Both Jim and I like to get our teeth cleaned at least twice/year. Also a dermatologist visit because we have both had many instances of skin cancer - it's no big deal if you catch it early. Now that we live on a cruise ship, visiting our regular dermatologist and dentist is out of the question. I looked at the calendar and looked at the map and figured that Taiwan or the Philippines were about the right time.
Our friend, Steve, used to live in Taiwan so we asked him about dentists. He gave us a specific recommendation for an office in Taipei and I contacted them and made an appointment for the 2d day that we would be in port nearby. We didn't know how involved the transportation would be to get from the port to downtown Taipei, so we booked a hotel for one night. Sounds like fun!
We got situated in Keelung port about an hour's train ride from Taipei, gathered a few things and head to the hotel in the afternoon. Navigating the trains was every bit as complex as it was in Japan. I'm glad we had plenty of time and weren't on a deadline to get to the dentist.
We decided to take advantage of the evening and go out to a street market: Linjiang Tourist Night Market, just a few blocks away from our hotel.
On our way back from the night market, we were intrigued by a bar on the corner called Salud, Tequila Bar. It was a very small bar and it was heavily decorated. They were preparing for a big Haloween promotion apparently. hmmm a bar in Taiwan with a mexican name and drink, decorated for Halloween! We loved it. Mostly we loved the people we met in there. One of the photos they were making for Halloween was a hostpital IV stand supposed to give you a transfusion of tequila! They asked Jim if he would pose as their patient - what fun!
Meanwhile I struck up a conversation with Windy who spoke quite good english. She was fascinated with our cruise ship lifestyle and the fact that we had a YouTube channel. She encouraged me to use Instagram more and we followed each other right then and there. See her at wiindy98.
So, after our night on the town, we went back to our hotel to get a good night's sleep before our dentist appoinment in the morning. It wasn't far, we could walk it no problem, but as with many establishments we've found it difficult to find the door! It's just a building with a plaque on the front wall showing the names of tenants - and it's in Chinese! We finally figured it out and made our way in and upstairs where we were told to take off our shoes and they had paper slippers for us. Then I noticed the sign that they don't take credit cards, so I had to make my way back outside, find an ATM, and back in the hidden door. I made it. I was quite proud of myself actually. 😜 By this time Jim was in the dentist's chair. They took full exrays, and the dentist reviewed them in detail with each of us. Then she cleaned our teeth - no dental hygienist here, just the doctor.
All in all it was a very pleasant experience, although a bit more expensive than I had figured on. I was probably thinking of just the cleaning - about $40 each. But since they insisted on full xrays, that came to $120 each. hmmm. Oh well, it's good to know that all is OK.
After the dentist, we walked to the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall and took in the sights.
Then we had lunch on the 85th floor of the 101 Tower. Once the tallest building in the world, it is a landmark in Taipei. We had a great view from the 85th floor, and a wonderful chat with a mother and daughter at the next table. The mother lives in Taiwan and the daughter was visiting from the US. I'm sure you've heard of how Taiwan is in danger of being taken over by China? It sounded like this mother would welcome that - she couldn't say enough about how wonderful China is and how we really must go. Interesting.
We didn't get a good photo showing the 101 tower in the skyline, so I asked Gemini to make me one and to include the Chiang Kai-Shek memorial as well. The 101 tower is roughly accurate - not so the Chiang Kai-Shek memorial. Still, it gives you the flavor.
As big cities go, I really liked Taipei. Big and bustling, clean and shiny, but still down to earth and friendly. There was not as much english spoken as I had hoped, but you could most always find somebody. We're always happy to get back to our ship!
