Tag: taiwan

Ramblings

Exploring Alishan in Taiwan | A Cool Summer Getaway

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Summer is coming to an end, and there is so much to catch up on! I’ll start with our trip to Alishan 阿里山 back in July.

Alishan is one place I had always wanted to visit in Taiwan. Known for its lush greenery, tea trails, and forest railway, Alishan is a wonderful escape from the big city (and heat!) in Taipei. Since my SIL was visiting for the summer, we all took a 3 night/4 day trip to the area.

We first took the high-speed rail from Taipei to Chiayi Station. From there, you can take the historic newly-reopened Alishan Forest Railway directly to Alishan, but tickets are hard to come by. So, the alternative is to take one of the many buses to Alishan, which can take about 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on whether you want to stop at any of the smaller towns near Alishan. We did not have to book bus tickets in advance and simply paid the fare with our Easy Card on the bus.

Since we had time, we decided to stop by a small town called Fenqihu 奮起湖 for 1 night before making our way to Alishan. We stayed at the Fenqihu Hotel located in the center of town. We immediately noticed the temperature difference between Taipei and the Alishan area after stepping off the bus. While Taipei has been in the 90s everyday plus humidity, Fenqihu was a cool, breezy 75°F. We were so thankful to be spared from the heat!

Fenqihu is popular for its bamboo forest and (weirdly) their bento boxes. The bento boxes were quite tasty, generous in size, and cheap! Each bento was about $4 and came with bottomless seaweed soup.

We had low expectations for good food in this little town, but we surprisingly found some incredible cronuts and aiyu jelly 愛玉, which is a refreshing jelly dessert made from fig seeds. The jelly is topped with ice and lime juice, making it a perfect summer treat.

Fenqihu is also popular location to see fireflies at night. Our hotel offers nightly tours to see fireflies but because of the rain, we weren’t able to see too many.

After Fenqihu, we took a 30-minute bus ride to Alishan, where we stayed for 2 nights. Our hotel was Chinshan Villa. I loved Alishan! I’ve always been a city girl, but being surrounded by mountains and lush green forests is just so calming. The air in Alishan is ten times cleaner and fresher than Taipei’s too. The park itself isn’t huge so you can do all the hikes within 2 days with time to spare. None of the hikes were particularly strenuous, so it’s great for all fitness levels.

Even though we weren’t able to get tickets for the historic Alishan Forest Railway, you can still ride the train within the park. In fact, I think the trains that run within the park are even better because they use the old wooden carriages (while the trains from Chiayi are more like commuter trains). The trains look gorgeous against the landscape of Alishan!

A popular thing to do in Alishan is seeing the sunrise. We woke up at 3am, rode the train up to the mountain peak and waited for the sunrise. It was beautiful, but not sure if it’s worth sacrificing my beauty sleep. 😅 The early morning was also extremely cold, so the boys had to wear Baba’s clothes and I had to rent a jacket from our hotel. Baba just braved the cold. 😂 Apparently tourists often underestimate the temperature drop in Alishan!

Alishan is probably the most well-respected producer of teas in Taiwan due to its altitude and weather. As a lover of teas – but I’m in no way a connoisseur! – I went with my SIL to do some tea tasting. The most interesting fact (or perhaps belief?) we learned is that tea does not have any long term health benefits! Instead, the tea master we met said it’s merely the lifestyle of tea drinkers that could contribute to longevity, which includes socializing with friends, drinking lots of fluids, etc. Still, my SIL walked away with a few bags of oolong teas. 😊

Before heading back to Taipei, we made a quick stop at another town called Shizhuo 石桌, known for its tea plantations. Shizhuo, along with Fenqihu and Xiding, are the three most common towns to stay at on the way to Alishan. We got to Shizhuo by the bus enroute to Chiayi.

Seeing the neat rows of tea plantations was lovely but we didn’t realize how hot it was in Shizhuo. The hikes were all uphill and after about an hour, we were sweating buckets and ready to go home.

We were prepared to take the bus back to Chiayi Station to catch the high-speed rail, but a taxi driver offered us an unbelievable deal ($16 for a 1 hour drive back!) so our tired bodies eagerly hopped on the cab.

I can see why Alishan is such a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. The scenery is beautiful everywhere you look. Apparently it’s even more beautiful during cherry blossom season, where trails and railways are flanked with blooming pink flowers. I can only dream of seeing that one day!

