Traveling with the Jones

When we are visiting a city and want to get a taste of the local food and culture, we always try to book a food tour. There’s no better way, we’ve found, to get introduced to local foods such as the gua bao (a Taiwanese burger) being prepared in a local rather than tourist restaurant.

During our visit to Taiwan earlier this year, we booked the Taipei Eats Xinyi food tour. This food and cultural walking tour explores Taipei’s Xinyi District, known for massive shopping malls and Taipei 101. On the Taipei Eats Tour, however, we explored the parts of this district frequented by locals as we ate our way through a wide variety of foods.

Quincy, pictured above, was our friendly and knowledgeable guide for the Taipei Eats Food Tour. Soon after meeting her, our small group walked to a local neighborhood wet market.

One of the first things that Quincy has us try was a fresh wax apple, an unusal but delicious fruit that we sampled at the market. The wax apple might not be the most beautiful fruit, but we agreed that it was one of the best-tasting “apples” we’ve ever enjoyed.

Street markets in Taipei are amazingly clean and odor-free.

Our next sample at the market was a roasted water caltrop (water chestnut). The water caltrop is an aquatic plant native to warm climates in Asia and Africa that produces ornately shaped fruits resembling a flying bat. Each fruit contains a single very large, starchy seed that is eaten after the outside is roasted.

As we continued walking through the market stalls, we stopped at this stand, which specializes in a product called “Thousand layer big bread.” It is made of layer after layer of pastry sprinkled with green onion and butter, topped with sesame seeds, and baked in a hot oven.

We each had a slice of this delight. If we lived in Taipei, we would frequent this food stall often.

Heading out of the market, our next stop was at a small restaurant famous for its Gua bao, which is considered a Taiwanese burger. Gua bao is made with simmered pork belly stuffed into a special bread that’s topped with ground peanuts and fresh cilantro. It’s yummy, and something we would have never discovered on our own.

Throughout Taipei (and all of Taiwan) there are spikey signs like the one pictured above. They are lit at night in a flashing red and green, and they signify that the location sells beetle nuts, a stimulant that locals chew.

We watched this woman make beetle nuts, a labor-intensive process.

Then we were each offered a beetle nut to try, along with a spit cup.

I’m almost always up for trying anything, but after one quick “chew” I spit the beetle nut quickly. Coffee, tea, chocolate — all better choices for a “stimulant” in my opinion.

Next we tried another local favorite dish that I’d never try without encouragement — raw, stinky tofu. It was not as bad as I expected, and I enjoyed the raw version over the fried stinky tofu.

Now that I tried it, I won’t need to order it as a night market.

Mr. Jones passed on trying both the beetle nut and the stinky tofu. Quincy, our guide, would explain each food and how to eat it, but did not pressure you to eat anything you didn’t want to try.

Next, we walked to another restaurant for more appetizing food. The cold noodles pictured above were delicious. We also tried miso eggdrop soup with meatballs.

Luckily, the walk was a little longer to the next stop at the Songshan Cultural Park, were we tried milk tea, pinapple cake and German pudding (which is like an egg custard.) The baked goods were from Wu Pao Chun bakery, which I’d highly recommend.

Also we had the chance to sit down and try to two favorite dishes at the Kao Chi restaurant, the biggest local rival to the internationally-known Din Tai Fung.

NOTE: On previous trips to Singapore, we discovered the xialongbao (soup dumplings) at Din Tai Fung, and returned repeatedly to enjoy them. The fact that Din Tai Fung was founded in Taipei was one of the determining factors in choosing to visit Taiwan.

At Kao Chi, our food walking tour got to relax as we sat a group table and were served xialongbao (steamed soup dumplings) as well as the panfried dumplings which have more of a bread-like dough. Our tour group was in agreement — both types of dumplings were delicious, and there were no leftovers at this stop.

More walking ensued, as did more food stops. Although this tour was spread out over 4 hours, all of the prior food stops were adding up. If you take this tour, be sure to pace yourself.

Our last stop was for dessert. I chose this local sorbet flavored with pineapple and preserved plums.

If you visit Taipei, we highly recommend the Taipei Eats Food Tour, which costs $70 US per person. Try to book the tour early in your visit, to take advantage of all of the food advice and dining recommendations that you are given on the tour, and via a post-tour email.

