Laaaaate Sunday night we checked into the hotel that Tavo booked for us.
The light-blocking shades allowed us to all sleep until 9 am!
Wonderful.
We needed that.
Then our host came to begin our four days of Taiwan Tour!
H and sweet N got re-acquainted with Uncle Tavo. Sweet N was only two weeks (and in and out of the emergency room/doctors offices) when they last saw each other! Big changes since then!
We began walking. We've done a LOT of walking (and bus-ing and metro-ing) and I can't get over how beautiful and green and clean and organized and efficient everything is!
First stop was lunch. Japanese. Pork.
This is just the first of MANY delicous Asian meals that have been gifted to us.
I have eaten more new things in the past couple days than I have in many other previous months combined.
And I've liked almost everything.
Why are so often scared of new and different foods? I wish I wasn't. I am getting proven wrong again and again.
Anyway, we are definitely on the sightseeing tour AND on the food tour.
My belly thanks Tavo... often!
Something else new.
Bubble tea!
Milk tea with sugar and tiny tapioca balls that pop up the straw and into your mouth. Makes me giggle cause it feels so different than anything I have ever eaten/drank.
N liked it. And I like that she has piggies. Again.
Bus. So clean. It literally almost sparkles.
This was our walking/busing/metroing/walking destination... Taipei 101!
The second tallest building in the world, in case you didn't know.
Glad I'm not afraid of heights. We are going up up up!
Here we come observatory!
If we can chase down our daughter first.
The 101 has the fastest elevator in the world. This certificate proves it.
And this screen inside the elevator shows your progress (starting at the bottom)...
and your time... 89 floors in 37 seconds.
Totally makes your ears pop.
At the top we were handed nifty audio guides.
Great entertainment.
For the whole family.
Great views, even on a cloudy day.
The weather has been cool and wonderful, by the way.
Still 'listening'.
More of this. Naturally.
Running away. Again. (And still 'listening'.)
Then we got to see the Wind Damper. Which is a ginormous (understatement of the year) ball that hangs in the middle of the building to absorb the sway of the building. Get it? I'm incredibly technical and scientific, I know.
Mostly I looked at the thing and thought about how much my Mom and Dad would like to come here.
Then I had to stop staring at it thinking about how much my Mom and Dad would like to come here cause I had to go chase my daughter.
Again.
After another ear-popping ride back down there was...
More walking. Still great weather!
My man is a child-carrying machine.
After an afternoon rest we met 'the fam' at a real Chinese Restaurant (no American Chinese food here, folks!) If you order sweet and sour chicken they actually kick you out of the joint.
He he.
That would be really funny, actually.
It was an honor to meet (from left) Tavo's Dad, Natalia (Tavo's sister), Chingju (Tavo's wife) and on the far right, Fuju (Tavo's wife's sister). Between us we represented five continents.
How?
-Two Taiwanese raised in Paraguay, now living back in Taiwan. (Tavo and Natalia)
-One Taiwanese raised in Taiwan, but has lived in Paraguay for about 30 years. (Tavo's Dad)
-Four North Americans living in Africa. (duh)
and
-One Taiwanese raised in Taiwan, but married to an Italian living in Italy. (Fooru)
Crazy!
What a privilege to meet more family around the world! Almost fifteen (?!) years ago Tavo came into our home for one year as a foreign exchange student. But he was not just a visiting student... he became part of our lives and part of our family. Yesterday we became a part of his family too.
What an absolute joy.
The light-blocking shades allowed us to all sleep until 9 am!
Wonderful.
We needed that.
Then our host came to begin our four days of Taiwan Tour!
H and sweet N got re-acquainted with Uncle Tavo. Sweet N was only two weeks (and in and out of the emergency room/doctors offices) when they last saw each other! Big changes since then!
We began walking. We've done a LOT of walking (and bus-ing and metro-ing) and I can't get over how beautiful and green and clean and organized and efficient everything is!
First stop was lunch. Japanese. Pork.
This is just the first of MANY delicous Asian meals that have been gifted to us.
I have eaten more new things in the past couple days than I have in many other previous months combined.
And I've liked almost everything.
Why are so often scared of new and different foods? I wish I wasn't. I am getting proven wrong again and again.
Anyway, we are definitely on the sightseeing tour AND on the food tour.
My belly thanks Tavo... often!
Something else new.
Bubble tea!
Milk tea with sugar and tiny tapioca balls that pop up the straw and into your mouth. Makes me giggle cause it feels so different than anything I have ever eaten/drank.
N liked it. And I like that she has piggies. Again.
Bus. So clean. It literally almost sparkles.
This was our walking/busing/metroing/walking destination... Taipei 101!
The second tallest building in the world, in case you didn't know.
Glad I'm not afraid of heights. We are going up up up!
Here we come observatory!
If we can chase down our daughter first.
The 101 has the fastest elevator in the world. This certificate proves it.
And this screen inside the elevator shows your progress (starting at the bottom)...
and your time... 89 floors in 37 seconds.
Totally makes your ears pop.
At the top we were handed nifty audio guides.
Great entertainment.
For the whole family.
Great views, even on a cloudy day.
The weather has been cool and wonderful, by the way.
Still 'listening'.
More of this. Naturally.
Running away. Again. (And still 'listening'.)
Then we got to see the Wind Damper. Which is a ginormous (understatement of the year) ball that hangs in the middle of the building to absorb the sway of the building. Get it? I'm incredibly technical and scientific, I know.
Mostly I looked at the thing and thought about how much my Mom and Dad would like to come here.
Then I had to stop staring at it thinking about how much my Mom and Dad would like to come here cause I had to go chase my daughter.
Again.
After another ear-popping ride back down there was...
More walking. Still great weather!
My man is a child-carrying machine.
After an afternoon rest we met 'the fam' at a real Chinese Restaurant (no American Chinese food here, folks!) If you order sweet and sour chicken they actually kick you out of the joint.
He he.
That would be really funny, actually.
It was an honor to meet (from left) Tavo's Dad, Natalia (Tavo's sister), Chingju (Tavo's wife) and on the far right, Fuju (Tavo's wife's sister). Between us we represented five continents.
How?
-Two Taiwanese raised in Paraguay, now living back in Taiwan. (Tavo and Natalia)
-One Taiwanese raised in Taiwan, but has lived in Paraguay for about 30 years. (Tavo's Dad)
-Four North Americans living in Africa. (duh)
and
-One Taiwanese raised in Taiwan, but married to an Italian living in Italy. (Fooru)
Crazy!
What a privilege to meet more family around the world! Almost fifteen (?!) years ago Tavo came into our home for one year as a foreign exchange student. But he was not just a visiting student... he became part of our lives and part of our family. Yesterday we became a part of his family too.
What an absolute joy.
okay, let's try this again. My previous comment got rejected cuz I didn't know what I was doing....
ReplyDeleteSo HAPPY to read that you are in my home town. I miss it so. Food is absolutely the center of our culture and I'm glad that you got to eat and drink some of it.
When do you come to America???
I love your hometown, E!! I think of you everytime Tavo buys us another kind of amazingly delicious Asian food! Wish I could bring it all back with me... we're supposed to arrive Saturday night!! Yaay!
ReplyDelete