Ramblings

Lessons Learned from Taiwan Public Schools: One Year Later

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Hours and hours of homework everyday. Tests each week. Instruction based purely on rote memorization. Berating from teachers.

These were the kinds of “horror” stories I read about Taiwan public schools before coming here. I mulled over our decision to send the boys to a public school, but ultimately agreed with Baba that it’s probably the best way for them to learn the language and culture.

Now that we’ve gone through one year in a Taiwan public elementary school, I can say that while some of the stories are true…it also isn’t nearly as bad as I imagined? Above all else, the boys learned many valuable lessons through this experience.

Time Management. Yes, there is homework everyday. O (1st grade) gets about 15-20 minutes of homework on average, while C (3rd grade) gets about 1.5 hours each day. Even more homework is assigned on the weekends and long holidays. On top of this, there are tests every week. Then the boys have extracurriculars and additional tutoring in math and English (from Baba and me).

This is a 180° from our life back in San Francisco. But with this shift, C and O have learned a lot about time management. They know to do homework when they come home. They know to ask Baba or me to double check their homework. When there is an upcoming test or more homework than usual, we strategize how to tackle everything. We complete the homework on Friday, then we spend Saturday and Sunday reviewing for the test. Yet through all of this, they never seem daunted by the workload.

C’s homework assignment book. He makes a habit of checking off assignments he’s completed.

How to Study. I honestly didn’t know how to properly study until college. I used to aimlessly flip through my textbooks and call it a day. 😅 In Taiwan, teachers make students correct errors on homework and tests (訂正). So when it’s time to prepare for an exam, we’d review the problems the boys got wrong before doing new practice problems. In reading comprehension, they both know to preview the questions first before reading the passage so he knows what to look for. If they write a character incorrectly on at practice test at home, they know to write it again three times for me, just like they do at school. Education is taken very seriously in Taiwan and I think this principle has rubbed off on the boys.

Facing Challenges. The task of learning a new language is a challenge in and of itself, but the overall curriculum in Taiwan is more challenging than what we had in the US. O had to learn 10+ vocabulary words each week, including how to write the character and their definitions. C, for example, learned geometry and started using a protractor and compass. In science, C learned about magnetic fields and plant biology. On top of generally harder coursework, remember that everything is also written in a foreign language.

The boys started off not understanding anything in school. But day by day, they showed up to school without feeling discouraged or defeated. And in just one academic year, they have not only adjusted well at their new school but more importantly, learned that they can take on any challenge.

O’s first day of school and not understanding a single word. 😂

However, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the factors that played into our mostly positive experience in a Taiwan public school. First, we never put any pressure on the boys. We just want them to try their best and if they end up failing their exams, that’s ok too. Second, we were lucky to find a school and teachers that have been supportive. Our school is known to be less intense than other nearby schools. We were also lucky to find a great tutor to help C with his homework. But I think the most important factor is C and O’s personalities. They are generally carefree, easy-going, can make friends easily and are at an age where they can still quickly adapt. When things get tough, they shrug it off and move on. Their resilience never ceases to amaze me.

Are Taiwan public schools the best fit for our family in the long run? Probably not. Like I mentioned, there is some truth to the stories you hear about schools here. Much of the curriculum is based on rote memorization, with homework and tests getting more and more intense in the upper grades. It’s not for everyone. And since we want to eventually move back to the US, we want C and O to hold on to values that are important for their growth in the future – things like creativity, project-based learning and critical thinking.

In the meantime, we are happy here and could not have asked for a better experience. The boys even said they like school in Taiwan more than in the US. 😶I always remind C and O how lucky they are to be able to go through two very different education systems that will only enrich their life experiences.

Ramblings

One Year Ago

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One year ago on this day, we left our home and went on the biggest adventure of our lives.

I still remember the days leading up to June 3rd last year and realized I never documented it. I remember tossing and turning every night, wondering if we were making the right decision. I remember my anxiety building up as we slowly gave/sold/stored away our belongings until our home of 7 years no longer looked like ours anymore.

