Day 28 - Goodbye Taiwan!

So not much to report today but some last minute packing, breakfast and left for the airport at noon. Because of our VISA card we had access to the VIP room.

And here's the waiting area before we reached the actual waiting area. These shao long bao benches are so cute!

I wish I had something interesting to say to summarize our trip in this final post but nothing comes to mind. But maybe this a good thing so I'll have something original to say when you ask me "What did you think of your trip?" So for now, peace out ✌.

Day 27 - Taiwanese Food Expo

Since the day I dyed my hair they were too busy to cut the boys' hair, I made an appointment to go back today. The boys' cuts were NT350 each and I got my hair washed for NT200. That's $6 USD! And no tips!! If I lived here and had a job I would just get my hair washed at a salon. I get massaged and a nice blowout. But as soon as we stepped out of the salon we were greeted with pouring rain within minutes and ruined my nice hair 😔.

Riding on the MRT last week we saw ads for a Lu Rou Fan expo? It turns out it was part of a Taiwanese Food expo at a the Trade Center so I decided to take the kids there for lunch.

That's a mah lag zhong tze on top. And here's a video of someone making fresh egg rolls.

The kids got bored pretty quickly as they were pretty much full after 2 bowls of lu rou fan. So we left and picked up my Chia Te order and brought it home. Then we asked Ja Chi to bring the DVDs the kids already finished in Taiwan back to the US for us because our luggage was incredibly full!! So we went to drop it off and had a chance to say goodbye.

For dinner, Noah requested Shabu Shabu again and my friend Tina took us to one by her house. She lives very close to 101. This is the view coming out of the MRT. I really love how they designed the building.

And our last dinner with Shao Ma Yi (Charis).

Then it was home, pack and sleep.

Day 26 - Day of Lasts

So I'm back in the US already but I thought I should finish blogging about our trip. As the Chinese saying goes "Have a head, need a tail". Haha I know I don't have to explain what that means to you all.

So this day the kids wanted to have McDonald's for breakfast and we all ordered the toast with hash brown, cheese and mayo/ketchup.

The diabolo teacher invited us to a class her company was teaching at a local elementary. There were some pretty advanced students that could do stuff like juggling 5 diabolos at once. The kids were able to try out a one sided Chinese diabolo which was apparently the original design.

Because we were going to say goodbye to my aunt today I decided we would have lunch at my favorite restaurant which is also very close to where she lives. Unfortunately, they were closed!! So we had lunch a few doors down which did not have any English on the menu so we winged it.

After lunch we visited my aunt for awhile (she didn't want to take picture) then we went to Taipei Train Station again to see if they have any "Crayon Shin Chan" DVDs but no luck. On our way there we saw this cordoned off area that showed buried remains of the area when the Japanese occupied Taiwan. I'm guessing they came upon it when they were developing the MRT through the area. It was very interesting but it felt like it would be better in museum rather than this largely ignored area of the subway.

We ended our day with our last dinner at Formosa Chang where I bought some ready made lu rou fan packages (I know, I smuggled it back). Then did some packing and called it a day.

Day 25 - Hair & Doraemon Fail

This morning I decided to get something different for the kids for breakfast (most because I wanted the Sicilian Iced Coffee again) so I went to YOLO's cafe. I got a ham and cheese sandwich, a toasted chocolate sandwich and a hot dog. I also ordered their guava yukult and lemon yukult. The kids didn't like the guava yukult but I thought it was pretty good so I drank it. My coffee is still sitting in the fridge.

After our late breakfast I had a hair appointment to darken my super faded hair. Can you believe it only cost me $16 USD?!? My hair has not been this dark since....ever! I think it's darker than my natural hair color.

For our late lunch we went to Formosa Chang again.

Then we went to Nangang to watch a Doraemon movie. Doraemon has been out for over a month so only 2 theaters in Taipei were still showing it and they only had 1 showtime a day. Unfortunately the movie was all sold out so we went to a game area (like Chuck E. Cheeses) within the mall. I spent a little less than the movie and it kept the kids entertained a bit longer than the movie so I think I came out ahead. We had dinner at the mall as well.

Day 24 - Last Day of Camp (Days Spicy Shabu Shabu)

The original plan was to have a whole body massage yesterday followed up with a leg/foot massage today. But after the brutal beating I got yesterday I think my money would be better spent elsewhere. So I went shopping! Funny how I keep finding more stuff that I didn't know I need.

