It’s day two of my family vacation in Taiwan, where both of my parents grew up! After a grueling 24 hours of traveling by plane from Boston to Detroit to Tokyo to Taipei, the jetlag worked itself out, as my body was thoroughly confused as to what time it was :) Here’s a recap in pictures of what I’ve tasted, bought, and experienced so far!
Windsor requested that I start with this hilarious anecdote from my plane ride to Taiwan… I befriended the Taiwanese lady sitting next to me and her adorable 2-year old son, named Wei Puo (pronounced way pwo). She told me that she had given Wei Puo the English name “Gimo” and asked me what I thought of it, since her husband disapproved of the name. I said it was “uncommon” (LOL). So she asked me to suggest a great name for her son, since she wants to give him a quality name. I suggested “Paul” since it sounds similar to “Puo.” She eagerly wrote the letters P-A-U-L on her hand, and I hope she ends up naming him that! :) Here’s a picture of me with Wei Puo (sorry for the blurriness)!
Now for a couple shots of Taiwanese food…
This is a sticky rice bun that I ate for breakfast on my first day. It’s basically just a kneaded ball of sticky rice filled with rou shong (a popular type of dry shredded pork), you tiao (fried breadstick), and pickled vegetables (mustard and radish). SO DELICIOUS! This was less than 75 cents!
Here’s a display of mouth-watering cakes topped with beautifully cut fruit, piped whipped cream, and chocolate squares. Some close ups for your viewing pleasure:
By the way, those are just desserts from a normal pastry shop…nothing too special! (I think Asian desserts trump American ones any day!)
I got to hang out with all my relatives (group pic soon!), and here’s my favorite new addition to the family…my niece Kelly! WHAT A CUTIE!!! That’s my grandma with us in the pic on the right!
Finally, here’s my shopping haul from day one!
A really great kiwi facial mask (3-step, multi use) from a drugstore – $7 Adorable graphics are distinctly Asian!
Some hairclips I got from a small shop in Xi Men (pronounced shee mun), a popular hangout for students and other young people. Set on the left was $1, and the one on the right was less than $3! Super cheap!
Three pairs of earrings I got at the same shop — each pair was $1!
An amazing handmade, hand-dyed leather wrap bracelet I got from a street vendor in Xi Men. The lighting just doesn’t do it justice! A mere $12.50.
Chunky wedges – $17
Can’t wait to share more pics soon…stay tuned for Part Two! :)