Day 77 + 8: Taipei and Los Angeles!

So today we are finally flying back to LA.  Our flight wasn't until late at night, but we spent most of the day packing and getting anything we needed to get done before we left.  Then left at 11:55 pm

After spending approximately 11 days traveling between 39 cities (not including any day trips which would add probably an extra 3-4 days of buses), broken down the following way
34.5 hours in planes
130 hours in trains
87 hours in buses
10.5 hours in hired cars
5 hours in a boat

We finally made it back to Los Angeles and it was great to be able to read signs again, talk to people, go to in-n-out and order myself some food without having to tell Charlotte what I wanted first.  It felt good.

From 77 Days in China part 2

I don't think I have ever been happier to be back in the USA

From 77 Days in China part 2

In-N-Out double-double animal style with a Neapolitan milkshake

I will still be adding posts to the blog about our overall impressions and reviews of different cities and tourist locations we stayed over the next week or so.

Day 77 + 7: Tapei

Today is a holiday in Taiwan, the Mid-autumn Moon Festival.  It is a harvest festival celebrated for over 3000 years dating back to the Shang Dynasty of China.  It is held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese calendar, which is in September of October of the Gregorian calendar.  On this date the moon is at its fullest and roundest.   Of course the celebration in Taiwan is surrounded by food.  People used to picnic, but now everyone seems to BBQ or go to restaurants.  We were going to go to an all-you-can eat BBQ place for dinner, but after trying 2 or 3 we gave up as each had a 3-4 hour wait to get a seat.  Just about every restaurant was packed which is amazing since Taipei is filled with restaurants on every corner.   We did get some all-you-can eat for lunch when we went out with Charlotte's friend Evelyn for Japanese food.

From 77 Days in China part 2

Tomato appetizer

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Sashimi

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Fried chicken

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All you can eat beef that is cooked in a pot in front of you

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Dessert

After lunch we went to a coffee house while Charlotte and Evelyn caught up talking for a couple hours. When we left we could already see the moon and people were BBQing on small grills on the sidewalks. We then found a restaurant that was only a 10 minute wait to have dinner with Charlotte's mother and family friends.

From 77 Days in China part 2

The moon over Taipei

Also the most important thing to eat today is moon cakes. Charlotte's mother had gotten many different kinds so we had to try multiple moon cakes. They vary quite a bit, some have an egg in them, however the ones she got had mochi in them and were either taro, red been or green been.

Day 77 + 6: Taipei

Well another day in Taipei and another day centered around food, however not all of it was good this time.  First we turned on our computer and the external hard drive we got to use since we had problems with our internal drive, failed.  I was able to get the external working and make sure we had all of our pictures on both the failing external drive as well as our failing internal drive.  During lunch Charlotte's mother made some special Taiwanese river fish.  I was on my computer and tried to do two things at once and managed to spill fish oil all over the keyboard.  So just as I fixed the external drive I destroyed the keyboard.  Right now after letting it dry and cleaning it as much I can I have about 80% of the keys working again, but its too painful to use so I am writing this on another computer.

Dinner
We went to dinner with Charlotte's high school friends.  Before we left they took bets on how long we would last in China.  The person who lost had bet we would be back in Taiwan within 15 days, so he had to pay for everyones dinner.  After dinner we went out and looked at the moon as it was getting close to a full moon and Wednesday is Moon Festival day in Taiwan.  We got some tea and played cards until about midnight

Since I don't have a working keyboard right now, the next blog update will probably come Thursday Night (Los Angeles time).  Hopefully I will be able to add pictures to this post as well

Day 77 + 5: Taipei

Lunch
Today was another day in Taiwan based solely around food.  We started out going to lunch with Charlotte's mother and had lamb cooked in just about every possible way, lamb noodles, lamb with vegetables, lamb chops, lamb grilled on a stick and lamb stew.  The special thing with the lamb stew is that it comes with meat still on large pieces of bone and a straw.  You use the straw to suck out the bone marrow from the bone in the stew.

From 77 Days in China part 2

Lamb stew

From 77 Days in China part 2

Charlotte sucking the bone marrow out

Dinner
For dinner we met Charlotte's friend Eugene and went for some of the biggest meatballs we have ever had.  The dinner, like just about every meal I have had in Taiwan, had many dishes that all tasted great, but the meatballs were the real star of the meal

From 77 Days in China part 2

Meatballs

Late Dinner/Drinks
We later met up with another one of Charlotte's friends from Seattle, Fujen.  We met up at a bar at the Taiwan alcohol and tobacco company.  Both Taiwan beer and the tobacco are government run businesses and this was a bar that was located at the brewing location.  Of course we had to get some more lamb, squid and shrimp to go along with the beer.

From 77 Days in China part 2

Fresh Taiwan beer

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Charlotte got some sort of beer/bloody mary cocktail

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Lamb on a stick

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Squid balls

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Charlotte with a large beer

Day 77 + 4: Central Taiwan and Taipei

There really isn't much to report for this day, there was a typhoon hitting Taiwan, while it rained a lot over the night, by the time we woke up at Charlotte's friends house it was barely raining.  While the south of Taiwan got hit pretty hard the fact that we were on the west side of the island with a large mountain range in the center of the island it stopped most of the rains from hitting the area, in fact where we were got the least rain of any part of Taiwan.  Of course we didn't know this at the time and kept preparing for the eye of the storm to pass and more rain to come.  By 6 they said the trains would start running again so we went to the closest city and got tickets back to Taipei. 

