Taipei Times

After a loong week, we spent a lovely weekend in Taipei. Leaving after work on Saturday, we arrived in Taipei late afternoon. After checking into our hostel, we spent the first few hours trying to find and then enjoying food. Our attempts to find a mexican restaurant that was in our Lonely Planet failed when we got to the corner only to be told there was a restaurant there a few months ago. Then off to a small Taiwanese-run western food dive with fajitas and creamy tomato soup (my first in Taiwan) and, oh to our pleasant surprise, Dr. Pepper. Our soda of choice, it was maybe a bit pathetic to see our excitement over this find.

Our trip was inspired by contact from a friend of Josh's from his study abroad in India (2007). She and her boyfriend had flown in from Italy on business, and asked if we wanted to have dinner Saturday night. We heard from them around 9, after they got out of a business function, so we met them at the famous Shilin night market, and after a very brief walk, settled down at a little tea shop to catch up/meet each other.

Today we went to the Taipei botanical gardens, a shockingly serene and beautiful respite from the bustling city of fishnets (here considered cute more than sexy)and blinking neon signs in Chinese. The drizzle put a special mystique over the adventure. At the lotus pond, we spotted two Malay (or Malaysian) night herons, a black crowned night heron, what I am assuming to be a great egret (maybe an intermediate), a white-breasted waterhen (new species), several common moorhens (n.s), a gray treepie (n.s), many light-vented bulbuls, and one thrush-type and two ducks I have yet to (can't) identify. On the train north I spotted many cattle egrets in breeeding plumage-beautiful orange fealthers on the chest and neck.

After the gardens, we found our way to a singapore style restaurant where we studied chinese (bpmf) and ate some good food. Then to Eslite bookstore, the largest store of the chain. Josh sought a book in Chinese that he can set as his goal, and Animal Farm struck us as an appropriate choice. Then to coldstone for a guilty indulgence and back on the bus home.

Wednesday is the last day that I sub kindy! I am thrilled at the prospect of having free time again-on tuesday and thursday I don't teach until 7pm!

Time for some rest before the final push toward freedom.