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coffey-to-go · 6 years ago

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Beijing 2016

Beijing With the Tresemers

Thursday 10 November 2016. Beijing

We landed in Beijing around 1130 with carry-on luggage only. This was our first flight without pump equipment and not having that stuff made a world of difference. We were able to move quickly to the airport express train that takes us to city center for 25 RMB. It is about a 20 minute ride. When we reached the city we bought metro passes for 20RMB and loaded them with 30RMB which was just enough money to get us around for 4 days. We jumped on line 5 and reached our stop, Chengwengwen which happens to be right near our hotel, the Novotel.

The Tresemer’s were staying pretty close to us and they were still waiting on their room to be ready. We got settled in and let the boy nap while I went in search for diapers and organic milk. Near our hotel are a few malls so I didn't have to go far to find both. I bought GB diapers at the World mall and found some Italian imported milk at a bakery just outside the mall. Beau and Jaci came over to our hotel around 1600.. It was good to catch up with old friends and they even brought us some Germany goodies such as chocolate, gummy bears, kinder eggs and my favorite, Lowen senf. After chatting for about an hour we decided to get a move on and head over to Tiananmen Square. The smog level was very high reading in the mid 200s for most of the day. When you step off the airplane the smog is the first thing you notice. It is a real shame because Beijing is a wonderful city.

We masked up and set out for the square. We stopped and took a few photos along the way and eventually made it to the busy Tiananmen Square area. Unfortunaly the square was already closed for the evening but we could still see it from the outside. We were able to pose for a few photos then decided to walk around a little until we found a restaurant. We just so happened to stumble upon a Cantonese restaurant so we thought we could introduce the Tresemer’s to a little taste of Canton. We ordered a ton of food including some jiaozi, baozi, and some fried spicy cauliflower which was great. The highlight was the pork with with wonton wraps served Mexican style. It was a lot like carnitas so we called them “ Chinitas.” After dinner we walked back towards the hotel and decided to call it an early night since we had an early morning the next day. It was time to get some much needed rest for all of us.

Friday 11 Novemeber 2016. The Great Wall

We woke at 0530 to get ready for our excursion to the Great Wall of China. Kira hired a driver that was referred to us by the Wynn family. Our destination was a two hour drive to Mutianyu which a section of the wall which has been restored and is usually not crowded. We at breakfast on the go which included some fruit that we bought they night before and some bread and pastries that the Tresemer's picked up as well. The driver had some water and bananas for us too. The plan was to arrive right when the ticket offices open at 0830. We did just that and stayed ahead of most of the tour groups. After we got our tickets we had to catch a bus that drove us about 10 minutes toward the base of the mountain where the wall is. We caught the first bus and were among the first to arrive at the starting point. There are two options for going up to the wall from the starting point. You can walk up a ton of well paved steps or for a little more money you can take a gondola. We chose to go on foot which cost 45RMB per person. It was a great opportunity to try out Nolan’s new Kelty backpack. I started off carrying him in the pack and as I write this on Monday the 14th my calves are still hurting. It was well worth the climb and the backpack was worth every cent.

We climbed and took in the fantastic views that the wall had to offer. We spent a lot time walking around and taking photos. It was easy to get photos without other people in the background which is a rare feat at a tourist attraction. We had a snack and gave Nolan a diaper change before back down. The tour buses were arriving so things were about to get crowded. Getting there early is highly recommended.

Around 1330 we returned back to our driver via the bus and let the Tresemer's do a little shopping around all the gift stands that are set up everywhere around the entrance. Kira bought an over-priced Chinese crepe which she was able to get a lower price because her Chinese was good according to the crepe lady. We peeked in one restaurant but they were all severely over-priced. We loaded up in the van and hit the road. About a half hour into the drive our driver pulled over at a small restaurant in the small village. We ordered some beef noodle soup dishes, jiaozi and Jaci got a chicken lo mein dish. Everything was good and cheap….40RMB for everything including a couple of beers. After lunch we returned to the hotel for a much needed recharge.

Around 1700 we meet back up and headed out to find a quality place for a foot rub. I scouted out a place not far from the hotel but it was way too expensive. The area we stayed at is where a lot of tourist stay so naturally prices are inflated for everything, for example, I went to buy a gallon of water from a girl in a small shop and she quoted 50RMB for a bottle that I can get for 5 to 10RMB anywhere else. Kira had heard of place that wasn't far from the restaurant we intended to eat at so we hopped on the metro and made our way. The place is called Liangzi and the service and massages are phenomenal. We all had a room together and you could order drinks and snacks during the session. Nolan had a great time crawling around during the whole process. When we return to Beijing we will definitely go back.

