Taiwanese Adventure, part II (Kending)

Day III: Journey to the South

Following breakfast with the groom’s parents, we took the High Speed Rail (HSR) to Kaohsiung and enjoyed the offerings of the snack trolley (pictured) before meeting our hotel’s bus, which would take us to Kending.

Kending is at the Southern tip of the island, and is generally known as the sunniest part of Taiwan. It is known for being an excellent place to scuba dive and snorkel.

Unfortunately for more than just us, super-typhoon Morakot had just torn through Taiwan the day before we arrived, and the worst hit town in the country was a mere 15km from Kending.

Our ride from Kaoshiung gave us a bit of exposure to some of the damage, including this ship, which had been pushed ashore.

We arrived around four in Kending to find the beach very closed, a tree being removed from the pool, and not much to do. We wandered around the town a bit, which was reminiscent of any American beach town, in that there were lots of places selling swim stuff, a few stalls on the street, and a few restaurants selling either Thai food or pizza. There were also a number of the ubiquitous 7-11’s and a McDonalds.

That evening, we decided to check out the hotel’s dinner offerings, as we had been offered free dinner during our visit. The American Dinner in Kending required its own entry.

Day IV:

We woke, hopeful that the pool would be open, but there was no such luck.

Given that I dragged us to Kenting for a bit of froofy beach holiday and so I could see fish, I decided I could still fulfill the latter.

Off we went to the Aquarium (aka: The National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium), which was every bit as spectacular as the website promised. I could have spent hours in there, really. The hotel suggested two hours, but I think three would be a better estimate.

Among the many cool things in the Aquarium, we saw lots of fish, a whale shark, three tunnels and I had lots of fun with my camera.

We headed back to our hotel, made a 7-11 run, and did something I’d normally never ever do... we ordered room service cheeseburgers!

Day IV: Acceptance

We confirmed that the pool remained closed (or, according to the sign, "close", but the beach was opened, despite not being really fit for swimming.

We had discussed leaving early, and just forfeiting the day’s costs in Kenting, but a passionate lecture from Darren led to a change of heart. To quote, “We’re English, we are stoic in the face of misery....” this led into references including the sinking of the Titanic, and overly steeped tea, and Agincourt. I really couldn’t argue with this, so I pulled up my kneesocks, as one does in the face of holiday adversity, and with upper lip stiffened, enjoyed the day.

We read books, took naps, and were 100% lazy. I did try to go for a run, but I learned that recreation center does not always mean gym through a bit of charades ,and proceeded to work on my notes for the first half of the trip, instead.

Launching into some of what was, at the time of it's writing, a bit of musing about the present...

I sit here from a fluffy resort, where we have been formally advised to please conserve water, because the water supply to the area has been cut off. The hotel should be fine, as it has its own water supply, but it makes one really realize how much the hospitality industry protects its guests from whatever is going on outside of the pristine sanctuary one has booked into.

The news tells of mudslides and chaos, so much so, that my mother has finally seen this on the news in the US, 5 days after Molokai tore through this country. 80 people were found alive in a mudslide not far from here this morning. Yet, still, each person I meet is kind, patient with my efforts to speak Chinese, and endlessly accommodating.

All this reflective thinking was disrupted by cheerleaders, which were unleashed on the lobby at four, when the bus of new guests from Kaoshiung is scheduled to arrive.

We missed this show on our arrival, fortunately.

Later on in the evening, we headed out to wander around Kending for the last time, but much to our surprise, the streets were much more lively than they had been earlier in the week.

We stumbled upon this bar, built on the back of a truck and had to drop in.

Naturally, we decided to stay for a few, given the good company.

Our barman had built this bar from a truck and opened up stop about four years ago. The "Bar" sign was a relatively recent addition, which he had made himself.

The bar boasted a reasonable selection fo beer and mixed drinks, music, a running refridgerator, and for patrons who preferred to not sit at the bar, a variety of lawn chairs.

Our barman has a website, if you're interested. There's a bit in English.

We called at a night, happy that we had found something in Kending that we really enjoyed.

