We arose to a loud knocking at our door, 8:00 had come too fast. Breakfast was had, bags packed, and we checked out of the hotel. Once the car was packed we drove out to the Snake Kiln, continuing with the motif of ceramics and teapots. Cathy thoroughly enjoyed the kiln, meanwhile Yan-Shih and I were able to chat and see some new sights. The gift store was perused, wares purchased, and we continued along the highway to Tainan.
Several hours later we reached Tainan, an altogether different driving experience. Taipei is fast and hectic. Tainan is slow and really hectic. We parked the car and wandered toward the main tourist area.
Sitting next to the temple was a small food stand, which Yan-Shih had discussed before as being 'blissful.' The main food was these little meet patties coated in a slimy bread/dumpling type of thing. Dripping in sauce, these were yum.
We finally made it into the temple and walked around. Having seen the main parts of the temple, and finding some forgotten incense, we walked around the corner and purchased some freshly squeezed juice. I'm not certain what vegetable it comes from, but it is yum. With our drinks in hand we entered the Matsu (goddess of the sea) Temple. Once our temple quota was worn we wandered across the street and dropped Cathy and my dad off at an old Ford, built ages ago by the Dutch explorers. Apparently Tainan is the old capital of Taiwan.
Meanwhile, Yan-Shih and I ordered and drank some bubble tea sitting next to the fort. Once my parents had finished we wandered back toward the temple and ordered some dumplings. Right before we crossed the street we were delighted to witness a small celebration for one of the gods; maybe 60 people were dressed and chanting down the street. The god they were remembering had traveled all the way from China.
Dumplings consumed, and beer drunk, we wandered back to the car and drove over to a nearby hotel. We inspected the rooms, yet Cathy executed her apparent veto power, so we had to keep looking. The information center provided us with several good leads, and one, the Mona Lisa, seemed perfectly situated nearby the night market. We drove there, inspected the rooms, and agreed it would do.
Cathy had the urge to see what a “Taiwan-style grocery store is like” (hint: basically like any other grocery store). We wandered down the road and she was surprisingly unsurprised. I bought some bread things with mogi inside, and Yan-Shih and I walked back to the hotel.
Back at the hotel we took a quick rest, then wandered to the night market. The experience was overall pleasant, although Cathy and my dad weren't quite used to the food. This is highly ironic for me considering I never used to eat a variety of food when I was a little kid. Now, however, my variety is larger and more adventurous than Cathy or my dad's. Wonder what happened. (hint: somebody says “me me me”).
After the night market we slowly wandered home, ice cream in hand, and played some cards. For the first night of the trip we shared a large room – more economical. Realizing this would happen I packed my ear plugs, thankfully, considering somebody snored all night long. And it wasn't Yan-Shih.
This entry is from my journal and was written on April 28, 2007. It's been tagged with Travel and Family and Yan-Shih. There have been 0 comments so far.