Seven Days in Formosa

Melissa and I have been in Taiwan for over a week! Some things that we have noticed –

Dogs are everywhere! Stray ones wander the street, but more and more folks have city dogs that they dress up, take shopping, into stores, etc. Top Right: these dogs were crossing the street towards us and the man actually told Melissa she could ride one of them if she wanted. Haha. We’ve also seen the advanced technology that Taipei has developed in the past few years – sometimes to an unnecessary level. Bottom Right: for example, a digital sign outside a subway station bathroom displays which stalls are currently occupied, vacant, or out of order! We’ve begun to figure out where to get shoes, electronics, and other needs which are all quite convenient with the bus and subway system. Top Left: Melissa at one of our favorite stores on the GongGuan MRT stop where we got extra socks, laundry detergent, Chinglish journals, and even yoga mats. Melissa was into this large bear =)

We’ve continued to explore the cuisines of Taipei. On a recommendation we went to Din Tai Fung – a famous dumpling house with yummy shao-long-bao and extremely long lines. Top Right/Bottom Right: They hand-make them at a breakneck pace and they come out in a perfect steam tray. We’re definitely going back.

We go about every other day to see my family in Taipei. My grandmother just turned 99 and despite having limited mobility, hearing, and vision, is still pretty cognizant of her surroundings and can carry on rather long conversations about a wide range of topics! In the back is my cousin, Ryan (Hau-Hau) who is our unofficial personal guide to Taipei (when we’re not playing several rounds of the “Big-2” card game).