From Danshui to Maokong (Nick)

Today we decided to check out two places on opposite ends of Taipei: Danshui all the way to the North and Maokong to the south. Danshui take almost an hour to get to by the metro, but it has a lot of things to see. It is known especially as a romantic place for couples to stroll around while watching the sunset. Unfortunately, Kelly and I were there around midday, so no sunset just heat. We checked out a Dutch fort from the 1600s and the former British consulate. The highlight of Danshui was our trip to fisherman's wharf. We crossed a footbridge there called Valentine's Bridge, which would have been a great place to see the sunset (once again, just the heat).

After Danshui, we decided the best way to spend the rest of the afternoon was to go back to the hotel and sleep. Definitely the best afternoon activity during the summer in Taipei. After grabbing some dinner, we made our way up to the maokong tea plantations in the hills above Taipei. They don't grow much tea anymore, but it is a very popular place to hang out in tea houses and take in the nice views of the city below. We got there by a gondola which goes through the taipei zoo. Going through the zoo at night, with all of the large trees in the zoo and the occasional wild animal call, it felt like we were traveling through a jungle. After getting to the top, we strolled around and looked out at Taipei lit up at night.

We left for home around 10 pm, and Kelly could barely make it home she was so tired. If I hadn't woken her up she probably would still be on the metro. I think that would have been hilarious, but she doesn't have much of a sense of humor about stuff like that :)