I know, I know. I am behind in posting. Mostly this is a good thing, since it means I’ve been busy with freelance work. But we can also blame the PEOTUS, since his victory sent me in a dark downward spiral of never wanting to get out of bed again, much less crow about all of my amazing travel. Don’t give in to your urge to move to Canada or Costa Rica, it feels pretty crummy to be an expat right now. The distance makes the situation feel even more surreal and helpless, and we’re hounded by well-meaning people constantly asking us about the election. (I’ve been practicing a devastatingly regal British accent to use in public, thanks to binge watching The Crown.) The only travel I feel like writing about is our collective trip in a handbasket.
I’ve been trying to comfort myself with the fact that after the nuclear winter of a Trump presidency, we will need people with a knowledge of the wider world to rebuild. In Mark Twain’s infinite wisdom: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.” So although I can literally see Indonesia from my house and may not be let in back over the wall, I’m more passionate than ever about living abroad.
The other delay in this post? Every time I start to write about our trip to Taiwan, I get hungry. I should have known what were in for, given that everyone who shared recommendations with us simply sent detailed lists of foods to try. “Must eat an oyster pancake- weirdly gelatinous. Taiwanese people LOVE gelatinous things!” “Try rou yuan (also called ba wan), which is basically a meatball wrapped in a translucent rice flour/sweet potato flour wrapping and then deep fried, then covered in a sweet and savory sauce and sprinkled with cilantro.” After four very happy days in Taipei in early October, I can confirm that it is one of the most delicious–and surprisingly picturesque– cities I’ve ever visited.
Andrew needed to be in Taipei for almost a week for work, spanning a weekend, so it was ideal timing for me to join for a few days. Despite the fact that it’s a five hour flight from Singapore, I found a dirt-cheap Friday night fare on Tiger Air. After arriving, I realized that it was my first time traveling to a foreign country by myself. I felt proud, though joining your husband for a business trip at the Westin Taipei isn’t exactly solo hitchhiking through South America. The high-rise Westin is on the far edge of the business district, and what the immediate neighborhood lacks in charm, it makes up for with its big subway hub. I did love the cityscape view outside our hotel window, which I photographed about a hundred times.
Cushy digs aside, Taipei was not without its challenges, as I quickly discovered the next morning. We confidently asked the hotel staff to point us to a “local” place for breakfast. We could handle it! We could not handle it. It’s not easy to order from a menu of characters. Luckily, there are food and fruit carts on the street, where pointing works for everyone. While many of the maps and signs in Taipei have English translations on them, which makes getting around relatively easy, the language barrier was tricky in shops, restaurants, and with taxi drivers.
Saturday was a clear and sunny day, so we decided to start off with the famously scenic Elephant Mountain hike. One of the striking things about Taipei is that the subway literally brings you into the surrounding mountains. There’s even a national park within city limits. At the trail head, we noticed groups of fully-equipped hikers with ski poles and daypacks–never a reassuring sight when you are wearing shoes from Muji. Though the hike was short and paved, it was also sharply vertical. And it was really humid out. Though I think we each sweat through our clothes in the first five minutes, the views did not disappoint.
After buying lots of water from a vendor with some prime real estate at the end of the trail, we walked over to the Simple Market, an indoor-outdoor craft and design market held in old army barracks. It reminded me of a small Brooklyn Flea. To continue with that theme, we had lunch at a fun cafe called Good Cho’s in the barracks where we sampled their speciality: respectably chewy bagels. I think we’re gonna like it here!
We then walked to my new favorite store in the world, Eslite. While there are multiple locations of the bookstore about Taipei, we went to the Eslite Spectrum Mall, which is filled with design kiosks and independent fashion labels, crowned with a mega-Eslite. It’s basically like the MoMA Design Store meets an awesome independent bookstore meets Trader Joe’s snack section. It’s not cheap, but the people-watching scene is great and the selection of art books and magazines is heavenly.
Saturday night dinner was one of the more memorable meals we’ve had abroad. Behind its crazy name, Addiction Aquatic Development is really just a revamped traditional Asian fish market with sections for live seafood, a grocery, homegoods, and a group of half a dozen restaurants and bars. After walking around, we settled on the traditional Japanese sushi bar–standing room only–and stuffed ourselves on big boards of super fresh sashimi. (It’s hard to believe that when we first started dating, Andrew was that guy ordering chicken teriyaki with a fork in a Japanese restaurant.) The improbable highlight was the delicious miso soup, which came with a whole flaky white fish floating inside.
On a long walk back to the hotel, we enjoyed the lively street scene, a very welcome change from quiet and orderly Singapore. On a whim, we decided to have a nightcap at the hotel and were directed up to a nondescript mid-level floor. A few turns led us to what I can only describe as a secret Lynchian nightclub, all velvet curtains and cigar smoke complete with a crooning jazz singer and three-piece band. This place is full of surprises.