After the amazing foot massages we walked over to Da Dong to feast on some Peking duck. Da Dong is one of the top restaurants in Beijing and there service and food is second to none. We order a lot of food for 5 very hungry people. We started with some fresh salmon sashimi and it was very fresh and buttery. We also had some deep fried pork which was a hit but the roast duck is the star of the show. We ordered one and half ducks to make sure we all got our feel and it was the right amount. The ducks are all roasted at the giant oven roasting pit in the middle of the restaurant for all to see. They are then brought table side then skillfully cut into pieces then reassembled carefully on a serving dish then served. The duck is moist and full of flavor. The fat on the bird melts in your mouth. I think for anyone visiting Beijing a trip to Da Dong is a must. It is pricey but worth it.

12 November 2016 Forbidden Palace

The next morning we all skipped breakfast and just kind of snacked a bit as we made our way to the Forbidden Palace. We have heard that you can spend all day at the huge compound so we decided to get there right when doors opened at 0830 and hopefully stay ahead of the huge crowds. With it being a Saturday though, crowds were hard to avoid. The good thing about the size of the palace is that it can easily accommodate very large crowds so it’s not too overwhelming. It was 80RMB per person for a ticket and you can choose a free audio-guide that we all thought was worthless. It was supposed to use GPS to track where you were and it would automatically start talking about something but it hardly ever worked. If you really want to know more about the palace we highly recommend hiring a personal guide.

After about two hours of exploring the compound we made our way to a famous kite store that Jaci had read about. They wanted to buy a kites for there nephew and we decided to buy the biggest baddest one they had for Nolan. It was 200RMB and we later found the same kit at a market for 150RMB before negotiating. Oh well. For lunch we found a Xinjiang restaurant serving up some incredible lamb skewers, veggies and bread. We ate a ton and it was all fantastic. After lunch we made short walk over to Great Leap Brewery which was recommended to us by a mutual friend. They brew their own American style beers and they all were pretty good. You can order a flight of five picks for 50RMB. After a few beers we returned to the hotel to get some rest.

In the evening we didn't really have dinner plans so we went to a little indoor market that I found the day before. It wasn't anything fancy but it had just about anything and everything. We bought some jiaozi, noodles and stuffed buns and chowed down in the dinning area. After that we bought some fruit then and I took everyone over to the tea section of the market. We sat down for some gong fu cha. Beau really fell in love with the tea culture so he and Jaci loaded up on a variety of teas to take home.

13 November 2016 Temple of Heaven

On our last full day in Beijing we decided to just check out the city and later do some shopping. We first visited the Temple of Heaven. When we arrived at the Temple of Heaven park there were tons of older people who all seemed to be advertising something. Apparently they were all playing match-maker trying to find suitors for the sons and daughters. Everyone with a daughter had their eyes on Nolan. After getting a few phone numbers we made our way to the Temple of Heaven. It cost 28RMB for a ticket but it is worth it. Seeing the Temple of Heaven wasn't high up on my list but I am glad we went. It is a really cool structure to see and you don't need that much time there. The whispering courtyard was cool to see too. Kira could stand on one end and whisper into the wall and I could hear her…pretty neat.

After an hour or so there we hopped on the metro and maid our way to Olympic Park which was all built for the 2008 summer Olympics. The giant “bird’s nest” is quite a site to see. We made our way to it and grabbed a hamburger from the McDonalds inside of it. We could also see the athletes village and the water cube where Michael Phelps crushed everyone. It was pretty cool just to stroll around there for a bit. After that we made our way to Hongqiao pearl market which is a giant indoor market where you can buy cashmere and pearls along with just about anything else. On the first floor there are a ton of food stalls so we all grabbed something different. Kira and I went with some hand drawled noodles which were awesome. After lunch it was time for four hours of shopping. There was only one person selling tea so I haggled for a good price on some to give to a friend. Kira and Jaci were doing battle with the cashmere ladies. One lady got a little hot with Kira accusing her of swaying Jaci to go to another vendor. When we made it to the jewelry section Beau and decided it was time for beers. After four hours and and a few hundred Yuan later we decided to head back to the hotel to freshen up before tea and dinner.

Kira had heard of tea house that wasn't too far away so we went there before dinner. XXXXX is nice but a little pricey. We enjoyed a few pots as I served the tea out gong fu style. After that we made our way to Hai Di Lao hot pot restaurant. It is in the New World mall which is not to far from our hotels. We had to wait a long time and just as we were throwing in the towel to find a different place they opened up their private dining room for us. It was a nice meal complemented by a lot of beer. We had different broths for dipping a ma-la (numbing spicy) and a non-spicy. Nobody but me could handle the ma-la so it was all mine. It definitely had my nose running and it was tasty. After dinner we said our see ya laters to the Tresemer’s as we all had early flights the next morning. Beau and Jaci were headed to Guilin and we were going to make our way back home in GZ. The plan was to meet back up with them when they get close to us in either Macau or Hong Kong.

14 November Home

Early the next morning we caught the airport express to the airport and made it back to GZ just before noon without any issues.

