What do we do in our spare time?

Hmmm................often Taylor and I read, or take naps if Soup isn't at our house.  But when we have the strength and time we take walks through neighborhoods new to us in Taipei. Like any large city, this one has many different intriguing communities throughout.  One only has to walk a block or two, and you are suddenly in an entirely different environment.

This temple was a pleasant surprise we discovered walking down a side street.

The temple is small, but exquisite, and quiet.  I could tell someone had been here though because the incense was still burning.

Diagonally across the street from the temple is this little Christian church, all decked out for Christmas.

Back out on the main street of a busy business district, I came across this Santa and sleigh in a water fountain.

We have discovered that IKEA is a good place to use the restroom, or to exercise a toddler.  Except for the writing, it looks like IKEA anywhere.

The Confucian Temple in Taoyuan City provides a moment of peace and beauty.

Part of what we love about Taiwan are the contrasts.  In spite of living among such a large population, we can always find a quiet corner.

A Week in Rainy/Sunny Taipei with a Two Year Old

This was a busy week in Taipei in spite of variable weather.  This December the weather is cool and rainy (think high 60s), or warm and sunny (think low 70s).  The rainy days outnumber the sun, and we go outside no matter the weather.

Every day we went to a park.  Some days Solomon was lucky enough to find children to play with.

Solomon and this girl were the only ones in the park on this drizzly day.  They had a good time together.

Several days later it was sunny and warm.  The same park was swarming with children.

On this sunny day was took the train to a park in Taoyuan City where grandpa and Soup enjoyed lunch on a swing.  It was the perfect spot to sing a few rounds of "I've Been Working on the Railroad."

It was a good week to work on big motor skills.

This agility apparatus is a challenge but Solomon can do it.

This is one of the many slides at Taoyuan City playground.  Solomon kept up with all the other kids. Notice the way the slides take advantage of the hilly terrain.

Sliding through the tunnel.

Climbing through this challenging tunnel.

This one was a little scary, but fun!

One day, we went to the market to shop for our fruit, vegetables and fish.  Solomon pushed the cart.

We walk through Rongxi Park to get to the market.

Solomon and Grandpa waited patiently while I bought two salmon steaks.  The fish is so fresh here that there is absolutely no odor.  I always swear I will never buy fish again in the U.S.

When it's really rainy we can always go to the mall.  We went to Taipei Main Station Mall for browsing and having lunch.  It's kind of like going to an outdoor market, only it's inside.

We didn't see Santa, but we saw lots of Christmas decorations.

Another day we took the MRT to visit the Music Institute of Taiwan.  This was especially interesting to us because Chia wrote all the informative placards in both Chinese and English to explain the exhibits.  We're very proud of her.

Grandpa and Solomon listening to traditional Taiwanese music and looking at the locations where the music was recorded.

One of the many highlights of the week was taking the fast train to Taoyuan City.  Actually we took the MRT (subway), TRA (fast train) and a bus to get to our destination.  For a boy who loves trains, it was a perfect ending to a busy week.

Waiting for the fast train with Conductor Bear.

This sums up a week of rain, with a few splashes of sunshine.  Rain or shine, we have been busy.

Lost in Translation, edited 12.7.17

I took this picture because I was amazed at the slogan on the door of the car.  I have two thoughts on this, thanks to David and Chia.

• David suggested that this is an example of a bad translation.  Probably the quotation should be "to serve and protect."  If David is right, you can see how much trouble I can potentially get into with my small knowledge of Mandarin.

• Chia thought that this is a joke - not a real police car at all

After doing a little research, I still don't know what's up with this car.  There is a technology company in Taipei called Cypress Technology (CYP), founded in 1989.  Their logo doesn't match this one, but I wonder if this is their idea of a creative joke, not to be understood by those of us not in the know.

Finally, the puzzle is solved. 

• Syvart has the real answer to the puzzle: The car says "Transformers" on it - the logo is a reference to a series of big-budget robot movies (and a famous series of toys and cartoons, I even bought some of the toys when my boys were children).  It's not a real police car.

So, unless someone else comes up with another solution, this is a creative joke for people in the know.  My generation wouldn't get this.  And the car, with its logo, was unexpected in my Taipei neighborhood.

One Day in Our Life with Sen Sen Solomon Soup

This is only our fourth full day in Taipei, but we are settling in to a pleasant pattern.

This morning, we walked out to try a new breakfast stop, before going to the market for fresh vegetables.

This spot is a little further from the apartment but it's convenient if we want to shop for vegetables.  Absolutely no English spoken here.  All the customers are regulars and I was definitely in the way.  However, I held steady in my spot in line and managed to order "shao bing jia dan bing" for Taylor, and "tong you bing" for me.  The result was, we got what I ordered.  We decided the food was better than our regular restaurant, so we will be back.

