6 March 2017
There are lots of Koreans in Japanese Taiwan
Dinner at the Taipei 101 food court
Its history time. In the beginning, Taiwan was a tropical paradise with Hawaiians on it, or people that looked like them, I will meet some next week when I go down the east coast.
In about 1895, after the French gave up their efforts to take over, Japan decided they needed more sugar, so they successfully took over Taiwan.
The Japanese stayed here until they failed to take over the whole world as part of world war 2, Americans arranged for some Chinese to come and claim it back as part of the treaty.
Then Mao kicked a heap of non believers out and they all fled to Taiwan, where they instigated martial law, which lasted from 1950 until 1987. There were a number of attempted revolutions during this time.
As a result, Taiwan has issues with Japan, China, and their own ex rulers. This leaves Korea. Taiwan now loves Korea.
In more recent times Taiwan and China came to an arrangement to allow bi lateral tourism, but then Taiwan started talking about independence or installing American missile defences or finding their own map drawn by a fisherman, and so China decided to close all the tourist companies down.
This lead to a near collapse of many big hotel chains and bus companies in the last 2 years, who built themselves up on Chinese tourism. So Taiwan needs tourists, they have Korea and me.
So to celebrate my new found celebrity status of much needed tourist, tonight I walked from my hotel to Taipei 101 and had dinner. It didnt rain, there were lots of new buildings since I last walked that way, and I saw many interesting things along the way.
Taiwanese heater. Stick a heating element in a $5 fan. What could possibly go wrong?
Also its about 20C, yet people have winter coats and are sitting in front of fire breathing fans, in the street.
Tonights random intersection, this one features a monorail. I hear those things are awful loud! It glides as softly as a cloud!
Look closely at this ad, its an anorexic woman with a hose coming out of her, with two children emptying fat into a jug of some kind.
Child labour laws in Taiwan are a little more liberal.
One of 3 Sogo department stores within a few hundred metres of each other. I think this one is very new.
It is all linked by underground malls that follow the train lines, full of blind women giving foot massage.
The Sun Yat-sen memorial museum, at night. I have been there in the day before. At night its darker.
I limited myself to just one.
All of these people are lined up to go to the Din Tai Fung in the basement. Quite possibly the worlds busiest restaurant. It is about 6pm on a Monday.
Interesting advertising campaign.
I have been to this foodcourt before, it is very good, I highly recommend. Along with Korean food they have 2 very good looking Ramen places.
Ramen has taken off in a big way in Taipei, I saw upmarket places all over the city. I will probably go to one soon.
And as ever, finally my dinner, Korean of course, cause I am in a tourist area of Taiwan. The photo showed it raw, they served it up cooked, which was strange.
The side dishes were excellent, and the whole thing was about $8, which I thought was good for the location.