Take-aways.

We really liked Beijing as it has a ton to offer. There is a lot of culture and history to the city and a lot to do for sure. The only negatives are the poor air quality and the millions of tourist that flock to this gym of a city.

When we return we have a list of places to check out from our friends Ralph and Coco.

Jin Ding Xuan: A 24 hour restaurant near Di Tan Park.

29 Chunxiu Road Branch: The location of a Sichuan noodle shop that specializes in youpo mian.

Duck de Chine: Great place for Peking duck on Gongti Bei Lu. They also have amazing jiaozi.

Maliandao Tea Market: Awesome tea market on 12 Maliandao Lu.

Yuexi Xianglin: A tea house that is near the Lama Temple.

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coffey-to-go · 6 years ago

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Taiwan 2016

30 Sept 2016 Hong Kong

Lindsay Culkin meet up with us the night before and we all took an afternoon train to from GZ to HK. We ate dinner at an amazing hotpot restaurant and called it a night since we had an early morning the next day to catch our flight to XXXXX, where the Polidor’s lived.

1 Oct 2016 Kaohsiung and the Polidor’s

In the morning we took a cab to the airport in HK and revived pretty early for our flight. There were a ton of people traveling for the Holiday week so we played it safe by arriving extra early. We didn't experience any significant issues getting through security so we killed time in the one of the lounges. Our flight boarded on time but we delayed for about 45 minutes mainly to wait on connecting passengers. It was a completely full flight.

We landed in Kaohsiung at 1130 with only carry-on luggage but we experienced some delay because I left a bag on the plane. Luckily, Kira was able to retrieve it in a somewhat timely manner. Our next delay was meeting up with Mike Polidor and Colin Culkin. Colin landed about 30 minutes before us and meet up with Mike who was waiting to pick us all up. Apparently we walked right pass them after customs and they simply did not see us. After we settled into Mike’s minivan we were off to Cosco to pick up Nolan’s birthday cake that the Polidor’s graciously ordered for us. I have to say that we were all happy to see a Cosco so we decided to do a little shopping ourselves. After we loaded up on a few things plus lunch we loaded up and headed out. Next stop was the Polidor Inn.

By 1400 we made it to the Polidor’s apartment. Mike, Nicky, Isla and Paxton live in a pretty luxurious penthouse suit that reminded me a lot of Somerset in GZ. It was quite the spread. After we got settled and got Nolan down for a proper nap, the guys loaded up to go downtown and get on the 2 hour wait list for the Michelin star dim sum restaurant, Din Tai Feng. The girls and the kiddos were going to meet up with us when it was close to seating time. Mike, Colin and I decided to stroll over to the nearby night market after we made the wait list. It is a relatively small market but we were able to grab a beer and check out some local market food. There was a lot of seafood being cooked up and the local favorites, oyster omelettes and beef noodles were everywhere.

After an hour we headed back to the restaurant which is located inside of a shopping mall and is directly across from another Michelin star restaurant, Tim Ho Wan. We were close to being seated so they asked to go ahead and order. We put in on our order and made sure to place a huge order of the xiaolongbao (soup dumpling) since it is their specialty. The girls met us shortly after we were seated and we feasted! It was a great meal and we ordered way too much food so we had plenty to take home. It was delicious! When we made it back to the apartment, we got the kids to sleep then hung out and had a few drinks and exchanged Olmsted stories. Around midnight we decided to call it a night.

2 Oct 2016 Nolan’s 1st Birthday

Sunday morning we woke around 0800 and munched on some Cosco bagels and muffins for breakfast. The Culkin’s and us had planned to walk over to Lotus lake in the morning and spend some time checking it out. At the lake there is a wake board park where the wake boarders are pulled by rotating wires. Also, there are shops, Buddhist and Daoist temples, pagodas and a few restaurants. We moseyed around the lake taking photos and watching the wake boarders do their thing. We made are way around the lake and completely missed the Daoist temple that we had intended to go into. It was lunch time so we were okay with skipping it and decided to check out a lakeside restaurant that Mike had recommended. I think it is the same place that runs the wake board course because the dock where the wake boarders enter is connected to restaurant’s dock. They served up a variety of western food which included burgers, burritos, sandwiches and so on. The food was actually pretty descent and the fries were the best I’ve had in Asia so far.

After lunch we headed back to the the Polidor’s to rest, cool off and get the boy down for a nap. We had made plans to cook up a huge meal in expectation of OSC 14 scholar, Dan Wynn, and his wife, Rachel, and their four kids, Benson, Cardon, Macey, and Linden, and also to celebrate Nolan’s first birthday. I know Nolan’s Birthday is actually on the 10th of October and my Birthday is on the 2nd but since we were going to be around friends and a lot of kids we decided to swap Bdays this year so my boy could have a good one. The Wynn’s weren't going to land until 1815 so chances were they wouldn't make it to the Polidor’s until 2000.

