climbed until we finally reached the trail entrance and the recreational area again. We got there just in time to board the bus and move on to the next stop on the tour.
That next stop happened to be a pull off on the road - just above Swallow's Grotto. So, ironically, we did make it to the grotto after all. We took lots of pictures (probably too many) but it was hard to get a good shot of the shallow pools and steep riverbed walls that formed the grotto.
After "exploring" the grotto we headed to Tianxian, where we sat down to a set lunch prepared by the staff at the Youth Activity Center Hostel. The set lunch consisted of white rice, two or three plates of (typically limp and bland) Taiwanese boiled greens, grilled chicken, sweet and sour pork, steamed white fish, soft tofu, soup, and orange watermelon. The steamed fish was surprisingly good. I have avoided eating fish in Taiwan because it's usually deep fried and of suspicious origin. Strange that I had to travel all the way to Taroko Gorge to get good fish!
After lunch we drove to the Tunnel of Nine Turns. Unfortunately you can no longer walk through the tunnel. We could only take pictures of the tunnel entrance from a recently-constructed viewing platform. From there we drove here and there stopping for pictures and short walks. Our final stop was the Eternal Springs Shrine. The weather had turned by then and it started raining. I took as many pictures as I could without getting my camera lens and camera body wet. I walked a short distance through the covered tunnel to the shrine before turning around and heading back to the bus. To be honest, I wasn't that keen on walking to the shrine and spending a minute taking pictures before having to rush back.
We thought the tour ended with that, but on the way back to Hualien the driver turned the bus into a parking lot behind a factory. It turned out to be one of those food factories that had a shop in front where staff hawked packages of this or that special Taiwanese food. We looked around but weren't that interested.
Again, we thought the tour was over but the driver stopped at a beach - Chishingtan Beach, to be specific. As we pulled up I noticed the distinct outline of our hotel just a short distance away. Mom, Simone, and I consulted and decided to walk back to the hotel from the park instead of taking the tour bus all the way into town and then catching the transfer bus back to the hotel. The walk was excellent and only took about 20 minutes. We were probably happily showering and freshening up in our room before the tour bus got back to town.
We decided to head back to the Salt Lick for dinner and caught a cab there around 6pm. It happened to be the same driver/cab that took us there the night before. The driver was a smiling older gentleman with limited English but a great enthusiasm for communication. Oh, and his spotless cab had the most pleasant lemon scent - it was so distinctive that we nicknamed it the Lemon Cab. On the way to the Salt Lick he pulled out his iPad and showed us pictures of the people he drove around Taroko Gorge that day. Seeing the pictures, we kind of kicked ourselves about taking the tour instead of hiring a driver for the day.
At the Salt Lick we ordered chicken wings, chili cheese fries, and coleslaw. The chicken wings had a fabulous smoke taste and a just-bearable hot BBQ sauce. The chili cheese fries were the star of the meal, though - everyone dug in and swooned over the crunchy fries, smokey chili and melty cheese.
Like the night before, we asked the staff to order us a cab. It arrived very quickly and we happily got in - but moments later the happiness wore off when the driver started banging his left fist on the door frame, honking at other drivers, yelling at the dispatcher over the radio, and chewing betelnut like crazy. He also had a penchant for taking his eyes off the road while he searched around for things in the cab and drifting across lanes as a result. He spit betelnut juice into a cup a couple of times, which was gross enough, but then he started to spit and didn't quite make it and ended up coughing up a huge betelnut phlegm ball. He eventually spit that into the cup which made Mom cry out "Oh God!" and make movements to open the door and leap out of the cab. The driver heard her and I was praying in the front that she wouldn't say anything else, because I didn't want him to freak out on us and potentially toss us out onto the side of the road in some strange area of town. Simone managed to calm Mom down and the driver - possibly hoping to be polite - chose to open his door, lean out, and spit onto the road from then onwards. Needless to say, it was an authentic Taiwanese experience.
The drive to the Taroko park entrance was quiet. At the park entrance we were allowed off the bus for 20 minutes to check out the park headquarters and the interpretive center. There wasn't a lot of English signage so we were back at the bus before anyone else.
Once everyone was back on board the driver turned the bus around and we headed into the park along the only road. Our first stop was the Bulowan Recreational Area. It was basically a parking lot with an interpretive center that showed a 20-minute movie (entirely in Chinese). Simone and I looked at the map and saw a trail to Swallow's Grotto that was listed as a 15-minute one-way trip. "Sweet!" we thought. The guide at the interpretive center also confirmed it was only 15 minutes long. So, we headed off down the trail.
When I say "down," I mean we walked down a steep trail and then down even steeper stairs. We kept going down and down and down and down until we'd passed the 15 minute mark and were nowhere near the bottom of the trail. We realized we'd been misled by the English map and the guide at the interpretive center, and decided to abort. We took one final picture and then began the hike back up the "trail" to the recreational area.
I had to stop several times to catch my breath and get my heart rate down. I'm not in the greatest shape right now but I swear that it wouldn't matter how fit you were, the oppressive heat and humidity would challenge anyone climbing that trail. So, I just put my head down and climbed until we finally reached the trail entrance and the recreational area again. We got there just in time to board the bus and move on to the next stop on the tour.
That next stop happened to be a pull off on the road - just above Swallow's Grotto. So, ironically, we did make it to the grotto after all. We took lots of pictures (probably too many) but it was hard to get a good shot of the shallow pools and steep riverbed walls that formed the grotto.
After "exploring" the grotto we headed to Tianxian, where we sat down to a set lunch prepared by the staff at the Youth Activity Center Hostel. The set lunch consisted of white rice, two or three plates of (typically limp and bland) Taiwanese boiled greens, grilled chicken, sweet and sour pork, steamed white fish, soft tofu, soup, and orange watermelon. The steamed fish was surprisingly good. I have avoided eating fish in Taiwan because it's usually deep fried and of suspicious origin. Strange that I had to travel all the way to Taroko Gorge to get good fish!
After lunch we drove to the Tunnel of Nine Turns. Unfortunately you can no longer walk through the tunnel. We could only take pictures of the tunnel entrance from a recently-constructed viewing platform. From there we drove here and there stopping for pictures and short walks. Our final stop was the Eternal Springs Shrine. The weather had turned by then and it started raining. I took as many pictures as I could without getting my camera lens and camera body wet. I walked a short distance through the covered tunnel to the shrine before turning around and heading back to the bus. To be honest, I wasn't that keen on walking to the shrine and spending a minute taking pictures before having to rush back.
We thought the tour ended with that, but on the way back to Hualien the driver turned the bus into a parking lot behind a factory. It turned out to be one of those food factories that had a shop in front where staff hawked packages of this or that special Taiwanese food. We looked around but weren't that interested.