I passed by a fresh milk, brown sugar boba shop that always has a line. So I decided to get that and some bread with potatoes on it for lunch at home.

After finishing my book and taking a short nap I went to the post office to mail off a post card. I must say, the service here is awesome. You take a number, have a seat and get called up fairly quick.

Then I was off to pick up the kids. I'm supposed to get a link to their photos at camp so I will share that when I get it. The kids had a good time the last 2 weeks. They were excited and had a lot of fun, but by Friday I think they were over it. So I think 2 weeks is just the right amount of time for them to spend at camp.

Ja-Chi came by so we could have dinner together. We went back to the AYCE shabu shabu restaurant again. It was very good but I didn't get any pictures.

Day 23 - Italy On My Mind (YOLOS Cafe)

The kids have their camp at an athletic center that has basketball courts, skating rink, swimming pools and various other sports. During drop offs I noticed that mostly old people go there in the mornings. Today I was walking behind this very cool older lady and I couldn't tell exactly what she was riding on. It even had a cup holder!

Since I've crossed almost everything off my to do list I decided that I would go get a massage. After researching a few places in our neighborhood I decided to go to the one just a few steps away from our house. While researching I saw some offering traditional Chinese massages AKA Tua Na. I googled it and read briefly about it including one that said something like it's not meant to be relaxing like western massages. Well, when in Rome right? 

I paid NT1300 for 60 minutes and those were the most torturous 60 minutes of my life. Seriously, birthing Noah was faster! They first had me rinse off in their shower followed by 60 minutes of deeply massaging every accupressure point and using a scraper to scrape bruises on my entire back! I've had that done before but never willingly, without yelling and paying for it! I am sitting in bed writing this because it hurts to lie down!

So after another quick shower I was off for another late lunch. Have I mentioned that every cafe I've been to so far is within 2 blocks of our house? Today I ordered a chicken toast and Sicilian Iced Coffee. The lady told me the coffee has lemon and asked if I still wanted to order it. Sure, why not. 

The thing is, I really don't like drinks all that much. Whether it be juice, boba, wine, beer  coffee etc., I just never had a taste for it.  A few years ago, around when my father passed away I found that I started to order iced coffee. Partially because my dad loved drinking coffee with lots of sugar, partially because it gave me something to order when everyone else orders things to drink and partially because it made me feel like a sophisticated adult. Haha But I can't say I really enjoy it all that much. Especially when the coffee tastes burnt or has a weird sour taste - which is quite often. 

So with that background in mind, I need to tell you that I had the best iced coffee ever! It was very refreshing because of the lemon and they added some salt to it. I can't say it's for everyone but I really did love it. I wish I had tried this place earlier!

After my refreshing light meal I went to pick up the kids. They had a field trip today to a local farm. Noah said there was lots of "guas". Shi gua (watermelon), coo gua (bitter melon), and di gua (sweet potato?) not sure. They also saw some peacocks, had organized competition between the older kids and younger kids, painted some coin banks and planted some sunflowers that looked more like rosemary.

What they were most impressed by was the bus! It's one of those fancy buses with AC, soft cushiony seats with seat covers and even TVs! Much, much, much nicer than their usual yellow school buses in America. 

Since it's so hot here I filled a huge thermos with ice and iced water plus I froze 2 water bottles for them to bring. Knowing that the parents in Taiwan probably aren't too keen about giving their kids iced water i asked if any of the kids said anything. They totally did. Haha One of the teachers even commented on it and a kid went to touch their bottle. They were all pretty amazed and my kids were clueless as to why they were.

Since the kids did not have any sleeping bags today we walked to Carrefour to pick up some last things to bring back to the US and had dinner there.

Here's a picture of the kids playing with their kabuki mask prizes that Zion actually called jang ping (prize)! 

Day 22 - Chia Te (Artco De Cafe)

After dropping off the kids today I went straight to Chia Te to pick up some pineapple cakes souvineers. But after getting there I realized that all their products have expiration dates so it would be best if I bought it later.

