Taiwan

Monday
Since one of the many reasons why people come to Taiwan is shopping, we went to the shopping district and wandered around the department stores. After Sunday's big shopping spree, I was no longer in the mood for shopping. I'm always in the mood for eating though and we went to a buffet for lunch. It wasn't that memorable. It was your middle of the road buffet but to Hiro's chargin, none of the desserts were very good. I saw their creme brulee... it was gelatinous! It seemed like a horror against mankind! or at least Hiro-kind.

Tuesday
This was a jam packed day as we went to the zoo to see the pandas! It also seemed to be the same time that some school kids went to visit the zoo so mischief was abound! The pandas were cute as expected and I learned that they have strong jaws to chew through the bamboo and that's the reason why they have the cute chubby cheeks!

After the zoo, we went to Taipei, which is the tallest building in the world! oh... for another 6 months... damn you Dubai and your riches without earthquakes! We also rode on the fastest elevator in the world. We have no idea how long that record will last. We went up 84 floors in 37 seconds! After that, we went to the basement for some lunch. On the menu was a corned beef/mustard/mayonnaise combination wrapped in french bread. It was every bit as good as it sounds. We also had bi bim bap(sp?), the Korean deliciousness with stone-pot fried rice says Hiro. We washed that down with some passion fruit boba/fruit cocktail combination. I loved it!

Then we went to Sun Yat sen Memorial. It was the place of my childhood. I used to play on Sun Yat-Sen's lap.... no I didn't... as a child, I bowed to his likeness as a sign of respect and then ran wild in the memorial. It also helped that my elementary school was right next door. We recounted the horrendous story of my first grade class. My teacher was horrible and believed in physical punishment. I remember being terrified in class, but apparently never told my parents. They had to find out from the other parents in the parents conference and then asked me about it later. Needless to say, the parents rebelled and the teacher was overthrown.

What's next you say? of course, more food. We went to Danshui and to its fisherman's wharf. Hiro found his very confused compatriots(read Japanese) who feared for their lives as the bus took them to a more deserted area. We drank some ginger tea and watched what was a very nice sunset before the wind descended on us. We then went to the old street and wandered around while there was delicious food. A sesame mochi struck our fancy and then it was ours! What a glorious end to the day!

Wednesday
Today, we met up with my grandmother on my mom's side and my uncle. Since he had a car, he took us to Shi-Men Dam and the surrounding areas. It was raining slightly but generally comfortable for the majority of the day. We saw where Chiang Kai-Shek was buried and we bowed to pay our respects. We then saw an entire garden full of Chiang Kai-Shek. Apparently, the Lee and Chen regimes decided that they did not want his likeness to be everywhere in Taiwan and gathered them up in a basement. With the Ma administration, he dusted them off and put them all in the garden. Hiro says that we played in their laps. No... we really didn't. Hiro is crazy.

For lunch, we had a traditional Taiwanese dish, which is made of slow cooked meat/veggies encased in a steamed rice flour goodness. We also had wonton soup and delicious tofu and duck egg. Yes, all we do is eat. Now Hiro and I will contemplate whether we should eat junk food or not... Here's to hoping that we fit into our plane seats!