Taipei (Day 16): Hello, Pigeon

March 16, 2016

This morning started much like yesterday – early in the morning except this time I went back to bed after initially waking up at 6am. Everyone got ready to leave the apartment around 10:30am. Today’s weather was a bit better than yesterday’s – it was still overcast but at least it wasn’t really raining and if it was raining it was just a fine mist.

We decided to go to the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall – ticking off another Taipei attraction off the list for our visitors. Once we arrived, Nate immediately wanted to walk around the square himself. He was much happier today than yesterday. To be fair, I wasn’t too happy yesterday at the museum either so I understand his frustrations (Tim: always good to compare the state of your mood with a 1.5 year old). We took our time and walked around and up the stairs to the CKS statue. The Frozen exhibit was still set up and will run until April – it’s unfortunate that the exhibit is there as it’s a bit of an eye sore.

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Nate checking out the National Concert Hall
Hello, pigeons! Nate liked to chase them around the square saying hello
“Hello, pigeons!” Nate liked to chase them around the square saying hello
Nate popping a squat
Nate popping a squat
Nate walking down the stairs - what a big boy!
Nate walking down the stairs – what a big boy!

After we took our pictures, we headed towards Yong Kang Street in search of lunch. This street is about a 8-10 minute walk from the CKS Memorial. As we went up the street, we decided to try beef noodles at 品山西刀削麵之家 (Taiwan Yi Pin Ramen and Sliced Noodle) that was on CNN’s list of best Taiwan beef noodles and has won a bunch of beef noodle awards (which most restaurants have as well). This beef noodle specializes in their tomato beef broth, which is unique, but I prefer the beef noodles from Lin Dong Fang. We’ll have to take them there another day.

We also stopped to get another Taiyaki snack to share and a bubble tea to go. We’re averaging one and half a bubble tea per day.

Walking down Yong Kang
Walking down Yong Kang
Inside Lu Wang Beef Noodle
Inside Yi Pin Ramen and Sliced Noodle (Tim: Aka pulled and cut noodles)
Our side dishes: seaweed, bean curd "noodles", cucumbers (30 NT each = $1.22 CAD)
Our side dishes: seaweed, bean curd “noodles”, cucumbers (30 NT each = $1.22 CAD)

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Beef noodle in their tomato beef broth (160 NT = $6.50 CAD)
Beef noodle in their tomato beef broth (160 NT = $6.50 CAD)
Regular beef noodle (140 NT = $5.60 CAD)
Regular beef noodle with thick noodles (140 NT = $5.60 CAD)
Outside the beef noodle restaurant (品山西刀削麵之家)
Outside the beef noodle restaurant (品山西刀削麵之家)
Croissant Tayakis - same as what we had yesterday except with croissant outside - yum! 45 NT = $1.80 CAD
Croissant Tayakis – same as what we had yesterday except with croissant outside – yum! 45 NT = $1.80 CAD
Ordered passion fruit tea with pearls and coconut jelly (40 NT = $1.60 CAD)
Coco Bubble Tea: Ordered passion fruit tea with pearls and coconut jelly (40 NT = $1.60 CAD)
Really busy shaved ice place - we'll try it on a warmer day
Really busy shaved ice place – we’ll try it on a warmer day

We made our way back to the apartment so Nate and Noel (think he caught something) could rest this afternoon. My sister and I headed back out to buy groceries at Jason’s (a Singaporean based grocery store). They had a good selection of local and international items. We mainly picked up groceries for Nate’s lunches and dinners.

After Nate went down for the night, my sister, Tim, and I went to a restaurant close by, called Ya Meile. It was a place we got take out from yesterday for Noel. The lady recognized us and was probably wondering why Tim was always bringing his non-Taiwanese friends (as she called us) to this place. We ordered 2 bowls of meat sauce dried noodles, pot-stickers, pan-fried dumplings, boiled dumplings, green onion pancake with egg inside, and a congee (for Noel). All this food came out to $10 CAD.