On the day of, I woke up in disbelief – which as I later discovered, became a constant theme throughout the day. Is it really June 3rd? Are we really doing this? Is it too late to change our minds? 😂

In the morning, Connor’s good friend stopped by for another goodbye. Baba’s sisters and BILs came over to spend time with us and help us get rid of any remaining furniture. We ate lunch together and at around 4pm, my sister and BIL came to pick us up for the airport.

It was hard. We did one last walk through of a now empty apartment, a place that carried so many memories. My SILs cried as we left. I felt terribly guilty, like I was prematurely cutting short their relationship with the boys. They played a huge part in helping us raise C and O, and that is something we’ll sorely miss.

Although I told them not to come (because airport parking is crazy expensive!), my family met us at the airport to send us off. Everyone was in good spirits and excited for us, which made leaving a little less hard. They will always be my biggest cheerleaders, and I am so, so thankful for their support.

Going through the gates was surreal. I was flooded with anxiety, excitement, shock and everything in between. I couldn’t eat or sit still. Or breathe. (On the other hand, Baba and the boys seemed oblivious to it all. 😒)

When the plane took off, I looked over at Baba in disbelief. Did we really just leave the place we called home for most of our lives? Are we really not going to see our families for 3 years? I dozed on and off throughout the flight but every time I woke up, I wondered if this was all a dream. I simply could not believe this was happening.

Now, a whole year after that pivotal day, I wish I could tell the 2023 me that it’ll all be ok. It’s kind of funny how much I worried back then, when this has turned out to be such an incredible and transformative experience for our family. We began this journey long before we stepped foot in Taiwan. Looking back, the conversation Baba and I had could’ve gone in a totally different direction, but whether it’s through some divine intervention or just pure luck, I’m forever grateful that we decided to take the chance.

Ramblings

Becoming Bilingual

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Before coming to Taiwan, the boys had minimal exposure to Chinese. They took several online classes (inconsistently) and went to an after school Chinese program that had only one hour of language instruction each day. We tried to supplement with Chinese books and shows at home but both boys showed little interest. We also spoke English exclusively at home because I was not confident in my Chinese at all.

After almost one year of public schooling in Taiwan, two things have proved to be true:

  1. Kids are truly like sponges!
  2. There is no better way to learn a new language than in an immersive environment.

At the start of the school year, I had trained both kids to introduce themselves in Chinese (their name, age, where they’re from), but that was pretty much all they could say. They could not understand what was going on in class and had to depend on classmates and teachers to help them translate. C could read/write a few characters, but O could barely remember to write his name in Chinese.

Flash forward to nine months later, C and O can understand their teachers, chat with friends, and read/write basic Chinese. O can do homework all by himself, from reading the problems to writing the answers. O’s teacher no longer needs to translate for him, and he still gets good grades on his tests and homework. With the help of zhuyin, O can also read a lot of text (see below for one of his assigned reading books) though he probably only understands 60% of it at this point.

C’s homework is a lot more challenging, but he can often complete more than half of his assignments by himself. (The rest is with his tutor’s help.) The fact is he is able to read, understand and answer difficult problems in Chinese is already a huge improvement from nine months ago. What I’ve noticed about C is that he’s able to retain information better as well. Almost every week, there is a dictation test on new vocabulary at school. At the beginning of the school year, I would help him study and man, it was a struggle! He would maybe get 20% right on the first try. Now, we wouldn’t really need to practice and C would still get almost every word correct.

This is why an immersive environment is so helpful when learning a language. In the US, both boys were SO resistant to doing anything in Chinese because it wasn’t the norm. Family and friends there all spoke English. Here, their friends speak only Chinese. Their teachers speak only Chinese. Everywhere they go, people speak only Chinese. If they want to watch TV, it will be in Chinese because there’s no other option. In this sink or swim environment, they learned they had to swim.

It’s been amazing witnessing C and O’s progress. I love hearing them talk in Chinese; it’s like reliving the time when they were toddlers first learning how to speak. As much as I am amazed at how quickly they’re learning, I am also incredibly proud of their attitude. They never once complained about not understanding anything, or all the homework and tests at school. They never seem frustrated when they have to read an entire page of Chinese, or have to write pages and pages of characters.

C and O are not fluent (I think my Chinese is still better than theirs 😅) and I honestly don’t expect them to be. But what I hope they’ll extract from this experience is that they can learn and do anything with patience and grit.