Again, we thought the tour was over but the driver stopped at a beach - Chishingtan Beach, to be specific. As we pulled up I noticed the distinct outline of our hotel just a short distance away. Mom, Simone, and I consulted and decided to walk back to the hotel from the park instead of taking the tour bus all the way into town and then catching the transfer bus back to the hotel. The walk was excellent and only took about 20 minutes. We were probably happily showering and freshening up in our room before the tour bus got back to town.
We decided to head back to the Salt Lick for dinner and caught a cab there around 6pm. It happened to be the same driver/cab that took us there the night before. The driver was a smiling older gentleman with limited English but a great enthusiasm for communication. Oh, and his spotless cab had the most pleasant lemon scent - it was so distinctive that we nicknamed it the Lemon Cab. On the way to the Salt Lick he pulled out his iPad and showed us pictures of the people he drove around Taroko Gorge that day. Seeing the pictures, we kind of kicked ourselves about taking the tour instead of hiring a driver for the day.
At the Salt Lick we ordered chicken wings, chili cheese fries, and coleslaw. The chicken wings had a fabulous smoke taste and a just-bearable hot BBQ sauce. The chili cheese fries were the star of the meal, though - everyone dug in and swooned over the crunchy fries, smokey chili and melty cheese.
Like the night before, we asked the staff to order us a cab. It arrived very quickly and we happily got in - but moments later the happiness wore off when the driver started banging his left fist on the door frame, honking at other drivers, yelling at the dispatcher over the radio, and chewing betelnut like crazy. He also had a penchant for taking his eyes off the road while he searched around for things in the cab and drifting across lanes as a result. He spit betelnut juice into a cup a couple of times, which was gross enough, but then he started to spit and didn't quite make it and ended up coughing up a huge betelnut phlegm ball. He eventually spit that into the cup which made Mom cry out "Oh God!" and make movements to open the door and leap out of the cab. The driver heard her and I was praying in the front that she wouldn't say anything else, because I didn't want him to freak out on us and potentially toss us out onto the side of the road in some strange area of town. Simone managed to calm Mom down and the driver - possibly hoping to be polite - chose to open his door, lean out, and spit onto the road from then onwards. Needless to say, it was an authentic Taiwanese experience.
30.7.13
Day 5: Hualien
I met Mom and Simone at Songshan Airport around 9:45am. We checked through to Hualien and then waited at the gate for our flight. We were on TransAsia flight 11 with about 100 other passengers. The plane was mid-sized and no more than half full so there was a lot of room. We were surprised to be served drinks even though the flight was only 30 minutes - unheard of in Canada!
After arriving at Hualien Airport we collected our bags and caught a cab to the hotel. We were a little disappointed initially - the "quaint fishing town" where the hotel was located had a lot of haphazardly-constructed buildings and piles of construction rubbish. The roads also seemed to be designed by engineers who had forgotten to take their ADD medication. But, the hotel was a lovely Mediterranean oasis of white walls and blue trim and tile floors.
We were hungry so we inquired about where we could find something to eat. They recommended a Japanese restaurant attached to a small museum a short walk down the road. It was my first time ordering at a restaurant that didn't have an English menu, but thankfully the menu had pictures. I ordered us three of the set meal, which consisted of spaghetti-like noodles with fish broth and deep-fried fish and shrimp cakes. Each meal came with chilled black tea sweetened with a bit of fructose syrup.
From there we caught a cab to downtown Hualien for a walkabout. We were shocked, once again, by the haphazard building construction. It seemed like an entire city built by DIY newbies. Plus, almost all of the stores were closed because it was mid-afternoon. We seemed to be the only people wandering the streets.
As we strolled down one of the main streets we saw a strange sight - a stainless-steel "train" next to a restaurant. We had stopped to look at it more closely when a man approached us from the back of the alleyway. He turned out to be the owner of the restaurant and he explained that the "train" was a custom-made smoker. He popped the top open to show us the racks of ribs and chicken that were slow-smoking for the evening's dinner. His dog Blue came over to inspect us and we spent quite a few minutes lavishing him with puppy love. We had such a great talk with Benjamin, the owner, that we promised to return that night for dinner.
After another 30 or so minutes of wandering the "abandoned" downtown I started to feel quite sick to my stomache, like I was going to throw up. We decided to catch a cab back to the hotel. When we arrived our room was ready and we happily went up to the 4th floor to settle in and have a wash up. Mom and Simone went out for a walk while I tried to sleep and not lose my lunch.
After 6pm Mom and Simone were feeling hungry again so we caught a cab back into town to the Salt Lick, the BBQ restaurant we'd stumbled upon earlier in the day. It was packed but they managed to find us a table inside. Mom and Simone ordered the pulled pork sandwich and hush puppies. I had a small bowl of chili and some coleslaw. The food was excellent and we had a great time chatting with the owner and learning a bit more about how he found himself living in Taiwan and opening an American BBQ restaurant. It was an interesting story!
Back at the hotel we booked a tour of Taroko Gorge for the following day. It started with an 8am pick-up at the hotel so needless to say we were all in bed early!
After arriving at Hualien Airport we collected our bags and caught a cab to the hotel. We were a little disappointed initially - the "quaint fishing town" where the hotel was located had a lot of haphazardly-constructed buildings and piles of construction rubbish. The roads also seemed to be designed by engineers who had forgotten to take their ADD medication. But, the hotel was a lovely Mediterranean oasis of white walls and blue trim and tile floors.
We were hungry so we inquired about where we could find something to eat. They recommended a Japanese restaurant attached to a small museum a short walk down the road. It was my first time ordering at a restaurant that didn't have an English menu, but thankfully the menu had pictures. I ordered us three of the set meal, which consisted of spaghetti-like noodles with fish broth and deep-fried fish and shrimp cakes. Each meal came with chilled black tea sweetened with a bit of fructose syrup.
From there we caught a cab to downtown Hualien for a walkabout. We were shocked, once again, by the haphazard building construction. It seemed like an entire city built by DIY newbies. Plus, almost all of the stores were closed because it was mid-afternoon. We seemed to be the only people wandering the streets.
As we strolled down one of the main streets we saw a strange sight - a stainless-steel "train" next to a restaurant. We had stopped to look at it more closely when a man approached us from the back of the alleyway. He turned out to be the owner of the restaurant and he explained that the "train" was a custom-made smoker. He popped the top open to show us the racks of ribs and chicken that were slow-smoking for the evening's dinner. His dog Blue came over to inspect us and we spent quite a few minutes lavishing him with puppy love. We had such a great talk with Benjamin, the owner, that we promised to return that night for dinner.
