Beitou is accessible by the (clean, convenient, and affordable) Taipei metro system, but feels very much outside of the city, with lush foliage and paths that weave over a river flowing from a hot spring.
Cooking With Ivy
As Brian and I dropped off Theo at school on Tuesday, we told him that we parents were headed to school too – a cooking class at Ivy’s Kitchen. (A benefit of having childcare is that we can periodically go out together sans child. This is good for everyone’s sanity.)
In the class, we made vegetable potstickers, spring onion pancakes, and hot and sour soup, all of which were delicious. Ivy is an excellent instructor, who is clearly fascinated by cuisines and cooking in general.
A Few More Things That I Didn’t Know About Taiwan
It would not be hyperbole to say that we stayed in Taiwan mostly because of the flight patterns between Vietnam and Japan. Plus, we remembered that we had friends who had enjoyed a short layover in Taipei on the way to Australia. So, we shrugged and decided to make Taiwan our home for a month, without really knowing anything about the island.
Continue reading “A Few More Things That I Didn’t Know About Taiwan”
Books I Read About Taiwan While In Taiwan
Goodbye Taipei
It’s no secret: we loved Taipei. However, last Sunday it was time for us to say goodbye.
Theo and Brian did one last check of the apartment to make sure we hadn’t forgotten anything. (We probably still did. Oh well. Less stuff to carry.)
Tozaki Shrine
We’re staying in a more residential area of Japan this month, without a car. Our hosts who live on the property, Momoko and Tsutomu, have been kind enough to pick us up at the train station, show us around, and offer us rides when they are headed into town. (There are also buses from our neighborhood that run into Kyoto periodically, but we haven’t tried them yet.)
Ginkaku-ji Temple and Concrete Turtles
Japan will be the first country in ages (well, since June) where we haven’t had some sort of external childcare. We asked about preschool/daycare before arriving, but between holidays and rules about residency, there weren’t any good options. So, Brian and I are switching off time working and child-tending once again.
Sushi Street Shows (of a sort)
“Just one more minute,” Theo requested, as we tried for the third time to convince him to leave the display of rotating model sushi.
(If you look closely, you can see all three of us in this photo.)
Just A Hint Of Mackerel
Grocery shopping in Japan is an adventure because most labels are entirely in Japanese. This isn’t so difficult when we are trying to buy things like apples or carrots, but it becomes more challenging for purchases like flour and vinegar. Sometimes, I just have to guess and hope for the best.
Feeding Monkeys
On Saturday, we visited the Japanese macaques, often called snow monkeys, that live at Monkey Park Iwatayama in Kyoto. To reach the monkeys, we hiked up a fairly steep path for about 30 minutes. (Without a preschooler, it likely would have been closer to 20 minutes.)
(Okay, yes, this is a photo from the way down, but you get the idea.)