We only had a few hours in Taipei, Taiwan, which was a stopover on our flight that left Los Angeles with Beijing as its final destination. As Fabio did not have a visa to enter the country, he stayed in one of the VIP lounges at the airport. Meanwhile Noah and I benefited from a free tour leaving from the airport in the morning, so we were able to enjoy at least a bit of Taiwan. This is a tour offered by the tourism office in Taipei with the aim of boosting visits to the country, given many people are only in Taiwan for a few hours waiting for their next flight.

At 7:45 Noah and myself went to the departure hall, the meeting point for the tour. Reaching the meeting point was a bit more complicated than it initially appeared … but after a few laps around the airport, we managed to get there.

The member of staff who attended us congratulated me… My poker face was very funny. It was July 28th and I hadn’t even realized that it was my birthday! A few hours beforehand we had left the United States and it was 00:45 on the 27th, but of course at some point while flying over the Pacific the day changed to July 28th.

That free tour included a visit to the Sin Fang Shou Creativity Wagashi and Cultural Center and Sanxia & Zushi Temple.

The bus was a tourist one and the guide was in charge of showing us a bit of this small Asian country.

At Sin Fang Shou Creativity Wagashi and Cultural Center we had the opportunity to see how Mochi and other Taiwanese traditional sweets are produced both traditionally and mechanically.

We even had the opportunity to prepare this typical, traditional sweet with our own hands, while we were told about the times of year and traditional events when those sweets are tasted and given away.

The next stop was the beautiful and curious Sanxia & Zushi Temple.

The guide gave us all kinds of details such as information about the bridge leading to the temple, how important the figure of the lion is in Chinese-influenced temples, how to perform prayers to God and how to interpret the responses received to the prayers, etc.

The temple has unrivalled architectural and decorative richness. The coffered ceilings and the stoned entrance show the unmistakable Chinese influence in the temple, as well as the details in the ceramic in the roofs … There is a vast variety of details.

The heat and humidity in Taiwan were intense, so getting back on the bus was great 🙂 At around 12:45 we were back at the airport, going through immigration again (another stamp in our passports 🙂 ) to meet up with Fabio in the lounge area.

We need to come back and explore the country more, but unfortunately it will have to wait for the next visit. Now we’re getting ready for China.

Next stop, Beijing!