After another 30 or so minutes of wandering the "abandoned" downtown I started to feel quite sick to my stomache, like I was going to throw up. We decided to catch a cab back to the hotel. When we arrived our room was ready and we happily went up to the 4th floor to settle in and have a wash up. Mom and Simone went out for a walk while I tried to sleep and not lose my lunch.
After 6pm Mom and Simone were feeling hungry again so we caught a cab back into town to the Salt Lick, the BBQ restaurant we'd stumbled upon earlier in the day. It was packed but they managed to find us a table inside. Mom and Simone ordered the pulled pork sandwich and hush puppies. I had a small bowl of chili and some coleslaw. The food was excellent and we had a great time chatting with the owner and learning a bit more about how he found himself living in Taiwan and opening an American BBQ restaurant. It was an interesting story!
Back at the hotel we booked a tour of Taroko Gorge for the following day. It started with an 8am pick-up at the hotel so needless to say we were all in bed early!
29.7.13
Day 4: Sleep coma and communication problems
I didn't mention it in earlier posts but I haven't been sleeping well. I get transient bouts of insomnia and all of the excitement about Mom and Simone's arrival totally interrupted my sleep cycle, such as it was. So, on Monday I crashed and slept most of the day. Unfortunately there was a problem with the emails I sent to Simone and they didn't arrive until much later in the day. Poor Mom and Simone were worried out of their skulls because I had basically disappeared off the face of the Internet. We didn't sync up properly until the evening. By then they had lost most of the day from waiting around for me. Bah! I hate it when technology fails.
28.7.13
Day 3: Danshui and Ximendeng
I didn't join Mom and Simone for breakfast. Instead, I met them at the hotel around 9:30am. From there we walked to the MRT and made our way north to Danshui. We arrived just as many of the vendors on the boardwalk were setting up for the day. Mom and Simone had great fun taking pictures of the different foods on offer such as quails eggs, squid on sticks, cuttlefish sausage, spiral fried potatoes on sticks, fish balls, 12" tall ice cream cones, sugarcane juice, etc.
We all enjoyed walking along the waterfront. There were quite a few locals out fishing from the shore. Personally, I wouldn't eat anything caught in the Danshui Harbour, but it was still interesting to see people working for their dinner, so to speak.
When we ran out of boardwalk we headed up a few blocks to Fort San Domingo. It was hotter than Hades by then and it was a sweaty walk up the path to the fort. Inside the fort we had fun reading the interpretive signs. We lingered in a few of the rooms, pondering what life would have been like when the fort was in active use. (Okay, to be honest, we were perched next to the air conditioning units.)
We left the fort and went to the British Consulate building. I'm sure the Taiwanese thought the displays of British wallpapers and tea sets were fascinating but it was pretty ho-hum for us, coming from a city that is mocked for being "more British than Britain."
The heat was oppressive by then and we were all getting hungry so we walked down Zhongzheng Road in search of an indoor, air-conditioned place to eat. There were plenty of street foods available for scoffing, of course, but we needed to escape the heat more than anything. We couldn't find anything suitable and eventually found ourselves back at the Danshui MRT station. As the guide/host I was feeling a bit desperate by then. I suggested we walk across the boulevard to the shopping mall to see if it had a food court. Lo and behold, it did! Mom ordered a Taiwanese chicken dish and Simone and I ordered a Korean stone pot dish with pork and noodles. Yum!
Refreshed and refueled, we walked back down Zhongzheng Street to check out sights and shops that we'd skipped over earlier. The Danshui Church was lovely - sadly, however, we couldn't go in. We were surprised to discover a small museum next door in what used to be the Mackay Hospital. It was quite fascinating to learn what an impact Mackay - a Canuck! - had on Danshui. I decided that we should bypass Gongming Street and instead head back to the MRT station. We met a young man and his mother in the station. He overheard us speaking English and struck up a conversation. It turns out that David taught himself to speak English instead of studying at school or at a buxiban. His accent was spot-on and he spoke very naturally.
All of the seats on the MRT were taken so we had to stand all the way home. It wasn't too bad, though - before we knew it we were back at Dongmen. We rested in the hotel for a couple of hours, then picked ourselves up again and headed out. This time, we were on our way to the Ximendeng neighbourhood.
For those who have not been there, Ximendeng is like Times Square in New York - tall buildings, video billboards, flashing neon signs. The main areas of Ximendeng are pedestrian-only, but since this is Taipei trucks and scooters occasionally push their way through the crowds.
Our first stop in Ximendeng was the historic Red House, a red brick building originally built by the Japanese to house administrative offices. It has been converted to an arts center, where independent artists sell their unique wares. We had a great time there and Simone bought a few things to take home as gifts for friends.
From there we crossed over the street and made our way into the thronging crowds. We covered several blocks of the main shopping area, but all we did was take pictures. The clothing in Ximendeng is definitely selected to appeal to the Taipei youth.
After an hour or so we were getting hungry so we went in search of a place to grab dinner. We went to Sam's Hong Kong Noodles, thinking that it would have a "picture" menu and we could just point at what we wanted. Sadly, the menu was entirely in Chinese and I couldn't figure out enough of the characters to order for us. We left and walked back a couple of blocks to the Coco Curry House, a Japanese curry restaurant. We had to wait a few minutes for a table but that was okay because we were able to order from an English menu and as an added bonus some of the staff spoke a bit of English. One part of the meal was quite funny - both Mom and Simone ordered a pot of green tea, but something was wrong and they couldn't deliver the tea. Our waitress tried to explain in Mandarin but that didn't work. Then, another waitress with a bit of English tried to explain. Still no luck. Finally, a senior waitress who was fairly fluent in English came over to explain that they only had one tea pot and that Mom and Simone would have to share. I swear, if they'd just brought the one pot of tea and said nothing, we wouldn't have noticed.
Full of food and tired from the day's walking, we headed back to the MRT station. On the way there we noticed an Orthodox priest handing out brochures. I couldn't walk by and not ask him what he was doing there, so I went over and struck up a conversation. It turns out he has been in Taiwan for over 8 years and is the priest of an Orthodox church near Taipei 101. Who knew? We chatted about a wide range of subjects before wishing each other good night. I'm not religious, but I'm going to have to visit the church the next time I'm in that area.
We all enjoyed walking along the waterfront. There were quite a few locals out fishing from the shore. Personally, I wouldn't eat anything caught in the Danshui Harbour, but it was still interesting to see people working for their dinner, so to speak.
When we ran out of boardwalk we headed up a few blocks to Fort San Domingo. It was hotter than Hades by then and it was a sweaty walk up the path to the fort. Inside the fort we had fun reading the interpretive signs. We lingered in a few of the rooms, pondering what life would have been like when the fort was in active use. (Okay, to be honest, we were perched next to the air conditioning units.)
We left the fort and went to the British Consulate building. I'm sure the Taiwanese thought the displays of British wallpapers and tea sets were fascinating but it was pretty ho-hum for us, coming from a city that is mocked for being "more British than Britain."
The heat was oppressive by then and we were all getting hungry so we walked down Zhongzheng Road in search of an indoor, air-conditioned place to eat. There were plenty of street foods available for scoffing, of course, but we needed to escape the heat more than anything. We couldn't find anything suitable and eventually found ourselves back at the Danshui MRT station. As the guide/host I was feeling a bit desperate by then. I suggested we walk across the boulevard to the shopping mall to see if it had a food court. Lo and behold, it did! Mom ordered a Taiwanese chicken dish and Simone and I ordered a Korean stone pot dish with pork and noodles. Yum!
Refreshed and refueled, we walked back down Zhongzheng Street to check out sights and shops that we'd skipped over earlier. The Danshui Church was lovely - sadly, however, we couldn't go in. We were surprised to discover a small museum next door in what used to be the Mackay Hospital. It was quite fascinating to learn what an impact Mackay - a Canuck! - had on Danshui. I decided that we should bypass Gongming Street and instead head back to the MRT station. We met a young man and his mother in the station. He overheard us speaking English and struck up a conversation. It turns out that David taught himself to speak English instead of studying at school or at a buxiban. His accent was spot-on and he spoke very naturally.
All of the seats on the MRT were taken so we had to stand all the way home. It wasn't too bad, though - before we knew it we were back at Dongmen. We rested in the hotel for a couple of hours, then picked ourselves up again and headed out. This time, we were on our way to the Ximendeng neighbourhood.
For those who have not been there, Ximendeng is like Times Square in New York - tall buildings, video billboards, flashing neon signs. The main areas of Ximendeng are pedestrian-only, but since this is Taipei trucks and scooters occasionally push their way through the crowds.
Our first stop in Ximendeng was the historic Red House, a red brick building originally built by the Japanese to house administrative offices. It has been converted to an arts center, where independent artists sell their unique wares. We had a great time there and Simone bought a few things to take home as gifts for friends.
From there we crossed over the street and made our way into the thronging crowds. We covered several blocks of the main shopping area, but all we did was take pictures. The clothing in Ximendeng is definitely selected to appeal to the Taipei youth.
After an hour or so we were getting hungry so we went in search of a place to grab dinner. We went to Sam's Hong Kong Noodles, thinking that it would have a "picture" menu and we could just point at what we wanted. Sadly, the menu was entirely in Chinese and I couldn't figure out enough of the characters to order for us. We left and walked back a couple of blocks to the Coco Curry House, a Japanese curry restaurant. We had to wait a few minutes for a table but that was okay because we were able to order from an English menu and as an added bonus some of the staff spoke a bit of English. One part of the meal was quite funny - both Mom and Simone ordered a pot of green tea, but something was wrong and they couldn't deliver the tea. Our waitress tried to explain in Mandarin but that didn't work. Then, another waitress with a bit of English tried to explain. Still no luck. Finally, a senior waitress who was fairly fluent in English came over to explain that they only had one tea pot and that Mom and Simone would have to share. I swear, if they'd just brought the one pot of tea and said nothing, we wouldn't have noticed.
Full of food and tired from the day's walking, we headed back to the MRT station. On the way there we noticed an Orthodox priest handing out brochures. I couldn't walk by and not ask him what he was doing there, so I went over and struck up a conversation. It turns out he has been in Taiwan for over 8 years and is the priest of an Orthodox church near Taipei 101. Who knew? We chatted about a wide range of subjects before wishing each other good night. I'm not religious, but I'm going to have to visit the church the next time I'm in that area.
27.7.13
Day 2: Jiangguo Market and Eslite
I met up with Mom and Simone for breakfast at the hotel. After stuffing ourselves with goodies from the buffet, we walked down Xinyi Road to the Jiangguo Market. We enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the plant market and thoroughly enjoyed getting "misted" a number of times! From there we entered the jade market. Less than half of the vendors were there, which was fine because the jade market is overwhelming when it's at full capacity. Simone fell in love with a bracelet made with clear yellow gemstones, but it was extremely expensive so she opted not to buy it. Later, as we walked back through the plant market a tea set caught her eye. It was also incredibly expensive - something like CAD$250. We joked about her expensive taste.
We crossed over Xinyi and went into the craft market. I explained to Mom and Simone that all of the vendors in the craft market are disabled in some way. For example, most of the painters are deaf. They have hearing "buddies" who help them communicate with customers. One vendor who sells hangings is mute, and uses evocative self-taught hand signals to "talk" to customers. Other vendors are in wheelchairs - and one "laoban" (manager) was a little person who used crutches to get around.
From the Jiangguo Market we walked to the Da'an MRT station and then to my favorite restaurant, Pho Savoy. We all had "bun" (cold rice noodles with veggies and sauce) topped with deep fried veggie spring rolls - yum! After gorging ourselves, we walked to my office because I forgot to print out the itinerary for our "Tour de Taiwan." I introduced them to Mr. Ye, the security guard that I always wave to when I arrive at work and leave for the night. I told them that he reminds me a lot of Dad, and they agreed.
Tired from walking, we caught a cab to the City Hall MRT station and I introduced them to the magic of Eslite. They were overwhelmed with all of the little shops and the vast array of products for sale. When we got to the book levels they were amazed at how many people were reading books in the aisles and at reading stations. Anywhere there was a perch, there was a person reading.
We caught a cab back to the hotel, freshened up, and then went back to Din Tai Fung for dinner. We had more xiaolongbao, shuijiao, and red bean paste baozi. We also ordered house fried rice to add a little variety to our meal. Once again the staff were amazing and we left feeling very satisfied.
It wasn't raining so we had another walk around the Yongkang Street area. This time the neighbourhood was full of people socializing, shopping, and walking off their dinner. The weather was perfect and we wanted to stay longer, but we were walked out. So, after 30 minutes or so Mom and Simone went back to the hotel and I caught a cab home.
We crossed over Xinyi and went into the craft market. I explained to Mom and Simone that all of the vendors in the craft market are disabled in some way. For example, most of the painters are deaf. They have hearing "buddies" who help them communicate with customers. One vendor who sells hangings is mute, and uses evocative self-taught hand signals to "talk" to customers. Other vendors are in wheelchairs - and one "laoban" (manager) was a little person who used crutches to get around.
From the Jiangguo Market we walked to the Da'an MRT station and then to my favorite restaurant, Pho Savoy. We all had "bun" (cold rice noodles with veggies and sauce) topped with deep fried veggie spring rolls - yum! After gorging ourselves, we walked to my office because I forgot to print out the itinerary for our "Tour de Taiwan." I introduced them to Mr. Ye, the security guard that I always wave to when I arrive at work and leave for the night. I told them that he reminds me a lot of Dad, and they agreed.
Tired from walking, we caught a cab to the City Hall MRT station and I introduced them to the magic of Eslite. They were overwhelmed with all of the little shops and the vast array of products for sale. When we got to the book levels they were amazed at how many people were reading books in the aisles and at reading stations. Anywhere there was a perch, there was a person reading.
We caught a cab back to the hotel, freshened up, and then went back to Din Tai Fung for dinner. We had more xiaolongbao, shuijiao, and red bean paste baozi. We also ordered house fried rice to add a little variety to our meal. Once again the staff were amazing and we left feeling very satisfied.
It wasn't raining so we had another walk around the Yongkang Street area. This time the neighbourhood was full of people socializing, shopping, and walking off their dinner. The weather was perfect and we wanted to stay longer, but we were walked out. So, after 30 minutes or so Mom and Simone went back to the hotel and I caught a cab home.
26.7.13
Day 1: Mom and Simone arrive!
Mom and Simone arrived safely at Taoyuan Airport with all of their luggage - and my archery equipment! They looked pretty good considering the length of the trip and the time change.
We caught the bus to Songshan Airport, then caught the MRT to Dazhi Station. From there we walked the two and a half blocks to my apartment. At 9am it was already 35C - quite the shocker for them! Once they had settled in at my place I headed to work.
I picked them up at my apartment later that day and we caught a cab to the Dandy Hotel. They checked in and after a bit of a refresher we went to Din Tai Fung for dinner. We got there around 5pm, which turned out to be perfect timing as we got a table right away. We ordered pork xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), shrimp shaomai, pork and shimp shuijiao (boiled dumplings) mushroom baozi (steamed buns), and red bean paste baozi.
Our waitress demonstrated how to mix the soy sauce and vinegar dip for the xiaolongbao, and how to eat them properly - dip the dumpling in the sauce mix, put it in a soup spoon, puncture it with a chopstick, and then pop it into your mouth.
It was pouring rain when we left the restaurant but we had a brief walk around the neighbourhood before heading back to the hotel. We sat down to watch a bit of telly, but about 20 minutes later Simone was asleep and Mom was fading fast. I said goodnight and caught a cab home.
We caught the bus to Songshan Airport, then caught the MRT to Dazhi Station. From there we walked the two and a half blocks to my apartment. At 9am it was already 35C - quite the shocker for them! Once they had settled in at my place I headed to work.
I picked them up at my apartment later that day and we caught a cab to the Dandy Hotel. They checked in and after a bit of a refresher we went to Din Tai Fung for dinner. We got there around 5pm, which turned out to be perfect timing as we got a table right away. We ordered pork xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), shrimp shaomai, pork and shimp shuijiao (boiled dumplings) mushroom baozi (steamed buns), and red bean paste baozi.
Our waitress demonstrated how to mix the soy sauce and vinegar dip for the xiaolongbao, and how to eat them properly - dip the dumpling in the sauce mix, put it in a soup spoon, puncture it with a chopstick, and then pop it into your mouth.
It was pouring rain when we left the restaurant but we had a brief walk around the neighbourhood before heading back to the hotel. We sat down to watch a bit of telly, but about 20 minutes later Simone was asleep and Mom was fading fast. I said goodnight and caught a cab home.
17.2.13
VIETNAM - Saigon, random photos
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| Alley in the morning |
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| Butcher "shop" in the alley |
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| Waiting for lunch in the alley |
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| Streetside mechanic fixing a broken scooter chain |
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| Lady selling soup outside of Notre Dame Cathedral |
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| Fresh fruit and juice vendor |
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| Patriotic alley with flags hung above every door |
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| Removing empties from a bar/restaurant |
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| Check out the wiring for this corner (and the warning sign about tampering below) |
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| From the night before: food, playing cards, and ash from burning ghost money |
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| Sidewalk chicken coop with chooks |
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| The business side of a street cart |
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| Electrical panel at Ben Thanh Market, unlocked and with doors hanging open |
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| Tourists having lunch at Ben Thanh Market |
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| Beautiful pickled fruit and veg vendor display |
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| Weasel coffee - I thought it was a bad translation until... |
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| How "weasel" coffee is made |
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| Gorgeous modern sculpture and signs at the Art Museum |
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| Compelling statue at the Art Museum |
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| Our Vespa drivers catching a quick breakfast while we tour the flower market |
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| Garbage collection at the flower market ... and this is a small pile |
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| Roses ready to be delivered |
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| Young man with fighting rooster in the flower market |
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| Inside the Taoist temple |
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| Coiled incense hung from the ceiling |
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| Our classic Vespa tour group |
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| Gorgeous classic restored Vespas |
15.2.13
VIETNAM - Saigon, Feb. 14
Last night was horrible. After dinner I got back to the hostel and hung out in my room. After a while I started smelling weed - aka pot. It was wafting up the "chimney" that runs through the center of the hostel and vents all of the steam from the kitchen and the bathrooms. It's an old school way to control moisture, but it works like a hot damn. The only problem is that the chimney acts as a noise conduit, and it also exposes you to your neighbour's drug habit.
I went downstairs to ask about it but the male clerk who works the night shift clearly didn't give a rat's ass. So, I went for a walk around the block to clear my head and give my pothead neighbours a chance to finish their puff fest. Most of the smoke had cleared - bad pun, I know - by the time I returned but by then the drunks started returning from the restaurants and bars. On previous nights they just went up to their rooms to pass out, but last night they decided to have a party downstairs in the common room. The loud talking, shouting, laughing, and general clamor was hard to block out.
When I did get to sleep, I was awoken every hour or so by the door bell ringing. The male clerk usually turns off the door bell fairly quickly and lets people in, but this night he was taking his sweet time. I found out why when I went downstairs in the morning - I guess he had participated in the revelry the night before. He was passed out on one of the couches, and someone I assume was a hostel guest was passed out on the other couch. There were empties and cigarette butts strewn everywhere.
Normally I'd just sleep in a little later, but I had arranged to go on the "Insider's Saigon" classic Vespa tour that morning and had to be ready for a driver to pick me up at 8am. So, I dragged myself out of bed, cleaned up my room, packed, and was waiting downstairs by 7:30am.
The Vespa tour was pretty amazing. You ride "pillion" - a term I'd never heard before - or as a passenger on the restored Vespa. I didn't mind that at all because, you know, CRAZY traffic!! The tour started out with a coffee stop at a local park where men gather every day to socialize, gamble, and occasionally sell songbirds. It was the first time during my trip when the "noise" was something other than traffic. After coffee we mounted our "steeds" and scooted out to a shrine erected for the first Buddhist monk to self-immolate himself in protest over unfair political and social practices. In this case, he was protesting the 1950s dictatorship in southern Vietnam. Our next stop was a Taoist shrine, then an historically significant Catholic church, and then a Chinese medicine shop that was unfortunately closed for Lunar New Year.