This place seems to be open 24 hours, and is always busy
This place seems to be open 24 hours, and is always busy
Pan fried dumplings and potstickers (30 NT each = $1.22 CAD)
Pan fried dumplings and potstickers (30 NT each = $1.22 CAD)
Pork dried noodles , it tasted better than it looks (40 NT = $1.60 CAD)
Pork dried noodles , it tasted better than it looks (40 NT = $1.60 CAD)

After dinner we went to 50 Lan to grab some bubble tea to bring back to the apartment. We spent the rest of the night watching Netflix and relaxing.

This is the drink we've gotten twice (35 NT = $1.40 CAD)
This is the drink we’ve gotten twice (35 NT = $1.40 CAD)

We’re planning on going to the Taipei Zoo tomorrow since the weather is supposed to be sunny – we haven’t seen sun in Taiwan for over a week!

Our steps for today was 12,200.

Taipei (Day 14): We Have Visitors!

March 14, 2016

It was another early morning as my sister, Noel, and Nate arrived in Taipei this morning at 5:30am from Vancouver. Tim and I set our alarms and waited for their arrival. They got to the apartment with Uncle Albert around 7am. They dropped off their bags and we headed straight to our favourite breakfast place – Yong He Soy Milk King! We were excited to share our love for this place with our Vancouver visitors.

Nate tasting his first sao bing with egg. He loved it and almost ate it all
Nate tasting his first sao bing with egg. He loved it and almost ate it all

After breakfast we went back to the apartment and the travellers took a nap before we headed out for the day. Since the weather today is a bit cold (around 15 degrees) and gloomy, we decided to go to Taipei 101 to check out the mall and eat at Din Tai Fung. But before we went to Taipei 101, we went to Daan Park to stop by the children’s playground for Nate to play. He seemed a bit scared about where he was so we wanted to bring him to the park to cheer him up; it worked!

At Daan Park
At Daan Park

Once we got to Taipei 101, we could see the hoards of people waiting in front of Din Tai Fung. The wait was around 50 minutes (this was at 1pm). The wait actually went quicker than we thought it would be and we only had to wait about 30 minutes. Since we told them we needed a high chair, when we got to table they had the high chair set up with a Din Tai Fung plastic dish set (how nice). The dish set was really cute and we asked if they were for sale. Our waitress said they are but they are all sold out at the moment – the set (bowl, plate, utensils, cup) is 350 NT ($14 CAD). So now we’re on the hunt for these.

With my sister and Noel here, we were able to try a variety of dishes. We were also really hungry when we ordered since we hadn’t eaten since 7am. Nate was polishing off the noodles and loving the food. It actually slipped my mind to take pictures of a few of the dishes because I was too hungry to think about it. The dish I really enjoyed that isn’t pictured is the DTF house special appetizer dish. It’s a cold dish of sliced bean curd, (organic) bean sprouts, julienned seaweed tossed in a slightly spicy sesame sauce. (This dish was 70 NT = $2.80 CAD)

Nate and the cute dish set
Nate and the cute dish set – I want one!
We ordered 30 XLBs - so delicious! Nate loved them too (200 NT / 10 XLBs = $8 CAD)
We ordered 30 XLBs – so delicious! Nate loved them too (200 NT / 10 XLBs = $8 CAD)
Spicy sesame and peanut noodles (100 NT = $4 CAD)
Spicy sesame and peanut noodles (100 NT = $4 CAD) – really good, would order it again
Pork chop noodle soup (190 NT = $7.70 CAD). Mostly for Nate - he loved the noodles
Pork chop noodle soup (190 NT = $7.70 CAD). Mostly for Nate – he loved the noodles
Hot and sour soup - medium (140 NT = $5.60 CAD)
Hot and sour soup – medium (140 NT = $5.60 CAD)

After lunch we walked around to the neighbouring malls and ended up at the 24 hour Eslite Bookstore (Xinyi location). We started on the top floor and worked our way down. Nate walked around the children’s floor and enjoyed looking around and touching everything. He even made some Taiwanese friends in the book department.

The little girl was telling Nate to not touch her book.
The little girl was telling Nate to not touch her book.

It was fun to watch Nate interact and observe other kids and their parents in the bookstore. A Dad was reading his son a book in Mandarin and Nate sat really close and kept inching closer hoping to listen. As he inched closer and closer you can tell from the look on his face that he didn’t understand anything that was being said. Pretty sure Nate knows he’s in a foreign land.