Day V: Leaving Kending

Our first gloriously sunny day was the day we were scheduled to leave Kending.

We headed for the HSR, wishing we had a bit more time to spend in the sun, but excited to return to Taipei and meet up with friends.

BigTom, now with Less Air Overrun?

I'm inclined to think that this sign for the Bigtom retaurant in Kending, Taiwan, means exactly what we all think it does.

Taiwanese Adventure, Part I (Taipei)

To give a bit of background...

... a very dear friend and former flatmate of mine (the groom, Roland) found a fantastic woman (Vera) and managed to convince her to marry him.

This resulted in a Zimbabwean-Taiwanese wedding in the midst of typhoon season in Taipei, Taiwan, to which we had the honor of being invited.

Naturally, we said yes. We packed our bags and a set of swim fins, and we headed to Taiwan.
Little did we know, we’d be in for a spot of bad weather, but we still had plenty of good company.

Day I:

After 16 hours in flight, not including our 2 hour stop in Hong Kong, we arrived in Taipei at night.

We arrived at our hotel, quickly unpacked, and headed downstairs to a Japanese restaurant before meeting our friends, whose wedding we had made this mighty trek to witness and the groom’s parents (Christine & Ian), whom I have had the pleasure of getting to know while travelling in Zimbabwe.

It was then that we learned that there really aren’t a lot of bars in Taipei. As it happens, the Taiwanese are not genetically evolved drinkers, which means that gathering at a bar isn’t much fun the next day for most locals. The groom’s parents proudly advised is that this was not cause for concern, as they had found that the presence of a 7-11 on every corner made it easy to make one’s own bar. (Check out the 7-11 link, as Taiwanese 7-11 looks like far more fun than American 7-11.)

That’s right, parents told us to go get beer at the 7-11 and bring it back to their room. Naturally, We did as we were told.

Day II:

Day 2 kicked off with free hotel breakfast and plans to rendez-vous with the groom mid-day.

We took the MRT (pictured to the right) to visit the both the Longshan Temple and the Chang Kai Shek Memorial Hall.

The MRT (Metropolitan Rapid Transit), pictured to the right, is super clean and wonderfully efficient. It even has very cute tickets!

Inside of Longshan Temple, one could purchase items of food to offer as a gift to the gods, and many people burned incense. Our friend Rachel was randomly given soup by a woman who insisted that it was for Rachel and not for Rachel to place near one of the shrines. Unfortuantely, I failed to document said soup.

The temple itself is very beautiful and ornate, as you can see from these pictures.
It’s really quite amazing to look at.

The Chang Kai Shek Memorial Hall is located in a large square which is also home to the National Theater, The Gate of Great Centrality & Perfect Uprightness (Freedom Gate) and the National Concert Hall.

The building is quite tall and houses a museum to Chang Kai Shek’s life in the ground floor, which we wandered around before heading to the memorial at the top.

This is the view of the square from the top of the stairs:

Inside of the memorial is a large statue (and Ian & Darren):

inside the museum, you can see, but as the sign sternly advises, not touch or enter Chang Kai Shek's official cars









After all that history, we headed to what is known as the best dumpling shop in Taipei for Xiao Long Bao (aka: soup dumplings).

Conveniently, they do provide directions on how to properly enjoy the dumplings on a laminated card. (The other side is in Japanese, as Taiwan has many Japanese tourists).

We ordered many dumplings (pictured), vegetable & pork buns, and at the end, a red bean bun (pictured, bisected).

After all that, we headed back to the hotel for a bit of quiet time before meeting up with the bride, groom, and groom’s family for dinner.

We headed out to one of a number of “100” restaurants which seemingly dot the city. These often independent, casual restaurants sell small plates (as displayed in the pictures) intended for sharing for 100 TWD each. Much eating did follow, as did a 7-11 run.

Whitemen Toothpaste

It speaks for itself, really.

This toothpaste was provided to us by our hotel, and other friends have also received the refreshing gift of Whitemen Toothpaste at their hotels here in Taiwan.

A Moon Cake, a Man, & His Dog

This cake poster on the Taipei MRT left all of us wondering what this advert was trying to tell us.

