Within one week into the lunar new year Jules accomplished an important life skill…bike riding! After multiple attempts (thank you Kishita family) and much frustration (more on Philip’s and my end than Jules’) Jules conquered his fear of falling and finally rode a bike on his own, yayyyyy! Philip and I were so proud of him, and I think that he was pretty satisfied with himself, too. We were more than happy to oblige when he woke us up this morning saying, “Could we go back to the river to ride bikes today?”
Taipei is an amazing city to go biking in. I wouldn’t necessarily do it in the streets with traffic, but there are beautiful bike paths in the mountains and alongside the many rivers in town. Dajia Riverside Park is exceptional due to the phenomenal bike rental service available. Kiddie bikes with training wheels, kiddie bikes without training wheels, men’s bikes, ladies’ bikes, bikes with a baby seat, bikes with a kid seat, bikes with a baby and kid seat, tandem bikes, surrey bikes…Dajia’s got ’em all! On top of that, our rental for three bikes for two hours came out to $8 USD and the porta-potties were pristine with a parking spot for your bike inside the porta-potty and plenty of soap in the dispenser. Inconceivable, right?
We spent a wonderful late morning breezing along, enjoying the views of the Keelung river and graceful bridges while Jules reveled in his newfound freedom. Mwah ha ha, now I can start planning that cycling food tour of Tuscany I’ve always wanted to do. After working up an appetite, we treated ourselves to lunch at a way-off-the-beaten-track cafe called Ln. 180, conveniently located on Lane 180 or Airplane Alley.
From the large windows of the cafe, you can watch airplanes take off and land across the street at Songshan International Airport, in the middle of town. Airplane enthusiasts, families and photographers with lenses the length of my arm all gather on low walls on this narrow street to watch airplanes fly at low altitudes. Philip says that there is no way that any airport in the States would allow the public to be so close to an active runway. Good thing we’re in Taiwan, then. The sound, the gusts of wind and the smell of the engine fuel are incredible when you’re that close to a several hundred ton machine. If you’re into planes, then this is a must-see the next time you’re in Taipei.
After our adrenaline rush, we made our way to our favorite take-away sushi spot, Addiction Aquatic Development, to pick up supplies for dinner. Addiction Aquatic Development is a fancy food emporium, fish market and restaurants all in one. Jules likes coming here to marvel over the ginormous size of the crustaceans. I’m still shocked at the relatively low prices charged here considering the freshness and quality of the seafood. For $40 USD, we walked away with a 12-piece sushi set, an 8-piece California roll, an octopus and veggie salad, a 300mL bottle of tasty sake and 2 lbs of fresh Manila clams. We’re gonna’ be hit with some serious sticker shock when we return to the States.
