I returned home from Taiwan last Friday. Total travel time, including getting to and from the airport plus a long layover, was 30 hours. There is a twelve-hour difference between Taipei and NYC, making night day and day night. I was very jetlagged for a couple of days.
So now I’m catching up on our final day. It was the only rainy day we had the whole trip. Gray and gloomy, it put a definite damper on our plans. We’d planned to go in the morning to Taipei 101, the country’s tallest building, for a panoramic view. Then we’d visit a couple of neighborhoods.
Instead, we packed in the morning, then went for Peking duck at a restaurant recommended by Danny, our guide. Tristan had never eaten Peking duck and he loved it, eating the lion’s share of the meal. Eighteen-year-old boys can eat enormous volumes of food and then want more. I think he’s got a hollow leg.
After lunch, despite the weather, we decided to head to Taipei 101. We’d been told there is a large shopping area in the complex. That was true, but not exactly what we were looking for. It resembled the over-the-top malls in Dubai, featuring international luxury brands.
As we were already there, we thought “what the hell” let’s go up. There was no queue, which is something of a rarity. When we arrived on the 89th floor, the view was dismal. But as we made our way around the observation deck, the sky brightened. The sun peaked out briefly, then hid. That pattern of gloom and sun repeated itself several times. Because the weather wasn’t great, the observation deck was relatively empty.
I loved seeing the view in wildly differing weather conditions—it made for fabulous photos.
We then visited a grocery store. More about that tomorrow.