After we rested up the Polidor’s took us in town to grab some shave ice sundaes and then head up to Martars Shrine to see a great view of the harbor. The strip that we went to for sundaes was pretty lively and full of shaved ice shops. Mike and Nicky took us to one of the most popular with the locals and it was packed. The traditional Taiwan shaved ice is topped with mango but they ran out before we could order so we ate on some mixed fruit ones instead. They were pretty good and refreshing. After we got our fill of shaved ice we loaded up and drove up to Martars Shrine to check out the view. Seeing the harbor from up there is a spectacular view and we were able to snap a Olmsted pic of the group.

Mike, Colin, me and a pissed off Paxton booked it back to the apartment so Mike could drop us off and go pick up the Wynn’s. The girls and Nolan pulled in right behind us and Lindsay and I got started on dinner. Spaghetti Bolognese, garlic bread and a huge salad were on the menu followed by Birthday cake for dessert. Lindsay and I made a ton of food for a ton of people…it was a dinner impossible at it’s finest.

After dinner it was getting late so we cleared the tables and brought out the Birthday cake for the our main man. The Polidor’s picked out a huge cake that was baseball themed and it read ‘Happy 1st Birthday Nolan!’ It was perfect! Benson started things off by singing Happy Birthday in Chinese while Nicky put a Birthday hat on Nolan which he graciously wore without issue. After Benson finished his rendition the rest of us started in with the English version of Happy Birthday. Nolan was excited about the singing and that he was the center of attention. We finished up and Mom cut the cake for everyone and made sure to give Nolan the best priece. We were all excited to see him smash it but he wanted to examine it a little at first. After a while and some encouragement from Mom and Dad he finally “burrowed” into it and took in a mouth full. He loved it! The kids…especially the Wynn’s really enjoyed how much fun Nolan was having and they kept on encouraging him to dig in. Everyone had presents for the boy too, but we decided not to give them to him until the 10th.

A special thanks to the Polidor's and the rest of the OSC China crew for making my boy’s 1st birthday extra special. It meant a lot to us and we will never forget it. Happy Birthday, son!

3 Oct 2016 Kenting National Park

On Monday morning we said our goodbyes to the Polidor’s. We had a great stay and now it was time for us along with the Culkin’s and Wynn’s to make our way to the east coast. Kira booked a rental car in advance and or the man-made bricked path. The park is very clean and there is some wildlife to see too. We saw a couple of monkeys hanging out high above us at one point but they were not interested in getting their picture taken so the scrammed. There were fresh deer prints on the ground and a lot of bugs including huge spiders that Lindsay didn't like. It is a cool place to just roam around and the kids loved it. After a couple hours we drove over to the lighthouse which is the exact southern most tip in Taiwan. The area is pretty with a lot of cool looking trees and a simple lighthouse but it wasn't anything to spend much time at. Fifteen minutes is all you need.

From there we loaded up in cars and split ways with the Wynn clan. They were headed back to the Polidor’s for the night and we were on our way to Taitung for the night. Along the way we stopped in at a part of the park which has natural gas that comes out of the ground and it has been lite so you can see the small fire coming out of the ground. The small area is roped off with a ‘no trespassing’ sign posted but that doesn't stop the mainland Chinese visitors from hoping right over the ropes and digging in the ground and popping popcorn. Yeah, popping popcorn apparently is a “cool” thing to do for the mainlanders here…Hell! You can buy popcorn and fireworks, yeah…I said fireworks form the vendors in the parking lot. There is a huge sign posted saying ‘no smoking, no trespassing, and no fireworks’ yet the only place I saw fireworks for sale was in the parking lot of this place. After a couple of minutes of shaking our heads at these idiots we loaded up and got the hell out of there. If you have time to stop and see this spot…don't.

We loaded up and we're off for a 2.5 hour drive up the east coast to a B&B in Taitung. We checked in at 2000 and went to a noodle and beef shop that the owner recommended. It wasn't bad but nothing to write home about.

Around 1800 we walked to the night market and sampled some more street food. Kira snacked on some rice cakeit arrived early in the morning. Colin and Lindsay loaded up with us while the Wynn’s borrowed the Polidor’s minivan. We set sail for Kenting National Park which is the southern most tip in Taiwan. It is about an hour and a half drive from Kaohsing.

Around noon we made a stop in a little surfer/tourist town to chi some fan since it was around lunch time anyway. We stopped in at Smokey Joe’s which promoted BBQ and steak. Kira had a Cuban sandwich which was pretty tasty but I had the ribs which were pretty darn good. Smokey Joes could set up shop stateside and still do pretty good business. If you are in Taiwan and need a “rib fix” then Smokey Joes is the place. They also had a solid beer selection including Goldun Draak and Erdinger Kristalweissen. Good stuff!

