Happy Easter to all!!
Our second and last port for the country of Taiwan was Keelung for the city of Taipai. The Volendam arrived to the port by 8:30am and docked starboard. That was another plus for us since that side got the view of the terminal walls and we got the ocean and harbor view. Thank you Captain Frank. Although it was overcast with broken clouds, the temperature was 77 degrees, and the humidity was 74%. There was a 6.7 mph wind and no rain.
Doing some catch-up work online, we left the ship by 11am. We have been here in 2002 on this same ship and took an excursion to Taipai, seeing all of the main highlights. Staying in the port city was just fine with us. Speaking of tours , there were a few such as the best of Taipai for 8 hours with lunch and $150. Taipai on your own was for 8 hours and $60 – basically a transfer. Taipai highlights was 5 hours for $90. Wellness landscapes and hot springs was 7.5 hours for $180, while historic Taipai and temples was 4.5 hours for $70. Taipai at night was 6.5 hours for $160 and may have included a meal.
In the terminal, we had to go through xray on the way out, but our passport copies with the official stamps were not checked once again. A small information table provided no maps for us to take. There were two maps glued to the table and the fellow said to take a picture. What a difference from yesterday when we got a map loaded with info and pictures. He did point out where the fish market and night market were located.
There was some construction going on around the terminal area, so we made our way to Maritime Plaza, a huge area with a wooden boardwalk and benches with a view of the harbor and the Volendam docked right there. As we approached the railing of this harbor, an elderly Taiwanese lady got our attention and said “beautiful” referring to the marina. Then she motioned for Bill to take photos, which he did of course. She left with a smile on her face.
We spent some time at this viewpoint, watching a kite working the waters. He dipped down and scooped up a morsel like a small octopus and flew off without landing on the surface. We discovered later that this bird is on many of the manhole covers in town like a mascot.
We ended up walking up to the train station and past a museum. Not sure where the markets were, we searched for posted area maps and found one at a bus stop below the train station. English is not widely spoken here, so we hesitated to ask anyone. Heading down a side street, we passed by numerous small shops, cafes, and tea houses. There were dozens of convenience stores and pharmacies like Watsons.
Eventually, we ended up at what we believe to be the Fish Market, but being a Sunday about every stall was shut down. We do not think they observe Easter Sunday here, but there were those two holidays we mentioned yesterday….Children’s Day and Grave-sweeping Day. As the day advanced, the town became more crowded with locals. We stumbled upon the Night Market, which was not in full swing until 4pm this afternoon. The name of this market is Kung Miaokou and is considered a culinary destination. One long street had been turned into a pedestrian lane with a portal of red Chinese lanterns to mark the spot. Colorful for sure, it was getting busy with people eating lunch and dozens more in line for small restaurants and take-away food.
The deeper we got into this feeding frenzy, the harder it was to navigate through the crowd. But we were amazed at the small stands in the center of the street where cooks were frying everything in bubbling oil in gallon-size tin cans. For us, it was an accident waiting to happen. Everything from sweet cherry tomatoes, to vegetables, fish, chicken and pork were cooked in this oil. At the far end was a team of mother and daughter making little fish balls using what resembled a cast iron egg crate-like pan. There were about 36 holes in the pan where the cook poured a thin batter of tempura with oil in the bottom of each hole. When set a little, she added what looked like dried grubs, not shrimp. When the batter turned brown underneath, she flipped the ball over to continue browning the other side. Repeating this process over and over, she eventually put six fish balls in a plastic covered container to sell immediately. There was a line of customers waiting for this treat.
Tables and chairs were set up along the sidewalks, so between the chefs and the restaurants, it was really crowded…..not one of our favorite situations to be in the middle of. Across the street from the food area was what appeared to be the rest of the Night Market. Small shops had sidewalk tables set with clothing and other accessories for sale. We think the conversion rate was 100 Taiwan dollars to $3 USD. We never bought any local money, so we never bought anything.
As we were looking across the street at a decorative temple, a local man came out of a shop and said we needed to go inside this temple as it was famous. Just as he was talking, I happened to look down on the sidewalk and spotted a very dead mouse near my foot. Not a surprise with all of that outdoor food cooking. Guess they need more cats to roam the streets at night. So we did not need any more urging to cross the street and enter this temple which was Ching-An Temple. It was opulent to say the least with dragons and gargoyles on the portals and roofs. A replica of the Goddess Guanyin Statue was in the courtyard also known as the Goddess of Mercy. We recognized this statue as the same one we could see on a hilltop, which is 74 feet tall. Over-looking the city, you can climb the stairs on the inside of the statue and take a look out of her eye. Needless to say, we took lots of photos of the interior table where locals were bringing offerings of food and flowers. Men were lighting incense and many men and women were bowing and praying.
We navigated our way back to the terminal, by-passing the two modern malls that were close by. We have seen enough of those for a while and decided we could eat lunch onboard once again. We chatted with some friends who were waiting for their Uber to go into Taipei. It was fun sharing what we just saw in town and recommended they check out the Night Market later tonight.
Back in the terminal, we soon discovered that the gangway was being re-located. Maybe it was due to tidal changes, but the gangway was removed, and another one set up on a lower deck. That took at least ½ hour while the line of guests got longer and longer. Many crew members were among the crowd waiting to board, so when they let us go, they ran up the gangway so not to be late.
Just as we entered our room, the Star Navigator, another gambling ship, docked across the harbor from us. It holds 2000 guests, mostly Asian, for short 4 or 7 day cruises. Another smaller local crise ship docked in front of the Star. Now the town will be really crowded. No way would we attempt to go back to shore like some folks planned on doing. By 10pm, both ships had left the harbor.
We enjoyed another light room service lunch, working as usual on the blog and photos. Dinner was indeed formal, due to the fact it was Easter Sunday. Someone in Seattle dropped the ball on this one, since many people were missing dinner due to late tours and the fact we were here until midnight. Attendance was spotty at the second seating, although Florin was hosting the table for 12 on the lower level. It became apparent that the wine was flowing by the noise coming up the center dining room ceiling. Other nearby diners came over to check out the noise-makers. Some of the late-comers arrived in golf shirts and jeans but were not turned away. We think that could have been avoided if they had switched formal to Monday instead.
We ordered two salads, one shrimp cocktail, and a bowl of hot potato/cheddar soup. Entrees were rack of lamb, and a linguine with a cheese sauce, no meat. Both were very good. Desserts were coffee marble ice cream and sliced watermelon…always refreshing. We had forgotten to read the Daily newsletter and missed the performance by a local group with 18 artists with drums, dance, and rhythm movements celebrating their culture. Surely we will hear about tomorrow.
We have one precious sea day before we reach the first port in Japan…. Okinawa.
Bill & Mary Ann
