After I got my Green Card the first thing I did was get my paperwork ready (from a Taiwanese Resident to a Taiwanese Foreign National) to head back to Taiwan and visit my family. Finally in January of 2004, after 18 years away, I was homeā¦
Jess’ favorite restaurant in Taiwan is this place that served MA-LA hot pot (Chinese Fondue). Literally MA-LA translates to “numbingly spicy”. Great for cold winter evenings, bad for the stomach the morning after… Tai-He Palace, Taipei. I love it, yet I hate it.
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Walking around the Dee Hwa Street Night Market with Tom after our super-spicy hot pot experience. What better way to calm the stomach down than a bowl of Taiwanese shaved ice? While at Dee Hwa Night Market we ran into a lady doing face-shaving facials right on the street. Now that’s a true “ghetto spa” if there is such a thing…
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I LOVE hot springs – I can sit in one for hours on end (if I find a way to not pass out from the heat) . Tom decided to take the family to Wu Lai, famous for their natural hot springs. Nothing compares to soaking in hot water while the air around you is a breezy 50 degrees F or so… the evening closed with a visit from Tom’s private foot masseuse who gave me an one-hour foot reflexology treatment… whoever invented this type of massage must be a masochist… it hurts so bad, yet it feels so good (afterwards)!
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Being away for almost 18 years from Taiwan, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do when I visit anymore – so I end up going to Tom and Jess’ and hung out with my god daughter Megan. Fortunately Megan enjoyed my company (being her private pony) as well…
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My First Chinese New Year’s Eve Morning In Taipei in 17 years… I spent it walking around Taipei by myself around the computer mall near old our old house, reminiscing about all the geeky summer jobs I took without pay back in the day… and of course hanging out with Megan afterwards…
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