My favorite stop was the flower market. We scooted through the narrow roads and laneways, then got off and walked around admiring the various flower inventories and marveling at how industrious everyone seemed. Our guide explained that the market was busiest at night, but that the vendors still did a good business in the morning and afternoon. By early evening most of the vendors would sell their damaged flowers for "petals" which are typically strewn about small shrines.
We also scooted out to New Saigon, over to the Independence Palace - which was closed, again - and to Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office. I had already seen Notre Dame and the Central Post Office so I bought a drink and waited with the drivers. Plus, I was bloody dehydrated and just needed a sit. After that we returned to Cafe Zoom where we had lunch. I had a Mexican-style salad with chicken. You guessed it, the chicken was overcooked and dry. Oh, well. The rest of the salad was excellent and I ate as much as I could.
I really enjoyed going on the tour, in part because I got to hang out with a group of travelers. I've been doing everything by myself so far and this was my first - and only - experience exploring Ho Chi Minh City with other people. One member of the group, Alistair, is an Englishman traveling with his daughter and a friend. I swear, Alistair is totally my brother-in-law Bruce's doppleganger! I had to take pictures to prove it. His friend was an interesting lady. She is a reptile specialist but has taken on a job running a bear sanctuary in the mountains outside of Hanoi. Another fellow is also an Englishman but he lives and works in Australia and has gotten citizenship there. There is also a couple from Singapore who are here because her grandmother died in 2012, which prevents the family from participating in any major celebrations for the next year. I had no idea about that restriction. We had a great time chatting about Singapore and the other places we've traveled in Asia.
I had to check out of the hostel so at around 1pm I said goodbye to the group. Back at the hostel I showered again, finished my packing, and arranged for a pre-paid cab to the airport through the hostel. At the airport I walked around and around the departures level idly looking through the cheap tourist souveniers to see if there was anything I might want to buy - the answer was no. The flight back to Taipei was great, and I was very happy to be back in Taiwan. I smiled for the entire bus ride to Songshan Airport, and luckily caught the second-to-last train to Dazhi on the MRT. Home sweet home!
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| Songbirds for sale |
When I did get to sleep, I was awoken every hour or so by the door bell ringing. The male clerk usually turns off the door bell fairly quickly and lets people in, but this night he was taking his sweet time. I found out why when I went downstairs in the morning - I guess he had participated in the revelry the night before. He was passed out on one of the couches, and someone I assume was a hostel guest was passed out on the other couch. There were empties and cigarette butts strewn everywhere.
Normally I'd just sleep in a little later, but I had arranged to go on the "Insider's Saigon" classic Vespa tour that morning and had to be ready for a driver to pick me up at 8am. So, I dragged myself out of bed, cleaned up my room, packed, and was waiting downstairs by 7:30am.
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| Riding "pillion" on a classic restored Vespa |
My favorite stop was the flower market. We scooted through the narrow roads and laneways, then got off and walked around admiring the various flower inventories and marveling at how industrious everyone seemed. Our guide explained that the market was busiest at night, but that the vendors still did a good business in the morning and afternoon. By early evening most of the vendors would sell their damaged flowers for "petals" which are typically strewn about small shrines.
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| Lighting incense at a Taoist temple |
I had to check out of the hostel so at around 1pm I said goodbye to the group. Back at the hostel I showered again, finished my packing, and arranged for a pre-paid cab to the airport through the hostel. At the airport I walked around and around the departures level idly looking through the cheap tourist souveniers to see if there was anything I might want to buy - the answer was no. The flight back to Taipei was great, and I was very happy to be back in Taiwan. I smiled for the entire bus ride to Songshan Airport, and luckily caught the second-to-last train to Dazhi on the MRT. Home sweet home!
13.2.13
VIETNAM - Saigon, Feb. 13
This morning I decided to go to the War Remnants Museum. It looked a bit far on the map, so I thought it might be a good idea to catch a cab. I walked up to Pham Ngu Lao Street to flag one down. A cyclo driver approached me immediately about where I wanted to go. I thought "What the hell, why not?" so I negotiated an hour's ride for $100,000, on the condition that he drop me off outside the museum. He was clearly pissed that I wasn't paying the $300,000 he wanted so he half-heartedly drove me around a bit, not saying anything. About 30 minutes into the trip he stopped and pointed across the street and said "War Museum." So that was the end of that!
The War Remnants Museum is quite small, but it doesn't need to be very large to convey the horror of war in Vietnam from the 1950s to the 1980s. On the top floor, the gallery of photographs taken by war journalists were truly amazing. What I didn't realize is how many Asian war journalists operated in Vietnam, and how they managed to embed themselves with the Viet Cong and other resistance groups, as well as with families in villages and towns affected by the fighting. Those photographs are really stunning and though-provoking.
The biggest "complaint" about the museum is that its displays are biased. For example, one of the galleries is called "American War Atrocities." Another is called "Effects of Agent Orange" and contains a mix of photos, military equipment, and human specimens in jars. You see, Agent Orange didn't just defoliate the landscape - and that's a nice way of saying it - it poisoned the people and has caused generations of children to be born with devastating birth defects. Some of the fetuses and children that did not survive were preserved and are sitting on shelves, with no need for explanation. To say that the museum is biased is foolish. You can't have a My Lai and a Con Dao and not have a gallery called "American War Atrocities."
As I left the War Remnants Museum I looked at my map and noticed that the Independence Palace was nearby. I decided to swing by to check it out. On the way there I was followed by a coconut vendor. I ignored him for a while but then he pulled out a coconut, cut the top off, popped a straw in it, and shoved it into my hands. "I guess I'm buying a coconut," I thought. I asked the price and he said "18" - a reasonable price. I looked in my wallet and I only had a $100,000 note, so I held it up and asked if he could change that. He grabbed it and gave me a bit of a measuring look, then handed over a $20,000 note. "Hmmm, suddenly 18 has become 80?" I thought. I am savvy enough to the price of things now to know that a coconut should not cost $80,000, so I reached over to grab my $100,000 note back. He was having none of that so he grudgingly gave me a $50,000 note. I gestured at the wad of notes he was carrying and said "$10,000 more!" so he gave it to me, along with a death stare. I decided not to argue for the remaining $2,000 and just turned and walked away. By the way - disappointing a tout makes the coconut juice taste so much sweeter!
