Day 39 (Aug 16): A final night in Taipei

We got up quite early today (around 7) to catch the high speed rail back to Taipei. I bid farewell to my aunts and uncles who had invited me into their homes and brought me around the city for the past ten days, while my second aunt, grandma, and myself caught the shuttle bus to the Tainan high speed rail station, conveniently just outside my grandma's house!

Here's a link to the post 10 days ago, detailing the Taiwan HSR.

We took a taxi to my grand uncle and aunt's place, where they invited us to a very classy Japanese restaurant, - might as well leave Taiwan with a bang! This was a time to get to know my grand uncle and aunt a little better, and this was also my last meal with my second aunt and grandma, effectively bringing much of my Taiwan trip to an end.

Soon after lunch, we headed to my cousin Tim's house, where we were greeted once again by the twins. A bid farewell to my grandma and second aunt, promising to visit Taiwan again, as they left to take the high speed rail back to Tainan. After resting for a while, a headed back out to Taipei Main Station to meet Robert, a incoming first year McMaster student who I've gotten to know over the last couple months.

Since I promised to show him around campus, he insisted to show me around Taipei. Since I left for Tainan so soon after Loveboat ended, we had to squeeze this for our last day, but it was a nice treat and a reminder of the busy Taipei nightlife. As the sun started to set, we passed by Taipei's second tallest building as we walked towards a very busy beef noodle soup restaurant hidden among the city streets.

 

Taipei's second tallest building.

Left: Pork rice; Right: Beef Noodle Soup

We ended off the night at a night market - Ximending. We went to a few stores, and then stopped by a very popular vendor selling "ô-á mī-sòaⁿ", which translates to a Taiwanese-style oyster vermicelli. The store had plenty of people eating standing up, and despite a long line, bowls of noodles were prepared at a very, very fast pace. Below are some pictures!

Lastly, I bought a starfruit drink before heading back to my cousin Tim's place. The twins were already asleep; I quietly prepared for the next morning, as I had an early flight out of Taiwan to Honolulu, Hawaii, where I would meet my parents and sister later that afternoon.