Weekend in Taiwan

7/10-7/12

Kenneth and I slipped off to Taipei for the day yesterday. We arrived in Taoyuan after what felt like a really long day of travel. Dawen was saying how the location of HKG, while good for landings and such (the airport used to be in Kowloon – much more accessible for everyone involved), makes a short hop across the pond to Taiwan into an all-day ordeal. Plus, there was a typhoon a-brewin' yesterday.

We saw Baba's new place in Hsinchu, which has 4 bedrooms and two stories. The place is huge. And now, between Mama and Baba, they have three primary places of residence – Hsinchu, Kaohsiung, and Hong Kong. The joke is Mama has enough tea sets for all of those places, and she's always wondering which residence she will leave tea sets. Ok, that's probably funnier in my head.

Anyway. Kenneth and I got into Taipei via HSR around 6pm last night, and went to the Landis Hotel, checked in (you actually sit down at the check-in desk to check in – I very rarely, if ever, see hotels like this – the Landis is very hoity toity. There is a doorman who is in – I'm not kidding – a gray top hat and tux). Barry sent me some almost-final mixes for the EP, so I listened quickly, then ran off to dinner with Nancy and Grace – we had shabu-shabu at this place called Green and Safe – except Nancy and I had a really hard time finding it in the rain from the street.

We went to this beer place after, where everything is on tap, and the bartenders come out from behind to counter to mingle and ask customers what they want.

Then this morning, I got up early and went to get some egg pancake and soy milk – my breakfast date with John Grisham. Went back to hotel – Kenneth was still sleeping – and I had a few hours to kill before meeting up with Dawen. So I headed to the Taipei Museum of Fine Art (Top Hat Tuxedo guy told me that might be a good place). Found some U-Bikes on the way, rented one, and was off!

The Museum of Fine Art was very interesting – western style painting, but Taiwan content – of Taiwan families, farmers, streets – it was really cool seeing that impressionist style of painting, but have the content matter be not European. There was also an exhibit on environmentalism upstairs. Oh, and because it was Saturday, it was free for students. Booyah!

Lunch with Dawen and Chris, then a cat cafe. Now on HSR back to Kaohsiung. Which is a lot more expensive than I remember, but I guess that makes sense.