English Speakers' Consensus:
78% of this cake is made from this man's dog.

The Actuality:
This sign is saying that 78% of people asked said that they like to share a Moon Cake with a very good friend. (the guy in the picture is a Taiwanese celebrity... not sure about his canine friend)

Cathay Pacific

As I sit down to write this, I can't help but wish I were writing about flying first or business. How my seat makes a bed, potential for backrubs, or how my seat is a bit like a glorified barca-lounger and that the flight attendants keep over-feeding me.

Would I like more cheese? Yes. As previously established, I am quite fond of it.

Still, I can't help but think that while my experiences in the roomier bit of the plane, and I don't mean the hold, may have been more pleasant to experience, they're less key to take note of. Economy service is increasingly uncomfortable, more often than not, but it's not all bad.

Given that I like going places, and I am unwilling to pay for anything but economy tickets, it just seems sensible to take note of which airlines provide a pleasant Economy experience.

I usually fly Virgin, BA, or American, and my recent adventure on Cathay Pactific is a first. This means that my upgrade potential is zero, even if I am on especially charming behavior and try to wow them with my recently acquired Mandarin.

And so begins my rant about Cathay Pacific, Airline of the Year 2009.

I rang Cathay's UK Customer Service line shortly after booking my flight, at which time I sat on hold for 20 minutes and I eventualy learned that I would need to call 48h before takeoff to select my seats.

When that mighty day came, I still couldn't find a general, 24 hour service number for Cathay, so I rang the UK number again from this page at 2115GMT, it was closed. Closed?!

I called the US number, confirmed my reservation code, and was advised to select my seats online.

I logged in to find that all along I could have selected my seats earlier if I had opted to sign up for the Marco Polo Club at 50USD a person, but having that information earlier likely would have made no difference, as I'm unwilling to pay for that, either. (Yes, I may be turning into my dad.) I also learned that my paranoia over bad seat potential led me to login 72 hours before launch, rather than 48.

That takes us to t-48h. I login to Cathay's Website, I enter in my flight confirmation code, and much to my joy, I get my aisle seat. I feel fortunate.

Still, I will be there bright and early to fanagle an exit row. I'm a big girl, and I'm sure I can open that big door in the event of an emergency.

Training Update: 5 August

In the mighty battle that will be Franc v Tube, there has been a little progress since the last update, namely that I've actually run a some!

In this case, "some", is a mediocre sounding 15 miles in since 15 July.

Getting back into it is something I'm really struggling with. I'm supposed to gradually ease back in, which isn't really indulging my stubborn nature after 8 months of sitting on my couch eating. (Yes, it was fun.)

So, I'm trying to be good, sticking to slow intervals twice a week. I've already cheated a bit and overtrained, but I'm mostly behaving myself and trying to make the best of the bit I'm allowed to do. This can't last forever, right?

I'll definitely be running in Kenting and in the meantime, I'll just keep telling myself that Franc v Tube will be even better in the autumn.

On that note, I leave you with the 70's-astic picture above of yours truly, doing something I do even better than running: touching cheese.

**PS: I didn't get a spot in the New York Marathon. I'll hear about my lottery for a spot in the April 2010 London Marathon in October, and I'll probably sign up for the the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town and the Chicago Marathon (just so I can see Victoria!) as a backup plan.
Perhaps I should start a Franc v Midlife Crisis thread for all that, eh?

In the Event of Woop Woop, Please Evacuate the Fairmont

...From the Evacuation Plan on the back of my room's door at the Fairmont on Nob Hill in San Francisco.

"Woop Woop"

San Francisco & Livermore, CA

A Bit of Background:
We were very excited to visit San Francisco, as it is a city that we both love but have somehow have never managed to visit together. Conveniently, the wedding of good friends finally gave us an excuse.

We had about a week in California, during which we spent most of our time in the city of San Francisco, but as the wedding and wedding related-festivities were in Livermore, we spent two nights out there.

I didn't take as many pictures as I planned. I think this is because having been to San Francisco quite a few times, it feels more like going somewhere very familiar rather than visiting somewhere novel.

