Taiwan Trails

What happens when a group of six school friends from Class of 1987 travel to Taiwan together?  If you're expecting mature elegance and sophistication, you'd be dead wrong!  Read on if you're open to a dose of laughter, silliness and map-cap adventures.

Day 1 in Ximending, the hippest, happening shopping district which was our landing base in Taipei. You can tell we were all very happy to be there!  

While the capital city held all the bright lights and excitement, Taiwan really began to shine for me when we ventured out to the countryside.  The mountain vistas, nature parks and waterfalls were exactly what I needed to let go of work stresses and start relaxing with my friends.  

I wasn't quite ready for the all the walking and trekking that was planned but very glad I went along with the itinerary.  The fresh air and exercise was exhilarating and once I got started, it was quite hard to stop.  Even for photos.

But here's one for the books.  Proof that I really did enjoy the hike to the waterfalls and back!

No trip to Taiwan would be complete without food.  And we certainly had plenty of it!  From night market street snacks; to Instagrammable staples in heart of tourist traps; to a surprising seafood feast in a quiet fishing village.  

We enjoyed the good stuff and laughed away the not-so-good.  There's a deep enduring joy that comes from sharing the highs and lows. Not just of food and travel, but life experiences too.  A true reflection of our friendship over the years.  

There's a quirky charm in many parts of Taiwan. Jimmy Park in Yilan City stands out in particular. Home of a famous illustrator, the colourful whimsical art installations provided us with a full morning of entertainment.  

Some of us are very good at sharing burdens...

...while others are less inclined. Sigh; once a diva, always a diva!

A big thank you to:

• Pat & Jean for planning the itinerary and all the heavy lifting with the logistics
• Pek Yee for being our human we-fie stick and photo editor throughout the trip
• Lu Meng, my long-suffering room mate who has to put up with my idiosyncracies
• Siok Chu, for your endearing nature. You're so funny without even trying:)
  
  

I am thankful to have grown up with all of you and even more grateful that we can age disgracefully together.  

I thank my God for every remembrance of you.
Philippians 1:3

Taiwan Treats

I've just spent a whole week in Taipei and discovered a very important fact - Taiwanese food is the best and Taiwanese people are the BEST-est! Every night, I was feted and feasted by my Taipei colleagues and we had such a good time. A BIG thank you to Reco and Jackie for their wonderful hospitality.

Fantastic feast at Hao Ji Restaurant in downtown Taipei

On Monday night, Reco introduced me to John, her husband-to-be who turned out to be a handsome 183cm funnyman. We went to Hao Ji Restaurant, which specialises in Taiwanese food. We had prawn noodles, steamed prawns, fried fish roe, 3-cup chicken, fish-roe omelette and vegetable & lamb soup. It was unbelievably good...my mouth is watering just blogging about it. But the company was even better than the food. We chatted about everything from their wedding preparations to our hometowns to office gossip. Reco and John are a lovely couple and they deserve every happiness in the future...CONGRATULATIONS!

Aunty Jo Jo with her Taiwanese friends - John, Reco, Jessica & Jackie

On the second night, the HR girls took me out for another traditional meal. This time, it was a ginger duck soup cooked over an old-fashioned charcoal stove. It was accompanied by loads of mee suah (noodles), cabbage, mushrooms, and some other indescribable ingredients :-) All of it delicious!

But the real treat showed up after dinner - a gorgeous little boy named Daniel - who is Jackie's son. All the adults were squealing with joy and vying for his attention. And as you can see from the photos - Aunty Jo Jo won. Thanks to her invincible "incey-wincey-spider" trick!

Aunty Jo Jo - the crade snatcher - strikes again!