Since I'm feeling lazy, let's do this in numbered form:
1. Taipei has delicious food everywhere. My most favorite place to eat while there - Din Tai Fung. I almost feel a pang of "poor you" feeling towards all who have not been able to experience this wonderland of the most delicately-skinned, richly-brothed, Shanghai dumplings served by one of the most courteous waitstaff in the world. Speaking of Shanghai, I found one of Din Tai Fung's international stores in this huge made-for-rich-people mall while in Shanghai. This was shortly after I was recovering from my most recent and worst case of food poisoning ever, and Din Tai Fung's shrimp fried rice turned out to be the only thing I could stomach for the remaining five days of that visit. The Taipei store, where this wonderful franchise first began, is still the best one to visit for dumplings that I could always eat more of.
2. The north is where to be during summertime in Taiwan. Because the south is mercilessly hot. Taipei was even breezy and cool enough at night that I actually wanted to go cruise the night markets rather than hunker down in the A/C-ed hotel room. And the typhoon that recently came and went? Didn't touch Kaohsiung whatsoever. I kind of like being in the heart of the drama (provided I had a safe shelter to observe all the mayhem of the flooding and crashing tree branches), so the cabin fever and lack of proper food we had to experience for one day was worth it.
3. Hsinchu is a surprisingly pleasant city to live in. Ok, its food is not so great. In fact, vastly subpar compared to the usual fare found in Kaohsiung and Taipei (and apparently other Taiwanese cities as well). However, it has a zoo that was founded in 1936, lots of great schools and science parks, the biggest mall on the island, and a well-structured city layout that makes riding the bus to get around quite manageable.
Uh oh, the toddler's home with his dad and he's crying for me. Time to go.
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