Everything was looking good when we landed in Taipei. We came in earlier than scheduled, breezed through immigration, got all five of our large pieces of luggage, and was happy to see our driver had arrived early to pick us up. Who knew we needed all that luck to get through the day.
Just to give you some context, the day of our flight we were frantically packing all of Vicky’s things for her return home to Taipei. To add to our stress levels was our flight. Neither of us could get a decent amount of sleep. Before we knew it, it was time to disembark the plane, strained backed and raw eyed. So you got to imagine our little glimmer of hope as things looked like they were turning around and that this adventure was off to a good start. Maybe, but it was going to require some work.
First off, the weather outlook. Rain was creeping in the forecast and was about to stick around like old drunk uncle Charles.
That put a dire strain on circling the country on motorcycle. This, by the way, was a step down from trying to bike around Taiwan. Going by motorcycle would have been great to visit all the small towns and see the beautiful rural areas that aren’t marred with commercial tourist spots. Not like that’s bad. It’s just something my old buddy Wanami instilled in me. Meet the people that make the cities the great places they are. And most likely, those people aren’t living, eating, or even drinking in those parts of town. Ahh, I hope this is still a possibility.
But back to today.
Our next and more important problem was jet lag. I’m only out here for a week. We need to make the best of it and keep the days of fatigue to a minimal. The best way to do it was to get out and explore the city. So it was off to eating around Longshan and shopping in Ximen and lots of lots of coffee.
I think the best thing we did was walk and keep walking. The day was surprisingly hot and that meant stopping for some fantastic shaved ice. Why can’t we get this texture down in the states? Anyways, we were constantly taking breaks and grabbing a small bite. That’s the great thing about Taipei, this was possible at about every corner of the city. And more than likely, you won’t be disappointed. Well, maybe for that Formosa Chang. Vicky finally caved in and took me there to end my stupid curiosity. Oh forget about the food looking nothing like the pictures, the food wasn’t close to tasting good. Ughhh, at least I’ll have at least ten more days of night markets to excite my taste buds.
In the meantime, it’s time to let the sandman win.