The trip in the early summer of three years ago happened to be the first time I went abroad alone. Facts have proved that only by leaving without breach of contract can we encounter unexpected surprises and feelings. 9 days 10 night, from Taipei to Kenting, one person walked the whole east coast. While measuring that "the most beautiful thing in Taiwan Province Province is not the scenery but the people", I gradually fell into the curse of "traveling alone will be addictive".
After a lapse of 8 months, I bought a plane ticket again and completed the detour from west to east at 15. Different from the first time tourists punched in, this time I consciously chose various experiential itineraries, in order to naturally integrate into the life of local people and realize a deeper interaction and chorus with local culture.
If the first trip is like an appetizer, which opens your hidden taste bud cells in a low-key way, then the second trip is like a gorgeous main banquet, which almost satisfies all your sensory experiences.
This splendor is not a sudden attack of taste, but a back tone that lingers between the base of the tongue and the throat. As refreshing as soda, as dense as milk and as mellow as coffee. Even if you stop dying, it will last for a long time.
Because I miss the unique taste and smell of Taiwan Province Province so much, I planned my third trip not long ago. But seriously, there is really no "plan" in this plan. The short 7 days in Tainan, Taipei, were half in Literature City and half in Nostalgia Ancient City.
I didn't make any preparations except ordering two super-nice Superhosts on Airbnb. Because I just want to "waste" seven days of lazy leisure time in luxury, meet old friends, run, meet interesting people to chat, or be alone in a daze.
The deepest memory of Taipei is often not in the map strategy you have studied with great concentration, but in the chaotic steps in the streets and lanes. Walking on the streets of Taipei, you can hear lyrics and read place names everywhere. Like the name of an old friend, it is effortless to pronounce.
There is no need to hurry, and there is no need to specify a destination. There are coffee shops, bookstores and cultural and creative shops everywhere. I will miss the scenery along the way too much, and I will often miss the station on the bus window accidentally.
So, after going through this journey of leaving and letting myself go like this, what kind of private minority list have I found? I recommend several night markets, scenic spots, bars, bookstores, music spaces and, of course, my host, all of which are interesting places and interesting people to explore with friends.
When it comes to Taiwan Province Province, we can't help mentioning the night market. When I first went to the night market, I just wanted to eat; For the second time, I began to understand that "food is the witness of history and the best entrance to understand a city." The beauty of snacks reveals the characteristics of this city. "
Later, I gradually discovered that the existence of night market is not only a gourmet phenomenon, but also a public space spontaneously formed in the community, which focuses on spatial planning, economic behavior, interpersonal communication and even ethnic differences, and is the best window to observe local life and local culture.
I used to think that if you want to know a city, you must know what the local people eat, where to eat and how to eat. Looking back now, the symbolic meaning of the night market seems to just verify my unwritten idea.
Therefore, if you want to observe the life of the local people by visiting the night market, you must go to the local relatively traditional night market-here I recommend the South Airport Night Market to you.
"South Airport" is located at the Wanda intersection of the second section of Zhonghua Road. It is not a real airport, but an ancient place name left by Japanese occupation. It was the training ground and military airport of the Japanese army in those days. Compared with Songshan Airport in the north, it was called "Southern Airport".
After 1949, it became the place with the highest density of family villages in Taipei, and now the early old family villages have disappeared. After years of rising prices, many delicious snacks in the South Airport Night Market are still cheap and close to the people, maintaining the traditional good taste.
My good friend Zhihao, who took me there, laughed and called this a "slum" in Taipei. But it's not the slum you think, but the most vulnerable community in Taipei now.
The night market stalls span five lanes: Lane 307, Lane 309, Lane 3 1 1 Lane 31Lane 3, Lane 31Lane 5. On both sides of the alley are rows of dense and dotted old buildings, and even covered balconies and rooms extend over your head. This is actually what we often call "illegal buildings". The cries of the parents of the upstairs residents and the vendors downstairs are one after another. What a vivid picture!
For Zhihao and I, the greatest pleasure after gluttony is to have an urban adventure in these cross alleys distributed in the night market. Wandering in the unique architectural space, making eye contact with the old residents passing by, you may turn left and suddenly see a flying revolving ladder, and turn right and suddenly see a dim street lamp, as if you are experiencing an adventure of magical realism, which is as fun as Hong Kong squid!
If you want to know more about the history of China Southern Airlines Apartment, you can poke the corner of http://www.nookcity.tw/south-airport-apartments history.html, a treasure hunter in Taipei.
South Airport Night Market: Get off at Ximen Station of MRT South Line and walk along the second section of Zhonghua Road for about 25 minutes.
Many friends may ask, what is interesting about the airport, and it is an old and small airport that is about to be demolished.
Actually, I recommend a hidden alley next to Songshan Airport: Lane Binjiang Street 180, Taipei.
