From the Botanical Garden we return back to the central area of Taipei with the main goal being Dihua Street. It is one of the major historical sites in the downtown area and we are hoping we can even find a restaurant to eat for lunch. But first we have to use again the great subway system, we now are experts on using it so we can notice all the little details like the safe zones protected by cameras. It is nice to have them but then you have to wonder, why are they needed?
The first surprise is when we alight at the Beimen station. There is an exhibit about the archaeological finds that were made when the subway station was excavated however we are more attracted by the claw machine with plush animals, they are really cute.
The exhibit itself is quite well realized, there are glass panels in the floor and you can see what was excavated through the panels.
There are also some quite comprehensive descriptions and we get an idea on how many layers of buildings sat here through the many eras of the city.
And then it is time to exit and walk towards Dihua under the hot sun. This section doesn’t have as many overhangs so to distract ourselves from the heat we examine the street signs, who doesn’t want 90% fame and wealth? Or at least that is how we read the sign.
As we approach Dihua proper there are a few more overhangs, phew, with boutique shows and soon we can see the narrow street entrance ahead.
There is shade here and we explore a few scenic side streets as well as the City God Temple while keeping an eye out for any store that sells cold drinks or ice cream. Both would be really welcome…
The street itself is nice but nothing extraordinary as we expected. There still are a few interesting older buildings but most look to be more recent, like second half of the 20th century or similar.
And then we find an ice cream store that seems to have open seating and in we go. The flavors are quite interesting including sweet bean icecream which is quite good actually.
We expected to see a lot of souvenirs shop but there are literally none. Most shops seem to have snacks or medicinal items, we should have done our research as this area is famous for the medicinal stores more than anything.
And then we finally find a restaurant that has open seating, something quite rare here. We really do not care what they serve as long as we can escape the heat for a short while.
In fact they serve a few Taiwan specialties including fish soup. While interesting it has lots of bones so we have to be very careful while eating it, which makes it less appetizing than it might have been otherwise.
After exiting the restaurant we take a side trip to a small green area which has a geocache. And quite a few birds, any green area is welcome for them of course.
Now full we have more time to explore the stores and….still we do not know what traditional medicines they are selling. But they are colorful and weird and interesting to look at.
We have one more stop planned here at the visitor center. We do not always stop at visitor centers but this time it is a special case. Besides the visitor center, which is on the ground floor, there are a few exhibit rooms on the other two floors of the building. Not really exhibits but rooms set up so people can take photos, they even are renting epoch costumes so they can take photos in them. And it is a really popular area of course.
We especially like the lantern room, it is a beautiful place for photos and just to enjoy the lanterns and the air conditioning of course.
And then it is time to return back to the hotel. It is the same distance via subway or on foot so on foot we go to explore this area of Taipei that is the closest to a downtown area for Taipei in our understanding.
We pass by some interesting ruins, it takes a bit to understand what they are. They are the remains of a food court that was moved some time ago and is now a night market but also the remains of an air raid cistern from the second world war. And then it is just a few more minutes to the hotel where we enjoy the lounge and the air conditioning till the evening when it is time to explore Taipei 101, the highest skyscrapper in Taipei.
