On Thursday we went into Taipei and did the tourist thing. We went up to the top of Taipei 101, which is one of the tallest building in the world. The view from the top is superb. But quite honestly, I was annoyed by the over-commercialisation of it all. It was just too much over the top. This is quite at odds with most things Taiwanese, so I put it down to the large numbers of mainland tourists comprising the vast majority of visitors. Despite this, Taipei 101 is another must see!! I got over the commercialism and embraced it by buying souveniers. Kenny bought some of the cables they use in the elevators. Apparently, while Taipei 101 is no longer the tallest buildiing, the elevators remain the world's fastest.
Here are some photos.
We lunched at Din Tai Fung in the Taipei 101 mall - an iconic Taiwanese dumpling restaurant. Such beautiful food!! I love Taiwanse food, especially the dumplngs. If you ever find yourelf in Taipei you absolutely have to go to a Din Tai Fung restaurant. I guarantee you will never regret the experience. There are a couple of Din Tai Fung restaurants in Sydney now. So you don't have to even travel to Taiwan. Kenny had Beef noodle soup which is probaly one of taiwan's national dishes and reported that it was delicious. I had vegetarian dumpliings and prawn dumplings followed by steamed layered cake.
Kenny wanted to buy a new lens for his camera so after a bit of research we found what amounted to camera street. We found a shop that sold what he was after and he purchased the lens at a price much lower than what could be gained home. We caught the MRT back to Taipei main sation whre we had coffee. Then it was back to Xihzi where I cooked dinner for everyone.
On Friday I attended a seminar at the Council of Labor Affairs. That took up the entire morning. Kenny wandered around Taipei and found a great electronics market area. I met up with Kenny around 2 pm and he stll hadn't had lunch, so we found a cafe so he could eat. After Lin-Hui finished work we went to Taipei City Hall for more shopping, dinner and to a coffee shop.
Saturday morning we went to Costco!! I wanted some supplies to make breakfast but everything was in bulk. So it was the Wellcome supermarket where I bought what I wanted. We travelled into Taipei after lunch and I bought a great carry on bag at a department store.
The next morning (Sunday) I cooked blueberry pancakes with a yoghurt and honey topping. Janet and Jennifer loved it so mission accomplished. This was my last day in Taiwan so we stayed at the apartment. Kenny and I put our bikes into their cases and packed up our stuff. Actually, I discarded most of my bike. I got rid of the wheels, handle bars and pedals plus all the cabling. All I kept was basically the frame, forks and the group set. For the rest of the day we just lazed around talking. It might be 10 or 12 months before I see Lin-Hui again.
The next morning (Monday) was departure day. It only seemed like I had arrived a few days ago. I said goodbye to Janet and Jennifer earlier in the morning and before long our taxi van arrived to take us and our bikes to Taoyuan Airport. It was very sad to say goodbye to my friend. It was a very quiet journey to the airport. I was wondering when I might return and when I would see Lin-hui and the girls again. Sitting in the Cathay Pacific lounge I pondered over a truly remarkable trip to Taiwan. By a combination of bicycle and train I had completed a circumnavigation of Taiwan. I had met some wonderful people, shared some remarkable experiences with new friends and witnessed such beautiful scenery. It all didn't go to plan and I sure regret not completing all of the ride I had planned. But, hey, that's a good reason to return.
How I love this island of Taiwan!! The Portuguese were right - it is Formosa the beautiful island.
Arriving in Hong Kong we checked into the Hotel Nina in Tsuen Wan and had dinner at a local Dim Sum restaurant. Tomorrow some sightseeing. The Peak awaits.
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