Have you visited Taipei? What’s your favorite local food? 

Please share your thought in comments below, or by interacting with us on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram.

Other posts on our visit to Taipei:

• A Ferris Wheel on Top of a Shopping Center in Taipei, Taiwan
• Visiting the Raohe Street Night Market in Taipei, Taiwan
• Riding the Maokong Gondola in Taipei, Taiwan
• A Cheers Bar in Taipei, Taiwan
• 18 Fun Facts About Taipei 101
• A Peek Inside Suite 829 at the Taipei Marriott Hotel
• A Look Around the Taipei Marriott Hotel in Taiwan

Sitka, Alaska in 1901.

1. Sitka is Alaska’s first and oldest city. The area in Southeast Alaska was originally settled by the Tlingit people more than 10,000 years ago.

2. Today the City and Borough of Sitka, Alaska, encompasses 4,710 square miles, making it the largest city by land mass in the United States, with a population just under 9,000.

3. While the City and Burough of Sitka includes Baranof Island and the southern half of Chichagof Island, the area generally thought of as the city of Sitka is situated on the west side of Baranof Island.

4. Russians settled Old Sitka in 1799, setting up a colonial trading company chartered by Tsar Paul 1.

5. After winning a battle with the Tlingit’s in 1804, Alexander Baranov, the governor of Russian America, established a permanent settlement. Baranov named the town “New Archangel” after Arkhangelsk, a city in Russia near his birthplace.

New Archangel, 1805

6. Sitka became the capital of Russian America in 1808.

7. Led by Secretary of State William Seward, the United States agreed to purchase Alaska from Russia in April of 1867 for $7.2 million.

8. The official transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States took place at Sitka on October 18, 1867.

9. Sitka served as the capital of the Alaska Territory until 1906, when the seat of government was relocated north to Juneau. The move of the capital city followed the gold-rush fueled growth of Juneau combined with the decline in whaling and fur trade that had given Sitka its earlier economic prominence.

Russian Orthodox Church, Sitka, Alaska. Photo by Jeremy Keith from Brighton & Hove, United Kingdom.

10. The Cathedral of Saint Michael was built in Sitka in 1848, the first Orthodox cathedral in the New World. Although the original church burned in 1966, it was restored to its original appearance.

St. Peter’s-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, Alaska. Photo by Bob Keefer.

11. St. Peter’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church is a Gothic Revival structure built of stone and wood in Sitka in 1899. The church is one of 22 buildings and sites in Sitka that appear in the National Register of Historic Places.

12. The population of Sitka grew dramatically during World War II when the United States Navy constructed an air base on Japonski Island, bringing 30,000 service personnel to the area.

The John O’Connell Bridge connects Japonski Island to Baranof Island in Sitka, Alaska. Photo by Thomson200,

13. Today the Sitka airport is located on Japonski Island. The John O’Connell Bridge, the first vehicular cable-stayed bridge in the Western Hemisphere when it was built in 1972, connects Japonski Island to Baranof Island.

14. Japonski Island is home to a U.S. Coast Guard Air Station and the port and crew housing facilities for the USCGC Maple, a 225-foot seagoing buoy tender.

15. Mt. Edgecumbe High School, a State of Alaska-run boarding high school for rural students, is also located on Japonski Island. The high school, primarily attended by Native students, is known for its state championship-winning boys and girl’s basketball teams.

16. As a series of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Sitka is only accessible by boat or plane. Vehicles are usually brought to Sitka via the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system.

View of Crescent Harbor in Sitka, Alaska. Photograph by Robert A. Estremo.

17. Tourist cruises began arriving in Sitka as 1884 via the Pacific Coast Steamship Company. By 1890, Sitka was receiving 5,000 tourists via steamship a year.

18. Today Sitka remains a popular cruise ship port, with a project 150,000 visitors arriving via cruise ship in 2017. Holland America Line, Celebrity Cruises and Seabourn Cruise Line all offer cruises that call on Sitka in 2017.

19. Despite Sitka’s large size in terms of land mass, the city only has 14 miles of roads.

20. The Alaska Department of Public Safety Training Academy — the training academy for all Alaska State Troopers — is located in Sitka. In addition to state troopers, it trains municipal police officers, state park rangers, fire marshals, and Village public safety officers.

