This is my last day in Taiwan, as my flight departs at 6:50pm.
I woke Brad at 9am to start our day. We had breakfast at the same place we did when we were first in Taipei – Dante Coffee. We both had our usual.
After breakfast we checked out of our room and stored our luggage in the lobby of the hotel. We decided we would go to a mountain that overlooks the city and has all kinds of neat sounding statues on it's top. We took the metro there , but once out of the car, we discovered it was raining and the clouds over the mountain were quite dark.
We had left our umbrellas with our luggage and I was wearing my flip-flops that are very slippery on wet surfaces. So, we came up with a Plan B. We looked through the guide book and found the Martyr's Shrine – it was in the direction where the sun was still shinning. We took the metro a few stops back towards the city and got off to walk. We came upon The Grand Hotel – Wow!!
It was massive and quite ornate. To get a sense of the size of the hotel, look at the tour bus in front of the building. We kept walking and eventually came upon the Shrine. The Martyr's Shrine can best be described as very similar to our Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
It is a very solemn place, and it is guarded by an elite group of military guards. Each hour, there is a formal changing of the guards ceremony. The precision of their steps, the movement of their arms and guns, the marching in unison, was all quite something to watch. It was a great way to end the sightseeing portion of the journey.
We had left our umbrellas with our luggage and I was wearing my flip-flops that are very slippery on wet surfaces. So, we came up with a Plan B. We looked through the guide book and found the Martyr's Shrine – it was in the direction where the sun was still shinning. We took the metro a few stops back towards the city and got off to walk. We came upon The Grand Hotel – Wow!!
It was massive and quite ornate. To get a sense of the size of the hotel, look at the tour bus in front of the building. We kept walking and eventually came upon the Shrine. The Martyr's Shrine can best be described as very similar to our Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
It is a very solemn place, and it is guarded by an elite group of military guards. Each hour, there is a formal changing of the guards ceremony. The precision of their steps, the movement of their arms and guns, the marching in unison, was all quite something to watch. It was a great way to end the sightseeing portion of the journey.
Afterward, we took a taxi back into the city. It was raining, and we still had a few hours to kill before I was to leave for the airport. It was lunch time so the timing was perfect. My official last meal in Taiwan would be roasted pork, chicken and duck over rice served with ma-po tofu served with some cabbage and pickled veggies:
We decided to go into the enclosed malls and just look around. Brad saw a Muji Store and got all excited. Seems it's a popular Japanese store that sells a little of everything. We went in and bought some essential oils for the steam room and a writing set for Leslie.
We decided to go into the enclosed malls and just look around. Brad saw a Muji Store and got all excited. Seems it's a popular Japanese store that sells a little of everything. We went in and bought some essential oils for the steam room and a writing set for Leslie.
Then we found a small electronics shop – I picked up a dual – USB charger for $11. We walked and walked and eventually found a place to sit down. It was now around 2:30 and I decided it was time to make our way to the hotel, grab our gear and head back to the station area.
Brad was going to the metro to move to a different part of the city and I was going to the bus station to take an express bus to the airport. The steps going down and then up for me to get to the bus station were wet with rain and my shoes would slip. We switched gear, Brad dealt with my suitcase, while I put on his backpack. Bought my bus ticket - $125 - $US4 – said our goodbyes and I got on the bus.
Brad was going to the metro to move to a different part of the city and I was going to the bus station to take an express bus to the airport. The steps going down and then up for me to get to the bus station were wet with rain and my shoes would slip. We switched gear, Brad dealt with my suitcase, while I put on his backpack. Bought my bus ticket - $125 - $US4 – said our goodbyes and I got on the bus.
Got to the airport in 1 hour 25 minutes due to traffic, checked in, went through security and then proceed to shop in duty free. Was planning on picking up some inexpensive booze, but all they sold was Scotch Whiskey. Instead I got Zak some oolong tea and bought some pineapple cakes for us all to consume.
It's a bit difficult to summarize a trip like this. Brad and I traveled a loop around the entire country in a period of 10 days. We covered many different areas and saw an incredible amount of sights. This is a stunningly beautiful place, with mountains that reach to the clouds along with beautiful ocean views. The people are extremely pleasant and friendly, always willing to lend a hand. Taipei is very metropolitan, almost like NYC. We had a blast moving about the southern area on our motor scooters, even if it was pouring rain. Brad's ability to communicate in Chinese is absolutely amazing to me. It's been odd feeling like an illiterate person for 10 days, not understanding the spoken word or the written signs. I feel extremely fortunate that Brad invited me to join him on this adventure.
This was not a trip that could have been done with a tour group. We saw and did things that the tour groups did not. We traveled by bus, by rail, by scooter and by foot. The food choices and Night Markets really sets this place aside as something special, especially for a foodie like me. While I was brave enough to try many new things to eat, there were many things that I didn't have the courage to try. While it may have sounded like we were constantly eating and eating a lot of food, that wasn't really the case. Our breakfasts were generally on the small side, our lunches a bit larger and our dinners were usually lots of small plates that we either shared or just tasted and then tossed away. We made a point of trying to stay as hydrated as possible, constantly drinking either water or fruit drinks. Okay, we did booze it up a bit, but that was more out of boredom due to the rain keeping us from other activities. We toured, we shopped, we ate and we rested. We even got along with each other. I guess I'll end here by saying Taiwan is truly a special country and I'm one of the luckiest guys on earth to have a son who took me on the adventure of a lifetime.
This was not a trip that could have been done with a tour group. We saw and did things that the tour groups did not. We traveled by bus, by rail, by scooter and by foot. The food choices and Night Markets really sets this place aside as something special, especially for a foodie like me. While I was brave enough to try many new things to eat, there were many things that I didn't have the courage to try. While it may have sounded like we were constantly eating and eating a lot of food, that wasn't really the case. Our breakfasts were generally on the small side, our lunches a bit larger and our dinners were usually lots of small plates that we either shared or just tasted and then tossed away. We made a point of trying to stay as hydrated as possible, constantly drinking either water or fruit drinks. Okay, we did booze it up a bit, but that was more out of boredom due to the rain keeping us from other activities. We toured, we shopped, we ate and we rested. We even got along with each other. I guess I'll end here by saying Taiwan is truly a special country and I'm one of the luckiest guys on earth to have a son who took me on the adventure of a lifetime.
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