Taiwan part 1…
Today marks two weeks in Taiwan. Time does fly when you are having fun. With Aunt Nora from Taiwan and Cousin Bjorn currently in Tapei, Taiwan has long been on my list of countries to visit, making it a great place to wrap up my trip. After visiting six countries and as a result experiencing a little travel fatigue, a person can only absorb so much, I’ve enjoyed a relaxing somewhat non-touristy stay. I’ve heard it said that eating is Taiwan’s national past time. If the last two weeks are any indication, I wholeheartedly(or is that whole-stomach-edly)agree.
It almost ended before it started. I almost didn’t make it into Taiwan. As I was going through immigration I was quizzed about the blank “destination address” box on my entry form. Cousin Bjorn had made a reservation at a local hotel, but I did not remember the name nor the address. Ooops…that was dumb. They brought me over to the escalation desk and again asked for the address, offering to page Nora’s sister, my ride on the other side of the gate. Unfortunately, I didn’t know Nora’s sisters name(turns out it’s Weiling) and paging “Nora’s sister… paging Nora’s sister” was probably not going to work. Thankfully, after standing at the escalation desk for ten stressful minutes, it dawned on my that I had written down Cousin Bjorn’s number on a little scrap of paper and stuffed it in my wallet. The officer gave Bjorn a call and he, with Cousin Betina’s(honorary cousin… Bjorn’s girlfriend) assistance, was able to avert disaster. Seconds later my passport was stamped and I was granted entry into Taiwan. Weiling and Nora’s brother were waiting at the gate with big smiles on their faces, “Evan Kloop” sign in hand. I got a chuckle out of the sign, both for the misspelling and the low probability that a tall Scandinavian would have snuck by them unnoticed. They brought me to my hotel and made sure I got settled in.
The next day I met up with Bjorn over his lunch hour. We had a lunch of classic Taiwan beef noodles and dumplings. After setting me up with a SIM card for my cell phone, Bjorn dropped me off at Taipei 101, the world’s tallest building, at least until the new tower in Dubai opens in September. Given the day was partially clear and the rainy season due to start any day, I took the opportunity to go to the top. It also has the record for the world’s fastest elevator, only 37 seconds to go to the 89th floor where I took in an awesome view of Taipei. That evening I met up with Bjorn and Betina for an excellent dim sum dinner, followed by a viewing of Terminator 4.
Day one set the pattern for the rest of my time in Taipei, a little site seeing during the day, a call from Bjorn around 7PM, meet at SOGO mall around 7:30, and a kick-ass dinner around 8. It’s hard to pick a favorite Taipei meal, so many to chose from, though yesterday’s huo guo (a.k.a. hot-pot) may top the list. I’m no hot-pot virgin, having enjoyed many a hot-pot meal around Lynn and Nora’s kitchen table, a highlight of any trip back to Minnesota. Yesterday’s hot-pot incorporated a new twist, a divider down the middle that allowed for two different flavors of broth. In our case, mild on one side, spicy on the other. Bjorn kept to the spicy side, Betina to the mild, I opted for both and as a result ate slightly beyond reason. Later that evening, after a few rounds of darts, Bjorn and Betina’s friend Josh ensured me that feeling completely stuffed for 5 to 6 hours after hot-pot is “completely normal”. Thanks Josh. I was starting to wonder.
Stepping back a bit. I spent a day with Nora’s family here in Taipei. Many years ago, maybe 15 years ago, I met Nora’s mother in Idaho. I was on a college road-trip from Fargo to Seattle. Nora’s mom was on her first trip to the USA. My memory of the Idaho visit are a little hazy, though I do distinctly remember tubing down a river late in the afternoon. We were all in tubes, Nora’s mom was riding in a little blow up raft, a big floppy hat pulled down low. Over lunch in their Taipei apartment, I shared a laugh with Nora’s mom as we recounted our trip down the river. After lunch I played a memory card game with Eve, Weiling’s seven year old daughter. Her mom tried to get her to speak English, though Eve preferred speaking to me in Chinese, as though I understood every word. A very cute and smart little kid, she won the majority of the time. Uff… schooled by a seven year old. That evening we met up with Nora’s brother at a nearby restaurant for an excellent meal of traditional Chinese food. Nora’s family could not have been more hospitable. It was great to see her mother again and meet the rest of the family.
Speaking of the rest of the family, my next stop was Tainan, home of Mr. and Mrs. Liao, parents to Ken-Hsuan “Cousin Kirby” Liao. Kirby spent the summer in Seattle a few years back, studying at the University of Washington during the week, joining me in taking in the sights of the NW during the weekend. He’s currently studying at the University of Minnesota, trading Taiwan humidity for the bitter cold of the tundra. My four days in Tainan deserve a post all their own. Stay tuned for part 2…
2 years ago