A Typical Day in Taiwian

We have  been in Taipei for two weeks.  Our life has achieved a comforting routine.  This routine is a help in learning about Taipei and its characteristics and customs. The following is an example of a typical day for us.

We try to get up around 6 a.m. so we can take a walk.  If we start later in the morning, it's way too hot to enjoy the scenery.  We often have a destination, like a park, but sometimes we just explore neighborhoods.

I have discovered why Asian people walk around with umbrellas. The sun is very intense.  While we do our walking at 6, when the temperature is tolerable, once the sun gets to a certain height the glare becomes impossible for me to bare.  That's where the umbrella comes into play.

Everything is of interest to us, even walking the sidewalks.

The sidewalks are quite wide, and divided into two sections.  The area closest to the buildings is for walkers.  While this area is under cover so you can get out of the sun or rain, it also has a lot of steps going up and down, so it's not ideal for baby strollers or wheelchairs. I took both of these photos early on a Sunday morning before the crowds.  Normally, it's so crowded a photo would be impossible.

This is the people portion of the sidewalk.

The area closer to the street is for walkers, but bikes and motorcycles are allowed.  This portion of the sidewalk is also where you can park your two wheeled vehicle.  There is no cover from the elements on this portion of the sidewalk.

The vehicular portion of the sidewalk.

At six in the morning all the parks are busy with people exercising.  Young folks jog, older folks do tai chi, alone or in groups.  We have also seen people practicing yoga, dancing with music, playing badminton, throwing Frisbees, playing croquet.  We have even seen ballroom dancing!

After our walk, we often go to a local bakery for lattes and croissant.  Or, we might pick up our coffee from 7 Eleven.  7 Eleven is not like the chain in the US.  In addition to interesting snack foods, they have a barista who prepares custom coffee.

After we get home, and shower, shave and shine, we eagerly await the arrival of Solomon.

Sometime in the day we go shopping for dinner.  We are a short walk to Wellcome, the local grocery chain.  Taylor tends to go there about two times a day, because we always forget something.

Grocery stores tend to be in the basement.  It took us a while to figure this out.  We would arrive at the address, see the sign and not see the store.  

Jack fruit. All the produce is interesting at Wellcome.

Which noodles shall we buy?

There is a lot of rice to choose from.

It appears that many people eat out, or buy take away food for most meals.  While this food is cheap and delicious, we have found that we prefer staying home and cooking our own meals.  We have two frying pans, and one larger pot.  So far, I've made noodles and vegetables, and rice and vegetables.  David prepared delicious dumplings that we bought frozen, from the traditional market.  We're doing just fine as far a food is concerned.

Cheers!  Notice the second fry pan works well as a lid.

As you can see, our days are full.