Sunday was a true marathon day of sight-seeing. Andrew had to get some work done in the morning, so I set out by myself to the lovely Longshan Temple for a meditative moment, followed by a walk through the fun and trashy Ximenimen neighborhood which is sort of like Times Square. In the afternoon, Andrew joined me for a half-hearted attempt to get into the original Din Tai Fung (2 hour wait), before we bailed and found an equally delicious dim sum spot nearby. After feasting on dumplings and braised beef noodle soup, we strolled around Yongkang Street, a cute area that reminded me of Greenwich Village.
We hopped back on the subway to the end of another line, where we resurfaced in the town of Beitou, famous for hot springs. What happened next required a bit of explanation: that morning, we’d asked the hotel concierge to recommend a co-ed hot spring spa in Beitou that we could enjoy together. (Many of hot spring spas are restricted to one gender, and people bathe in the nude.) She found a co-ed place for us and made a reservation. Upon arrival, it was clear that this was not a spa that catered to anyone other than locals. After some confusing back and forth with the receptionist, we realized she was asking to see our bathing suits. Assuming she just wanted to make sure we had bathing suits and understood this was a co-ed spa, we both pulled them out. My one-piece passed the test, but Andrew’s trunks were rejected. Speedos only! And good news, they sold them right there at reception!
I wish I could have taken some pictures of Andrew’s new look, but I did not feel comfortable pulling out my camera at the spa. When we walked into the pool area–which was lovely and on the roof of the building, facing the mountains– you could basically hear a record scratch as a dozen Taiwanese families swivelled around to stare at us. Initial awkwardness aside, the hot pools were very relaxing and it was an incredible way to watch the sunset. Until we realized that they did not provide towels, and had to use paper towels in the bathroom to dry off…
No trip to Taipei is complete without a visit to a night market, which is sort of like if a gigantic street fair happened every single night in certain neighborhoods. (This might be a New Yorker’s worst nightmare.) On the way back into the city, we stopped at one of the largest, in Shilin. I honestly was not prepared for the immense scale of the market, which encompassed block after block of vendors, hawkers, performers, games… it was pure Jersey-shore-boardwalk insanity. I went in determined to try the infamous stinky tofu, but just I couldn’t do it. Stinky is an understatement, is all I’ll say. I settled for a fresh-wrapped spring roll and later, a giant kabob of fresh pineapple.
Andrew went back to work on Monday and I spent the day exploring by myself, now feeling confident on the subway system. There’s a lot to love about the Taipei subway, including cute characters that remind you of etiquette, orderly queues of commuters, and courtesy umbrellas. I was also delighted by that fact that some stations play classical music on the platform when a train is about to arrive. How civilized!
My first stop was the National Palace Museum, a bucket-list stop for any museum lover. The museum was originally founded in Beijing in the 1920s to house art and artifacts from the Chinese emperors. However, the most prized items from the collection were evacuated to Taiwan during the Japanese invasion of China in the 1930s and 40s, and Taipei controversially (re)opened the National Palace Museum in 1965. Therefore, the greatest Chinese artifacts in the world are in these galleries, which can only mean one thing: gigantic Chinese tour groups. Numerous art friends had warned me about the crowds and told me to go early, but by 10 AM, the lobby was already like MoMA the day after Christmas. (I actually think it would have been better later in the afternoon, since it seemed like all the tour groups came in early.) The galleries with the most famous pieces were barely any better. Ribs sore from elbows, I finally wandered off into some of the quieter galleries. So yes, the crowds are punishing and the entire dim place needs a serious facelift. But I did see some incredible art, from a room-sized screen made of solid jade to a series of impossibly detailed carved peach and olive pits.
On my way back to downtown, I stopped for a late lunch at a vegetarian Chinese restaurant, mostly because they had the word “vegetarian” in the window, which led me to believe they might have an English language menu (they did!). For about $2, I had a set meal of wonton noodle soup with greens, orange slices, and tea. Maybe it was because I had just survived the thunderdome, but this simple meal was one of the best I’ve ever had.
I worked from the hotel room in the afternoon, but ran out to make it to Ten Shang’s Tea Company before closing. This neighborhood tea house sells tea, runs tastings, and is a local hangout for tea drinkers of all ages. I had a cup of tea while the owner’s daughter, who speaks excellent English, led me through a tasting and the purchase of some holiday gifts. I had originally wanted to take the Taipei gondola up into the tea plantations, but the gondola was sadly under repair during our visit. Next time!
Seriously though, I already have big plans for our next trip to Taiwan. I want to ride the gondola and visit more night markets, and maybe work up the nerve to try stinky tofu. I also want to go hiking outside the city with real hiking boots, and visit more hot springs with my own towel in tow. The scenery in Taiwan is beautiful and they drive on the correct side of the street, so it could even be a classic road trip–after all, we know the snacks would be great. Who needs America, after all?
one degree north 
Im loving this blog. Move some furniture to another room, Uncle Pete and Aunt Alexis are coming over!!
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