I know you sometimes see those translations gone awry...and this is just a very small amount of funniness that we got at dinner last night.....
And this is not funny at all....observe this sign. I apparently am brain-dead. I've been happily hopping on the subway for 5 days now with my bottle of water or tea. I've also, not even once, looked at these signs. I guess I've been so used to ignoring "No Smoking" signs in the U.S., that I just didn't even look at the signs!! I feel so bad. A very nice Caucasian person noticed that I drank from my bottle while we were waiting for the next train...he nodded and pointed to the sign, and said in what I think was a French accent - "no drinking in station". I was very embarrassed and expressed my shock at my lack of knowledge. I feel so bad - now that I think about it - NO ONE - was drinking on the subway...even though they might have had a cup or bottle in their hand. Lesson learned. Pay attention to all the signs!
OK, enough of that....Today's outing is to the north- to the tip of the island.
First destination - the Beitou hot springs.
Cute but pretty weird display in the subway station at Xinbeitou....
I don't know why I always expect these "natural" type outings to be in the "boonies"....they are almost always nestled right in the middle of the city. This one was no different - here is the path to the hot springs.....
A short 5 minute walk from the subway station and I am at my destination - the Public Hot Springs. Notice the apartment buildings in the background.....
In the middle of the photo, there are three tiers of hot pools. The upper one has a spring tumbling right into it from the hillside. This one is scorching hot! 41 degrees C - or 106 degrees F....
The lowest one is just 38 degrees C or 100 degrees F. I will tell you that the middle one was "just right". Goldilocks says that the upper one was too, too hot!!!
I wanted to get a photo of me all wet and warm to prove that I took the plunge....now there's a brave woman to put a bathing suit photo on the blog!!!!
Showered with some incredibly cool water....and left the hot spring with a neat "tingly" feeling.....walked down a pretty, peaceful pathway to the source of the hot spring...two puppies....don't see too many dogs here like in the States.
The stream that feeds the pools runs by the pathway - you can see the slight mineral "milkiness" in the water of the stream.
I wandered off the pathway down to the stream to put my hand in....it's warm!!!
Finally at the "headwaters" of the spring...it's a steamy place!!! Just a big pond that is obviously very warm...the breeze blows the warm, moist sulfur air over you....
See - very warm and moist!!!
OK, I'm almost at the northern end of the subway system, so I decide it's time to go all the way to the end....destination, Danshui. It's an old harbor town with a lively riverfront and old markets.
Wandering around, I'm hungry by now!!! This little stand looks like they have some buns for sale - 10 NTD or 30 cents.
I get the one that is labeled "pickled veg" (in English, thanks!) - it was yummy!! Incredibly soft bread and inside was a weird combination of maybe pickled greens and onions. Weird but good!!
Then I wandered thru an obviously "for locals" market.....I'll just let you page thru the photos...
I see these bags often - sometimes a whole "store" devoted to them....not an English word on the package....I'm going to have to buy some just to figure out what they are!!
I happened upon this stand - the veggie looked interesting....turns out it was just sweet potato in a sugar sauce....a staple at any Thanksgiving meal....good though!!
Ok, now to the "stinky tofu". It's a much-loved "street food" at these open markets.....I, of course had to try some!
Absolutely no English here....but the smell gives it away!!! It's reported to be "brined" in a fermented solution then grilled and served on a stick....kindof like NC State Fair food - except it smells like rotten hmmm, well, just rotten!
This nice lady garnishing my stinky tofu with some marinated cabbage mixture over the hot griddle.
And there you have it! My stinky-tofu-on-a-stick! I will admit it was pretty weird. Kindof like really stinky cheese. I mean, really, really stinky cheese! I will admit a few bites was all I decided to stomach. That's off the bucket-list!!!
More wandering....and you just never know when you'll come upon an elaborately decorated temple or two!
By now it's getting pretty late in the day - and the smog or "haze" is really bad....neat waterfront though!
Wandering back towards the subway station....someone selling various crustaceans!
Another street-food "delicacy" that I had read about was eggs-on-a-stick. See - just like being at the fair only half a world away!!! This fellow - maybe 12 years old - would crack a few of these very tiny eggs into the holes on this hot griddle. Then moments later, he would skewer them on a bamboo stick for you. 20NTD or 60 cents US.
A little pepper and some soy-type sauce....very yummy!!
And because I had not eaten enough....Ice cream!!! This was 15NTD or 50 cents US. This was the small serving...imagine what the giant serving was like!!! OK, I've been saying it's just like being at the NC State Fair....only the prices are just a little more reasonable!!
I sat on a bench in the square near the Metro station....watched the kids play with the giant "bubbles" while I ate my huge ice cream cone.,,,
I had seen signs about a dance competition. Apparently, it's a big deal to the teens here....these guys were practicing right next to me - wish you could hear the music but my camera didn't pick it up. Good luck to them! Watch a little bit of their routine here:
In all my wanderings, I'm often walking down sidewalks that are really someone's "restaurant"....they seem to open up just around meal times - cook and clean right there.
That sort of setup seems to be everywhere.....
And they don't seem to mind you walking thru in the slightest.
OK, it's been a long day!! But, I didn't bring enough clothes for the whole trip - so it was off to the laundry-mat for me!! I took some soap with me....but it turns out the machines actually have self-injected detergent and fabric softener here. How cool is that? Maybe it's just been and incredibly long time since I've been in a laundry-mat!
Clothes all folded and I'm ready for bed!!!
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