Taiwan, Day 2: Wulai, Shaved Ice and Modern Toilet

First off, I have to laugh about our jet lag recovery as it appears to be going in the wrong direction. Today, we were up at 3 am. Jia was up at 2 am! And what's a girl to do at that point but apply some fake nails she bought at Snake Alley. That was Jia's thinking at any rate. (They came off a few hours later when she realized she couldn't do anything with her hands!)

We love venturing out for food. Breakfast was chewy mochi-like doughnuts, courtesy of a tip from friends, and sushi.

 

  

 

We then spent the day at Wulai, a little town nestled in a gorge beneath a waterfall. The area was damaged by a typhoon and mudslides last year, but is in the process of recovering. The ride there involved many hairpin turns and deep breaths. We took Willa there when she was a baby and wanted to bring her back. We also wanted to have the girls experience the natural side of Taiwan. We rode the gondola up to the park at the top of the mountain and explored all morning and afternoon.

 

 Poor Willa was scared to go on the gondola - but she did it!

  

 

 

We lunched at the resort at the top of the waterfall - the Yun Hsien Resort. Mr. Yeh ordered us a feast which included shrimp from the river right outside the hotel! After all of our sweaty hiking, we had hot tea to drink for lunch and somehow it was just what we needed! Then we toasted adorable heart and bear marshmallows over a nearby fire - so great.

 

 

We hiked around the park more after lunch, and the girls inspected many of the large insects that were crawling and flying everywhere.

On the drive back, Willa requested that we play "Would You Rather? The Taiwan and China Edition." Sample questions: "Would you rather drive a large bus around Taipei for a month or work next to a fish vendor at the Snake Alley night market for a year?" "Would you rather be stuck on the Wulai gondola when it stopped working for good or go down the Wulai waterfall in a boat?"

Back in Taipei, we crossed off another trip bucket list item - shaved ice. There are multiple shaved ice shops along one of Taipei's many charming side streets with big crowds at all of them for a good reason. We chose the least busy one and due to some confusion, we accidentally ordered three! We laughed when they arrived because they're HUGE! We ate about a quarter of what we received and have since learned that mango shaved ice is possibly the best food on the planet. And that brain freezes are worth it.

 

 

After a much needed nap by the crew, we had a very classy dinner at Modern Toilet where food is served in toilet bowls and squatty potties, drinks are in urinals, you sit on a toilet, the bathroom sink is a toilet and so on. The girls, of course, bought poop souvenirs.

 

 

We have been so lucky with the weather. The forecast predicted non-stop rain for today and yesterday. Today it sprinkled a bit just when we finished our hike. Yesterday, it poured when we were at Hello Kitty, but that was it! The overcast skies have prevented us from getting overheated and we are thankful for it!

We have been so impressed by the girls' behavior on this trip. They were outstanding during the marathon travel (12 hour and then 4 hour flights). They also have been hit hard by jet lag, but have been such troopers. They are experiencing all new things with enthusiasm. We are so glad we are here.