After we all stuffed ourselves we shoved off to the park which is less than 10 minutes from the town we were at. We hiked around and took in the view of the beautiful ocean and the nature that was all around us except f noodles (like the ones in Korea) while I chowed down on a local favorite, blood on a stick, which is rice and chicken blood mixed together. It was actually pretty good. Unfortunately we witnessed a scooter wreck that resulted in a young girl hurting her arm. She was the passenger and her dad was driving when he lost control (in a huge crowd of people where there should be no vehicle traffic but there is) causing the scooter to fall over on its side. The young girl took the blunt of it so Kira and I raced over to make sure she was okay. She was crying but the main concern was if her arm was broken. We don’t think it was but there was the possibility of a fracture. The dad blamed it on one of the local vendors for having a foreign object laying in the road and he was demanding money from them instead of tending to his daughter….sad.

After snacking on a few appetizers we stopped in at a place called Cow Boss for some dinner. They specialized in beef noodles which is a popular Taiwanese dish. It is simply a cut of steak placed over a bed of noodles covered in a sauce. Mine was really tough, chewy and unseasoned. It wasn't the best. Kira ordered a better cut of meat and her’s came out very undercooked. She had to send it back to cook a little longer. Her meat was better but still nothing to write home about. After the meal the girls went to get massages while the boys returned to the hotel. Colin worked on some school work while I put the boy down and hung out.

4 Oct 2016 Hualien

In the morning we ate free breakfast at the place we were staying and hit the road. We planned to stop at a museum of sorts located in the mountains. It was a museum of an indigenous tribe of Taiwan known as the Bunun. Unfortunately we missed the morning tour which was the only tour for the day since the rest of the day was devoted to cleaning and repairs from the previous typhoon that hit. They did agree to let us walk around and do a self guided tour. It was interesting seeing some of the wood and stone works and to see how they use bamboo charcoal for just about everything, but there wasn't much description so we differently missed out on the tour.

After a while we headed to a local tea farming area that was near by. There is supposedly a place called Teani where you can do a tea tour and tasting. The place is on TripAdvisor but we couldn't find it and when we asked locals they said they had never heard of it. Oh well…instead we stopped in at a local tea shop and had a tasting there of some of the local teas and bought some to take home. After that we we loaded up and began our drive to Hualien city. We drove in the valley and stopped a few times for some scenic photos then after a while we decided to detour east and hit the road that runs along the coast. We continued north and encountered a lot of rain but it was worth it because the view was great, the road was better and the Tropic of Cancer marker was along the route. We pulled over and snapped a quick group photo in the rain. We had no idea that that marker was there so it was a nice surprise.

We made it to Toong Mao Resort at 1800. We unloaded a few things then went in search of dinner. Since we only snacked in the car for lunch we were starving. We drove into town and found another BBQ/steak place called Salt Lick which is American owned and ran. They have a huge summer out front that looks like a train engine. They pride themselves on American BBQ and I have to say that they are doing a good job. We started with some decent poutine to start and for entrees I got ribs, Colin went with pulled pork and the girls did burgers. Everything was good except for the mashed potatoes that I had, they were very bland…stick to the fries and onion rings. After we stuffed ourselves we went back to the hotel and just took it easy and called it a night.

5 Oct 2016 Yilan

In the morning I went down to the breakfast buffet while Kira stayed with Nolan so he could sleep a little longer. I had to battle two huge Chinese tour groups for food. There is no civil way to go about a buffet with a bunch of mainlanders so you basically got to get in there a throw a few “bows.” After breakfast we loaded up and set course for Yilan. We didn't waste much time getting to Yilan. We checked into the ant infested Sun Sweet around noon and walked to the local market and grabbed a few things for lunch. We took easy so we could all catch up on things while we let the Taiwan.

6 October 2016 Whiskey and Jiufen Village

In the morning we met for the included breakfast in the hotel. We loaded up the car and hit the road. We were off to a whiskey distillery which was about 30 minutes away. There was suppose to be a guided tour that starts at noon. We had a few issues finding the place but we eventually made it right at noon. Colin rushed in a head of us only to find out that the tour is self-guided and you can go when ever you want. We did our own thing and toured the facility and later noticed a guided tour with a small group going through…whatever.

After checking out the facility we went to the shop where they have samples that you can smell. They do a tasting as well but only at certain times. We made the 1300 tasting and Colin and I expected to sample a few of the whiskey but they only gave out one which was there “house” batch. It is a lighter tasting liquor with a bit of a sweet finish. After the tasting the heard everyone into the gift shop. We bought a small bottle for Olin and a bottle for us to consume later. We bought some sandwiches for the road and soon after we were off for Taipei.