21. Author Louis L’Amour penned Sitka , his fictional account of the events surrounding the United States’ purchase of the Alaska Territory from the Russians in 1867.

22. Novelist James Michener resided in Sitka while doing research for his epic book, Alaska.

23. The 2009 romantic comedy film The Proposal starring Ryan Reynolds, Sandra Bullock and Betty White is set in Sitka, Alaska. The movie scenes depicting Sitka were actually filmed in Rockport, Massachusetts.

24. During an average year, it rains three out of every five days in Sitka, for a total of 132 inches a year.

25. The average monthly temperature in Sitka ranges from 36.4 °F in January to 57.2 °F in August.

Have you visited Sitka, or do you live there? What fun or interesting fact can you add to this list? 

Please share your thought in comments below, or by interacting with us on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram.

Check out these other fun facts posts:

• 30 Fun Facts About Montreal, Canada
• 13 Facts You Might Not Know About Whittier, Alaska
• 9 Fun Facts About Kristiansand, Norway
• 21 Interesting Facts About Stavanger, Norway
• 12 Fun Facts About Flam, Norway

When we booked an inside guarantee stateroom on Holland America’s 7-Day Canada and New England Discovery cruise on the ms Rotterdam, we had low expectations for our cabin. We booked our cruise only five days before its departure, in the lowest category, which meant we were purchasing the potentially least-desirable accommodations on the ship.

Two days before departure, we learned that we were assigned to stateroom 2555 on the ms Rotterdam. This is an inside category J stateroom, and it is designated as wheelchair accessible.

Not needing a wheelchair, we were curious as to what cabin 2555 on Holland America’s ms Rotterdam would be like. In case you are curious, or have a reason to know, we offer this photo tour of a wheelchair accessible inside stateroom.

When you open the door to stateroom 2555, it first appears like any other inside stateroom on Holland America Line’s R and S class ships.

Once inside, however, you see that off to the right side of the bed, there is significantly extra storage space and open area where there is normally a wall. This extra space, we assume, would make it easier to store a wheelchair when one was sleeping.

There is also more closet storage space around the corner.

This “bonus” storage does not replace any of the normal storage areas, which can be seen in this view from bed looking towards the door of wheelchair accessible cabin 2555.  In other words, this stateroom is huge compared to other inside cabins on Holland America ships.

Normally, we could not book this room unless we were using a wheelchair. Since we were assigned to the stateroom under a last minute “guarantee” booking, we assume that someone who needed the room canceled their cruise at the last minute, or, perhaps no one using a wheelchair had requested this stateroom.

This desk and bank of drawers appear standard. There is no refrigerator in this stateroom, but our fabulous room stewards kept our ice bucket filled.

In the large bathroom, there was an open shower, with a pull-down bench and grab bars. Towel racks are placed within reach of someone in a sitting position.

The sink and toilet are standard, with the exception of a grab bar on one side of the toilet.

Have you sailed in a wheelchair accessible stateroom on a different cruise ship? If so, how does stateroom 2555 on the ms Rotterdam compare? 

Please share your thought in comments below, or by interacting with us on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram.

Check out these cabin tours on other cruise ships:

• A Look Inside a Verandah Stateroom on Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam Cruise Ship
• A Look Inside Ocean-View Stateroom 700 on Holland America’s Maasdam Cruise Ship
• A Look Inside Suite 325 on the Seabourn Pride (now the Windstar Pride)
• A Look Inside Interior Cabin #10425 on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas
• A Look Inside Ocean-view Stateroom 2641 on Holland America’s Volendam
• A Look Inside Interior Cabin B-625 on the Star Princess Cruise Ship
• A Look Inside Stateroom 11001 on Holland America’s Koningsdam Cruise Ship

For more on cruising in Canada and New England: 

• A Walk Around Halifax, Nova Scotia During Our Visit By Cruise Ship
• In Search of the Best Lobster Roll During Our Canada and New England Cruise
• A Do-It-Yourself Port Day in Quebec City, Canada
• Highlights From Our Visit to Prince Edward Island Via Cruise Ship
• A Walk Around Bar Harbor, Maine via a Cruise Ship Visit