Taiwanese Breakfast and Sightseeing

This morning (November 1), Christine explained that Maylee was awake and in discomfort last night from 1:00 to 5:00 AM.  Christine believes that it is teething related, since she can feel what seems to be a molar breaking through on Maylee's gum.  So, the Makowichuks are a bit sleep deprived today.

As promised, Holly returned this morning, bringing with her (as she described it) a traditional Taiwanese breakfast - delicious.

Following breakfast, the group moved to the swimming pool, much to the delight of Bo.

Brenda and I went for a walk around this part of town, and when we returned, Bo was finished swimming.  We took him to the children's play room.  There are many toys and activities in that room, but once there, Bo immediately scanned the shelf of books and signed his desire for the dinosaur book.

Before long, Christine, Rick, Maylee and Holly joined us in the play room.

Turns out that Maylee likes dinosaur books also

After saying goodbye to Holly, the Makowichuks went for quiet time and much needed naps.

At about 5:30 PM, we went by taxi to historic Shennong Street.   The street is narrow, and the buildings are old.  Long ago, the street was part of a busy working class zone.  Today, the buildings are being re-purposed into small art, craft and food shops mostly. 

Shennong Street

Shennong Street in relation to Silks Place

We spotted what appeared to be an ice-cream shop and talked with the owner whose name is Run Run.  His English was excellent, and we discovered that, after a busy career which took him all over the world, he lived in Vancouver for a time. He moved back to Tainan to help his aging parents get new housing "with an elevator".  His wife and adult children still live in Vancouver, and he plans to return there in perhaps a couple of years, "after I fulfill my responsibilities to my parents."  His Shennong Street shop is a home-made fruit juice ice shop, "similar to sorbet", but made from only pure juice.  Brenda and I had a dish with three scoops: mango, passion fruit and lemon - really lovely.

Run Run and his shop

One detraction from the evening walk along Shennong Street was the need to watch ahead and behind for the oncoming ubiquitous Taiwanese scooters.  (My perspective: what rabbits became to crops in Australia, scooters have become to pedestrians in Taiwan.)

It was a lovely, warm evening for a walk.

After exploring Shennong Street, we started walking south toward Silks Place.  After a while, all but Brenda and I caught a cab back to the hotel.

Brenda and I continued to walk, passing many sidewalk eateries on every block,  We arrived back at the hotel sooner than we expected.