After driving for an hour and a half we stopped in on the outskirts of Taipei at Jiufen Village. Jiufen village is basically a giant market that is similar to Mont Saint Michelle in France, with very different food obviously. It is a market on top of a hill with narrow streets winding through shops and restaurants. We snacked on some of the street food and took our time strolling through. We stopped in at a team house that was over a hundred years old. They had some very old tea pots and display and of course tea for sale which was pretty expensive. After a while we made our way back to the car and to drive into Taipei city center and find Olin’s apartment. The first thing you notice when driving into Taipei is the massive Taipei 101 building. It’s shaped like a giant pagoda and stands proud in the heart of the city. Olin lives very close to it so it was sort of a beacon for us. After a little confusion on trying to find Olin’s place we finally found him and the car rental lady just outside of his building just after 1800.

Olin Johnson is an OSC17 scholar who is doing in-country language training. He was still in transition of getting settled and waiting for his unaccompanied baggage. He only had one bed which he gave to Kira and I while the Culkin's took the spare bedroom and used the blowup mattress they bought from Costco. Olin was going to take the couch. Olin is a bachelor so he had no food, only a fridge full of beer. We made the best of it and ate out for every meal.

After we got settled, Olin took us to a hotpot restaurant for dinner. It was pretty good and instead of one big hotpot it did individual hotpots for everyone. After we ate, drank and visited for a while we headed to a mall and stopped in at a Zara so the Culkin’s could buy sheets and pillows for the mattress. After that we headed back to the apartment and put Nolan down for the night. We stayed up and drank on some whisky and beer and around 2300 the building began to lightly shake. The chandelier began shaking so I took some video of it. It was Nolan’s and Mom’s first ever earthquake. Pretty exciting! It lasted about 20 seconds then stopped. Nothing news worthy came of it.

7 Oct 2016 Taipei, Museums, and a Ton of Rain

We left Olin’s apartment at 0830 in search of Dan Pi, a Taiwanese breakfast burrito shop that Olin recommended to us. They had a huge line out the door even for the to- go customers. Colin and Kira ordered a few burritos for us all. It was pouring down rain so we had our hands full with trying to keep everything dry, including ourselves. Eventually we made it to the National Palace Musuem and went in out of the rain. We toured the museum for about an hour.

After that we walked in the rain over to the National Taiwan Museum. It was free to enter but honestly, it was kind of lame so we didn't stay to long. We ended up walking around and taking the metro over to a western restaurant called the Corner Place. We all had burgers, wings and some three layer dip and of course a few beers. They had a pretty wide variety of beers including American, German, and Belgium. The food wasn’t bad but the service was a little “too cool for school” type attitude. It reminded Kira and me of Philly waiters. After lunch we went back to Olin’s to rest up and get Nolan down for a nap.

Around 1800 we all left with Olin to meet up with his Taiwanese girlfriend, Yolanda, at a Taiwanese restaurant on the other side of the city. The area was a bar/restaurant strip and it was very busy. Yolanda ordered food for the whole table and we all shared, tapas style. Everything was good but nothing was amazing. Nolan was having a tough evening so that didn't help much. Being off of his normal schedule wasn't helping so he was due for a cranky day.

8 October 2016 Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial

In the morning we set out to see Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. We were expecting rainy weather but the sun was out and it turned out to be a beautiful morning. The memorial is huge and stunning and it was definitely the highlight of Taipei. Every hour on the hour they have a changing of the guards which we highly recommend seeing. Get there about 10 mins before the hour to reserve a good spot for pics. Hint…go to either one of the sides, just behind one of the guards and get right up to the fence. Most people flock to the center but they clear everyone out and push everyone to the side. I accidentally figured this out by luck…right place at the right time.

The memorial where the changing of the guards happens is very similar to the Lincoln or Jefferson memorial in DC. There is a huge statue of former President, General Chiang Kai-Shek sitting in the back of the memorial. The guards are directly in front of him. The guard changing is a skilled display not to be missed. After we witnessed the changing of the guards we took the elevator down underneath the grounds where there is a huge and very impressive museum. The museum contains a lot of Chiang Kai-Shek and Dr. Sun Yat-Sen artifacts worth seeing.

We spent around two hours at the memorial and then we decided to go in search of lunch. We grabbed some quick and easy sandwiches from a little shop and walked around a bit. Kira decided to take Nolan back to the apartment so he could get a nap in. The Culkin’s and I strolled around looking for a couple of craft bars so we could kill some time before we rendezvoused with everyone else including the Wynn family at Taipei 101. We stopped in at ON Tap and had a beer but honestly didn't get a great vibe there. The people were nice it just didn't seem to be a happening place so we left after on drink and found Craft Beer and Co. We liked this place much better and the bartender was from Oregon so he knew a thing or two about craft beer. Colin and I could have easily “pushed it up” a bit there but we need to meet everyone across town at 1600 and it was already 10 till. We finished our beers and hailed a cab. We arrived at Taipei 101 at 1610 and met up with everyone except for Olin who decided not to come for some reason.

