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On Saturday, I wrapped up my collection of Green Line (Songshan-Xindian Line) stamps! I also got a couple more of the Sanrio special stamps. I couldn’t find the last stamp, but I found a Reddit post about it, so I think I can find it now. I was close, but not close enough. I stopped two times in my explorations: to poke around Chifeng Street and the Bitan Scenic Area. Thankfully the rain held off so I could keep my feet dry.
Chifeng Street is a section of downtown Taipei that has cute little shops and cafes. I got there a bit too early for most of the shops to be open, which was good for my wallet. There was a bakery I wanted to try, but it didn’t open until noon. I DID pass up the Starbucks and a Louisa (a Taiwanese chain) and found an open cafe down one of the lanes. I got an iced latte and some tasty waffles and recharged (myself and my phone) for a bit.
Then I zipped down to the end of the Green Line, Xindian in New Taipei City. Xindian is the start of the Bitan Scenic Area. It was sprinkling when I got there, so I just walked around the riverfront, until I started getting eaten alive by tiny bugs! Not even the bug spray I used kept them away. My legs are still itchy! I did check a couple more birds off my list: a black kite and an Oriental magpie-robin. Oh, and in a park near Chifeng, I saw a black bulbul, which is a spiffy little fellow, with all black feathers and a bright red beak.
I think I can fit in two more trips to Taipei to wrap up the Red Line (Tamsui-Xinyi Line). I need 18 stamps to complete the collection, but that’s a lot to do in one day. There are some great parks along the route as well. I wish I could get the Orange and Yellow Lines as well, but I really need to make sure I wrap things up here in Zhubei (and not spend money lol). Plus, I’d like to see if I can identify any more Taiwanese birds before I go, and the parks along the Red Line are good options.
One thing that I love about officially taking up birding as a hobby is that it makes me go outside for a bit (although so far, I’m sticking with parks) AND it reminds me that I’m really not home. The common local birds are not MY common birds! There are tons of Eurasian tree sparrows, those tiny little brown-black-white birds I always see in parking lots back home. I saw the same bright-eyed little fellows in Bitan. There are pigeons and doves, but there are different varieties in the parks here. Most commonly, I see Javan mynas and common mynas, and in Taipei, I always manage to spot a random Malayan night heron. I love the name Malayan night heron — it’s so exotic and evocative, like a spy’s code name, but in reality, they’re just little guys! They’re kind of weird and awkward, poking around for worms in the grass. And I get a thrill whenever I see egrets and cranes. For so long, they only existed in art for me, but now I see them from the windows of the train as they hang out in rice paddies and along rivers.
I wish I’d made more of my time in Taiwan, especially that first year, but I am glad that I have made myself do things — better late than never! When I get to Shanghai, I’m going to have to be very careful with my budget for the first few months. I was NOT careful here. Too wrapped up trying to survive and adapt to a place that was not as advertised in many ways, I forgot to plan for the future. 😬 But Shanghai will have plenty to keep me occupied — parks and cool streets and cafes. Plus I’ll have a new curriculum to learn, so that will take up enough of my time.
But I’m not done with Taipei — and Taiwan! — yet!
Chifeng Street is a section of downtown Taipei that has cute little shops and cafes. I got there a bit too early for most of the shops to be open, which was good for my wallet. There was a bakery I wanted to try, but it didn’t open until noon. I DID pass up the Starbucks and a Louisa (a Taiwanese chain) and found an open cafe down one of the lanes. I got an iced latte and some tasty waffles and recharged (myself and my phone) for a bit.
Then I zipped down to the end of the Green Line, Xindian in New Taipei City. Xindian is the start of the Bitan Scenic Area. It was sprinkling when I got there, so I just walked around the riverfront, until I started getting eaten alive by tiny bugs! Not even the bug spray I used kept them away. My legs are still itchy! I did check a couple more birds off my list: a black kite and an Oriental magpie-robin. Oh, and in a park near Chifeng, I saw a black bulbul, which is a spiffy little fellow, with all black feathers and a bright red beak.
I think I can fit in two more trips to Taipei to wrap up the Red Line (Tamsui-Xinyi Line). I need 18 stamps to complete the collection, but that’s a lot to do in one day. There are some great parks along the route as well. I wish I could get the Orange and Yellow Lines as well, but I really need to make sure I wrap things up here in Zhubei (and not spend money lol). Plus, I’d like to see if I can identify any more Taiwanese birds before I go, and the parks along the Red Line are good options.
One thing that I love about officially taking up birding as a hobby is that it makes me go outside for a bit (although so far, I’m sticking with parks) AND it reminds me that I’m really not home. The common local birds are not MY common birds! There are tons of Eurasian tree sparrows, those tiny little brown-black-white birds I always see in parking lots back home. I saw the same bright-eyed little fellows in Bitan. There are pigeons and doves, but there are different varieties in the parks here. Most commonly, I see Javan mynas and common mynas, and in Taipei, I always manage to spot a random Malayan night heron. I love the name Malayan night heron — it’s so exotic and evocative, like a spy’s code name, but in reality, they’re just little guys! They’re kind of weird and awkward, poking around for worms in the grass. And I get a thrill whenever I see egrets and cranes. For so long, they only existed in art for me, but now I see them from the windows of the train as they hang out in rice paddies and along rivers.
I wish I’d made more of my time in Taiwan, especially that first year, but I am glad that I have made myself do things — better late than never! When I get to Shanghai, I’m going to have to be very careful with my budget for the first few months. I was NOT careful here. Too wrapped up trying to survive and adapt to a place that was not as advertised in many ways, I forgot to plan for the future. 😬 But Shanghai will have plenty to keep me occupied — parks and cool streets and cafes. Plus I’ll have a new curriculum to learn, so that will take up enough of my time.
But I’m not done with Taipei — and Taiwan! — yet!