Ramblings

Learning Chinese: 1 Step Forward, 2 Steps Back

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This post only pertains to my Chinese learning journey. I’ll write about the boys’ progress in another post.

We’ve been living in Taiwan for 9 months already 🤯, and for the most part we’ve adjusted to the Taiwanese way of life. We’ve made friends, are comfortable navigating around the city, and have our daily routines nailed down.

The biggest challenge has been, and continues to be, learning Chinese. I wrote about first learning Chinese 6 months ago, and while my Chinese has improved drastically since then, I feel like it’s plateaued. I can comfortably order at a restaurant, exchange simple pleasantries with strangers, and introduce my background. But beyond that, it can be a struggle holding conversations.

My conversation skills are completely dependent on the topic. I can chat about the kids’ school and about daily life, but if the topic shifts to say, skincare, I am clueless. (This actually happened in real life: I went in for a facial and had zero clue what the aesthetician was telling me about my pores and moisturizing. 😅) This is because I have been learning vocabulary by subject matter. I write down words that are useful or related to a topic that interests me. For example, after the earthquake, I learned the Chinese words for “damages”, “aftershock”, and “predict”, knowing that this subject might come up.

My notebook of Chinese words. I’m already on my second book!

So on days when I’m chatting about kids or eating out, I feel pretty good about my Chinese. Other days – like today, when a sales person tried to introduce me to different types of sneakers- I feel like I took 2 steps back.

All is not lost though. Because I have been writing down words and reviewing them consistently, my reading and writing skills have improved a lot. I can read signs and simple text messages without having to copy and paste into Google translate. I can write messages using pinyin (though it still takes me awhile to do). An indirect effect to all this is that my mom even noticed that my Cantonese got better! 😊

Aside from learning vocabulary words, I have been listening to podcasts, meeting language exchange partners and doing weekly sessions on italki. (I’ll list these resources at the bottom of this post.) I still volunteer at the boys’ school and it’s a great way to chat with locals, but our conversations are usually pretty perfunctory. I stopped taking in-person Chinese classes after the boys’ winter break. The classes gave me a great head start, but I wanted to try other things.

Baba asked me what my next goals for Chinese are, and honestly I’m not sure. To feel confident enough to just speak without mulling over every word? To be able to have deeper conversations with people? I don’t really have a definitive, measurable goal other than continuing to improve. It’s hard, but to be able to connect with people using their language is an amazing feeling.

Resources for Chinese Language Learning:

  • Learn Taiwanese Mandarin podcast – Probably my favorite podcast so far. The best part is she has a website with transcripts of each episode that includes pinyin and the English definitions.
  • Talk Taiwanese Mandarin with Abby podcast – Another good podcast for Chinese learning. You do have to join her Patreon to access the transcripts.
  • italki – An online language platform where you can schedule 1:1 video chats with teachers. It’s convenient – you can schedule classes according to your schedule – but classes can be expensive. I found a teacher I really like on there.
  • Tandem – A free language exchange app where you can find people to chat with. (Conversely, I’d help them with English.) I’ve met a couple of people through the app, but the problem is finding someone who can regularly practice with you.
Ramblings

Earthquake!

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While my sister and BIL were in town, we had another visitor: an earthquake! It happened on Tuesday, April 3rd at 7:58am. We’ve experienced tremors before in Taiwan, but this was a big one – measuring in at 7.4 – with many, many aftershocks. The epicenter was in Hualien, which is about 2 hours away from Taipei.

A big earthquake like this is something that is forever burned into your memory. (I still remember everything from the 1989 San Francisco earthquake!) After I dropped off the kids at school, I cooked breakfast while my sister sat on the couch. Suddenly, we felt the ground shake and when it didn’t stop, we both scrambled under the dining table. 😂 The ground rolled violently back and forth, and the noise was thunderous. Meanwhile, my BIL was in the bathroom the whole time and Baba didn’t feel a thing because he was biking. 😶

The earthquake might have only been for ~30 seconds, but it felt like an eternity. Luckily, no one was hurt (that we know of), and there was very little damage in the apartment, except for a crack near the front door and in the boys’ room.

