8月8日--8月10日
Taipei, Days 3, 4, and 5:
Long time no post.
I'm gonna try and make these a little more concise b/c I wanna actually go explore these places instead of just blogging about it the whole time.
On Friday the 8th, I didn't do much in the day, but I managed to meet up with my friend (the one interning in Taipei) for dinner. He brought one of his Taiwanese friends with him, and we went to go get a Taiwanese spin on Japanese donburi at a place in Taipei called Donmono.
Taipei, Days 3, 4, and 5:
Long time no post.
I'm gonna try and make these a little more concise b/c I wanna actually go explore these places instead of just blogging about it the whole time.
On Friday the 8th, I didn't do much in the day, but I managed to meet up with my friend (the one interning in Taipei) for dinner. He brought one of his Taiwanese friends with him, and we went to go get a Taiwanese spin on Japanese donburi at a place in Taipei called Donmono.
For 135 NT$ (about $4.50 USD), I got 麻婆豬排, a fried pork cutlet (japanese tonkatsu) with spicy mapo sauce and rice, miso soup, tea, another beverage and a side (not pictured--i got marinated tofu). It was really filling and a good option that isn't even typically considered cheap for Taiwanese food.
The three of us full, we then spent the next two hours trying to track down this one pineapple cake shop my friend had read about. When we got there they had just closed, so we found another one and I was too tired/sweaty to even try to order some pineapple cake in Mandarin so I didn't. We then parted ways with his friend on the MRT, went back to his place, and watched The Amazing Spiderman until we both fell asleep.
I woke up the next morning, accepted my fate in what appeared to be a walk of shame, and took the MRT back to my friend's apartment in Yonghe. It was Saturday morning.
From not getting enough sleep the night before, I didn't really do much again during the day on Saturday (noticing a trend here?). I decided that evening that I would go visit Shilin Night Market (士林夜市), one of the most popular (if not the most popular) night market in Taipei for tourists and locals alike.
The first thing I bought was some boba because the Taiwanese humidity really makes me just want to consume as much liquid as possible. I then found a stall selling those tornado potato thingies I always heard about back in the States but never got a chance to try. I ordered in Mandarin and the man responded in English (another trend I started to notice).
The three of us full, we then spent the next two hours trying to track down this one pineapple cake shop my friend had read about. When we got there they had just closed, so we found another one and I was too tired/sweaty to even try to order some pineapple cake in Mandarin so I didn't. We then parted ways with his friend on the MRT, went back to his place, and watched The Amazing Spiderman until we both fell asleep.
I woke up the next morning, accepted my fate in what appeared to be a walk of shame, and took the MRT back to my friend's apartment in Yonghe. It was Saturday morning.
From not getting enough sleep the night before, I didn't really do much again during the day on Saturday (noticing a trend here?). I decided that evening that I would go visit Shilin Night Market (士林夜市), one of the most popular (if not the most popular) night market in Taipei for tourists and locals alike.
The first thing I bought was some boba because the Taiwanese humidity really makes me just want to consume as much liquid as possible. I then found a stall selling those tornado potato thingies I always heard about back in the States but never got a chance to try. I ordered in Mandarin and the man responded in English (another trend I started to notice).
I walked around more of the night market and noticed that most of the stalls were selling clothes and other such items where as a select section was inundated with food stalls. I did not fall victim to the perils of stinky tofu (yet) but do know that when I do, I will have gotten over the atrociously fermented smell. That day has yet to arrive.
I purchased another iced tea beverage (did I mention how thirsty I get?) and walked around more of the stalls. I noticed quite a lot of the stalls had cute clothing, all for pretty cheap prices too.
I purchased another iced tea beverage (did I mention how thirsty I get?) and walked around more of the stalls. I noticed quite a lot of the stalls had cute clothing, all for pretty cheap prices too.
I finished off the night going to a pineapple cake shop and buying pineapple cake gift boxes to give as gifts to my hosts as I begin to travel to other countries like South Korea and Japan
On Sunday, I went ahead and visited Taipei 101 and spent the afternoon in their shopping mall. Taking up the first five floors of Taipei 101, with a huge food court containing a Din Tai Fung and shops including Versace, Salvatore Ferragamo, and other brand name fashion designers (as well as more accessible brands like Roots, Korea's H:Connect and Hong Kong's Chocoolate), the Taipei 101 mall is a mecca for an international crowd searching for fashion, food, and fun.
I visited a couple stores and was surprised to find some clothes that actually fit me (seeing as I'm an XL in US sizing, I was not anticipating to find clothes that would fit me in East Asia) but due to the international clientele, I was not about to accept the inflated prices on a shirt that could easily cost me a fraction of the price elsewhere.
On Sunday, I went ahead and visited Taipei 101 and spent the afternoon in their shopping mall. Taking up the first five floors of Taipei 101, with a huge food court containing a Din Tai Fung and shops including Versace, Salvatore Ferragamo, and other brand name fashion designers (as well as more accessible brands like Roots, Korea's H:Connect and Hong Kong's Chocoolate), the Taipei 101 mall is a mecca for an international crowd searching for fashion, food, and fun.
I visited a couple stores and was surprised to find some clothes that actually fit me (seeing as I'm an XL in US sizing, I was not anticipating to find clothes that would fit me in East Asia) but due to the international clientele, I was not about to accept the inflated prices on a shirt that could easily cost me a fraction of the price elsewhere.
I then spent the rest of the evening again at Le Hua Night Market because my friend's mom wasn't home yet and so I couldn't open the door ahha. I did stop by a convenience store to drink some calpis and write my friend's mom a thank you letter for letting me stay at their place.
Overall, a very nice cap to my stay in Taipei. Next post will be detailing my introduction into Korean BBQ in Seoul!
Overall, a very nice cap to my stay in Taipei. Next post will be detailing my introduction into Korean BBQ in Seoul!