Taipei 101 is basically a large mall. It is full of restaurants and department store and you can also take the super fast moving elevator to the top and check out the view of all of Taipei. We chose to take the ride up even though it had become super hazy and overcast. We couldn't see much but checking out the giant damper was pretty cool. The tuned mass damper is basically a steel pendulum that acts as a counter weight when typhoon winds and earthquakes rock the building. It keeps it from swaying and breaking. The damper is huge as it stretches from the 92nd floor to the 87th and weighs 728 short-tons. On one of the floors you can see old videos of the damper swaying to one side during an earthquake. It is quite a site o see and it was our highlight of 101 due to poor visibility outside.

After that we decided to head back down and do dinner at Din Tai Fung which is where we ate at with the Polidor’s in Kaohsiung. Unfortunately the weight time was two hours since we had such a large party of 11 people. We opted to hit up Ningxia Night Market and snack our way through. We did our best to se everything but since it was raining we opted for the inside section of the market where there are a ton of restaurant stalls. Amazingly we were all able to sit together. We pigged out on some jiaozi and and XLBs and stayed dry in doing so. After that we decided to walk around a little more before calling it a night. The Culkin’s and us had early flight back to the mainland the next morning. We consulted with Olin’s door man about a taxi for 0600 and he said he would arrange it for us. He was very nice and helpful.

9 October 2016 Home

We woke around 0500 and packed up. The taxi was right on time and we had zero issue getting to the airport. We said our see ya laters to Colin and Lindsay and made our way to our terminal. Everything went smoothly and we made it back to GZ without issues.

It was a fun trip but I would like to spend more time in the center of the island of Taiwan….perhaps more time on the coast as well. Taipei seems to be a cool place to live but not necessarily a great place to visit. It is kind of a boring city. Everyone speaks English and it is very westernized.

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coffey-to-go · 9 years ago

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Hong Kong, 2016

July 1, 2016. Hong Kong

We woke at 0700 to catch the 0955 train to Hong Kong. Kira purchased train tickets the night before from customer service at our apartment office for 364RMB a piece (x2) which equals a total of $110. We climbed into a cab at 0835 and were on our way to the train station. It was a Friday morning so traffic getting off the island was bad and some construction on the bridge worsened conditions. We arrived at the station at 0905 for grand total of 34RMB. We cleared customs and boarded the train at 0945 and ten minutes later we were off for Hong Kong.

We arrived in HK at 1155 and moved quickly through customs. Hong Kong is somewhat of a clean city so they take your temperature before leaving the terminal….got to keep the germs away. Our hotel is on Hong Kong island so we took the ferry across to reach the island. It is worth doing to see the city skyline and it is cheap…about 25 cents per person. We had to trek a ways through the metro but eventually reached the Courtyard Marriott just outside the financial district of the island. Let me add that we purchased the Octopus card which is the multi-purpose card for HK. You load it at Octopus stations that are everywhere. It is good for all transportation except taxis. It works at most retail stores, restaurants and tourist attractions.

While Nolan napped I went out to grab snacks. I found a place serving up “Chinese hamburger”, so I grabbed a couple for me and Kira. They were about 20HKD a piece and were pretty tasty. They are basically a bun stuffed with beef or pork. Pretty simple.

After Nolan woke we made our way to the Peak Tram to make our way up to Victoria Peak. When we reached the HSBC building, which is close to the Peak Tram station, it was surrounded by hundreds of protesters. Luckily, it was late in the day and they were all hunkering down and taking what appeared to be a break for the evening. With it being July 1st, Establishment Day, some protests were to be expected.

It was about an hour long wait in line to get on the train but the ride up is only about 10 minutes. It was around 1830ish when we reached the top and we spent some time with little daylight we had taking scenic pictures. It is an incredible view of HK from up there and something definitely worth doing. After we had our fill of scenic pictures it was time to fill up on food. We dined at Wild Fire Pizzeria and scarfed down some pizza and beer. The restaurant offers a great view of the city but to get a window seat you must make a reservation. After dinner we got in line to catch the train back down…only a 30 minute wait this time. We worked our way back to the hotel via tram A.K.A. a trolley in other parts of the world. We were able to get second deck seats in the front row. Nolan really enjoyed staring out the front window and even though it was way past his bedtime, he seemed to be having the time of his young life! After grabbing a beer at the executive lounge we made it back to the room by 2200ish and cleaned up then hit the sack. Nolan was out as soon as he hit the the crib.

July 2, 2016. Buddha Boy

The next morning we departed on the 1100 shuttle bus from our hotel to the metro station. We were embarking on our journey to Lantau Island to seek out the Giant Buddha. We reached the island (metro takes you all the way to the island) around 1130ish and we found our way to the huge line of people waiting to buy tickets for the gondola ride up into the peaks where the Giant Buddha is. It was about a two hour wait. The gondola ride is about 20 minutes maybe more and offers some great views of surrounding landscape. There is also a well paved hiking trail that leads up to the Giant Buddha area. There are a lot of steps and it seems it would take a full day to reach the top.

