It rained.
All. Day. Long.
Not the cute little “misty travel photo” kind of rain either – the committed, determined, you’re-going-to-be-wet-and-you’re-going-to-like-it kind of rain.
Thankfully, today’s tour was mostly indoors or under cover, so we managed to stay reasonably dry and only mildly soggy.
Our first stop was Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, set inside Liberty Park. It’s one of those places that makes you stop for a minute and just look. Huge, impressive, and beautifully done – the kind of landmark that makes you feel like you probably should know more history than you currently do.
Next up was the National Palace Museum, which houses one of the world’s largest collections of ancient Chinese artifacts. And when I say “collection,” I mean the kind of collection that makes your random shelf of vacation souvenirs look deeply embarrassing. There were beautiful pieces everywhere, and it was one of those museums where you could spend hours if you were really determined to read every sign. I was not. But I appreciated it thoroughly in my own slightly less scholarly way.
After that, we headed to Martyr’s Shrine, which honors 330,000 men who died in historic Chinese battles. The shrine itself is striking, but the real bonus was arriving just in time to see the changing of the guard, which was very cool to witness in person. There’s something about all that precision and ceremony that makes everyone instantly stop talking and start filming.
Lunch was at the famous Grand Hotel, and honestly, if you’re going to stop for a buffet, it may as well be somewhere that looks like royalty might casually wander through. It was a beautiful setting, and the huge Asian-style buffet – SO many choices – gave us a chance to sit down, dry off a bit, and refuel.
In the afternoon, we visited Pao-An Temple, which was packed with gorgeous details – ornate dragon pillars, stone lions, carved tablets, and enough visual interest to keep my camera busy.
From there we walked across the street to Confucius Temple, which had a quieter, more elegant feel. And this stop came with a really lovely surprise. We were treated to a calligraphy artist who was writing good-luck wishes on small red cards for visitors. You could choose the blessing you wanted – happiness, wealth, health, peace, and others – and he would handwrite it for you right there. Best of all, it was free, which felt like a particularly thoughtful little gift on such a gray and rainy day. While I heard others request wealth and happiness, I asked for health and peace, which seemed like an excellent choice for me.
After most of the group continued with their calligraphy requests, Alan and I lingered a bit outside that room and I ended up chatting with a docent about Confucius’ birthday, which is celebrated each year on September 28. There was a video playing about the annual ceremony at the temple, and it was fascinating to learn a little more about the traditions and significance of the celebration.
Apparently, however, I was a little too fascinated.
At some point while watching the video, Alan glanced at the time and realized the rest of our tour group had already left and gone back to the bus.
Oops.
So off we went – trying to hustle as quickly as possible without wiping out on the slick wet tiles and pavement. We made it back in time… although we were the last ones on the bus.
That is a first for us.
Rain or not, it turned out to be a really interesting day – full of history, beautiful architecture, unexpected little moments, and just enough dry time to keep morale intact.
Taiwan: still worth it, even in a raincoat.