 |
| One of many treats we sampled at the Keelung Night Market! |
As I had mentioned in a couple of previous blogs, what we’re doing is actually a combination of three separate cruises rolled into one. The first cruise was Seattle to Tokyo. The second cruise was Tokyo to Keelung. When we arrived at Keelung on Monday, October 30, we said goodbye to several couples we had met along the way who ended their cruise in Taiwan. We are two of about five hundred passengers who are continuing on to Singapore. We were joined by around 1800 newbies in Keelung.
We loved our first stop in Taiwan so much, and were looking forward to two more days in Taiwan before heading onward. Because of Keelung being a disembark and embark port we had a very nice long day to explore.
We wanted to see some of Taiwan’s capital city, Taipei, which was about forty minutes away. We decided that the most efficient use of our time would be to take one of the excursions offered by the ship called “Highlights of Taipei”. A more appropriate name for the tour might have been “Just a few of the highlights of Taipei”. The city looked absolutely amazing. We enjoyed time at the National Museum staring at artifacts dating back as far as the fourteenth century BC. The museum was huge and has so many items in their collection that many displays are rotated every few months.
 |
| The Taipei 101 Tower. At one point it was the world’s tallest building. It’s still in the top ten. |
 |
In front of the National Museum. It’s much larger and nicer than the picture shows.
|
 |
| This wine vessel was from the fourteenth century BC. |
Next we headed to the Chaing-Kai-sheck Memorial. Chaing-Kai-sheck was the President of the Republic of China from 1949 until his death in 1975. The memorial and the surrounding gardens are amazing. Equally amazing was the drive from the museum to the memorial. It would be an understatement to say Taipei is a beautiful city. The clean, tree lined streets of the city center were a highlight of the tour as well.
 |
| Outside the Chaing-Kai-sheck Memorial. It has elements of both the Taj Mahal and Lincoln Memorial in its design. |
 |
| There are 89 steps leading up to the memorial. One for every year of Chaing-Kai-sheck’s life |
 |
| The National Opera House is on the Memorial Grounds. |
 |
| Chaing-Kai-sheck looking out is modeled after the Lincoln Memorial. |
Along the drive to and from Taipei we were kept entertained and informed by a really good tour guide. She was born in Taiwan and interestingly, she did part of her education at the University of Kansas. She said there is a concerted effort to continue to develop tourism in Taiwan and encouraged us to share our experiences and encourage others to visit.
We returned to Keelung in plenty of time to take in the world famous Keelung Night Market. The name is a little misleading, since it opens at noon. It was mid-afternoon when we arrived and it was already buzzing. The night market is a collection of street food vendors and shops lining several pedestrian only streets. Well, they’re kind of pedestrian only”, you do have to keep a close look out for mopeds! We learned that Taiwan’s population is around 23 million and that there are over 10 million mopeds zipping around.
 |
| The Keelung Night Market! Keeping an eye out for mopeds. |
We started slow with the street food, but picked up confidence and momentum as we navigated the market. A few things such as the “nutritious sandwich (booth 58), dumplings, noodles and a wonderful frozen treat like ice cream or sherbet. Anthony Bordain had spent some time sampling some of the food in the night market. We probably played it a little safer than he did, but hopefully we made him proud.
 |
| Delicious dumplings! |
We sailed out of Keelung around 8:00 PM as the light of the Keelung Harbor constantly changed colors. The kaleidoscope of colors in the sky and reflecting on the water provided a great send off and fitting end to a fun filled day!
 |
| Keelung Harbor! |
