ANA NH1077/NH1078

Initial feelings?
 

Galley talk, 2-bin trash compactors, personal light shows, Hello Kitty stickers, and sweet certificates made NH1077 the best "First 787 Flight" one could ask for.

Tack on a lightning strike right outside my window; complete with a slightly dramatic dip in altitude and burning electronic smells, and we had the best flight ever...

Taipei 101

- Taipei is the capital of Taiwan.
- Population: 6,900,273
- Bird: Formosan Blue Magpie (Urocissa caerulea)
- Flower: Azalea (Rhododendron nudiflorum)
- Tree: Banyan (India laurel fig, Ficus microcarpa)
- Climate: HOT
- Landmarks: See below:


National Palace Museum


National Concert Hall


I'm undecided on which shot I like better...


Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall


My Uncle pointed out my dad's elementary school.


Five minutes earlier:
Uncle: "This isn't your dad's school, this is an all-girls school."
*quickly puts camera away*



一零一

Day 1: 士林夜市

To close out the first day, uncontained consumption commenced at the Shilin Night Market...

Stinky tofu! duck blood!! and another tofu!!!


Green onions wrapped in pork!!! and chicken on a stick!


Who needs goldfish when you can have a pet prawn?!


CHEESY POTATOES!


Fighting crowds...


We did not get drinks here, but now I wish we did.


My cousins razzed me since I was too full to split a whole fried chicken. I just want to note that items consumed (but not shown) include 凉面, sweet and savor 饼's wrapped in 饼's, and some 包子... but I'll work on capacity capabilities before my next trip.

Day 1: 九份

Apologies to those who have been waiting for these shots!!!

Due to timing of a business trip, I was able to visit Taiwan for the first time since Middle School. I forgot how much I enjoyed Taiwan. Despite the debilitating heat and humidity, it was the best trip of the year so far.

A HUGE THANKS goes out to my relatives!!! I got in on a Tuesday afternoon, and we hit the ground running on Wednesday morning. First order of business, Jiufen.

8AM wake-up calls and 油條


Jiufen is an old mining town in the mountains near Taipei. These days, it's filled with markets and tea shops:
















Further down the mountain is the town of 金瓜石 (Jinguashi). This mining area lost most of its population when operations stopped in the 1980s.


The remains of Shuinandong Smelter, a 13-story copper refinery and its chimneys:


陰陽海 (Yinyang Sea):


Afterwards, we went to the National Palace Museum and a night market. This is how I felt at the end of the day: