Bangkok Week 502 February 8, 2018 Taiwan: the (rainy) heart of Asia. View fullsize Leaving Manila. Wait, shouldn't I be on that plane? View fullsize Friday night in Manila. View fullsize This dessert is vegetarian, vegan, low fat, low sugar, kosher, and tasteless! View fullsize The dinner feast that was waiting for me in Taipei! View fullsize Enjoying a real Taiwanese breakfast the next morning. View fullsize Veggie dumplings at the breakfast buffet! View fullsize View from our hotel room: looking east. View fullsize Another view from our hotel room: looking North. View fullsize Smart idea, by the Taipei MRT. View fullsize Heading out for an adventure, despite the rain. View fullsize Our first stop: Taipei International Airport.. or Songshan airport. View fullsize Destination: observatory! View fullsize They're very enthusiastic about their observation deck, even from the ground floor. View fullsize Follow the runway! View fullsize Nice display. View fullsize They're even prepared for the rain! View fullsize Nice view of the FAT MD-80. View fullsize They have an arrivals and departures board on the observation deck, for eager spotters. View fullsize Well, at least it's nice and dry in here. View fullsize It takes a team to push back this ATR-72. View fullsize A wet but picturesque observatory. View fullsize I think they see a lot of enthusiasts here. View fullsize A proper souvenir shop for plane spotters at the base of the observation deck. View fullsize Found all the taxis in Taipei! View fullsize Next stop: Fujin street. View fullsize It's a residential street with lots of hip little shops. View fullsize Umbrella still required. View fullsize We spotted a giant moose. View fullsize The cute shop where we found Petunia. View fullsize A nice neighborhood - have never seen so many cafes in such a small space. View fullsize Blending right in with the locals. View fullsize Hip to be cool. View fullsize Despite the hip-ness, a reminder that we're still in ROC! View fullsize Rain break at a convenience store. Look at the cute little milk!! View fullsize Beautifully-designed Taiwanese teas and coffees. View fullsize Out for a walk, despite the rain. View fullsize Delicious desserts - with unprocessed fillings. View fullsize Handmade with care - delish! View fullsize Police motorbikes. Looks like no one is out on patrol today! View fullsize How to ride in the rain. View fullsize Stumbled upon another veggie restaurant for lunch. Tasty! View fullsize Hope your dog's not claustrophobic! View fullsize Petunia made it home in one piece. View fullsize The 1914 creative park - in the rain! View fullsize It's much more lively than when we were there a few years ago. View fullsize Lots of DIY shops for various types of crafters. View fullsize These were wooden Snoopy figurines, for people who do woodworking. View fullsize Continuing our wet journey. View fullsize Feels a bit like Japan! View fullsize We've come to Taipei 101 with a mission. View fullsize But first: check out this novel dessert / drink at Starbucks. View fullsize Roots! They had Roots stores all over the city. View fullsize It's the year of the Dog! Get ready! View fullsize Finally! The real reason we came here today! View fullsize Getting a birthday song with his Apple Watch. View fullsize The man, and his (belated) birthday gift! View fullsize Aww. These Bao are too cute to eat! View fullsize Lunch leftovers for dinner, back at the hotel. View fullsize Taipei's version of Singapore's Bag-down Benny campaign. How expressive! View fullsize Spending Sunday morning at a weekend flower market - to take advantage of the shelter. View fullsize The market is held underneath a highway. View fullsize Oranges. View fullsize What shiny red root balls! View fullsize Many of the plants were decorated for CNY. View fullsize Fresh sprouts! View fullsize And colorful cacti. View fullsize Unique orchids. View fullsize Also for sale: flowers of the sea. A.k.a. fish. View fullsize Sweeping trees in the middle of a road. View fullsize Umbrellas briefly down for a photo. View fullsize The rain puts a damper on the crowds at Ximending. View fullsize Too wet to be shopping! View fullsize Poke cakes! View fullsize A comically graphic warning at an arcade. View fullsize Our final lunch at a delicious veggie place just behind the hotel. View fullsize My gate! View fullsize Unfortunately, we didn't have a matching plane :( View fullsize Thrilled to be back in Manila and spending midnight in this queue. View fullsize Updates from the house! View fullsize The new front wall is going up. View fullsize As is the banister for the stairs. (Being assembled on-site because the stairs are irregular.) View fullsize The door frames have gone in. View fullsize From inside the master bathroom. View fullsize Working on the parquet flooring to match the existing floor in the study. View fullsize Banister going in. View fullsize From the ground floor. View fullsize Pouring the concrete floor. View fullsize The bench and enclosure for the water pump. View fullsize The front door is starting to materialize, too. View fullsize View over Ortigas from my 18th-story room. View fullsize Birthday dinner for one of our teammates. View fullsize Back at the house: preparing to drop the ceiling. View fullsize Gingerly pouring the floor. View fullsize Preparing the driveway to be poured. View fullsize Uber-thick insulation under the roof on the second floor. View fullsize This better be warm. I mean, cool. View fullsize They've closed up the master bedroom. View fullsize Ceiling is still plenty tall. View fullsize And soon they'll close up the hallway!
