Taiwan On

We landed in Taipei, Taiwan at the world’s nicest airport. It hasn’t won that title, yet, but it will soon. The only downside is the Taipei airport isn’t exactly in Taipei. It was about another hour of bus transport before we made it to the Taipei Main Station, and another hour to figure out how to get to the subway and go the two stops to get to our guesthouse. When we got there, we learned we could have easily walked directly from the Main Station. Eyeroll.

We opted for dorm beds in a mixed dorm, ensuite style, so we had our own shower and toilet in the room. Only 2 other beds were occupied. I don’t recall even seeing anyone for the first few days. The guesthouse was brand new, so the bunks were very nice and clean, the beds comfy with fluffy pillows, and crisp white sheets made me feel totally OK with leaving my own sheet packed away. Within each bed, there was a little scan-card activated locker, and ample drapes shut all the light out for a super dark slumber.

The best part about this place? The shared space in the basement housed plenty of sofas and tables and chairs, had great Internet, and a knock-off Nespresso machine. FOR FREE!!! It was one of the first proper cups of coffee we’d had since we started. Nescafe is just good enough to get your fix, but every once in a while you need the good stuff. I think I managed 4 cups a day. Will was getting up there, too, but his heartburn kicked in so he had to tone it down a notch. I kept on charging ahead…

The worst part about this place? Mosquitos were everywhere. The basement was infested. We had seen stories on the news about the mosquito problem in Taiwan, and it was pretty bad. Unfortunately, mosquitos love me. LOVE me. And when they nibble on me, I have a pretty poor reaction. The bites swell up to the size of quarters on a regular basis. Our hardcore deet repellent only kind of keeps me safe. I haven’t gotten sick (malaria, dengue), but I asked the travel nurse before we left if I may be more susceptible to getting a mosquito-transmitted illness. She said no. I don’t believe her. It’s simple probability… the more I am bitten, the higher the chances I will get sick. Or, is it like flipping a coin? No matter how many times you flip it, the probability of it landing heads up is still 50/50. I am having flash backs to junior year math class: Mr. Croat running up to the white board, excitedly, writing “Probablility!!” with two exclamation marks. It’s a bummer that’s the only part of that math class I confidently can recall…

Since we walk almost everywhere, we often stumble upon neat neighborhoods and charming streets worth wandering down. Taipei has a great nightlife, filled with plenty of night markets, street markets, street vendors, restaurants, food carts, shops… it was an adventure to simply walk around and stop when something piqued our interest. We ate our way through that first night in Taipei, exploring the vibrant city streets lazily and carefully; Taipei is FILLED with motor bikes. By far the highest concentration we've seen!

We started our eating tour of Taipei with dessert, simply because we can, enjoying the ‘world famous’ mango ice fluff. It’s very similar to what we had in Seoul; giant, sweet, SUPER cold, and delicious. Except this time, we had panna cotta on top. Mmmmmmmm...

We stumbled upon a huge line just few yards down the road. The kind of line that in China would continue growing simply because it looked like something major was going on there. The kind of line that intrigued us. We hopped right in!

The thirty minute wait was well worth it. We enjoyed amazing fried flaky dough, stuffed with a fried egg, veggies and brushed with a sweet sauce that tasted like a mix of Sweet Baby Ray’s honey barbeque and a classic tangy teriyaki. Will smothered it in spicy chili oil (I love him), and we ate as we walked.

Next up, gummy rice cake with beans and dried fruit. Since rice is bountiful, it’s used in many more ways than in the States. Beyond being used as flour for baking, I’ve found many cakes made of cooked rice. My guess is glutinous rice (the kind that makes my favorite treat, sticky rice) is cooked and mashed up, mixed with whatever else, and baked or chilled to set. Glutinous rice is an actual type of rice grain, like basmati or short grain, and has a much higher starch content, giving it its sticky consistency. I always thought sticky rice had something added to it to make it coagulate. Nope! Unless you’re eating it with mango, then the whole dish is doused in condensed milk. Be still, my heart!! I really don’t know how this cake was made, but it was a wet and ricey cake, sweetened with dried fruit and filled with beans. Beans? Yep! Just like rice, beans are abundant. All of the Asian countries we’ve been to use beans in desserts. Red beans are most popular. Most often, they’re cooked, mashed, sweetened, then used as a filling in sweet cakes and pastries. I have a new appreciation for beans!! Such a cheap and tasty filling. Will would get tired of it. I haven’t found something sugary I’ve ever tired of. The cake itself was ok. But a fun treat to try.

Two desserts and one fried wrap later, our bellies were starting to get filled up. Until we saw the dumpling stand and bought some of those to scarf up, too. I think they were pork filled. Plop some chili sauce in the bag, stab a dumpling with the skewer, dip, and enjoy!

We finally meandered our way to Mengjia Longshan Temple. It was beautiful at night, lit up by up-lighting and candles. The intense smell of incense always reminds me of sleepy midnight Masses growing up. That smokey, full bodied smell instantly relaxes me.

