Day 2: Massage | 228 Memorial Park | Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall


Day 2

Starting the Day Off Right

Getting a foot massage was pretty much on the top of my list of priorities for the day. One half hour for $12 is not a bad deal if you ask me... This may have to happen more than once before we fly home.
228 Memorial Park 

I realized the massage place was right near a park that was listed on many of the touristy websites. Later that night I kept telling our friends that I went to 228 Memorial Park. I kept getting, "but why?!" and "how did you decide to go there?" Ben said that he too got odd remarks when he told people at work that I spent most of the afternoon there.

















Apparently the park is known to be a dangerous place at night. Honestly I didn't get any weird vibes while there and saw a handful of tourists (which was the first I had seen of any foreigners).




Image result for 228 incident

History Lesson: February 28th is a special holiday in Taiwan. It is called "Peace Memorial Day" and is celebrated because of an uprising that began after the 2.28 Incident (or 228 Massacre) in 1947. This was the day that sparked a rebellion of the Taiwanese people against the Kuomintang- led Republic of China government who had mistreated them and crashed their economy following the Japanese rule from 1895-1945.
National Taiwan Museum


Neature at it's finest: Marimo moss balls are naturally sphere shaped. How neat is that? That's pretty neat. 
National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall 





Changing of the guard ceremony. I happened to walk up just before they started. 

These soliders stand perfectly still for one hour before the "Changing of the Guard Ceremony"



And now to show you the foods for the day!

Breakfast: All the coffee and pastries are $1

Lunch: loving the street food here. Fried dumplings- 6 for $1. I was being frugal and bought 4 before I did the math. Good thing we are here for so long. I will have to go back... OH wait. These are EVERYWHERRRRRE :) 

 Tea with black jelly stuff (not boba) and what our friends later told me were fish eggs (but really, are they?).  I was pretty sure they were just chia seeds.

Chicken Feet
Yes
That's right. I tried chicken feet.
I forcefully suppressed the gag reflex the moment it touched my tongue. I do not recommend. 

Dinner: This is some kind of delicious Ramen noodle bowl with lightly breaded chicken, creamy broth and veggies. (This place hands down beats all the Ramen places I've tried in the US). 
We finished the day with a night time walk around our park. Ben is working hard here so we don't spend too much time together during the week. By the time we get to dinner the day is over but we are going to try to squeeze in something fun together each day. 

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