So where were we? Oh right, life-changing soymilk. Thus fortified, I decided to see how far I could walk before caving and buying another cute MRT token. My intended destination was Taipei 101. At first I didn't think I'd be able to make it. I was still feeling the effects of the foot massage path and the weather was awfully hot. And it looked so far away:
But then it got closer:
And suddenly it was right under my nose!
I decided to splurge and bought a ticket to go to the top. Okay, the ticket wasn't horrifically expensive (around $13) but I think it's more than I spent on food for two days.
To get to the top you get to ride the world's fastest elevator:
That speed means you go to the 89th floor in 36 seconds. A very uncomfortable 36 seconds.It is difficult to get the entire building into one shot if you have a normal camera. Luckily there is a bamboo model:
Afterwards I decided to spare my poor feet and took the MRT to Din Tai Fung. Here is a man rolling dumplings:
I felt slightly uncomfortable taking his picture, but after a large tour group came in I realized they put those windows in for this very purpose. Or I assumed so, seeing as nobody seemed to mind when people started pressing their noses up against the glass...As I walked back to the MRT station I reveled in the fact that it was dark yet balmy. I still can't get used to climates where the weather is warm even after the sun has gone down. This inspired me to check out the Ximending area near my hotel. Walking around, I could have been back it Seoul. First, I only seemed to hear K-pop...the Wonder Girls, 소녀시대, Super Junior, 2NE1, and 2PM all seem to have fans in Taiwan...
Then, I saw this:
One thing I loved about walking around Taipei is that wherever you go you will probably stumble upon a temple...like this teeny tiny one sandwiched in between a clothing shop and a convenience store:
All of today's walking warranted a snack. Back to the night market! I've never been a huge fan of 팥빙수, a korean shaved ice and red bean dessert, but after trying the taiwanese version I realized why...sorry Korea, you've totally been getting it wrong!
Mmmm...first is a huge pile of fluffy shaved ice, covered with condensed milk. Then you get to choose four toppings. I chose red beans, almond tofu, sweet rice cake, and oatmeal. Yup, oatmeal. It was just so weird-sounding I couldn't NOT try it. I think I may have dreamt about soymilk and shaved ice that night. I know I was definitely thinking about the two when I woke up the next morning...
More pictures from day 2 here.
Anne, the suspense is killing me. Are you going to Germany, or what??
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