Taichung Première Partie

And here we come to the whole point of the trip!  Family members. We bid farewell to Taipei on Tuesday morning.  Here is a shot of Taipei 101 all lit up at night the last night:

I have to say, I was so impressed with my overall set of steps in Taipei - I smashed the 10,000 steps barrier every day, with most days ending up around 18,000.  Amazing.  One last shot of the 101 from the lounge during the day:

When we left, it was one of the coldest days of our trip, as we made our way down the coast to Taichung.  It being one of the busiest travel days of the year, our driver took us down the frigid and rough coast which also had the effect of extending the drive, which stressed Michael and us out to no end.  We got some simple roadside sushi and the Taiwanese lunch of champions, 7 Eleven fast food. 

We checked into the Evergreen Taichung which was truly something else - like a Wes Anderson movie set but with a Taiwanese twist? It was the most antiquated hotel in so many ways but also so wonderful in so many others - the elaborate green waistcoat worn by the hotel staff, the complimentary and supremely comfortable flip flops the hotel provided to everyone, the vintage light green alarm clock, the gaudy furnishings, the porcelain lamps, the tasteful art work lining the hallways, the commitment to use the Evergreen logo everywhere!  I loved it!

We had three rooms side by side on the Laurel floor, which was just below the Evergreen Club (and which, as far as we could tell, was just a private floor dedicated to VIP Club hotel members who wanted to have private banquets). The first night we were there, the floor above was so saturated with Chinese new year libations that I thought we would get drunk from the fumes wafting down to us alone!  Michael and I enjoyed the super old school sauna and steam baths and spa, and the two complimentary drinks that came with each room each night (giving us 6 total per day). My mom and I loved the plentiful and tasty breakfast buffet. 

This was our view and one of our rooms. Throwing in one more shot of the wallpaper because, omg, love.

Our first day in Taichung was filled to the brim with nonstop fun. We met up with the cousins and friends in a massive indoor playroom, and the kids got familiar with each other very quickly. 

After a super fun morning and lunch at the playroom, we headed off to our next place of play, a nice restaurant with yet another outdoor and indoor play area. Lola's cousin Bei Bei was completely not shy and agreed to come sit with us for the trip over there.  

It happened to be Bei Bei's sixth birthday that day, so I bought a big strawberry cake and indulged the kids in some birthday merriment. Probably not my finest hour usurping the birthday festivities with my idea of how to celebrate, but how can you resist any opportunity to have cake and candles!?

I love the hotpot in Taiwan, even those at restaurants structured specifically around kids' playrooms - look how plentiful and delicious: