Taipei Heatwave

 Scents of Star Anise and Garlic

[ Dadaocheng Neighborhood ]

Norah and I arrived in Taipei City last night to a wall of heat at the top of the subway steps, plonked into the Ximending Walking District just a few blocks from our accommodations. Without realizing it, I had booked us into a hotel in one of the busiest nightlife areas of the city. It was a little jarring after the idyllic week in Miyakojima that we had just left.

[ just steps from our accoms ]

We wound our way through the busy streets to our hotel, a nondescript high rise with the only noticeable feature from the street: a pink neon stripe shaped into a heart. We walked into a dark glass and marble lobby that gave us both love hotel vibes. As it was eight o’clock at night we had no choice but to proceed…

[ the eclectic lobby ]

We took a black mirrored elevator up to our floor 😳. Our room was spotlessly clean, with every amenity present, yet the presence of Chiang Kai-shek did not really assuage our fears.

[ just say no to communism ]

We fell asleep wondering where we had landed. 

To our relief, the hotel breakfast the next morning was spectacular and we were in the company of Taiwanese parents, children, and grandparents on vacation. We decided it was all on the up and up.

[ Bangka Longshan Temple ]

We spent the morning today at the Bangka Longshan Temple in the Wanhua District. The temple was built during the Qing Dynasty in 1738 by Chinese Buddhists from Fujian who had settled in Taipei.

Our other goal for the day was to make our way to the Dadaocheng neighborhood where some of the red brick buildings from the Qing Dynasty can be found. We had to catch a bus to get to the neighborhood and once we found our stop and watched what everyone else did, Norah stepped out and waved down our bus like a local. 

[ Norah’s got this ]

[ okay, truth be told, this guy stole her thunder ]

The neighborhood streets in Dadaocheng are lined with small shops where all sorts of food and goods can be found. There were stalls selling tea, dried fruit, garlic, dried mushrooms, and fish. The scent of star anise and garlic filled the air.

For lunch, Norah found a delightful little vegan restaurant, Mukuchi Kitchen, tucked away on a side street. We ordered an oat milk ramen bowl and an asparagus bean curd roll. Lucky for us, the shop was air-conditioned and the warm ramen was a mouthful of flavours. The bean curd roll was like nothing I have ever tasted, it was grilled with a carmelized soy sauce glaze.

[ a tiny and delectable kitchen ]

[ vegan oat milk ramen and bean curd roll ]

We found a sweet bookstore housed in one of the historic buildings. Even though I could not read any of the books, I enjoyed the quiet respite from the street in cool air-conditioning amongst the beautiful books.

[ Kuo’s Astral Bookshop ]

I liked this self help series. I could not read the text but the pictures were informative. I am pretty sure that the page below is explaining that hammocks are really good for relaxing…

[ time to get out the hammock ]

🪭