With our stomachs filled with egg, we purchased a cart load of vegetables from the market and returned to the apartment to receive Sen Sen Solomon Soup. David dropped him off on his way to work for a full day of fun with Grandma and Grandpa.

The first order of business is to open day 5 on the advent calendar.  Solomon manages to get the ornament on the tree.  It's really hard not to open day 25 - it has the biggest number and looks the most interesting to this young fellow.

Now it's time to sing "I've been working on the railroad" with grandpa.

It's a rainy day, but we feel that a trip to the little park near the apartment will help burn off a little energy, so off we go.

The children's equipment is pretty wet, but the grown up strider works just fine.

Striding is even better when Grandpa joins in.  And it gets better when we all sing "I've been working on the railroad."  We are all so happy to provide entertainment for everyone else enjoying the park.

To get out of the rain, we go to the bookstore to read some stories and to buy a new Peppa Pig book.  Then it's home for lunch, stories and nap time.

Our day is only at the half way mark.  Fortunately, Taylor and I each got a little nap, and Chia will come to the apartment around 4:00.  I think Taylor would agree with me that these are some of the best days ever.  And, we still have 26 days to go.

Good Morning, Taipei!

The journey was more arduous than we expected, but that is past history.  Now we are in Taipei, stepping out the front door of our building and entering into life on the other side of the globe from Portland Oregon.

This is what we encounter as we walk out the front door. Everything is especially green and lush this year.

We turn the corner and walk toward our favorite breakfast locations

Our first stop is 7-Eleven where I manage to order two large lattes, and I request that they be put in bags.  I'm pretty sure the lady remembers us from last year.

Here's the soy milk shop where we will have breakfast.

I place our breakfast order, and we settle in at one of the few tables with our 7-Eleven coffee, in bags.  It's such a nice way to carry take out coffee.

I impressed myself by placing my order for breakfast.  We got exactly what I ordered, except this fried dough came as a surprise.  I don't know which words got me this.  It was tasty though.

I'm looking at the food prep area.  This is fast food which is prepared, from scratch, right on the spot.  Everything here is good.

I got shao bing jia dan bing - egg cake inside a bread wrapper that is fresh off the griddle.  Taylor got the same thing, with the addition of fried tofu inside the shao bing.

After breakfast we head to the market to get some supplies.  On the way we pass this small Buddhist sidewalk temple.

We are thrilled to be back in Taipei with local markets for our shopping.

It's a busy day at the market. There are so many choices and everything is fresh.

First things first.  We purchase a shopping cart.  This will make our lives much easier than in the past when we carried all our purchases.

This has nothing to do with shopping, but we walked by this police car.  I'm not sure what to think of the slogan.

Our shopping expedition has been a success.  We filled our shopping cart with all this fruit and nuts, plus two enormous bottles of water.  

The chores are done, now it's time to treat ourselves to a visit from Solomon Soup - the reason we are here.

Big City, Small Apartment: Settling In

Here we are.  Our first morning back in Taipei, in the same apartment we lived in last year.

Yes, I got the key from Li Xian Sheng.  However, I hardly got one full sentence out before he produced the keys, and signed to me, "Where is the little boy?"  I was able to tell him  in Mandarin that Solomon would be here tomorrow morning.

First things first. We unpacked and set the apartment to order, the way we like it.  I don't think I gave my readers the grand tour of this apartment last year, so before we clutter it up, here's what it looks like.

We live on the 8th floor above the blue sign.  Yes, it's a very big building on a very busy street.  We are in the big city - think New York City big.

The apartment building is big, the city is big. Like  many urban areas the apartment is small.

The kitchen is minuscule, but serviceable.  It's also clean so all we need to do is start cooking.

The master bedroom is small, but perfectly outfitted for us. To the left of the chair is a very tiny laundry room.  Actually, the laundry room is slightly bigger than the washing machine. There are three sets of built in closets and cupboards in the room.

Bathroom number 1.  Just like the other bathrooms we have had here, there is no division between the shower and the rest of the room.  That toilet seat is deluxe.  It does everything - heat, wash, and a bunch of other stuff that we can't figure out. 

Bathroom two. This is the only apartment we looked at that has two bathrooms - luxury.

Living room with one love seat, and across from me is the enormous TV.This room also has three sets of built in cupboards.

The den is an extension of the living room.

I haven't shown pictures of the the second bedroom.  It is small, but we are lucky to have found an apartment that has room for Solomon to have his own space. 

The amenities of this apartment building include a doorman, an elevator, a cleaning crew, and a man who sorts the trash and takes it out to the trash trucks every night.  We are also located near three parks and a produce market, a regular grocery store and lots of restaurants.  We think we have a pretty sweet situation here.