The south side of this alley is next to the airport runway 10, and the 58 1 lane of Songjiang Road where it meets is just in the same direction as the runway 10. In other words, this is the best place to watch the plane land at close range and listen to the scene to feel the roar of the plane. It is a must-see attraction for aviation fans!
My friends and I come here to watch the plane at night. It was a little cold that night, and there were not many people. Many of them came by motorcycle in pairs. Everyone parked their cars by twos and threes, and then looked far north along the runway.
Every few minutes, you can see a bright yellow spot in the sky, which is getting closer, bigger and brighter.
Finally, it slowly changed from a light spot to a well-defined plane shape, and then within a few seconds, with a roar full of eardrums, it cut through the dark and silent air around, and the behemoth roared over your head and glided down the dotted runway in the distance.
Maybe the plane can see more clearly when it comes here during the day, and the simple photography effect will be better. But at night, in the background of the empty and silent night, the roaring giant forms a great contrast with the surrounding sporadic, and the immersive sense of substitution and shock may be even more special!
However, it is reported that in June this year, 5438+065438+ 10, according to the international civil aviation land use standards, the government will delimit the aircraft lane into the restricted area, and then build a high wall at a position 70-80 meters back from the alley. Therefore, students who want to get on the airstrip should take it early!
Airport Lane: Take Bus No.49 at Taipei Main Station and get off at Taipei Aquatic Products Market Station.
Taipei is undoubtedly a city suitable for tasting slow-paced night life (although every time I say this, my friends in Taipei always say "clams?" The pace in Taipei is obviously fast ~ ~ ~! "Of course, I am from the perspective of travelers, including Tainan, which is going to be talked about in the next episode. The pace is really slow and leisurely.
Speaking of nightlife, I have to try a unique bar in Taipei.
As we all know, Taiwan Province Province is a friendly place for sexual minorities, with a very inclusive and diverse gender identity. Plus, I am a sociology major. After six years of accumulation, I have suffered from some "occupational diseases" invisibly. Everywhere I go, I like to explore and analyze some cultural phenomena related to social problems.
So one night, I was very excited and asked Kevin, the landlord, if he recommended a gay bar, because I really wanted to do "field observation". Kevin is also very interested: "Yes! There is a street all over Ximending! Go, I'll take you! "
The gay bar street in Ximending is actually behind the Red House in Ximending, and it is also opposite the back door of the famous Live House message on the riverbank in Taipei.
In fact, the "observation object" I had expected was the kind of closed bar with concentrated characteristics, but here in Ximending it is semi-open and open-air, and the customer base is ordinary people! Although not my type, the atmosphere here is more relaxed.
That night, Kevin, Mei Yu, another tenant, and the three of us went to Ximending for a drink. Kevin recommended one of his favorite CASA.
CASA is actually a Spanish restaurant, so there are many western bartenders, including the authentic Spanish national wine Sangria sparkling wine and Mojito. CASA is a word in both Italian and Spanish, meaning "home".
When I sat at the bar and looked at the glittering shop signs overhead, I suddenly felt inexplicably moved and relieved: Why do I feel like I am back to my hometown every time I go back to Taipei? Probably because Su Shi said, "This peaceful place is my hometown".
CASA's bartender that night is a cute little brother, whose style is very similar to the slightly fat version of Zhang Zhenyue hahaha ~
Kevin ordered two special drinks for Meiyu and me. I lay on the bar and watched Zhang Zhenyue conjure up a glass of "fireworks" in strange colors and smells. Then I took out a straw and handed it to me, and put it in colorful and charming dark blue liquid. I expected a smirk that I couldn't hide: "Come on, it seems so, you have to finish it in one breath!" "
I leaned out of the high stool and finished what he called "fireworks" in one breath. At that moment, there really seemed to be a cloud of fireworks in my throat.
Zhang Zhenyue watched me finish smoking, and immediately handed me a glass that had just been lit and stood upside down, so that I could suck the air inside. The moment I finished breathing, it was like a newly rising spark, which was instantly annihilated along my internal organs.
Miriam Yeung bought her a good sleep for half a night with Long Island iced tea, and all I need is a cup of Casa fireworks to enjoy the tipsy late-night Taipei.
It was a beautiful coincidence that I came across this bookstore on my last night in Taipei.
That night, I just got back from Tainan, and when I was packing at my landlord's house, I was thinking about where I was going to wander this last night. Then I tried to make an appointment with a local CouchSurfing on couch surfing through "Hangout" to eat near Normal University.
His name is Xiaoyu, and he is also a young man who loves to travel and take risks. He has set foot in many provinces in the mainland, especially in the northwest, much more than me. He has just returned to Taipei after traveling from Southeast Asia for three months.
