You’d think after a fifteen-hour flight, three full days on a new continent, and an engagement, that Gioia and I would have been ready to take it easy. Alas, we have always marked an important distinction between a trip and a vacation. Taipei was a trip so even after 72 maxed-out hours, we still had plenty to see and even more to eat. And so, where else could we start but by checking out another local favorite? Our fourth morning in Asia brought us to Sinai Soy Milk where we had a hearty and fantastically greasy breakfast consisting of soup dumplings, hot soy milk, and egg sandwich bites. Note, as always the requisite cold brews from Louisa Cafe.
From Sinai Soy Milk, we made our way to Taipei Zoo Station. Despite what you’d think we actually had no intention of seeing the zoo on this trip but instead taking a ride on the magnificent Maokong Gondola. The gondola is, believe it or not, simply a part of public transportation for those living or working in the steeply elevated Wenshan district of the city. Still, for us and many others, it was a joy ride, which probably explains why you can join a special queue for crystal cabins in which the floor of the gondola is clear glass.
Some 300 meters up from where we started, we grabbed a bite at the Maolan restaurant and tea house and explored the lovely scenery that Maokong has to offer.
After descending via gondola back to where we started, it was time for some more movie sightseeing. Today’s focus was on Edward Yang’s 2000 film, Yi Yi. We started by checking out the city apartment at the center of that movie, albeit with a quick detour to the neighboring Daan Forest Park. I was thrilled nonetheless, but as you’ll see, some things look just a bit more romantic in the movies.
Our final movie location, however, did not disappoint. We made our way to the Grand Hotel Taipei which serves as the wedding venue at the beginning of Yi Yi. This place is beautiful on-screen and off and is easily one of the most glorious buildings I’ve ever seen.
Amidst such a whirlwind day, we were suddenly facing our final hours in Taipei. Luckily, we had just one item left on the docket. From my research and now experience, I can confidently say that any trip to Taipei is not complete without a journey to one of its many night markets, and so we set out for the Shilin Night Market, one of the biggest and most famous of them all. The beauty of these markets is that it truly feels like the world is at your fingertips. You can get any assortment of fried, greased, or even Americanized/supersized food, try your hand at one of the many carnival games, find almost any shop you could hope for, and even, as was our case, find your exact contact prescription over the counter.
And for the record, let me say that despite Gioia’s supremely adventurous pallet, we managed to stay away from some more of the exotic offerings including but not limited to snake meat, frog eggs, and stinky tofu.
As we come to the end of our Taipei adventure, I’d be remiss not to mention our final stop of the trip: the Don Quijote superstore or as it is named in Taiwan, Don Don Donki. There we wandered among our fellow late-night revelers, looking for a sweet treat to cap off a perfect end to a perfect trip. As with everything in Taipei, it was a success.
Sam Writes Shit 