On to the Trip:

Day I: Tuesday

Eleven hours of flying, and we arrived in San Francisco on Tuesday afternoon.

We checked in to our hotel for the first half of the trip, The Clift, and my husband and I did what we usually do in the face of a bit of jet lag. I went for a run and he went to the pub.

Run and Pub completed, we headed out to do a few errands near Union Square. We then headed to dinner at Ozumo on Steuart Street via a pre- dinner drink at a random Czech-themed bar/ restaurant called Cafe Prague.

The food at Ozumo was very good. I tend not to have much sushi back in London, much as I really enjoy it. As usual, my eyes were bigger than my stomach, but I managed not to point at the menu and ask for, "one of everything". I also was so enthusiastic that I forgot to take a picture until I was well into the meal. The miso soup was perfect, the fish was delicious, and they had a very good sake list.

Dinner was excellent, but we called it a night shortly thereafter. I was the only one who slept on the flight.

Day II: Wednesday
Wednesday started out bright and early (6am!) thanks to a touch of jetlag and what I have been led to believe is a San Franciscan institution, the breakfast burrito. So much yum.

Unfortunately, that burrito couldn't help me really ignore the fact that San Francisco is really cold! London takes a lot of abuse for its weather, and this is totally unfair.

There more more errands, lots of wandering, meeting up with our friend Robin, and an excellent dinner at Firefly out with our friends, Kendra & Markus, whose wedding has brought us here. I had an excellent entree of scallops, and the chocolate mousse was superb.



...and after all that eating, it was definitely sleep o'clock!






Day III: Thursday
After being woken up at 5am, we kicked off the day with an Ameri-tastic breakfast at Lori's Diner. There were eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and no need for a belt. There was also a bit of Darren kissing a cow.

After the morning feast, we took a meandering walk up to North Beach and then back towards the hotel via a visit to the Sea Lions at Fisherman's Wharf and the Embarcadero.

Swimsuits for much warmer Livermore were acquired ($10 at Marshalls!), and I went for a failed attempt at a nap. The afternoon was spent wandering the city, enjoying the smidge of sunshine that snuck through.

After meeting up with a very old friend who lives in SF, we headed out for Chinese at Hunan Homes on Jackson Street. While I was advised to check out a spot across the street instead, my late arrival led me to not disrupt the plan, and we were pleasantly surprised.

Day IV: Friday
Friday morning we wandered up to Washington Square, joined the mighty queue at Mama's and mocked these people on segways.

The decision between french toast and omelette was difficult, but we managed. I went for the french toast sampler, pictured here, with an egg on the side. As Robin would say, we, "ate like big dogs".

Following a much needed post prandial stroll back to the Clift, we checked out and headed to Livermore, where we were a bit startled to actually see the sun.

Day VI: Saturday in Livermore

While I highly doubt I'd seek out Livermore as a holiday destination, we easily enjoyed ourselves. The warm sunny weather was a welcome change, and there was a swimming pool ideally placed for catching up on one's reeading.

Our plans to visit the Livermore Laboratory were more easily derailed than I should admit by a suggestion to visit In N Out Burger. In my defense, I had committed to going to buy sweaters, but after said task was completed, I could hardly say no to a cheeseburger.

After eating enough to fuel a family of eight, I headed to the pool until it was time to head out to the McGrail Vineyards to witness the wedding of our friends, Kendra & Markus.

The wedding was beautiful, and much fun was had. We were seated in excellent company, and we had a great time catching up with old friends and meeting new people.

Day VII: Sunday - Back to San Francisco
We returned to San Francisco on Sunday to find that gorgeous weather had arrived. Our change in hotel also meant we had to do some trekking up and down those famous hills.

We walked and walked all day. Many pictures were taken with my new lens, which I managed to get dirty. Nearly every picture taken with it has those two spots on it, as are visible in the shot on the right.

I may post more of the pictures later, but for now, I'm a bit cranky about the lens spots. I always fail to travel with cleaner, and seemingly, I never learn.

