Day 11 was our last day in Taipei as we had to get up early the next morning to catch our flights to Japan so we spent the morning packing up before heading out to Taipei for some souvenir shopping and a last view of the city.  As we packed, we turned on the television for the first time and found the historical drama soap operas that were playing completely mesmerizing.  We couldn’t understand a word, of course, but that didn’t stop us from making up the plot as we went.  I have no idea what we were watching but we ended up dubbing the 2 shows, The Saga of the Ugly Belt and Palace Drama.  We’re pretty sure we nailed it.

Before heading to the HSR station for our last ride from from Zhubei to Taipei, we headed for Starbucks for a caffeine fix.

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We started Day 10 of our trip to Taiwan leisurely listening to the sound of the ocean waves crashing on the rocks of the coastline outside our hotels.  Some of us climbed onto the hotel roof to see the sunrise and experience the day dawning.

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After our trek from Taipei to Hualien and down the coast with our no doubt terrifying scooter gang, we headed for a restaurant recommended by my host’s cousin (the awesome tour guide).

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Day 7 started out as a bit of a rest day, which we needed after our non-stop adventures since touching down in Taipei.  We headed for the high speed rail in the afternoon to catch a train south to Tainan.  After connecting from the HSR to a local train, we arrived in the city center.

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After our adventures in Lukang the previous day, we got a bit of a late start on Day 5 but we still managed to pack a lot of activities in.  First stop on our agenda was to head to Taipei for breakfast (known as “lunch” to most everyone else based on the time of day) and visit the Nanmen Market.  Our usual guide (our host’s cousin) explained to us that this market is very high-end and that politicians’ wives shop here and this is where people come for important gifts and meal components.  We only visited the first floor and wow was it packed full of Tiawanese specialties.

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After our respite at the cafe, we walked across the city to the Lukang Folk Arts Museum.  This building houses various arts and crafts from the region including traditional dress, jewelry, and furniture.

By all appearances, it was quite a grand residence back in the day. Continue reading →