Discovering Taipei

The little I knew of Taiwan and its capital Taipei was based on old history books and Taiwanese TV dramas. And the impression these left me was of a quiet city with some trendy coffee shops and clean streets.

Well, the streets were clean all right, but what I didn’t expect was a shopping mecca, from streetside markets which Filipinos have dubbed the “Divisorias” of Taipei, to high-end malls and shopping centers, foremost of which was Taipei 101, the “second tallest building” in Asia which, more that its viewing deck on the 89th floor, is famed for the high-end shops (name a designer brand and you’ll find a store devoted to it) that cater to the rich and trendy.

We arrived on a clear, cool and balmy day. After depositing our bags in our rooms at the Howard Hotel, we all piled into a van for lunch at a restaurant that featured “eat-all-you-can” shabu-shabu. The place was packed, with entire families seated around steaming cauldrons and groups of young people sharing stories and beer. Counters were filled with raw meat, seafood, vegetables, noodles and condiments. One made the rounds of the different counters, dumped the contents into the boiling broth and poured a mixture of whatever flavorings one wished (there were pots of soy sauce, sesame oil, chili, coriander, garlic, diced onions and whatever else one fancied).

A reassuring touch were the “sleeves” that management provided over the backs of chairs, to prevent drippings on one’s coat or bags and also as an anti-theft precaution. Rosemary “Baby” Arenas, who organized the excursion, urged us all to pay a visit to the dessert station, where there was a wide variety of exotic fruit. We all marveled at the sweetness of the “cherimoya,” which looked like a smaller version of guyabano or soursop, but lacked the sharp bite of the native fruit. But best of all, said Tita Baby, was the Häagen-Dazs ice cream which one could feast on without fear of cost—though the payment in calories was substantial.

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Then it was on to shopping. I forgot to write down the name of the place, but we got down at a series of alleys in the “old” part of the city that was lined with stalls selling everything from ladies’ garments to children’s clothes, shoes, bags, designer knock-offs, souvenir items, tea, and even salted dried fruit, known more popularly among Pinoy aficionados as “champoy.”

It was chilly and raining, and soon my suede flats and socks were soaking wet. Boots lined with fur looked tempting, promising warmth and water-proofing, but considering our warm climate, I thought the better of it. I compromised on a pair of closed leather clogs, and paired these with a puffy down coat since my own car coat was already damp by then.

The goods proved too tempting to ignore, and soon all members of our party were lugging huge plastic bags filled with blouses, dresses, scarves and shoes. But we weren’t even half-way done with our shopping!

As darkness fell, we were driven to yet another “Divisoria” version, where Tita Baby made a bee-line to her favorite vendor of boiled peanuts and corn, and later made a detour to a stall selling boiled sweet potatoes – “camote” to you and me. More manic shopping, and to hell with thoughts of overweight baggage!

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The next day, Sunday, was spent at the “Paskong Pinoy,” a Christmas show put up for the benefit of OFWs by the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (Meco), with support from the Taiwanese Office of Labor Concerns and the sponsorship of Far Eastone Telecom, the local partner of PLDT-Smart. Smart executives came in full force, promoting their latest product offering of a plan that provided a Philippine number for subscribers in Taiwan, which would allow them to call home with no expensive roaming charges to contend with.

Despite the cold, exacerbated by high winds and a light rain, performers came clad in all sorts of flimsy costumes, including flamenco gowns worn by a delegation from a “social welfare center” that provides training for children and youth with learning disabilities.

We didn’t stay long enough to catch the performance of local stars Giselle Sanchez and Jericho Rosales (there was more shopping to be done!), but I was told that the crowd had a rollicking good time when Giselle enlisted Meco chair Amadito Perez in her act.

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The next day, we visited Taipei 101 which from the outside resembles a tall (very tall) bamboo pole with a greenish tint. Inside, one takes several escalator rides to the visitors’ booth where one buys a ticket to the view deck, then a high-speed elevator which brings you to the 89th floor before you can finish saying “I’m afraid of heights.”

The views must have been spectacular, but as it was a cloudy day, all we could see from the picture windows was fog. The only structure visible to us was the Sun Yat Sen Memorial because of its bright yellow tile roof.

No, we didn’t get to eat “stinky tofu,” the renowned “delicacy” of Taipei which played a starring role in one season of “Amazing Race.” Tony Basilio, Meco’s executive director and resident ambassador, made a face when I inquired if we could order it. But we did get to try “dancing pork,” so-called because the ultra-soft fatty pork segments jiggle at the slightest movement. The pork slices are inserted into steamed buns, much like cua pao, and even just a single serving can fill you.

In all, the few days spent in Taipei were eye-opening and filling and fulfilling in more ways than I can count. A sour note, though, was sounded on arrival in Manila when one box of cherimoya, gifted to us by Chairman Perez, went missing from PAL’s luggage conveyor. Whoever filched the box, I hope you at least had a sweet treat!