I decided to walk the main street past a few MRT stations to do some shopping. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed that. Just being able to go into any store I want without anything to hurry back to. I ended up finding a few dress shirts for Bryan at G2000, getting a few socks at Uniqlo and even going into IKEA! I've always wondered if IKEA in Taiwan has "smaller" furniture and they do! Haha

I really, really liked this stationery store I passed. They had the most variety of pens I've seen so far and everything else was cute too!

They also had the cutest gift bags!

I enjoyed myself a bit too much so I had a very late lunch. Of course I had to try beef noodle soup.

Then it was time to pick up the kids again. Today was the last day of their diabolo class.

Since I had a late lunch I decided to eat vegetables for dinner. (Daikon, bamboo and A-Choy)

Day 21 - Day of Rest (Cama Coffee)

We have about a week left here in Taipei and only 3 more days of the kids' camp so I've been diligently checking things off my shopping list. Which means my days are kinda boring to blog about.

This morning the maid was coming so I had to get out of the house for a few hours. I went to a corner shopping place that has literally everything. I'm not sure what those types of places are called but they have everything. I will take a picture of I go again. Then I grabbed a honey iced latte and started a book that Noah just finished.

I was debating if I should run a couple of errands in the afternoon but I decided not to and just take it easy until I had to pick up the kids.

Zion made a friend today and hung out with her the entire afternoon. That may sound like good news but it turns out that he managed to find the only kid in class that speaks English fluently. (Her father is white.) Oh well...

Noah on the other hand has boy who is mean to him. The same boy who called him names. He said that he found out the boy called him "Ma Che Fu"? Something like a horse carriage driver? We're still not sure why that's an insult. He also called Noah an "Ah Dok Ah" which in Taiwanese I believe it means "white or foreigner". I've heard my grandparents use the term before but never found it to be insulting. But they were actually referring to white people. So the teacher made the boy bow to Noah and apologize for calling him that. I was feeling a bit defensive about the boy being so mean and tried to suggest to Noah how he could respond to him. But Noah said it really doesn't bother him, he just wants to know what the kid is saying. I feel a bit ashamed when he is handling it better than me.

Anyway, the kids are really enjoying playing the diabolo. Here is a video of Zion practicing. They can do more impressive tricks but somehow when you try to record it, it never works.

I am getting better at ordering dinner now! We had the dumplings again plus I managed to order stewed daikons and sa-cha dried noodles.

Day 20 - Gudetama & Formosa Chang

Did I mentioned Elaine spent the night? We loved having Elaine in our daily routine. She walked the kids to school with me then we went to Carrefour to pick up some snacks for her to take home. After dropping off our purchase at home we went to lunch at Gudetama Cafe. Unfortunately I think I was dehydrated or maybe suffering from a bit of heat exhaustion. I found myself with a headache and feeling quite nauseous when we arrived. I wasn't very good company and couldn't manage to eat more than a few bites. But here are a few pictures I took.

After lunch we went home and took another nap. Turns out Elaine and I are napping buddies. And much to my surprise she can even outsleep me! After my nap and drinking a ton of water I was feeling much better. I left Elaine sleeping on the couch while I went to pick up the kids. We had dinner at Formosa Chang's and Elaine tells me after dinner that she's been thinking about trying the McDonald's brownie ice cream sundae. Oh my gosh, me too!! So we had to go across the street and try some. Fyi, the McFlurry Sundae is the best one. Had some rice krispies in it we think.

After dinner, Elaine hung out with us a bit more until she had to go home. See you back in Cerritos!

Day 19 - Best ofs with Elaine

We had the best time with Elaine today! We rolled out of bed at 10:30a because Elaine was coming over at 11a! Elaine brought us guava and lein woo. My favorites! They were sooo delicious! I just got a picture of the very last one.

Then we went to Wooderful Life again for Elaine to build something. She chose a small dinosaur planter with 2 snoopy Woodstock birds on it. I totally forgot to get a picture. It was cute! On the MRT Elaine taught the kids how to make stars out of a rubber band. This has kept the kids busy for 2 days so far!

We had a late lunch at 101. I liked one of the restaurants we had there so much that I decided to order from there again. Standing in line I noticed their sign.

Duh, no wonder it was so good. They had a Smoothie House there so we had another Mango Ice.

After we got home Elaine and I both took  nap. I woke up to this.

We had dinner at Jessie Wa next to our house.