English version(英文版) Day trip in Northern Taipei, Taiwan
Maybe it was the oh-so-entertaining Television (why do people go to the theatres in Taiwan, anyway?), claustrophobia didn’t hit me until noon, which leaves us only a few hours of sunlight for a daytime road trip. With such limited time, going north seemed to make more sense, so that’s what we did.
Complete random and spontaneous Itinerary (departing from Jingmei, Taipei:
1st Stop: Yannick Pastries:
Dessert makes one go crazy. We went ahead and got a box of 6 cakes, including one chocolate mouse tart, one cheesecake, two yam pastries, and one taro shortcake, we did go crazy. Crazy happy. Loaded with real ingredients, desserts here make you feel like you’re actually consuming some nutrients rather than just trans fat.
2nd stop: Yeliu Geopark
Yeliu, a cape in Wanli is a tourist attraction near Taipei. Yeliu is famous for its sedimentary rock formations with the most well-known being “The Queen’s Head.”
My first time visiting The Queens Head was in grade 6, elementary school when the media announced that the neck was breaking and telling the public to sieze their last chance to see the Queen’s Head. But like Venice or many other disappearing must-sees on the internet, it survived until now.
3rd stop: Seafood atYeh-Liu Fishing Harbor
Most Taiwanese are afraid of the cholesterol associated with seafood. But they eat them anyway, because there’s also a saying that seafood can enhance your libido. Rumor has it that Kung Fu legend Bruce Lee died in bed, with pleasure from some heart or brain problem. So if seafood leads to the same results one way or the other, might as well choose the one with pleasure? Our people have a thing for seafood. I personally believe in the protein over cholesterol, like how I only choose to believe in the good in people. And why I still get scammed after 10-millions of lessons in this culture. It is a shame to visit Yeliu without trying the seafood. The harbor is lined with seafood restaurants, and we chose a humble looking one (there weren’t really other choices). A table of shrimp, steamed whole grouper, stir-fried seafood noodle, squid, and yam leaves cost us only $1500 NT.
Last stop:.Juming Museum
20 minutes up the mountains in Jinshan takes us to Juming Museum. Named after Taiwanese artist Ju Ming, the museum houses most of the artist’s own works of big sculptures of taichi, military, and animals. We passed by a DIY area where I’d really hoped to participate. However, my useless hand wouldn’t allow me to. Maybe next time, 20 years later, hopefully, 2.
What I like about this museum is the outdoor area where I can actually breathe fresh air while appreciating the art.