Eslite has floors of books as well as boutique shops within the bookstore – we took our time going through each floor since Nate fell asleep in his stroller.

Tim trying on an ostrich pillow - the lady said "just try it on and take a picture. Don't buy it, it's too expensive and not worth the price". She was right, it was $4000 NT ($162 CAD). She was the worst/honest sales person.
Tim trying on an ostrich pillow – the lady said “just try it on and take a picture. Don’t buy it, it’s too expensive and not worth the price”. She was right, it was around $4000 NT ($162 CAD). She was the worst/most honest sales person.
Ostrich Pillow Box
Ostrich Pillow Box
"Chick Lit" is a genre at Eslite
“Chick Lit” is a genre at Eslite

After spending an hour or so at Eslite we made our way back to the apartment area (we decided to just walk there instead of taking the MRT two stops). We stopped by a 7-Eleven for pudding (to eat later) and bubble tea from “50 Lan”. We’ve seen this bubble tea place everywhere and have been meaning to try it out (there’s one located just down the street from our Airbnb). We ordered pearl milk tea with mini pearls – the tea was good, but I think I still like the bigger pearls (or a mix of both like the Panda bubble tea in Taitung).

50 Lan - We ordered pearl milk tea with mini pearls - large size (50 NT = $2 CAD)
50 Lan – We ordered pearl milk tea with mini pearls – large size (50 NT = $2 CAD)

After we got our bubble tea, we headed to MOS Burger for dinner. We decided to have a low key/casual dinner because everyone was getting tired. My sister and Noel were doing well staying awake considering they’ve been up for over 24 hours with minimal amount of sleep on the plane. MOS Burger is a Japanese fast food restaurant with multiple branches in Taiwan. I was waiting for them to come so I could try it out. We decided to just eat in since Nate was still sound asleep. I ordered the shrimp patty burger and Tim ordered an “Australian Wagyu Beef” burger. He ordered one combo which came with a drink and a side of chicken nuggets (default option instead of just fries). My sister and Noel tried their more famous burgers – ones that use rice instead of buns. I had a bite of my sister’s sukiyaki burger and it pretty much tasted like you were eating a donburi (rice bowl) in your hands.

MOS Burger
MOS Burger
Our two burgers and chicken nuggets (75 NT = $3 CAD for my shrimp burger and 170 NT = $6.90 CAD for Tim's combo)
Our two burgers and chicken nuggets (75 NT = $3 CAD for my shrimp burger and 170 NT = $6.90 CAD for Tim’s combo)
Tim's burger - Wagyu beef with cabbage, lettuce and a thousand island type pink dressing
Tim’s burger – Wagyu beef with cabbage, lettuce and a thousand island type pink dressing
Chicken nugget dip - "Chinese Sauce" which is a sweet and sour
Chicken nugget dip – “Chinese Sauce” which is a sweet and sour

After an eventful afternoon/early evening, we headed back to the apartment. Everyone washed up and now are fast asleep. Tim and I are still awake working on our blog posts. We expect them to wake up really early like how we did during our first week here.

I hope tomorrow will be a good day after they get their much needed rest. Even though we are far from being locals, the fact that they came to visit us here, I feel like we’re responsible for getting them to like Taipei and enjoy it as much as we have. I hope the weather improves – we were blessed with such great weather our first week here but now it’s so cold.

Traveling around the city with a 20 month old is challenging and also enlightening to see how child friendly Taipei is. I noticed that it was really easy to get around with a stroller – especially in the MRT stations, which is something not to be taken for granted (ahem, NYC subways). Also, in each MRT station they have super clean bathrooms and “breastfeeding rooms” (which are also family rooms used to change diapers).

I’m really happy my sister, Noel, and Nate are here to visit us. I just hope that (even travelling with a toddler), they will be able to experience as much as we have so far during their time in Taipei.

Our steps for today are: 18,000 steps (I was surprised we walked so much with Nate – it was mostly because we walked back from Taipei 101 instead of taking the MRT).