Do People Play Mah Jongg in Taiwan?

The answer is yes!  And I think they get upset with how the game goes occasionally.  Look what I found mixed among a pile of broken glass in the alley leading to the back door of our apartment.

It looked like some player got furious with the game and tossed it out the window along with the glass top table he/she was playing on.  Do any of my Mah Jongg friends ever get that upset with the game?

It can be hard to find Mah Jongg sets in the U.S.  So I was excited when I found this display in the local hardware store.

No, I won't be purchasing.  These sets don't have jokers.  Perhaps the person who threw their tiles out the window wouldn't have done it if he or she had had a few jokers.

The Old and the New

Every day Taipei brings a new delight.  Today, Solomon, Taylor and I walked to get breakfast.  Solomon, trained to live in a big city, walks along as if it's no big deal to be in a huge city.

After breakfast we walked over to Qingguan Park to get the wiggles out.

When we realized we all needed a bathroom break, we headed down the alley to go back to our apartment.  When..........................what do I spy? A little mini temple, the size of a phone booth.

I could have easily missed this.

I think the only reason I looked was because of the scent of incense.

After taking these photos I looked behind me, and there was a storefront temple, about the size of a single garage. Two older ladies were watching TV on the big screen on the wall.  They motioned me to come in, which I did.  They wanted me to sit down, but I declined. I needed to catch up with Taylor and Solomon who continued down the alley without even noticing these little gems. I felt I would impose if I took a photo, so you just have to trust me that it was another small, gem of a temple. 

I find that I have to pay attention all the time while I'm here, because I can so easily miss hidden treasures. The contrast of modern playgrounds with ancient temples, as well as the contrast of an ornate temple with a TV on the wall  are  constant sources of wonder for me.

More Temples

As if the beautiful Jingfu Temple wasn't enough of a feast for the eyes, I just found two more temples within a 10 minute walk in the opposite direction from our apartment.

This first temple, Yongjing Temple, is on the way to the Shuanglian Market, where we went to scope out the fresh fruit, veg, fish, etc.  I saw this temple the first night while I was out exploring with Jennifer.  At that time the gate was closed but all the red lanterns inside the courtyard were lit.  It was quite magical. I was thrilled to find it again.

Yongjing Temple

Once we got into Shuanglian Market, we stumbled over this beauty right in the middle of the vendors.

Students and their families come here to Wen Chang Temple to pray for good grades. 

There is Taylor, checking out the produce.

Happy New Year Family Dinner

This is our sixth trip to Taipei. By the time we come home from this trip we will have spent 5 months and one week in Taipei (the first visit was a one week wedding extravaganza). Thanks to our lovely daughter in law, Chia, I now feel like I am part of this huge, fascinating city.  Last night she invited Taylor and me to have a dinner with her family to honor the New Year and the family.  We had a wonderful time with our Taipei family.

Taylor and I managed to take the 63 bus to the restaurant without incident.  Eleven of us met outside the Hong Yuan Seafood Restaurant on Minshen East Road.

The food was delicious and the company was charming.

Here we all are, after dinner.  The dirty dishes are a testament to a wonderful feast.

The three cousins, Junior, Sophie and Solomon Soup.  They really like each other.  I enjoyed speaking Mandarin to Junior and Sophie while they practiced their English with me.

After dinner, Chia's sister in law and I nipped into the boutique next door, where they were having a wonderful sale.  We only looked.  We did not buy.

This is a very soft leather jacket.

Fancy leather.

 While the two of us shopped, the rest of the group went next door to 7-Eleven for dessert.

I think Chia's father should be very proud to have 3 wonderful grandchildren.  Sophie and Junior are really enjoying their treats and their grandfather.

Solomon with his aunt, Chia's sister.

David, Chia's brother and Taylor supervise the fun from behind bars.

Here's the star of the evening - Chia.

Thank you Chia for a most wonderful family dinner.

Happy New Year of the Pig.

It's Grandma's Turn

Getting comfortable in our new apartment in Taipei.

This is What We Came For

Grandpa and Solomon Soup enjoying Peppa Pig and the Chinese New Year while waiting for dinner to be served.

Jingfu Temple

I love the temples in Taiwan.  They come in all shapes and sizes.  They never fail to surprise me, no matter how grand, or how humble.

This morning, after being wowed by the New Year pigs at the bakery we went to the closest Citibank to use the ATM.  On our way out I noticed a temple peeking out from behind some canvas.

This was enough for me to get Taylor's attention and go in for a closer look.

What we discovered was a good sized drop dead gorgeous temple.  The man at the entrance was most welcoming and eager to educate us about the Taoist temples in Taiwan.  This is Jingfu Temple and it is 140 years old.  It has recently been restored and it is most glorious.  We started on the ground floor where we met the main god, "tu di gong", the God of the earth.

Each temple has its own gods.  Jingfu Temple's main god is "tu di gong."

As we climbed the stairs to the next two levels, we were treated to more and more elaborate carvings.  I wonder if the escalation of decorative style has to do with getting closer and closer to heaven?

When we rented our apartment we didn't know what to expect from the new neighborhood.  I feel we got a bonus by being only a 10 minute walk from this feast for the senses.

Adventures in Taiwan 2019

Here we are, back in Taiwan for a month.

We dragged ourselves off the plane last night, thinking we would never be able to function again. We were utterly exhausted as we made our way to our new apartment. Our lovely landlady Jennifer met us at the apartment to show us the ropes of the new digs. As she was demonstrating the ins and outs of the apartment, Taylor passed out on the couch. Nonetheless, Jennifer was determined to show me around the neighborhood. She and I strolled the neighboring streets so I could easily find the grocery store, dumpling stand and traditional market in the morning. We were out until 1 a.m. And this is after I had already been awake for more than 24 hours. Let me tell you, today has been more than a little challenging. I was able to lead Taylor to the grocery store, but have no idea where all the other places are. Not only am I not running on all cylinders, everything looks different in the daylight.

Here's what I know though:  Chinese New Year will be here on February 4.  It's the year of the pig.

Ｈａｐｐｙ　Ｎｅｗ　Ｙｅａｒｓ　ｅｖｅｒｙｏｎｅ！