june 18th

another day in Taipei

Today I woke up at 2pm. It's been a long 3 days with this humidity and heat. The weather has been great, but the temperature never gets under 35 celsius... It's hot here. 

Lisa and went for lunch at a traditional Taiwanese restaurant. She ordered me some weird dish that I'd never seen before.

Basically, it's tofu on the outside and green bean noodles on the inside. The sauce is a marinara like paste with spicy chilis. I was a little weirded out by it. But, in the end I enjoyed the whole thing. The food here is a bit strange. But, once I take one bite, I fall in love. Each dish here is unique in it's own way. 

After lunch, we ended to Fort San Domingo on the waterfront. Here's a little history lesson on Fort San Domingo. 

Fort San Domingo was originally a wooden fort built by the Spanish in 1629 in New Taipei City, Taiwan. The Spanish were the first outsiders to establish a colony on Taiwan. But in 1636, the locals were fed up with the taxes the Spanish had imposed, which made way for the fort to be demolished. 

The Dutch were the second country to try and settle in Taiwan. It took them three tries to finally set up camp in 1642. This didn't last long. Off went the Dutch. 

In 1683, the Chinese backed by the Qing Dynasty ruled the Fort and built a better one to replace the wooden structure. This building lasted until the Chinese left in 1867.

The final country to rule the fort was Great Britain. It took over the area in 1867 until it's closer in the 1970s. The British turned the fort into a consulate for the British citizens travelling to the area. They tore the building down and replaced it the one that stands today. The original building is from the 1870s.

The meeting room in original condition.

The study or reading room.

The original kitchen.

The fountain outside the fort.

The dining room.

The view from the Fort.

After Fort San Domingo, we walked around the waterfront. Right away I noticed an ice cream stand that sold giant cones. I had to get one!

Strawberry and Green Tea ice cream.

The ice cream was an incredible $NT20 or $.64USD. The food here is cheap! 

After walking around, we decided to see the view of the city from the top of a mountain and check out a natural hot spring. I was really excited about the hot spring even though it was 95 degrees outside. 

It took us an hour to get to the top of the mountain. I had forgotten my camera... So my phone camera had to do. 

Taipei below the mountain.

Once we saw the view, we headed to a natural hot spring. I was determined to see how great this hot spring really was. I wasn't disappointed.

Each pool was at least 40 degrees celsius. There were heavy duty jets to massage the back as well. It was a relaxing hour. I closed my eyes and looked up at the stars. It was a pretty great experience. Well except for all the old Taiwanese men walking around with their wangs out. That was a little uncomfortable. 

The trip back to Taipei was an hour. We went back to the Schilin Public Market to get some dinner. Below are all the foods I enjoyed. 

Duck tongue

Chicken kebab with sweet and spicy sauce

Fried taro ice cream

Fried chicken breast with sugar

Fried shrimp cake

Quail egg soaked in vinegar

I wanted to try as many different types of food items as I could. Tomorrow I will try another ten or so street food items. 

Today was a fun day. This trip has been a great one so far. I'm glad I met Lisa because she has been a great host and tour guide. I would probably be lost in the city with no way to get back to my hostel if it weren't for her. 

Well, time for bed.