Another nice day here in Taipei, but a little warmer. Same breakfast in the morning. I finally got out of the hotel about 11:00 and headed back to Tamshui. I wanted to see it during the day. Yes, there were a lot more people today than last night! I first walked to the ferry dock, and noticed that there were already lines waiting for the variuous ferries. So I decided that I would take the ferry to Fisherman's Wharf first, rather than waiting until later when there would be even more people. So the line was only about 15 minutes. The ferry company running this route had 4 boats running continuously back and forth on the 10 minute route, and as the day progressed the lines got longer and longer. The ride out to Fisherman's Wharf was fun and fast. This was a fast ferry, not one of the slow ones like last night.
Fisherman's Wharf is a marina and fishing pier at the mouth of the river. There is a pretty arched bridge that is one of the ways to reach the wharf. The place was packed with people enjoying the weekend. The marina had a collection of fishing and tourist boats. And, on the west/river side of the marina there was a line-up of small food shops and restaurants. I walked north along the elevated walkway that leads to the pier, enjoying the breeze and the view. Towards the far end there was a stairway down which led me to a small shop where I got an iced tea to help wash down the popcorn I had purchased from another shop. I sat in the shade and enjoyed my snack. I then walked back south to the other end of the walkway where it opens up to a park. Yes, this was a very popular place, and with good reason. After lounging around for a while I decided to head back to Tamshui, so I got in line. Luckily there was one boat loading, and soon two more came and I made it onto the second one.
After getting back to Tamshui I walked along the waterfront. While on the boat I had noticed an older structure a couple blocks inland that looked like it may be the Fort that I had noticed on the map. As I was walking along the main street there was a young lady passing out business cards for a restaurant that overlooks the river. I asked her where the Fort was, and she pointed to a nearby flag flying from the top of the building that I had seen earlier. I walked over to the Fort San Domingo. I am not sure how old it is--perhaps mid 1800s--all the signs were in Chinese. The entrance fee was about $30NTD (about 90 cents). The fort was quite small--about the size of a two story house. There was a roof-top platform, but access was not permitted. The site was on a hillside, but not on the hilltop. Perhaps when it was built the river was closer to the building. It was interesting, but just.
I soon left the Fort and walked back towards the river. As I crossed the street and was walking thru the small park area I was greeted by the two college girls that I had met the night before. We were all very surprised to see each other again. They promised to email me and to check my website. I continued walking along the river and decided it was time to eat lunch. Remembering the nice lady that had directed me to the Fort, I decided to try the restaurant that was on the card that she gave me. I do not know the Chinese name.
There was an english sign that said "Beauty Spot". I think they really meant "Beautiful View". It was on the second floor of a riverfront building that also housed a small hotel and another restaurant downstairs. I walked up and the hostess asked if I wanted to sit inside (in the AC) or outside on the deck. I decided to cool off inside. They had a variety of coffee, tea, and smoothies, and also a menu of set meals. I ordered a meal which included seafood chowder, drink (iced milk tea for me), beef in a dark sauce (again real meat), white broccoli, sweet potato, and a short piece of corn on the cob. It was an enjoyable and relaxing meal for $280NTD, about $9.00. It was one of my more expensive meals in Taiwan. After finishing the main meal I went out to the deck to sip on my milk tea (sweet iced tea with milk) and watch the view.
I continued walking back towards the train station. It was really getting crowded now (about 3:30PM on a nice Saturday afternoon). I noticed that some people had tall slender ice creams cones that looked really good. I got one ($20NTD, about 60 cents) that was half white and half dark. I didn't use the words vanilla and chocolate because the flavor was not that strong, and it was not ice cream. Let's just say it was a soft serve dessert. Whatever it was it was good and refreshing. Along the waterfront I saw people standing around a fishing boat buying something. The fishermen were boiling large quantities of some small sea creature (small, about 2" long and 0.25" wide; white), then placing them in mesh baskets to drain. People were buying the cooked creatures with great enthusiasm. I took a photo, but as I write this I don't know what they were. I will try to find out before I leave Taiwan.
Later, about 7:30, I went down to the front desk and asked where was the local "bar street". One of my friends had said there was a "bar street" which I thought was a street where people went to drink and hang-out on the weekends. This sounded like it might be interesting. The clerk told me that yes, there was such a "bar street" close by, and he helped me hail a taxi and he told the driver where to take me. A few minutes later I was delivered to my destination, Shuang Cheng Street, the driver saying that "many bars here". After I stepped out of the taxi I started looking around. Yes, I saw a couple bars, but not many. I wasn't sure he dropped me in the correct location. I walked around the block. It was a pretty quiet walk. However, I did come across a night market in narrow covered lane and I walked thru it. When I emerged from the other side there were several street food vendors. I slowly walked around looking at the various choices. Most of them were boiled food of some sort. I really wanted something else, so I kept looking. Finally I came to a stall which had some crispy looking things on display. I asked "what is this"? :"Chicken". OK, I'll take the chicken. So the lady placed a piece of the already deep fried chicken back in the fryer to get good and hot. She then took it out, seasoned it, cut it into small pieces, placed it into a paper bag with a couple long toothpicks for eating, and handed it to me. $20NTD. And the chicken was quite tasty and filling--it was a pretty big piece. After eating the chicken I was quite thirsty, and my fingers were very greasy. I found a nearby 7-11 store and bought a small cranberry juice carton, and also got a couple napkins. Ahh. That helps.
I continued to walk around, and noticed a young lady (another one?) placing a folding sign outside the door of a small bar. The name of the bar was the "K-9 Club". She saw me and invited me inside. Apparently the bar was just opening. It was about 8:30. I was hoping to find a cold beer, and so I accepted her invitation. The place had a single long bar, and some small tables along one side. There were 3 or 4 waitresses, and no other customers. I sat at the bar and ordered a beer. The cost of a bottle of Michelob dark beer was $180.00, about $5.50. Yes, this was a bar that intended to make money. The waitress, who said her english name was Michelle, then explained how the bar works. The waitresses work for commissions on the drinks that the customer buys the waitress. If you buy the waitress a drink for $300NTD then she will come and sit with you. Her drink is always a soft drink. Well, this wasn't exactly the kind of "bar street" I had intended, but here I was so I might as well make the best of it. I soon became a very popular man in the bar, surrounded by 3 ladies all trying there best to be nice to me. Nothing improper took place, but it was suggested that I might want to invite one to my hotel room for a massage. I should have found out the cost (just for research purposes, of course). Soon the owner of the bar came in, a Taiwanese lady about my age. She was actually a great talker and lots of fun. She has visited the USA several times, had lived in Pensacola for a few months, and had just returned from Hawaii. We talked while my waitresses listened. We also played some games, such as a kind of vertical checkers, and another game where you remove a piece from a stack of small wood blocks without causing the stack to tumble. It was a pleasant and fun evening, and after 2 1/2 beers it was time for me to go. The ladies pleaded with me to either stay, or take one of them with me, but I declined. I know, I am such a spoil sport. This part of the journal could have been much more interesting if I had accepted their suggestion, right?
When I left the K-9 I was planning on walking back to the hotel, but there was a light drizzle and so I took a taxi. The driver was actually very pleasant and spoke reasonably good english. He asked me if I was enjoying my visit to Taipei. I told him yes, and he said thank you. He was a very good ambassador for the city. I made it back to the room, had a dessert of some cookies, watched some TV, and hit the sack.
Go to Taiwan p6