Hungry for Urban Culture

This is what they came salivating for and this is what they got. It was Jack (my dad) and Wendy’s first trip to Asia. They came with A+ attitudes, ready to see, do and eat almost everything for two weeks. They live in a small town in Montana of about 8,000 people and we live in a small town in Taiwan of about 2.7 million so we felt confident we could fulfill their urban cravings.

This was a good omen, found in my dad’s pocket the week prior to arriving.

OK, let’s jump right in!

Selfie Culture. Nailed it!

Let the adventure begin…

Complimentary massages by strangers. Xiexie!

Tea ceremony

Archery

Mahjong

City bikes + a taste of the future

Market Day

My dad lapped up the Taiwanese cuisine with gusto. He ate everything, including the popular chicken feet. Apparently it’s good for your skin. Let’s just say he didn’t order another round.

So much to see & do!

Theater, Science, Botanicals, Dinos, Turtles, MFA, Art Books & Aboriginal Canoes

Book nerds

Snack Attacks

Park Life

Temples & Motocycles

Spa Day

Road Trip to see 86 ft. Tall Buddha

Around town

OMG! OMG! OMG! Corgi Puppies!

Xie Mama’s

A special thing happened that we didn’t capture in photos. We were at Xie Mama’s for dinner, a small outdoor “food cart” surrounded by Xie Mama’s small urban garden. Sitting next to us was a woman with her young son, Little William. We learn she’s a music teacher and an accomplished musician (piano and violin). After we eat, she invites us to her home (less than a block away) for an impromptu concert. We’re not so sure Little William was in on this, but we graciously accepted her offer. Her husband who didn’t speak English was home (after a long day at work we assume) and here we are, all four of us strangers standing in his foyer. He welcomes us in, offers us fruit and makes us feel right at home. Little William was reluctant to play his violin, but after some nudging he accompanied his mom on the piano, without glancing at any sheet music. It was impressive. These are the small gems of life that we feel so fortunate to stumble upon here. THIS. This is what makes Taiwan so special.

FIELD TRIP TO TAIPEI

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

Changing of the guard

Cable Car to Tea Fields

Field trip To Pingxi, lantern town

Write a wish and set it free

High Speed Happy Hour Rail home

Full moon rooftop drinks

Town of Sanyi & Friends

Thirty minutes north of Taichung is the town of Sanyi, known to some as “Woodcarving Kingdom of Taiwan”. Many artists reside in this rural, quiet town including my pottery teacher, Wei Li. I texted him to see if he was around as I hadn’t seen him in a long time and he invited us all over for tea and lunch on what was a very rainy day. It was a special way to end our trip together, with new friends, surrounded by beautiful pottery over oolong tea and delicious homemade, local cuisine.

And that’s how we do it

Aside from seeing family in person which makes our hearts explode with joy, is seeing Taiwan through their eyes. Taiwan is still a place we’re learning and exploring so there’s a double layer of thrill when we see guests experience this beautiful culture. This is what makes travel and living abroad so rewarding. We are constantly learning something new, often by the hour. And we are always learning something new about ourselves. We were told by a wise woman that the first person we would meet when we got off the plane would be ourselves. True.

With love and gratitude to Jack & Wendy for making this epic journey (and Tat & Joe from China). We savored every moment of it with you!

Pickles & Passionfruit

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