Before getting our train we stopped for a foot massage and then got some more hotpot.  When we got back to Taipei there was absolutely no wind, but it looked like there had been as signs where all blown over and even some mopeds were knocked over.  That night after we got back, around 1am the winds started up again, but not much more rain hit.

Day 77 + 3: Central Taiwan

Today we went on a tour of central Taiwan with two of Charlotte's high school friends, we started out in a town known for oysters and we got some oysters for lunch and then went to the beach where people go out on their own to search for clams and oysters.  We followed that by getting some steamed buns and visiting some temples.  I think the pictures are the best way to show where we spent the day

From 77 Days in China part 2

Charlotte said this looks like a chocolate chip cookie

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But they are actually filled with oysters

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We then got some flavored popsicles that are made on sight

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Beach for finding oysters, it was too hot for us to go out and find our own though

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Windmills along the beach

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People looking for clams

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Buses driving people out to find oysters

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They drove very far out onto the beach

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We then went for steamed buns

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Also got a local salty cake, which I didn't really like, but Charlotte ate a lot of it

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We stopped by a local temple

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Roof of the temple with a dragon on it

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Stopped by a second temple, where people go to pray for safety while at sea

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There was a guy outside drumming

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The red line on the ground is fireworks they set off

Painted town
We then stopped by a town that was scheduled for demolition, but in a protest one of the elderly people living in the town, just started painting the walls, sidewalks, everything and it has turned into a local tourist attraction, saving the area from demolition (at least until the current election season is over)

From 77 Days in China part 2

From 77 Days in China part 2

From 77 Days in China part 2

From 77 Days in China part 2

From 77 Days in China part 2

From 77 Days in China part 2

From 77 Days in China part 2

From 77 Days in China part 2

From 77 Days in China part 2

After we got some lamb hotpot

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On the way home we saw this puppet show occurring on the side of the street

From 77 Days in China part 2

The only audience for the puppet show was the gods in front of a temple. Charlotte said someone's prayer to the gods must have come true and they hire this group to put on a puppet show for the gods to thank them

Day 77 + 2: Taipei and Central Taiwan

We started out today going to lunch with Charlotte's mother and step father, to her step fathers favorite restaurant which serves large stews with noodles and different types of meat balls and vegetables.  After lunch we got ready and started heading to Charlotte's friends house who lives in a small town central-west Taiwan.   At the train station we picked up some Mr. Donut, although Charlotte likes Taiwanese donuts better, I do not find them as good as American donuts.  They are not as soft and chewier, plus they don't dip well in coffee so that is a definite negative.  We then got the high speed rail to central Taiwan.  The train actually goes faster then the ones we took in China and is cleaner, but you can tell its slightly older as the inside is not as nice as the high speed trains in China.  You do have the advantage of being sure there won't be a child peeing into a cup next to you though.

From 77 Days in China part 2

Mister Donut

From 77 Days in China part 2

High speed train

Once we got to the town we met up with Charlotte's friend and she brought us to one of the nursing homes that she is the manager of, her family owns multiple nursing homes in the area.  The Filipino workers were spending the night barbecuing in the back and playing the Wii so we joined them for dinner.  The other day while sick I was watching a lot of the movies they play on the English channel they played "There's Something About Mary"  One of the scenes they are eating corndogs and complaining about the lack of meats that come on sticks.  That is not a problem in asia, every meat possible comes on a stick and the BBQ was no exception.

From 77 Days in China part 2

All BBQ items come on sticks

From 77 Days in China part 2

Even chicken wings

Day 77 + 1: Taipei

I like using the excuse that its because I am too tired to do other things, but its true that most days in Taipei focus around eating

Monster Ice and Traditional noodles
Before lunch we went to Monster Ice which is shaved ice covered in fruit, we had been here before, but only in the winter and they did not have mango at that time which is supposed to be their specialty.  At first we were afraid because we heard it closed down.  The reason it closed down wasn't due to lack of success, but because the owner had gotten a divorce and in the settlement his ex-wife would get half of all his earnings, therefor he shut it down so she couldn't get any more money from his business.  People were furious as it was one of their favorite spots and I guess convinced him to re-open it, so we were able to get our mango shaved ice which was excellent.  We then headed for a store selling traditional noodles that they make on the spot.  The noodles were excellent.  We then returned home and waited for dinner time.  I told you the days revolve around food, especially in the summer when its too hot to do anything outside.

From 77 Days in China part 2

Mango shaved ice

From 77 Days in China part 2

Traditional noodles

From 77 Days in China part 2

Where they make the noodles

Best idea for a restaurant
We  then went to a restaurant for dinner which was all you can eat grilled meat, beer and ice cream.  It was the type of place where you grill it yourself in front of you.  At the end of the meal they make mochi (a type of japanese rice cake) ice cream sandwiches

From 77 Days in China part 2

The grill

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Lots of meat

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Mochi starting off as sheets of rice cake

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Stacked on each other

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Pressed together

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Pounded flat

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Shaped to the right form

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Left to cook

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Then it puffs up

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After its cooked

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Make a pocket

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Get someone to hold it

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Put in ice cream

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And you have mochi ice cream