It was late, and we had almost made it to the subway station where we were going to take the train back to our stop. I still felt a little hungry (don’t judge, we shared everything!), and right before the train entrance, there was a steamed bun shop. I scanned through the list of buns, and picked what I thought sounded the best: peanut. I took a bite. My mind exploded. Oh. My. GOSH. It was the best thing I have eaten. Maybe ever.

If you’ve ever eaten a steamed bun, there is nothing that special about the bun itself. It really reminds me of under baked Wonder bread- sticky, light, and flavorless. It’s the filling that makes these things amazing. We’ve had pork filled and chicken filled, bean filled, custard filled… all pretty good!! But these, oh my. It was almost like super crunchy peanut butter mixed with brown sugar. And some magic. It was that good.

I told Will it was awful.

Ok well not really. I let him have a few bites, then got a little mama bear on him and protected that beautiful steamed bun with my lift (i.e. I ate it). I suggested/begged to go back there every day. But we were never in the area, and 50% of us never felt passionate enough about it. Whatever, don’t blame me when I buy a $1500 flight to Taipei just to get a peanut steamed bun and return home the next day.

Feeling perfectly satiated, I climbed into my little white-sheet-clad bunk, pulled the curtains, popped in my ear plugs, pulled down my eye mask, and enjoyed my beauty rest. I never thought I’d like sleeping in a bed away from my husband, because he’s super cuddly and I love that, but when it comes down to some of those basic human needs being compromised, like many bad sleeps in moving vehicles, there is something so incredible about having a bed to myself. Even if it’s the top bunk in a room shared with two strangers.

We had been off the grid for almost a month. Well, not really, but our entire time in China we had no access to social media, our blog, or even Google. Google?! Really, China? Raise your hand if you’ve ever used Yahoo to search for something. That’s what I thought. No one. It’s not awesome.

Not that Taipei didn’t have a ton to offer, but large cities start to feel slightly similar, missing some of that uniqueness and culture differentiators that come with cookie cutter convenience. We decided to take advantage of this cultural break, get caught up on some blogging, and get some research done for the next few weeks. Which was amazing, because there was so much free coffee!

Our guesthouse was flanked by a handful of little family owned restaurants. We were regulars at one spot that made the most incredible beef and lemongrass dumplings. They were so inexpensive, we would order a handful each, to-go, and nosh on them on our way to the subway, the insufficient bag letting grease and hot steam burn our hands. There was one day where we ate there twice. I think the family thought we were crazy.

We visited Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, a landmark commemorating Chiang Kai-shek, the former President of the Republic of China. It’s an impressive building with a royal blue roof and museum sharing the history of Taiwan. Shortly after WWII, Taiwan declared Martial Law, appointing Kai-Shek as there leader and officially terminating formal ties with China. It was incredible to see the great influence of Taiwan’s Chinese history evolve, creating a different vibe and culture that the Taiwanese are proud of. It’s not been long, but you can feel the difference and pride in the island-country’s past and democratic present.

This kiddo was NOT impressed with the beard during the changing of the guards ceremony.

We spent the remainder of the day exploring an amazing craft district that Will read about. We explored shop after shop with ribbons and lace and fabric and rhinestones and beads and thread and everything a passionate DIY-er like me dreams about!! It was sad to not purchase anything, but again, I didn’t care to carry it all over the world, and I left my glue gun at home, so I couldn’t craft anything on the spot.

The next morning, we traveled a few hours by bus to the Yehliu Geopark, where we walked among many rock formations that have been given creative names based on their shapes. Naturally, the rock is slowly deteriorating, but park operators are striving to prolong the life of the park while still allowing tourists to explore.

We made it back to the hostel relatively early and enjoyed our 73rd cup of free ‘Nespresso.’ While Will did some reading and research, I hunkered down with the computer, ignoring the blood-suckers who marked me with itchy blotches all over.

I was working on something a few years in the making, and although it has nothing to do with the trip itself, I will always recall this as one of the highlights in Taiwan. As we sat in that basement, infested with mosquitos, sipping real coffee, under the motorbike clad streets of Taiwan, I launched my website, saraschultz.co. It’s simple, not very fancy, and hopefully a nice beginning of something that can flourish into more than a hobby. So far, having the website live has helped me share my graphic style with curious potential clients, and thanks to all word-of-mouth supporters, I have had a constantly steady stream of holiday cards, save the dates, birthday invitations, wedding suites, address stamps, and custom projects. It’s been nothing short of a crazy exciting addition to this already amazing adventure. I feel so lucky to be able to design on the road, and this creative outlet keeps my heart happy and my mind exercised.

Launching a website is a big deal! A cause for celebration!! And what better way to celebrate then by splurging on movie tickets to see….

Yep, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.

Will and I both love going to the movies, and he mostly happily agreed to my selection. We snuggled into our seats, thoroughly enjoying the air conditioning a few hours of cinema magic to wrap up our first few days in Taipei.

From Taipei, with Love,

Sara + Will

#taiwan #taipei #travel #asia #seasia