At the top is a little “village” so they call it, but it is mainly just a row of souvenir shops and restaurants. Nothing special by any means. After navigating through all the shops we reached the base of the Buddha. There are stairs that lead up to the top with approximately 400 steps. Along the way and at the top we posed for pictures and one pic in particular made our day if not our two year assignment. As Nolan sat on my shoulders so we could pose for a pic right in front of the large Buddha, Nolan randomly put his right hand up and with his left, touched thumb to pointer finger, then put on his best Buddha face. The people around us noticed it as well and they all had a good laugh. We are not sure what this means... an omen of some sort perhaps? Who knows? We know that we were fortunate enough to capture it on camera and it has been a hit on all of social media. Our precious Buddha Boy! We spent some time walking around and checking out the view from the top. We entered the Buddha but we were disappointed only to find people selling trinkets and junk. We made our way back to the gondola and took the ride back down and eventually made our way back to the hotel to take a break.

After our Buddha Boy woke from his nap we went into Central to check out a tattoo place. We never found it but that is a different story. We checked out Central but it wasn't the most kid friendly area so we decided to head out to North Point for some dim sum. Tim Ho Wan is a small chain of dim sum restaurants through out HK. Oh, did I mention they have a Michelin Star? No big deal. They do not take reservations and we've heard the wait can be quite lengthy, but it was later in the evening when we arrived and we only had to wait about 15 minutes to be seated. Nolan needed a diaper change so I volunteered. Problem was the bathroom was very small and dirty so we took to the streets. As Nolan and I wondered the streets of Hong Kong searching for a suitable place to change his diaper we finally came across some chairs along the side walk out front of a restaurant. With a clean diaper we made our way back to Tim Ho Wan. We tried out a few different things but our favorite was the beef wrapped vermicelli noodles (changfen) and the glutinous rice. The wait staff’s favorite part was waving and smiling at Nolan. Once again he stole the show!

July 3, 2016. Happy Anniversary

In the morning we decided to take the metro under the harbor to Tsim Sha Tsui/Kowloon. We just wanted to wonder around and check out some of the shops and find some descent sushi. We stumbled upon a Patagonia store which happened to be near a sushi restaurant that we wanted to try. We spent about an hour an a half and a lot of money in the Patagonia store (our anniversary gift to ourselves) and then we headed over to Itacho Sushi restaurant. The sushi was good but I'm sure we can do better in HK. After that we hit a mall that had a Babies R Us to reload on diapers and baby food, then we went back to the hotel to let Nolan nap.

At 1800 we returned to Tsim Sha Tsui/Kowloon so I could check out a tattoo parlor (this time I was prepared) with no issues locating. I got a positive vibe about the place so I look forward to doing business there soon. Afterwards we set out to hit up the famous Temple Street Market where you can buy just about anything. Most of the stuff are “knockoffs”, but I was impressed with the quality of some of it. The Ray Ban sunglasses seemed real enough and I see a pair in my future. We did some “wheel’n and deal’n” and in the end we came out with a pretty cool painting of the HK skyline and a Hong Kong egg waffle. I rather enjoyed the game of haggling and look forward to practicing the art sometime soon.

We finished up the evening grabbing a doner at a Turkish shop. I was hoping for a taste of Germany but it was anything but. The chicken tikka looked amazing though….straight from India Palace. I clearly ordered the wrong thing. Back at the hotel we got the boy down for the night and Kira and I treated each other to much needed foot massages and a few relaxing beers before turning in for the night.

July 4, 2016. Happy Independence Day, Merica!

Nothing to exciting for us today. We just took it easy at the hotel and packed. We made our away across the harbor via ferry ride and when we reached the other side we decided we should commemorate the 4th by treating ourselves to McDonalds for lunch. Nothing says Merica like some burgers and fries! Nolan enjoyed his first taste of Mickey D's by scarfing a couple of fries down…In front of Tiffany and Co. no less. We literally had lunch at Tiffany’s. Next stop, Guangzhou.

All in all Hong Kong is a pretty amazing place and we look forward to spending a lot more time there. We took in the whole city experience (well, more like some of the city experience) this time around. Next time we hope to check out some of the outdoors the region has to offer.

Lessons Learned:

Long lines at a lot of the attractions. Expect to wait an hour or longer.

2. Don't stay (lodging) on HK Island. Stay on the mainland instead. More to do on mainland side. The island has a few things to offer but not worth staying there. It’s easy and cheap enough to take the ferry or metro to the island.

3. If you have a stroller use the yellow path when loading on and off the ferry ramp.

4. Get the octopus card. Totally worth it.

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