Terezka Explores Taiwan: Discovering Taipei city with Dustin&Geena

All places that have been seen with my eyes today!

This day has been full of new experiences :-) In the morning, we've taken a train to the Taipei city, we've been to Lungshan Temple, through 'Snake street night market' to Botanical Garden. After many amazing exotic plants we've gone to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, than we've stopped for coffee 35th floor in Taipei 101 and we've finished our day with shopping on Shilin night market.

You can see our trip on map here.

Me and Geena in front of the Longshan Temple

Slowly now :-) Our first stop Longshan Temple. I've already been there last week, but Geena hasn't seen it, so we went here. This Temple is really beautiful. Today I've found out there are a lot of Gods. Gods for everything :-) God of Medicament, God of Scholarship, God for having a baby, God of Marriage, God of this Country and so many more! This place is full of Gods.

A lot of people go there every day

Huaxi St. Tourist Night Market

After the Temple, we've gone to Huaxi St. Tourist Night Market This night market is famous due to snakes. In the night you can find there a lot of snakes and some food, that is made from them. For example - snake shot (it's made from its blood), snake soup, snake in brine. Other interesting delicacy is soup from turtles. Unfortunately we've been there in the morning, so most of the shops were closed and we haven't seen any snake or turtle :-( But next time, I'll go there again.

Our next stop has been The Botanical Garden. It has been so amazing! There were so many exotic plants, we've also seen a squire and many birds. This Garden is very famous due to its lotus flowers. There is a big lake full of there flowers. I've also seen many other flowers, that you can only buy in flower shop in The Czech Republic. There were also many trees. One of them has been very interesting, because this three blooms only during the night and in the morning the flowers drop on the floor.

Me and Geena in The Botanical Garden

Like the sign - do not touch turtle :)

I'd like to have this one day in the front of my house

The lake has been so big!

There has been many interesting trees

This tree has eatable fruit..

.. but it doesn't taste good, so nobody eats it :)

Green house in the middle of Garden

This tree has flowers during the night

Beautiful flowers are everywhere

In my country this is only is flower shop

I wish to see this also in my country :)

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

After a lunch in Japanese restaurant we were heading to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. The first thing that came to my mind was: "It's soo big!". First there is a Gate, then two big Halls - one is for Opera, second for Concerts and the last is the Memorial Hall. This place is also precious as a place, where you can find something green in the centre of city. The Garden is really big. When you enter the Memorial Hall, you can see on your left hand some exhibitions and on your right the exhibition of Chiang Kai-shek. These days there is Salvador Dalí exhibition on the left site. We've been into the right site. There were many pictures of Chiang Kai-shek, some of his clothes, some of his books or speeches or his cars. His history is very interesting, because some people see him as a good person and some as a dictator. Anyway I've found out many new things about him there.

Garden is beautiful

Garden is very beautiful

Main Gate - early it has been Chiang Kai-shek Gate, but now it's Liberty Gate

One of the Hall

Me in front of the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall

Something from Dalí's exhibition

Chiang Kai-shek's car

Painting of Chiang Kai-shek with Sun Yat-sen

After admiring the huge Memorial Hall, we went to the Taipei 101. My friend has told me, that there is Starbucks in 35th floor. So we've tried to find it. It has been something like a secret mission, because only a few people know about this place. After waiting in line for a long time, we've got in. It has been so great. You can drink your coffee and see most of the city and also some mountains from the window. I've never enjoyed the coffee so much.

Taipei 101

The view from Starbucks in 35th floor in Taipei 101

Dustin, Geena and me having coffee in 35th floor of Taipei 101

Me and Geena in front of Taipei 101

Me, Geena and stinky tofu :)

Our last stop this day has been Shilin nigh market. Night markets are very famous in whole Taiwan. A lot of people go there every night. You can buy there almost everything :-) Mainly there is food, clothes and jewellery. You can also have fun here. We've decided to try the Stinky tofu. It's very famous food there. But its name explains everything. It smells horrible! I can not desire it clearly. It's something like old food or severage. There are two variations how you can cook it. First is boiling - it stinks even more and the second is fried. We've found a courage to try the second one. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't delicious. Maybe later I'll get used to it. We've also tried some typical fruit like Budda Head fruit, Dragon fruit or something that looks like a pepper, but its sweet and inside it's like a cucumber. All of this fruit was delicious. I like it a lot. I'm going to be a fruit addicted here :-)