Early Mornings in Taipei

We made it here into Taipei and we’re still adjusting to our adventure. Our hotel is lovely! There is a literal pet rabbit in the lobby. Our room is very small, so we are getting to know each other very well, all of us and our luggage in this small space. No microwave, no problem because we’re enjoying the tiny feasts of this city. I joked in the newsletter about how we’re eating saucy things on these white hotel sheets, but it’s not a joke and I think half of our meals are reorganizing the (also white) towels that have to go underneath the food and the kids.

We’re in the Ximending neighbourhood, which is busy and offers lots of eating and shopping options. We’re only really stationery shopping people (ha ha ha) although we did buy some umbrellas, but it’s been a lot of fun to walk through this vibrant area.

Our sleep schedules are still a bit haywire, and because we’re in a small room, once gremlin wakes up, basically everyone else does as well, and we’ve been doing some early morning wandering before things open up.

It's always a delicate balance, traveling with kids, and we do have some non-negotiable appointments to make, along with a list of things we want to check out. We want to push us and them to make the most of this adventure that is not something to take for granted, a luxury that not everyone has, while also realizing that making the most of it might mean slowing down to notice what’s around us, and to be able to enjoy ourselves in this new world.

In practical terms, we’re doing one big outing a day, which might mean a couple of stops that are all close by to each other, and then depending on what the timing of the day looks like, wandering close by to find something to eat, or picking up some bubble tea and coming back to the hotel room to wind down.

We’re mostly still getting settled in and figuring out where the subways lead to, plotting some places on Google maps to try and visit different neighbourhoods in between visiting vendors. Lots ahead, and eating some tasty noodles while contemplating it all.

Caleb and Naomi investigating for lucky spirits and cigarette butts.

The youngest safari-goer fueling up for an adventure.