My most recent journey was back to the northern part of the country to visit Jinshan, or "Gold Mountain". Jinshan is a nice, but inconvenient place pretty close to Keelung. The old street had a really eclectic mix of things, and they're known for their duck. We didn't stop to eat the duck, but it is enjoyed in a very odd manner. The kitchen where it is prepared and the dining area are about 1 block apart. So you see people trying to navigate a crowd packed shoulder-to-shoulder while carrying plates of noodles, soup, vegetables, you name it. I can't imagine how many dishes have been broken and plates spilled, but I am sure it's many.
Jinshan is also one of the areas with natural hot springs, so we wandered a bit to find some. There was a resort that had a really huge chess board outside, for some reason. Access to the springs was stupidly expensive - about $50 US per person. So instead we retraced our steps and opted for a small, mom and pop operation. While cleanliness was not it's strong suit, the $3 price tag was. And honestly, I enjoyed it a lot more. This place had character - the resort was just some generic, hotel looking place. It's the same reason why hostels are better than hotels.
While leaving I bought these dynamite cheese cracker thingies, that I brought to work the next day. They were completely devoured by coworkers and students alike. On the way back from Jinshan we stopped off at the best night market in Taiwan, at Keelung. I never tire of this place. After an oyster crepe and a chicken breast filled with cheese, we stopped to eat at a noodle stand. Now keep in mind, when you sit at Keelung you're pretty much sitting alongside a torrent of people at a table no bigger than a school desk. We're hanging out when some guy said "Hey, this place must be famous - a foreigner is eating there." No, it's not famous. I'm just hungry and they had what I wanted. Later a little kid whispered to his dad "Look, there's a foreigner!" I played around and said "A foreigner? Where?" He pointed at me, and we had a "No, you're a foreigner! No you! You!" for a bit.
Also there was a really, really big dog. I don't have a segue for this, but seriously. This is the biggest dog I've ever seen.
I made a stop up to Yuanshan again to try out that British Pub slash Mexican Restaurant. That place is stupidly overpriced and the waitress was really bitchy. She said that each person has to order a minimum of $14 US, as if to deter us. It wouldn't have been a problem with a meal and a beer, but her attitude certainly was. Cross that off the list. After there was a guy juggling a bunch of stuff, and I made a trip to Shilin night market to buy something special, which I'll get to shortly.
The final stop today was to Chang Kai Shek's House. It's 50 NT to get in (yeah, student discount!), but they don't allow photos inside for some reason. They also have the "Be Quiet Police" that the National Palace Museum does. I wonder if they share staff? Anyway it's a nice enough house, but the garden is pretty. Speaking to more Taiwanese people, it seems that nobody really likes CKS very much. I don't know why they put his face and name on everything, then. I guess because history.
So if you didn't notice it, take another look at the previous photo. I went and got glasses. Fear not, this is not because I'm getting old and my eyes are crap. It's two fold, really. For one I haven't had an eye exam since grade school. And two the National Health Insurance makes it practically free. My right eye is slightly worse than my left - farsighted, it turns out. I have a very minor adjustment on that side. The left is just regular glass. It takes some getting used to, but I've noticed people respecting me a little more, as weird as that is to say. Maybe I look smarter, now.
But yet, I still can't see why kids love Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
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