Sadly, the Independence Palace was closed for lunch so I was out of luck. The mention of lunch made me realize how hot it was and that I hadn't had anything to eat, so I decided to walk towards Ben Thanh Market and find someplace to eat. As I was walking down Nam Ky Khoi Nghia I saw a lovely building across the street that was painted canary yellow and built in a pagoda style. I crossed the street to take a closer look and discovered that it was a restaurant. It had a fantastic selection of Vietnamese dishes and the prices were reasonable so I went in. I am so glad I did!
The Quan An Ngon restaurant was a fantastic surprise. The service was excellent, from the hostesses who show you to your table, to the waiter who takes your order and the servers who bring your food and drinks. What I found fascinating is that they had cooking stations throughout the main level where you could see your food being prepared. For example, the noodle station prepared all of the dishes containing vermicelli. The crab and rice cake station just prepared these special deep fried delights. I'm sure there was a bigger main kitchen but it was really cool to see some of the traditional cooking methods on display right next to your table.
I ordered something I typically have at home - cold vermicelli noodles over cucumber, lettuce, bean sprouts and mint and topped with barbecue pork. You pour a slightly spicy fish sauce mix over it all and dig in. It was absolutely delicious and the perfect meal for a hot day.
After lunch I walked to Ben Thanh Market to see if it was open. It was! I wandered around the "tourist crap" section for a while - buying nothing, of course - before heading over to the far more interesting food section. That's when I had a bit of fun examining all of the strange goodies and ingredients. One of my favorites there is "Weasel Coffee" which is made from the coffee beans that are eaten and excreted by weasels. For reals, folks.
There is a pretty distinct "smell" in any Vietnamese store or market, it seems. I can't explain it any other way than "Asian mothballs." I'm sure there must be some kind of preservative used with most products to prevent damage from heat, damp, and critters. The musk of it permeates everything. I find it quite offensive and after a while I had to get the heck out of Ben Thanh Market to get some "fresh" air.
I looked at my map and noticed that the Art Museum was fairly close to Ben Thanh Market. I thought that admiring Vietnamese art might be a nice way to cleanse my mind of the images from the War Remnants Museum. It took a while to find the Art Museum because my mental compass failed a bit in the heat. I eventually turned up the correct street and there it was - a gorgeous colonial mansion converted to an art gallery. "Perfect!" I thought.
The museum wasn't air-conditioned, as I would expect, but the windows were all open and there were one or two fans in every room. It was cool enough that you could stay for a while. I started in the modern art area and meandered up and down the floors and through the rooms in no particular order. Some of the art intrigued me and I stayed to look at it from all angles. I found myself drawn to the modern Vietnamese bronzes and sculptures. I also quite enjoyed the pottery and carvings from the period when Vietnam was occupied by China, but that's just me and my preference for Chinese culture I think.
From the Art Museum it was a short walk back to the hostel. I tried another Indian restaurant for dinner - Baba's Kitchen. I must be on a roll, because I had another delicious meal. So far, the best food in Vietnam is Indian!
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| Tank outside of the War Remnants Museum |
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| Tiger Cages Display |
As I left the War Remnants Museum I looked at my map and noticed that the Independence Palace was nearby. I decided to swing by to check it out. On the way there I was followed by a coconut vendor. I ignored him for a while but then he pulled out a coconut, cut the top off, popped a straw in it, and shoved it into my hands. "I guess I'm buying a coconut," I thought. I asked the price and he said "18" - a reasonable price. I looked in my wallet and I only had a $100,000 note, so I held it up and asked if he could change that. He grabbed it and gave me a bit of a measuring look, then handed over a $20,000 note. "Hmmm, suddenly 18 has become 80?" I thought. I am savvy enough to the price of things now to know that a coconut should not cost $80,000, so I reached over to grab my $100,000 note back. He was having none of that so he grudgingly gave me a $50,000 note. I gestured at the wad of notes he was carrying and said "$10,000 more!" so he gave it to me, along with a death stare. I decided not to argue for the remaining $2,000 and just turned and walked away. By the way - disappointing a tout makes the coconut juice taste so much sweeter!
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| Coconut juice is sooooo good |
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| Fabulous lunch at Quan An Ngon |
I ordered something I typically have at home - cold vermicelli noodles over cucumber, lettuce, bean sprouts and mint and topped with barbecue pork. You pour a slightly spicy fish sauce mix over it all and dig in. It was absolutely delicious and the perfect meal for a hot day.
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| Tourist shopping mecca |
There is a pretty distinct "smell" in any Vietnamese store or market, it seems. I can't explain it any other way than "Asian mothballs." I'm sure there must be some kind of preservative used with most products to prevent damage from heat, damp, and critters. The musk of it permeates everything. I find it quite offensive and after a while I had to get the heck out of Ben Thanh Market to get some "fresh" air.
I looked at my map and noticed that the Art Museum was fairly close to Ben Thanh Market. I thought that admiring Vietnamese art might be a nice way to cleanse my mind of the images from the War Remnants Museum. It took a while to find the Art Museum because my mental compass failed a bit in the heat. I eventually turned up the correct street and there it was - a gorgeous colonial mansion converted to an art gallery. "Perfect!" I thought.
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| Art Museum interior courtyard |
From the Art Museum it was a short walk back to the hostel. I tried another Indian restaurant for dinner - Baba's Kitchen. I must be on a roll, because I had another delicious meal. So far, the best food in Vietnam is Indian!
12.2.13
VIETNAM - Saigon, Feb. 12
I was again woken up early by the sounds from the kitchen downstairs. I had a quick shower, checked some things online using the computers in the common area, then walked down the street to a coffee shop I'd seen the day before that looked like it might be good for breakfast. The place, called Cafe Sozo, is a Western-styled coffee shop with baked goods for sale and a small menu of hot breakfast items. I ordered coffee and toast with marmalade, then headed upstairs to the second floor as the servers suggested.
I enjoyed the atmosphere but it took forever for the servers to bring my coffee, and even longer for them to deliver my toast. The coffee was cold and the toast was mangled and unevenly toasted. The one thing they got right was they served the toast with a generous dollop of marmalade. I was pissed off to have yet another bad meal in Ho Chi Minh City, but then I read some of the literature displayed on the walls and realized that the cafe trained disadvantaged youth and that profits supported a number of non-profit groups serving the disabled. Okay, then. All is forgiven.
My big adventure for the day, I decided, was going to be to walk to the Quoc Tu Pagoda in District 10, which was a hop-skip-and-jump across District 3 from where I was in District 1. (It must be a French thing.) The walk was interesting as well as a bit dangerous and really, really hot. It took about 45 minutes to get to the pagoda, by which time it was close to noon. There were literally hundreds of people at the pagoda - not surprising given that it was Lunar New Year. As far as I could tell I was the only foreigner/tourist at the pagoda. I didn't want to intrude on people's religious affairs so I waited politely until people had finished their prayers before taking photos. No one approached me or gave me the death stare, so I assume I wasn't doing anything too offensive.
