MaokongOn Friday morning, we took a gondola to Maokong, a charming mountain area on the outskirts of Taipei famous for its tea. The gondola had a glass bottom, and we took in the spectacular views of the mountains and the city below during the half hour ascent. In Maokong, we visited the Taipei Tea Promotion Center, where we learned about the processes for harvesting, drying, baking, and rolling tea leaves. Taiwan is particularly known for its oolong and bao zhong teas, which we sampled at the center. We then hiked along Pothole Trail and up to Zhinan Temple, a Buddhist site overlooking the city. Zhinan has rich red and gold colors, and is adorned with ornate, gilded statues. BeitouWe were in the mood for something more relaxing after a long morning of hiking, so we decided to go to the hot springs at Beitou, located at the opposite end of Taipei. After spending nearly an hour standing on a packed subway car, we arrived. Since it was late, many of the hot springs were closed. We found the first one we could get into, and lined up to enter. Millenium Hot Springs had some very particular rules; Robert was forced to buy an extremely tight swimsuit because they do not allow anything loose-fitting or swim trunks with pockets. While most of the men were in Speedo shorts, women wore modest one-pieces. The hot springs have several pools, with the water running from the top one down to the next. The highest pool was unbearably hot—just putting our feet in was painful. The hordes of elderly Taiwanese men who went straight into the water did not seem to mind. We spent a few minutes in the second pool, which was still quite hot, and then soaked in a very cold one. It was an interesting cultural experience—everyone else there seemed to be local and over the age of 70, but between the extremity of the temperatures and the dirtiness of the water, it was far from relaxing. Taipei 101After showering at the hot springs, we took the metro to Taipei 101, Taiwan’s World Trade Center. At 101 stories tall, Taipei 101 was the tallest building in the world when it was completed in 2004, and it is now the world’s ninth tallest. Its $80 million elevators whisk visitors from the 5th floor to the 89th floor observatory in 37 seconds. We walked around the mall on the first several floors, mostly dedicated to high end retail (Cartier, Dior, Harry Winston etc.) The architecture was beautiful, but the shopping was not exactly in our price range, so we didn’t stay long. We went to Raohe Night Market for a delicious, late night dinner. JiufenJiufen is a former gold mining town nestled in the mountains on the northern Taiwanese coast. Its quaint, lantern-lined teahouses and narrow shopping streets recall its heyday as an economic and cultural center. The stunning scenery and historical charm have brought tourists that spare Jiufen the decline of similar communities upon ore depletion and the collapse of the mining industry. It took us far longer than expected to get there because the bus service was infrequent and inadequate for the masses of people making the trip on New Year’s weekend. Unfortunately, it rained for much of our time there, but we enjoyed strolling through the bustling streets trying samples of teas and snacks from the local vendors. We ate at a quiet, traditional teahouse before returning to Taipei via bus and train. ZhongshanWe walked around the Zhongshan neighborhood, and ate at Fu Da San Dong (King of Steamed Dumplings). They were sold out of their signature steamed dumplings, so I had egg and seaweed soup, while Robert ordered freshly made noodles with mushrooms, some unidentified meat, and cucumbers. We also shared a dumpling soup in spicy beef broth. We are getting ready to go to Hualien, a mountainside scenic region on Taiwan’s east coast.
3 Comments
Marcy
12/30/2017 11:42:53 pm
Where’s the picture of Robert in his tight swimsuit? Lol.
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Alexa
1/2/2018 05:14:36 am
haha surprisingly he wasn't eager to get his picture taken there
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nancy n radin
1/4/2018 01:14:01 pm
It is surely the trip of a lifetime & one you'll never forget! Just enjoy & send more photos. At least you're not snowed in..
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