Our school sent pictures and notifications shortly afterward, reassuring parents that all the students were safe. Because Taiwan is prone to earthquakes, our school does regular earthquake drills. So other than feeling rattled, all the students and staff were prepared. Classes resumed afterwards as usual, and C mentioned that his teacher was worried she wouldn’t finish the lesson on time! 😂

Taiwan’s preparedness for this earthquake has been impressive. In Taipei, other than the MRT and trains halting service for a couple of hours, there was no significant disruption. There were no power or internet outages, businesses were open as usual, and all buildings remained intact. Many US publications commended Taiwan for its earthquake resilience and the huge strides it made after the 7.7 earthquake in 1999.

The greatest damage has been in the epicenter, Hualien, where Taroko National Park is located. So far, 13 people have died in the area but relative to the magnitude of the earthquake, the number of fatalities is pretty low. The park is likely to be closed for at least a year, and some trails like Zhuilu Old Road may be closed for much longer.

We feel so fortunate to have visited Taroko just 2 months before the earthquake. I’m saddened to hear that people lost their lives exploring this beautiful place, and it will be awhile before it can be enjoyed again. Here’s to hoping that the rescue and reconstruction efforts in Hualien continue smoothly and safely! 🙏

Ramblings

A Special Visit

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In early April, we welcomed my sister and BIL to Taiwan! My niece was on her 8th grade Chinese immersion trip to Taipei and Hong Kong, so it was the perfect excuse for a visit. (Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see my niece at all because of her school’s strict schedule, what a bummer!)

While my niece stayed with her classmates at a hotel the entire time, we hosted my sister and BIL at our place. The boys were so excited to see family other than Baba and me for once! They nagged Uncle 6 to play Chinese chess whenever they could, and the adults squeezed in a badminton game while the kids were at school.

Since both my sister and BIL have been to Taipei a couple times already, we skipped all the touristy stuff and just ate to our hearts’ content. This made for a much more relaxing visit because we weren’t rushing from place to place. And boy, did we eat! Here are some of the more memorable places we visited:

  • Paradise Dynasty: A contemporary Taiwanese/Chinese restaurant that serves xiao long bao, fried rice, wonton noodle soup, etc. It’s a good alternative to Din Tai Fung.
  • Lan Jia Gua Bao: My sister and BIL said they were craving gua baos ever since they had one in Seattle, so we took them to the best place that we know of in Taipei. There is something so satisfying about braised pork belly with crushed peanuts, cilantro, and pickled mustard wrapped in a soft bao.
  • Yong Kang Beef Noodle: My favorite place to get the classic Taiwanese beef noodle soup. It’s on the richer/spicier side, which in hindsight, probably wasn’t my sister’s cup of tea. 😅
  • Smoothie House: Even though it’s not mango season, shaved ice at Smoothie House is still a treat. We had shaved ice with frozen mangoes and fresh strawberries.
  • Tian Jin Scallion Pancake: Tian Jin is a simple food stall in the middle of Yong Kang Street that sells fresh, cripsy scallion pancakes. Along with Yong Kang Beef Noodle and Smoothie House, Tian Jin is always one of the stops we make whenever we’re in Yong Kang.
  • Din Tai Fung: Do I need to say more? When in Taiwan, this place is a must.
  • Sichao Rice Shop: A Taiwanese fusion restaurant with yummy dishes and beautiful presentation. The atmosphere was contemporary and elegant without being pretentious!
  • 上海宴: Another restaurant serving xiao long baos, fried rice and meats, but this place does everything very well. I’d say their XLBs are second to Din Tai Fung’s.

After 5 short days in Taipei, my sister and BIL took off to Hong Kong. It was so nice seeing familiar faces, and their visit made me miss having family around even more. There is a level of comfort with family that’s irreplaceable because they know you better than anyone else in this world. While we’re having so much fun in Taiwan, I only wish it were possible to combine everything we love in one place. ❤️

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The New Normal

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Almost a year ago, I wrote down my prediction for how I’d adjust to moving abroad. Knowing how I normally react to big changes, I predicted that I would hate it the first couple of months, then learn to love it, then finally reach a plateau. Now that we’ve been in Taiwan for half a year, I thought about this post and how far or close it was to reality.

When we first arrived in Taipei after a 2-month trip in Europe, I didn’t really like our new home. Compared to places that we had just visited like Florence and Barcelona, I’ll be completely honest – Taipei isn’t the most visually appealing city. 🙊 Some buildings look run-down and grubby, electric wires hang haphazardly, and the skies were grey and gloomy (at least during August when we first arrived). I even began to wonder if we should have moved to Spain instead.

