Taiwan Part 2

The next day we headed out for our last day in Taiwan and it was going to be a marathon day. We left the hotel at 9am, came back at 11pm to catch a taxi for our 1am flight landing in Manila at 4am. We are getting too old for this shit. :-)

First up was Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world for a few years. It was pretty cool to see but the visibility was crap. Next up was eating at Din Tai Fung, one of the top 10 restaurants in the world AND at the original location. This didn't mean much to us, but we were told it was a must do while in Taipei. When we arrived we were given a # and the screens outside told you when it was your turn to be seated. We waited in line for 30 min and as usual we were the only white meat in the place. The place was super organized and they even gave you instructions on how to properly eat the dim sum for the best flavor and experience.

After lunch we took the MRT to an area called Danshui and walked around and checked out the shops and food stalls while sipping on bubble tea. If you haven't tried bubble tea - you gotta try it - it will change your world. Then we went to Bentiou to check out the hot springs where Bob soaked his feet for a few min. Bob decided that he wanted to buy some golf clubs before we left Taipei so we went to a mall to begin our search - none to be found. We were walking by a place giving massages with meat cleavers....yes, I said meat cleavers. Me being me I decided I HAD to do this. If not for any other reason then to totally freak out my Mom and aunts! :-) The massage was nice and creepy at the same time as you could hear the cleavers clinking each other and when they "massaged" your neck and head all I could think about was don't fart or piss her off cause she could cut my head off! Not a massage I think I need to repeat. Been there, done that.

Then it was onto Longshan Temple and the Huaxing Night Market. Once again we stopped to eat where there were lots of locals and once again there was no English spoken or on the menu. After we sat down we realized there were pots embedded in the tables and out came a plate full of veggies and meat. We weren't sure what to do so we discreetly watched the other patrons to see how they were doing it. I am sure we looked totally ridiculous because we didn't know what we were doing but the food was good. For those with inquiring minds, we basically cooked the food in a pot of broth. We weren't sure what a lot of the stuff on the plate was. If I couldn't recognize it, it wasn't going in my mouth. Bob went local style and ate it all. For all he knows, he was eating duck testicle.

Overall, Taipei is a nice place to visit for a quick weekend getaway for eating and shopping - but in our opinion the best part is the nearby national parks.