Taipei in a day

In another unexpected surprise, Taipei dazzled.  I had no idea what to expect, but wow, Taipei is an awesome city! Wednesday, Nov 22nd was a full day ship-sponsored shore excursion visiting Lungshan Temple, dim sum at Din Tai Fung, 2 markets and a Tea House before returning back to the ship around 5p for sail away.

A small group tour of 16 was a good mix and manageable crowd that kept things moving along without too much waiting around.

The port was about an hours bus ride from the city center and our guide did a good job of taking about Taiwanese life, culture, economy and some of the political realities of a country that doesn’t exist in the eyes of the United Nations.

Our first stop was the Lungshan Temple.  I’ll let the photos do the talking.  🤩

Then an early, mouth-watering lunch at Din Tai Fung.  They almost had to pull me away from the table.  The dumplings, hot and sour soup, seaweed and tofu salad were worthy of the top 10 restaurant ratings of Worlds Best Restaurants by The NY Times in 2010.

The dumplings are carefully spun 18 times each to make the perfect seal.  Any tiny tear or hole and it’s discarded and replaced.  The precision and care for the appearance is only outdone by the burst of flavors that explode in your mouth.

Being part of a large group, we were able to try pretty much the entire menu of pork, chicken, fish, crab, shrimp, spicy and red bean paste dumplings and wontons.  I lost count but I believe there was about 16 total and I couldn’t get enough although I left the table completely stuffed and happy.

We then visited a tea house and observed and participated in a tea ceremony before finally visiting 2 markets with a brief tour and then some time to shop on our own.

It was an excellent day in Taiwan.  Definitely worthwhile if a return visit.  I felt like I got a great sample of the city but still so much more to see and do.

We hit a bit of rush hour traffic on our way back to the port.  In a city of six million people, it was bound to happen.

I will be back. Don't know when but it's worthwhile!

Cole from Colorado

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