China 2019 (2/10) – Taipei

China 2019 (2/10) – Taipei

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We took a trip to Taiwan and China in June 2019. Like most of our trips, I began writing about it shortly after. However, I got distracted somehow and never gotten around to finish it. Over a year later, picking this project back up is providing me with a nice boost of vacation memories while home-bound under COVID.

The credit card game plus the general affordability in much of Asia led us to the expectation of staying exclusively at nice hotels. For most of the trip, we were quite picky among the five-star options available to us. In Taipei, though, the first-world struggle was real… I lusted over the idea of Grand Hyatt or W, but Hong beat senses into me in seeing that they were half a city away from my parents, the main reason we were visiting Taipei. When we prioritized the location, it was abundantly clear that no larger/nicer lodging option existed in my parents’ neighborhood. Filtering for options with two beds left us with more or less no choice but… the Dongmen Hotel東門旅店.

I knew the exact location quite well. It was in an alley of Dongmen Market, the traditional market where my grandparents and parents shopped for groceries all their lives. The majority of food that I ate as a boy came from this area. I had fond memories of its caged chicken, splattering fish scales, room-temperature pork, and fresh produce. Problem was, I never thought spending the night among them was a good idea. My parents checked out the hotel on our behalf and were complimentary, but it was only partially reassuring because they are frugal utilitarians. Their children, on the other hand, had become big hotel snobs.

Upon our arrival, it was slightly concerning to drag our luggage through the short stretch of alley with scrap vegetable leaves on the ground. However, the rest of it beat expectations. The hotel was a steep walk-up. Mom thoughtfully arranged to get us a room on the second floor, although stairs never bothered us. The lobby was tiny and decorated with faux grand European items that older Taiwanese folks tend to love. The room was not luxurious but simple, clean, and functional (nice shower!). The staff wore a smile and carried a mannerism that was less about formal hospitality but more like genuinely friendly neighbors. It took me just a few minutes to warm up to it all. It was a blessing that we didn’t end up somewhere 48 floors above the city’s financial centers; we were glad to be here that felt like home.

This hotel entrance was smaller than my parents’ front door at home. The color-changing neon lights were a nice touch though
We workout so we can handle travel logistics like this
Front desk. The logo is Dong 東 in Dongmen, meaning East. Pretty neat design if you ask me.
That grandfather clock must have taken up 10% of the lobby space
Each room in this boutique hotel was painted with a unique design. Ours had an European theme.
It wasn’t Park Hyatt, but had plenty of space and comfort.
View from our room – a convenience store and a neighborhood dentist
Dongmen Market 東門市場, where my family shopped for fruits, fish, flip flops, gold jewelry, dental care, and also hotel stays
A food stall underneath our hotel that specialized in goose, my favorite food with wings

To this date, Xuan speaks of Dongmen Hotel excitedly. “I remember! It was a very nice hotel, because it had a 7-Eleven below it and we went there for snacks every day.”

I must admit there’s a lot of wisdom to be found in this grade schooler’s perspective.

The pit stop before our every return to the hotel room.

In the weeks leading up to the trip, weather forecast sucked consistently: rain in Taipei, rain in Chengdu, then rain in Chongqing. Just about every day. None. Stop. Rain.

Things didn’t turn out to be that miserable, as it remained mostly dry in Chengdu and Chongqing. In Taipei, though, we only managed to squeeze in a few activities between the drizzles and the tropical downpour. It was too darn damp for our desert family. The rain was so heavy en route to dinner one night, we ducked into a convenience store and put these trash bag ponchos on the kiddos.

You aren’t a real Asian if you haven’t worn this at least once

I hated ponchos as a kid. It’s only fair that my kids now hate them, too. Well hey it’s just part of life in this part of world.

It rained so much every evening that we completely missed out on night markets. Oh well, there’s always a next time.

China 2019 index:

  1. Taking Kids Home
  2. Taipei
  3. Framily
  4. Yummy Taipei
  5. On To China
  6. Pandas & More
  7. Chengdu
  8. Chongqing
  9. Food in China
  10. Hanfu

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