Approaching Taipei 101 from Xinyi Rd.
Taipei mall
I head straight to Godiva where 2 truffles set me back 8.00 USD! They wrapped them up so beautifully I suppose it’s worth it. I find the food court – wow! NOTHING like back home. I almost succombed to McDonalds, just to get a happy meal toy! The choices are pretty wide-ranging: sushi, hotpot, all sorts of stuff I had no idea what it was because the menus are all in Chinese; I ended up getting some fresh veggie juice (2.75 USD). I noticed an Aveda salon and made a mani-pedi appointment for next Saturday. I bought a book at the bookstore (20% off) which cost as much as the two chocolates; I’m still getting the hang of figuring out how to convert NT into USD to figure out the price. NOTE: must find a used book store! On the way back to the hotel, I stopped for coffee (1.50 USD) at 7-11. Each coffee cup has a “2-point” sticker on it; if you save enough of them, you get a lovely piece of Beatrix Potter china. I see a little flower stand and stop in. I ask if the vendor speaks English; no, she motions, so I pantomime what I’d like. Two pink roses, two ivory chyrsanthemums, some greens, all wrapped up for less than 6.00 USD. Now I need to figure out what to do for dinner…
Asia's best kept secret... 