Luckily, that feeling lasted for only a couple of weeks and not months. I started to appreciate how safe, cheap and convenient it is to live here, and how quickly we felt at home in this foreign place. I had worried about how the boys would adjust, but the move was like any other day to them. 😂 From when we first landed in Taiwan to their first day of school, they remain completely unfazed. I’m beyond grateful and proud of their resilience.

I already shared what we love about Taiwan so I won’t repeat that here, but it’s safe to say that my old blog post is pretty inaccurate. Six months in, the honeymoon phase still hasn’t ended for us. We are always discovering something new and fascinating. We miss the energy and comfort of Taipei whenever we’re traveling. The language barrier is still a challenge but living here only motivates us to continue improving.

Maybe one day, Taipei will lose its shine and we’ll grow to be nonchalant about it. But for now, Taipei is our home, our new normal. And I already know that when we leave this place, I will miss it immensely.

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Lunar New Year in Taiwan

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Even though our winter break was packed with activities, we made sure to schedule time in Taipei during Lunar New Year. We were curious how the locals celebrated this important holiday.

Turns out, it’s pretty tame. 😆 But it’s also because LNY is a family-oriented holiday, and since we have no relatives here, we didn’t get to partake in many festivities. Still, we have been enjoying the lovely decorations around the city, and of course we visited Dihua Street to buy LNY snacks and goodies.

A lot of Taiwanese locals warned us that Taipei becomes totally vacant during LNY. It was noticeably quieter, but the places that remained open were very busy. I guess those of us who stayed in Taipei were all looking for somewhere to go!

On the first day of LNY, we went around the neighborhood to watch lion dances. The most popular one was at Grand Hyatt. But it was so crowded that we could only see the lion when it was up on stilts. Luckily, we saw another lion dance not too far away and this time, we had a front row view.

The next few days were surprisingly normal, and the majority of stores and restaurants opened back up. The only real disruption was the garbage service. Normally, garbage trucks come around everyday except Wednesdays and Sundays, but during the first week of LNY, the schedule was erratic. Whenever we heard the garbage truck music play, Baba and I rushed downstairs because we just never knew when the next garbage day would be!

About a week after LNY, the Lantern Festival 元宵節 began. The Lantern Festival is not hugely celebrated in SF, so this was an eye-opening experience. The festival celebrates the end of LNY and welcomes the coming of spring. People enjoy fireworks, lanterns, and eating glutinous rice balls (湯圓) during this time. The national Lantern Festival celebration was held in Tainan this year, but Taipei also had its own festival in Ximen.

The lanterns were gorgeous! Some of them were actually created by students in a lantern-making contest too. The whole Ximen area was sprinkled with lanterns everywhere; it was fun spotting them while we roamed around.

The year of the dragon – especially when it meets leap year – is considered very auspicious in Chinese culture. We wish everyone a healthy, happy and prosperous new year!

Ramblings

Hey Taipei

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We have an ongoing list of things to see, do, and eat in Taipei. It keeps growing! Then, there are places that we’ve already been to but want to go back. But since we’re confined by the boys’ school schedules, we could only go on the weekends…which means more crowds.

So when the boys had a month off for winter break, we planned trips outside of Taipei (Malaysia and Taroko Gorge) but also outings in our backyard. Since many families travel outside of Taipei during Lunar New Year to visit family, we wanted to take advantage of the smaller crowds.

Dihua Street. Dihua is a historic street in the Datong District, lined with traditional shops selling Chinese herbs, tea, and snacks. We’ve been to Dihua before but this time we wanted to take part in the Lunar New Year market. Long blocks on Dihua were filled with vendors selling everything from LNY candies, decorations and food – so festive!

Raohe Night Market. We visited Raohe during our Taiwan trip back in 2019, then tried to go again recently around NYE. Boy, was that a mistake because it was so crowded we could barely get two steps in! This time, we came on a weekday during winter break. It was still busy but much more manageable.

Raohe has a ton of fantastic food: black pepper buns, pork bone herbal soup, tang yuan (rice dumplings), grilled mushrooms, etc. No wonder it is one of the most popular night markets in Taipei!