Outside, I had the luck of witnessing a drum and dance troupe perform. I have seen drum and dance troupes performing all over the city, but these young men - and they were all men - were really quite good performers. They performed for about 30 minutes, which I expect is about as much as they could handle in the noonday heat.
I started to feel woozy, perhaps because of the heat or perhaps because of the incense, so I walked a couple of blocks down the street to a hotel I had noticed on the way to the pagoda. The hotel's cafe, called the Rose Cafe, was a little "oasis" outside that was shaded by trees and umbrellas. It was filled with locals so I knew it would be a good place to stop. I was so thirsty that I ordered three drinks. I sat there drinking, sweating, and fighting dizziness for quite a while. I realized that I might be experiencing the leading edge of heatstroke, so I decided against walking home. I waited until I felt like I wasn't going to collapse and then walked across the street to what I thought would be a good location to catch a cab. Sure enough, one came by quite quickly. The driver didn't speak English but I had my travel map and was able to point to where I wanted to go. That 10-minute air conditioned trip was totally worth the $50,000.
I rested up at the hostel until late afternoon, then walked down Bui Vien to try Mumtaz Indian Restaurant. A sign outside the restaurant said it was recommended by the Lonely Planet, so I thought it might be worth a try. I certainly wasn't expecting much because of my earlier experiences.
I ordered the "thali," a mixed plate of curry, daal, rice, naan, and pickle. It came in three varieties - chicken, mutton, and vegetarian. I decided to try the chicken and the owner led me to a table with a view of the street.
Almost all restaurants on Bui Vien are open-air, which means that the front of the restaurant is open to the street. Tables that are close to the street provide some great people-watching opportunities. Well, that is if you have introvert tendencies, like me. A lot of the younger foreigners use their positions at street-side tables to preen and display their beautiful exteriors - "see and be seen" is perhaps the best way to describe it.
I was really just interested in enjoying the slight breeze and having something to occupy me while I ate my meal. Solo dining is a bit of an art, and one of those "arts" is displaying body language that lets people know you are totally cool with dining alone. Smokers have it easy in that regard, those bastards. My favorite thing to do, though, is to sit back with a drink in hand and just observe the world passing by, as if I'm enjoying a theater performance. And, thankfully, Vietnam streets are quite theatrical.
The thali, when it arrived, was huge. It could easily have fed two people. The chicken curry was good but the chicken was dry and a bit chewy. I'm not sure why, but almost all protein is overcooked here in Vietnam. Maybe it's a hygiene thing? Anyway, I enjoyed the potato curry much more. The daal was also delicious, and the rice and naan were perfect vehicles for sopping up the sauces. The pickle was mostly onion, again, so I only tried a little bit. I left the restaurant fully satisfied at finally having a good meal.
It was still early so I walked around the area again. I'd seen a very informal produce "market" set up on the sidewalk of a nearby road earlier in the day so I walked over there again to take some photos. I also went up and down some of the small alleys, just because I was curious. Most of the alleys are a mix of homes, hostels, restaurants, shops, and "living rooms." People in Ho Chi Minh City spend a lot of time just sitting out in the alleys eating and socializing.
I did a bit of shopping as well. I'm finding it incredibly hard to find nice gifts for people. There is a shit tonne of crap to choose from - pardon my French, and the pun - but nothing hand-made or unique. (I did buy something but I can't say what it is here, because it's still a secret.)
I was in one shop when I heard a loud disturbance outside. I moved to the front of the shop to snoop, and saw an older white guy sitting at a table at a cafe across the street, talking to a middle-aged Vietnamese woman. She looked pissed, but also kind of pleased. It's hard to explain. He kept repeating "He said it to me, not to you!" The woman looked away from him repeatedly, then got up and announced to the entire street "I don't know this man!" and stalked off. He got up and followed her, still bleating "He said it to me, not to you!" I figure it was a bit of a "customer" spat.
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| Quoc Tu Pagoda |
My big adventure for the day, I decided, was going to be to walk to the Quoc Tu Pagoda in District 10, which was a hop-skip-and-jump across District 3 from where I was in District 1. (It must be a French thing.) The walk was interesting as well as a bit dangerous and really, really hot. It took about 45 minutes to get to the pagoda, by which time it was close to noon. There were literally hundreds of people at the pagoda - not surprising given that it was Lunar New Year. As far as I could tell I was the only foreigner/tourist at the pagoda. I didn't want to intrude on people's religious affairs so I waited politely until people had finished their prayers before taking photos. No one approached me or gave me the death stare, so I assume I wasn't doing anything too offensive.
 |
| Sidewalk produce market |
I rested up at the hostel until late afternoon, then walked down Bui Vien to try Mumtaz Indian Restaurant. A sign outside the restaurant said it was recommended by the Lonely Planet, so I thought it might be worth a try. I certainly wasn't expecting much because of my earlier experiences.
I ordered the "thali," a mixed plate of curry, daal, rice, naan, and pickle. It came in three varieties - chicken, mutton, and vegetarian. I decided to try the chicken and the owner led me to a table with a view of the street.
Almost all restaurants on Bui Vien are open-air, which means that the front of the restaurant is open to the street. Tables that are close to the street provide some great people-watching opportunities. Well, that is if you have introvert tendencies, like me. A lot of the younger foreigners use their positions at street-side tables to preen and display their beautiful exteriors - "see and be seen" is perhaps the best way to describe it.
 |
| Sidewalk produce market |
The thali, when it arrived, was huge. It could easily have fed two people. The chicken curry was good but the chicken was dry and a bit chewy. I'm not sure why, but almost all protein is overcooked here in Vietnam. Maybe it's a hygiene thing? Anyway, I enjoyed the potato curry much more. The daal was also delicious, and the rice and naan were perfect vehicles for sopping up the sauces. The pickle was mostly onion, again, so I only tried a little bit. I left the restaurant fully satisfied at finally having a good meal.
 |
| Sidewalk produce market |
I did a bit of shopping as well. I'm finding it incredibly hard to find nice gifts for people. There is a shit tonne of crap to choose from - pardon my French, and the pun - but nothing hand-made or unique. (I did buy something but I can't say what it is here, because it's still a secret.)
I was in one shop when I heard a loud disturbance outside. I moved to the front of the shop to snoop, and saw an older white guy sitting at a table at a cafe across the street, talking to a middle-aged Vietnamese woman. She looked pissed, but also kind of pleased. It's hard to explain. He kept repeating "He said it to me, not to you!" The woman looked away from him repeatedly, then got up and announced to the entire street "I don't know this man!" and stalked off. He got up and followed her, still bleating "He said it to me, not to you!" I figure it was a bit of a "customer" spat.
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