Taizhong Chezhan

After a stress free travel day yesterday (fly from Bangkok to Taipei, then fast train to Taichung, with a hot pot for dinner) we were ready to explore. When we started, the forecast had a 60% chance of thunderstorms, but luckily this never eventuated. Just some gusty wind which kept the temperature reasonable.

First stop was the Confucius Temple. It was a pretty nondescript temple, but quite peaceful inside. Very well maintained, and with a pretty garden and pond filled with fish and turtles.

Taiwan is well known for its bubble tea, and Taichung claims to be the birthplace of bubble tea. So naturally we hunted out the original bubble tea store to sample the goods. We ordered an original bubble tea as well as a jasmine & honey tea. Both were delicious, not too sweet and not overpowering, but with a very flavourful tea taste. The setting was very calm, cool and relaxing, with little water fountains and plants decorating the space. We couldn't help ourselves and also ordered some mochi balls to go with the tea.

Next we made our way to a little street market, which was selling cute handmade goods, such as fabric coffee/tea holders, jewellery, alongside the other usual market wares. It was nice to see that it was mostly handmade goods, and not mass produced junk that you find in so many other markets. Vela was intrigued by the film camera store at the end of the market street, and having never experienced the disposable camera era of the 90s, she purchased one to play around with - hopefully we can find somewhere to develop them once we're back...

We passed a cheesecake ice-cream store called "Pretty Wife Eat Cheese", so naturally had to stop for the pretty wife to get a photo eating cheese. Vela spent the rest of the afternoon checking out some stores in a mall, while Nathan found a quiet corner to sit down and read.

In the evening, we headed back out onto the streets to try out one of the night markets. Full of food, lights, and people, we found plenty of food to feed us both for less than 20nzd. This included deep fried stinky tofu, some barbecued meats (and offal), cheesy corn, deep-fried & flame-grilled chicken, and a green bean milkshake for dessert.

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