Friday 23 August 2013

A Day in Taipei

Today, Steven and I decided we would be good proper tourists and take pictures of everything and anything that caught our fancy. I even broke out my poor Lomo from its long Australian hibernation to get some exercise! It's a nice refreshing break from the digital world to go back to a film camera. But this does mean we have no idea if the photos even turn out until after we finish the whole roll!! Fun!

As the weather appeared to hold out, Steven and I explored the iconic Taipei 101. Hordes of tourists flock here for the pretty pictures and well, because it is a big tall tower. I was surprised at the quality of the free audio tour and displays on the observation deck. Considering the 500NT ticket, you actually do get some good interesting information on the history of Taipei, nearby attractions and of course the construction of the tower itself.

There was also some sort of exhibit that featured monthly Taiwanese cultural activities, like swimming across Sun Moon Lake next month (done that!), or the pole-climbing festivals around New year's. It was cool because after living here for so many years, these activities were actually familiar to me! Makes me feel local even though I so SO am not!

After wandering the really cool Eslite bookstore (which is really misleading since it is not only a bookstore but also full of little nick nack shops and designer furniture and stuff), we went for dinner at a place near and dear to my heart, Jolly.

This is a microbrewery and an excellent Thai food restaurant. After having been away for 2 years, I was glad to see it still bustling and brewing! The beers were exactly to my taste: sweet and girly. However, now that I am a vegetarian, I basically have to break the rules in order to eat there at all! I had a Green curry (made with shrimp paste) with veggies only and some stir-fried greens. Oh, and beer! Lots of beer!

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