Taichung day tripping

Innovative!  A cute carrying contraption for the pastas that 7-Eleven heated up for us.

This is going to sound weird but...this 7-Eleven bolognese is THE best spaghetti I've had in my life.  No flaws whatsoever!! Asian spaghetti is da best.  Dare I say better than Italian? 

 McDonalds outside of the Ximen subway station.  So picturesque!  + McD's fried chicken that can only be found in Asia.  

Part 2 of first world anarchists invading Taiwan.

Shabu restaurant about 3 minutes walking distance from home.

All you can drink soda in glass bottles & lemon iced tea.

Grape soda! Fave

Lamb hot pot.  $200NT (~$7USD) for lamb slices, noodles, veggies, & unlimited drinks + ice cream.  

Day trip to Taichung to visit relatives.  

Taking the high speed rail-- a trip to Taichung that normally takes 2+ hours took us 58 minutes on the HSR.

Looks like a roomy airplane!

I finally opened my Kinder egg!! Yummmy + strange toy inside

Arriving at the Taichung HSR station.  Once again looks like an airport.

Lunch at Thai Town with grandparents and other extended relatives.  So delicious!

Fried ramen noodles with veggies and shrimp.  LOVED!

Satay glass noodles with shrimp.

Seems as if I was a bit late in capturing this one.  Missing piece of fried chicken cutlet!

Fried shrimp paste pancake.

Poor delicious fishy.

Green curry chicken.  Amazing and reminiscent of lahksa from Malaysia.

Shaved ice with house-made "rubies" on top.  Wasn't sure of what rubies were so I asked the waiter...and still unsure of what they are after a long description.  BUT they were good!

Frozen lemonade and iced caramel macchiato on top of a piano-themed seating area.

Taiwanese art display.

Taichung night market for the first time!  Actually seemed bigger and more eventful than the well-known Shilin night market in Taipei.  Definitely roomier since there's a lot more land in Taichung than in Taipei.

Followed the long line in front of this stand and now we know why there was.  Soooo amazing this picture doesn't do it justice.  Definitely lived up to the hype, and then 1000x more.

First time seeing a duck wrap stand! 

But it was sadly disappointing :(

Rose lemonade to cool off from the hot and humid Taichung weather.

Pizza in a cone!  Yet another long line.

A parrot eating a waffle cake with its hands.  The things you see.

We took the Aloha bus back to Taipei instead of the HSR.  Opted for the "luxury" package, that was $29NT extra ($1USD!) and so glad we did.  Massage reclining chairs with provided snacks, water, a blanket and an in-chair TV screen.

Late night guilty pleasures.  More 7-Eleven pasta!!