Taiwan Day 7

The weather turned even colder and a little drizzly today. We went to have some traditional breakfast again. Hubby really likes that place. I think he feels like something's missing if he doesn't eat there each day. Uh-oh, what are we going to do when we go back home? We could get it in the States, but it just doesn't taste the same.

We went off to the really really old part of Taipei along the Danshui River. Some of the architecture had a distinct European flavor influenced by some of the early European (Portuguese?) colonists. There's an area that sold dried goods (like mushrooms, sea weed, etc). Sis bought some of it to take back to the States for cooking. That kind of cooking seems way too advanced to me, so I skipped it. Uh… yea, I'm not much of a cook. Dad took us to his very favorite noodle shop in Taipei. He said he doesn't feel like he's in Taiwan until he's had their noodles. It was yummy! Hubby really liked it too! He had 2 bowls. We also had shark. Yes, shark meat. I think it's similar to sword fish in texture. 

In the afternoon, Sis and I went to visit mom at the hospital. She's doing and looking better, although still not back to 100% yet. We stayed and chatted for a while. Boy, the main hallways at the hospital is always so busy and crowded. It's like the malls on Christmas Eve! I guess there are lots and lots of sick people.

For dinner, dad took us to the original Din Tai Fung restaurant. There are Din Tai Fung restaurants in several countries and all are very popular. We would sometimes go to the one in Southern California (Arcadia), so we figured we should visit the original one. This restaurant had four stories (at least). We were fortunate to get seated pretty quickly. The staff was very courteous and numerous. Yes, numerous. I think they almost outnumber customers. Ok, I'm exaggerating, but just a little. The service was very good. They showed us the proper blend of the sauce for dipping. It's one part soy sauce and 3 parts black vinegar, added to the fine strips of ginger. They even gave us a little instruction card on how to properly eat the xiao long bao, in Chinese, English, Japanese, and French! We had several different types of dumplings and stuff. Very yummy! When we got out of the place, there was a big crowd outside waiting to eat there. Wow!!

With all this eating and goofing around lately, it's been easy to forget what we were actually here to do. Now that it's getting closer, we're getting nervous again. I've reorganized our suitcases for the next part of our trip. Gifts for the foster family, check. Gifts for the orphanage, check. Gifts and toys for Evan, ch… Wait, I think we're going to need a couple more toys. We'll need to keep him entertained for the 2-hour train ride back to Taipei. It'll be a preview of how it might be for the 11-1/2 hour ride back home.  *gulp* Wish us luck!!