With my feet restored, we traveled on, to an overlook of the harbor area and then to lunch at the docks.
We had lunch across from the docks. Best scallops ever!
After lunch we drove to a small park and hiked to a secluded beach. Fun seeing the Pacific by looking East rather than West.
With a van and driver, the whole crew took off to the Wilan area and some port towns. The first stop was the Lanyang Museum.
Inside this beautiful building were displays of the oldest peoples of Taiwan. Sort of a natural history museum. Great displays, great artifacts, and... some curious modernist twists. Here's Miriam CGI'd or something into a traditionalist scene.
From the traditional to the modern, yet still traditional... this bark dress...
More computer fun, me jumping around in some sort of virtual reality, AI, multi-camera projection...
Outside the museum were a couple sculptures made from cables left over from the construction of Taipei 101...
Then it was off to lunch at a wonderful little cafe... and another 100 or so courses! Eventually we checked into a local hotel and then went off to a spa where fish ate my feet!
Leaving the ballgame, we went off to the Taichung night market (actually opened at 4 PM). This was in an older part of town, using several narrow streets lined with kiosks featuring all sorts of foods, clothing, gizmos, and just about anything you can think of. I grabbed some delicious dumplings, Nisa had her nails done, Willis found some vegetarian goodies. We also tried some sort of smoothie with granola, only to find that the night market idea of granola was corn flakes!
A few shots from the market area:
Quite fun experiencing a more traditional part of Asian culture. Then it was the long drive back to Taipei. Many thanks to Nisa's brother, Andrew, who handled the driving duties in excellent fashion.
Watching the World Baseball Championship over the years, I noted that the fans at the Asian venues (Tokyo Dome + Korea) were extra exuberant, cheer leaders, horns, percussion, etc. So I wanted to check out a game in Taiwan to see what the fan experience is like. Well...
First, the stadium. The Taipei Dome was just finished (sort of) but the home team was on the road. So Nisa got us all tickets and we drove down to Taitung for the game. I thought the stadiums would be on the level of US AAA teams, but they are bigger than that... and nicely designed.
The first thing one notices when arriving in the large cities, Taipei and Taichung for example, is the sheer number of scooters zipping around cars and pedestrians, using up all the parking, in terraces as well as streets. Take all the bicycles in Amsterdam and convert them to scooters and you have some idea of the numbers. I guess scooter madness is typical of Asian and Southeast Asian countries, but this was the first we experienced it.
First is a video I made from the car one evening. In the background are comments about relaxing the next day at the ballgame. How wrong I was as I'll post later.
Below is a YouTube link to a Taipei television report. Apparently this madness occurs every morning at rush hour.
https://youtu.be/TESofgEefHY?feature=shared
At intersections there are pedestrian lanes and scooter rectangles in front of the auto traffic. On one freeway, I noted three car lanes and two protected scooter lanes. The whole scooter thing is well integrated into Taiwanese traffic culture. Quite mindblowing if you've never experienced it before.
More sightseeing. We visited the historic site Fort Sant Domingo. The fort itself is but a shell; however the site has seen many transformations.
The Spanish, the Dutch, the Chinese, the Brits and others, and finally the Taiwanese have occupied the grounds. Here is the lineage:
The British consul house is preserved as a museum.
Next door is the University where Nisa studied. This church, buildings and grounds are the best part of the school, the more modern part "sucks" so we went no further.
We were in Tamsui, a small city along the wide river where it flows into the China Sea. We spent some time on the boardwalk and peeking up side streets. Vendors were out in force since it was a Saturday.
The Turkish ice cream vendor was a real treat. A magician serving the cones. Enjoy the video.
Our first full day in Taiwan took us to the National Palace Museum. The museum held a fantastic collection of historic, and some current, art reflecting the aesthetic of the country.
I saw more jade than I ever need to see again in my life! And then there were Buddhas, of course. And a beautiful panel.
For lunch, we drove into the mountains to the "lily ranch", where we had another zillion courses of wonderful asian food. The best tofu I've ever had (usually I can't stand the stuff).
Since it wasn't far, we also stopped at a National Park featuring an active volcano.
Thankfully it stays at a slow simmer rather than a big eruption. Too close to Taipei for comfort.
I don't know where to start, we were in a constant state of amazement. Taipei is a great city, quite big (I was told a population of 2 mil, but it seemed bigger). Several "districts", each with their own tall buildings and great architecture. Our first day, shedding off jet lag, we went to Taipei 101, at one time the tallest building in the world.
After a lunch consisting of a zillion courses (every meal seemed to have a zillion courses!), we zipped (ear popping elevators!) up to the observation deck for a 360 degree view of the city. It was hazy (pollution from mainland China? Humidity (it was high)), so the pics aren't super sharp, but still give a good idea of the city.
First, the atrium of Taipei 101:
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