In the evening, we met up with our friend Chris at the Fairmont's Tonga Room, where one can sit by the hotel's former pool, which has since been converted to a lagoon, completely with thunder and rainstorm every half hour. It's a bit like falling into a time warp, only better.

Chock full of Tiki goodness, we wandered out in search of Mexican food in The Mission and then, unable to resist the siren song of drinks served in coconuts, we returned for more Tonga goodness.

Day VIII: Monday- the last day of vacation
Despite quite a few trips to San Francisco, I'd never made it to Alcatraz. This remains unchanged.

I did, however, manage to not only ride a Cable Car but also to make Darren take me. Prior to doing so, we wandered around the Cable Car Museum, where one can see the cable mechanism operating the system in the basement.

After a bit more wandering around and even more Mexican food, it was time for us to check out, so we trekked up the hill again, collected our luggage, and headed to the airport.

United Economy

Emarking on our Californian adventure was going to involve one of my longer flights. It's eleven hours of fun filled cabin time from London to San Francisco.

I arrived prepared, dressed like I was going to gym class, and armed with hours of entertainment.

• Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (I heart Gladwell)
• What Color is Your Parachute (Yes, I am having a midlife crisis. I also lotteried for 2 marathons.)
• My Laptop with 8 hours of battery, Civilization, and Mad Men episodes.
• Kit to charge the laptop in flight, if needed
• Cozy shawl
• Bottle of Water
• Big bag of wine gums (suitable for sharing, but I had little intention of that)
  
• Nytol (that's right, to help me get my z's)
• Anti-inflammatory Pills for my hamstring
  

I got on the plane, took the Nytol, and well, it was lights out for most of the flight. I haven't flown United in a long, long time; however, I think I'd be very inclined to do it again. I had a lot more legroom in economy than I've become used to, and it was excellent. That's not to say it was spacious, but at no point did my knees make contact with the seat on front of me, and that's pretty nice. I usually empty the seat pocket immediately, and this time, there was no need at all.

Even the flight back was fine, and this was further improved by the assignment of exit row seats.

I also discovered that SFO has an Aviation Museum, which is full of all sorts of random commerical airline stuffs, including this set of Pan Am emergency instruction cards.

Training Update: 9 July 2009

My preparation levels for the big day remains nearly unchanged since the last update.

I did acquire new running shoes, or as they're called here, "trainers", but as you can see, they're still in pristine condition.

I had expected to be back running by the end of June, but unfortunately, I picked up a case of bronchitis while in New York, which led towhat is now going on four weeks of bad asthma and a lot of prednisone.

The good news is that my physio has said that as long as my lungs are feeling OK, I can finally start running some easy intervals to start acclimating my body to both running and hard cardio again. I expect to be giving this a go by this weekend, when I'm nearly off the asthma meds. I also hope to be dragging my bike out, if the weather holds up this weekend.

So, more to follow very soon!

The Ship, Wandsworth

The Ship was where I had my first Sunday lunch after moving here in December of 2007.

I thoroughly enjoyed the food then, and eighteen months later, we've headed back to take advantage of a sunny day.

Joining me on the quest today is our friend, Roland, who will be moving to London in seven weeks. Despite having rounded up a crew for today, stomachaches and the Wimbledon men's final led to many a cancellation.

The Ship's menus are available here. The menu today was similar to the online one, but not exactly.

Dishes Ordered (left to right):

• The Roast (Franc)
  
• The Seabass (Roland)

We opted for the dining room and garden, rather than the BBQ area outside.
The BBQ area (left) looked definitely worth a visit, and we're hoping to come back before the end of summer.
The dining room (middle) was relatively quiet, likely because the weather was so nice. The garden area (right) was a bit sedate as well. The umbrellas beyond the garden's far wall shade where the BBQ grills are.














Observations: (collective and individual):

• Portions were generous. My roast was huge.
• Service was very good. Our waiter spoiled us rotten. He even offered us tennis updates.
• The bass was well prepared (Roland)
• Bathrooms could have been better.
  

On to the scores: (awarded on these guidelines)





Our Updated Map of Eats:
*note: Pubs are noted with their scores in parentheses

View The Quest for the Best Sunday Roast in a larger map