Meerkat 75 Café. I found this café on Instagram and immediately made a reservation. I tried taking the boys to a cat café before, but we were turned away because of the boys’ age. But Meerkat 75 Café allows kids!

There are a total of 5 meerkats at the café. Groups of 2 people take turns going into an enclosed viewing area where you can play and learn about the meerkats. So fun! Each person has to order a certain dollar amount of food – I think it’s about $8 USD per person, and less for children. The food was mostly pasta, salads and chicken tenders, but it was pretty decent!

Children’s Amusement Park. An amusement park that you can spend the day at but isn’t overwhelmingly big, the Taipei Children’s Amusement Park is really fun for kids mainly 13 and under. Entry tickets are ridiculously cheap too – $1 USD for adults, and $.50 USD for kids – and then you pay as you ride, which ranges from $.50 to $3 USD each. You could also get day passes for about $6.50 USD, but it’s not all-inclusive. We spent the day here with friends and had a great time.

Taipei Zoo and Maokong. We went to the zoo at the end of last August, and the heat was so brutal that we had to leave before seeing everything. This time, the weather was absolutely perfect but the zoo was a bit crowded because it was one of the few places open during the week of LNY.

The zoo also has a gondola that connects to Maokong Mountain. Frankly, I never thought about going but the boys wanted to ride the gondola. The gondola ride was surprisingly long (about 20 minutes) and it went up so much higher than I expected! You can also ride in glass floor gondolas but since it was a busy day, we didn’t want to wait around for one to come by.

Maokong was a special surprise. I didn’t realize how charming this town is! Maokong has little eateries, family-owned farms, tea plantations and shops. We also visited a family living in Maokong that the boys had met on a previous trip. It makes me happy seeing C and O getting along so well with local kids.

Ice Skating at Taipei Arena. This was actually the boys’ first time ice skating! They were a little nervous, but because they’ve been taking inline skating class at school they quickly got up to speed. The arena requires that all skaters wear gloves and if you opt out of wearing protective gear, then you have to sign a waiver. Our calves and ankles were tired from just skating for 1.5 hours!

For the next couple of days, Baba and I decided to split up the kids. We spend a lot of time together as a family, so we wanted to spend individual time with the boys and so they can pursue their own interests.

Wuliaojian Trailhead. C and Baba wanted to go on a very challenging hike called Wuliaojian in New Taipei. This trail is seriously no joke – requiring rock scrambling, rappelling down rocks, and climbing steep trails. It’s a trail known for experienced hikers, but Baba and C did so well. C was the youngest person on the trail that day!

Taipei Astronomical Museum. Meanwhile, O and I went to the Taipei Astronomy Museum. The museum was cheap to get into and had many fun interactive exhibits. O’s favorite was the spaceship ride (and I have to say it was mine too).

Taipei Science Museum. The next day, Baba and I switched kids. 😄 O wanted to go to the Taipei Science Museum, which funnily enough, is directly across from the Taipei Astronomical Museum that we visited the day before. I actually took the boys to the science museum back in November, but O wanted to go back. We didn’t know the little guy loved museums so much!

Addiction Aquatic Development. I took my foodie partner in crime to Addiction Aquatic Development, which is like a fabulous fusion of fish market/supermarket/sushi restaurant. C and I loved this place. The vibe is similar to European markets, with high quality produce, polished décor and delicious food.

Yangmingshan National Park. The day before school resumed, we went to Yangmingshan. Yangmingshan is relatively close to Taipei (about a 45 minute drive), making it hugely popular for Taipei residents. It is a little tricky to get to by bus, so we hired a driver on Klook to take us there and drive us to the trails. The downside to hiring a driver of course, is there is a time limit.

Yangmingshan is beautiful! The landscapes are varied too, with grasslands, lakes, fumaroles, and mountains. There are also flower festivals throughout the year. This time it’s cherry blossom season (though we went too early for that), in the spring it’s calla lilies, and so on. Most trails at Yangmingshan are fairly easy, so it’s perfect for hikers of all abilities. I’d love to go back.

Whew, we did a lot during winter break! I love spending time and exploring Taiwan with my family. Growing up, Baba and I never had these opportunities. My parents worked 7 days a week all year, so I was ecstatic whenever they could spend time with me, even if it was just going to the neighborhood park. I hope the boys are enjoying these adventures with us as we much as we are.