There are many people all around me. I see flashing lights of neon in various colors. Familiar aromas fill the air, mixing together and triggering butterflies in my stomach as my anticipation rises. Music plays and creates an ambiance that increases my adrenaline. A particular smell stimulates my brain and stands out from the others as I near. There! Ahead! I see it on the sign. I have found my quest for culinary delight! "臭豆腐" "Stinky Tofu", I, immediately, sit and take a piece of a pungent square into my mouth. It is done. I am home.
This is my second trip this year and although I had previous written that I was going to change my narration style for this trip, I have decided that people prefer a more adventurous, chronological narrative to a highlight based synopsis. So let's get started.
Day 1:
My flight was generally uninteresting aside from sitting next to a friendly Japanese physician on the flight to Tokyo. She was traveling back to Japan to help with the relief efforts there for a few weeks. I thought it was noble of her.
I arrived in Taoyuan International Airport about 8:00 PM, local time. I could feel the excitement overtake the lingering fatigue after flying for 28 odd hours. I was met by a smiling JiaJia as I exited Customs. She was cutely dressed and, of the many people waiting for their parties to exit, she was right out in front of the crowd. The airport was more crowded this time, I guess because last time it was around 11:00 PM when I arrived. We collected our things and went to ride the shuttle bus into Taipei.
We arrived in Taipei and everything was so familiar. I had really enjoyed staying at the Shin-Shih hotel, that I chose it again for this trip. This time I would only stay the first and last night. The rest of the trip would be spent in the south end of the island. The staff was the same as before and greeted us with a big smile and mentioned they remembered when we were here in February.
After checking in and dropping of our bags, it was time to eat. I had been having "night market withdrawals" for months and JiaJia hadn't eaten due to her all day, journey to meet me at the airport. She had found that the Ningxia Night Market was only a couple of blocks from the hotel. I wished we'd known about it last time, as this was a smaller night market and mainly provided various "少吃" or "little eats", instead of the variety of goods the larger markets offer. It was crowded as well as expected for a Saturday night. I forgot my camera in my bag, but I remembered, "I will be back on Friday night before I leave. I'll take pictures then", so we didn't go back and get it.
When we entered the market, all the wonderful memories of my last visit came back to me. I had eaten a meal on every segment on my flights so I wasn't really that hungry. I told her she could choose. I really wanted more "臭豆腐" or "stinky tofu" and something sweet to drink. We sat and I got my wish. We got a combination of noodles with pork and stinky tofu. We waited for a table and finally a few people got up and left. As we sat and enjoyed the food, I thought to myself, "I am home." I really have grown to love this culture and the ever-friendly Taiwanese people, that one cannot help but feel at home. After we finished our food we strolled through the remainder of the market and returned to the hotel as it was nearing midnight. I had to take a pill for sleep to get me on the right time from the 13 hour difference.
Tomorrow, we will take the train to Tainan City and meet family. I get to experience my first real taste of life in Taiwan.
0 comments:
Post a Comment