Time to wrap up Taipei so I can move on to the last leg of our trek across Asia-Hong Kong. Hubs had a couple hours of free time on our last day in Taipei and since it was gorgeous and sunny we hit the streets.
Literally. There was a little neighborhood market just across the highway and thru the alley opposite our hotel...mind the motorcyclists!
Told you foreign travel wasn't for the faint of heart.
As we wandered thru this market I pondered things like why we're paranoid about setting a whole chicken, frozen solid, on a plastic cutting board reserved solely for poultry, in an air conditioned house, for so much as a minute, and here they put raw fish and chicken pieces on wooden boards in the sunshiny out of doors yet don't keel over from salmonella. Run on sentence I know but it was a run on thought.
This sweet man took a liking to me and wanted us to take a picture together. I know this because a lovely Taiwanese woman who spoke English stopped by on her bicycle to interpret. For some reason he wanted me to hold random vegetables from his stall.
He also wanted hubs and I to take a picture together and a few more random vegetables were added for good measure.
Insert travel mantra here.
In case you've forgotten my travel mantra it's- 'Just go with the flow people.'
S is for Sun Yat-sen
Here we are posing together-
Technically it's me with a statue of Sun Yat-sen who is known as the founding father of the Republic of China. Also ROC's first president so he warrants a memorial in Taipei too.
Not quite as elaborate as the Chaing Kai-shek Memorial I told you about yesterday, but not too shabby either.
There's also a changing of the guard at the Sun Yat-sen memorial so hubs did get to see that.
No blinking here either.
Speaking of the Chaing Kai-shek Memorial we wandered back by since it's a do-not-miss attraction, and hubs wanted to see it too. He was working while I was playing when I visited the first time.
While we were admiring the memorial a man approached and I thought he wanted me to take a picture of him with his wife. My big fancy camera always throws people. They think I know how to take pictures. Anyway, we did the whole pantomime thing and since I had my hands full of stuff I called the hubs over to take the photo.
Can you tell its warm?
Turns out pantomime isn't 100% effective as a communication tool because the gentleman began shaking his head no no no. What he was trying to ask was if I'd get in a picture with his wife. Blue eyes make you something of a celebrity here. Perhaps I should have removed my sunglasses?
I told hubs to get in a picture with the Mister too just because.
Now for a word about face masks. They were everywhere in Taiwan, and Shanghai too. We didn't see as many in Hong Kong but in Taiwan nearly everyone wore a mask on the subways and out and about town. They're worn primarily to protect the wear-er from germs and potential pandemics and the like but their effectiveness is questionable.
These kids were awfully cute in theirs though...I love the little cheeky one in back who's waving at us.
We spent a little time wandering thru the garden before getting back on the subway. Got a hankering for some peanut soup? No worries....the vending machine's got you covered.
We passed a bride and groom on their way to have some pictures taken. Gotta love her creative footwear!
We exited the subway close to the hotel about the time school was letting out for the day. We were surrounded by school children of all ages and watched the safety patrol in action.
When the pole is vertical it's safe to cross. When she holds the pole horizontally the kids know to stop. This is a very busy street.
We meandered thru a little park where artists were hard at work. Play? Whatever...they were quite good.
There's Taipei 101 which means we're almost home.
By home you know I mean the hotel, right?
Just in time to collect our bags and head to the airport.
Hong Kong here we come!