It was raining lightly in Taipei that night and the wind was very cold. He was very interested in a record store that I passed by in Pucheng Street the other day, so we planned to go to 2 1 Lane and have a look again. But just after crossing the road opposite the pot-stewed restaurant, it began to rain. Looking up, I just saw a bookstore with a signboard 20 meters ahead, so I plunged into the rain.
This seemingly insignificant bookstore actually has a loophole. There is no fancy dress and whitewash, and the lights overhead are not so bright. The aisle is even so crowded that two people face to face need to walk sideways. It seems that except where they walk, the rest of the space is full of books. But it is such a small place that looks neat and messy, but at the moment I stepped into the door, it reminded me of the second-hand bookstore that I often went to in college. How deja vu.
In a word, it has no beautiful elements that any bookstore must have in order to survive in an expensive city. Instead, it claims to be the "cheapest bookstore" on the island.
The standard books are compiled by publishing houses, which is a bit difficult to find, but the amazing number of books shows that the boss is a book lover, not only loves books, but also understands readers. Kohane and I shuttled between bookshelves, without talking to the boss. We only occasionally heard his conversation with customers, but we didn't know its interest until we met him.
"Boss, it's cheap!"
"Oh, then don't eat with Ding Taifeng in Wang Pin!"
"Boss, how about this?"
"You can live 200 years longer by reading this book, because it has a history of 200 years!"
Ha, what an interesting old man. No wonder in the documentary "Video Poetry in Bookstore", the checkpoint is called "Chatting Bookstore".
I wandered among the shelves and turned to some good books, but I hesitated whether to buy them. On the one hand, I admit that I still have some difficulties in reading typesetting, on the other hand, I am worried that memorizing it will soon be shelved.
At this moment, Xiao Yu said to me, "When you pick up a book and turn pages at will, if you happen to read a sentence that hits your heart, it proves that this book is worth buying."
I forgot how long I watched it in the store, and it rained less outside. Because I didn't read what he said that hit me, Kohane and I are going to the next place. Before I left, I heard the boss say goodbye to us behind him:
"Young man, if you don't study, you will fall!"
Kohane and I walked out along the eaves under the flag building and looked back at the yellow light sign of Level Bookstore, which glowed slightly in the falling rain, as if it were unique and independent.
Horizontal Bookstore: Pucheng Street 1, Da 'an District, Taipei
The enlightenment of early democratization created a pluralistic and inclusive cultural environment for Taiwan Province Province. Therefore, it is also the pioneer of the popularity of Chinese, which has nurtured a group of high-quality musicians and their works with quality and singing skills, adhering to their unique style and critical spirit, and daring to speak for the society.
Taipei has concentrated the best and richest music resources on the island, and every time I go to Taipei, I will go to Live House to pick up some performances. The famous Live House in Taipei includes Message on the River Bank, Kafka by the Sea, Witch Shop, Wall, EZ5 and so on. Unfortunately, however, I missed the performance of the witch shop two years ago and the riverside message a few days later.
I thought I would regret this trip again, so I casually said something to Xiaoyu when I was rolling the road on the campus of National Taiwan University. I don't know. Xiaoyu listened to my idea and said, "No, I know a great jazz bar. I'll call now to make a reservation. "
So after leaving the standard bookstore, we walked from Normal University to Taipower Building in the light rain, and came to the last stop of the last night in Taipei-the blue note.
The blue note is located at No.3 17 1 Roosevelt Road. Go up to the 4th floor, push open a wooden door, and you will enter the most fashionable, oldest, experienced and blues jazz bar in Taiwan Province Province. The whole space does not exceed 50 square meters, it is not gorgeous and cool, and there is no low-cost booth.
A saxophone player, a bass player, a piano player and a drummer are a little retro and cramped. It seems that you can hear the noise of the board when you step on it. It is these simple elements that constitute the most authentic jazz performance in Taipei.
The audience on the ground floor leaned against the wooden tables and chairs in twos and threes. There are friends who get together to chat, regulars who are familiar with the scene, and an office worker who is a little tired sitting in the corner. However, the distance between all the audience and the Xiao Mu stage is only 1 m, but only 5 meters. At the end of the song, four people applauded.
Saxophone players take turns to introduce each player, and occasionally have some humorous interaction with the audience, which is relaxed and comfortable. Everyone can order a cocktail of NT$ 420 yuan (about RMB 80 yuan) and enjoy the performance for two hours until midnight. In Xiao Yu's words, "it is best to listen to jazz in a slightly drunk state."
Compared with jazz clubs in Shanghai and Blue Note in Beijing, Taipei blues is really close to the people and makes people cry.
Jazz is more difficult to learn and appreciate than other music types. But people who like jazz are attracted by its lazy attitude and irregular singing, and fascinated by its thoughtful and casual nature.
To some extent, jazz's character is like my travel character and the city character of Taipei. This is probably one of the reasons why I have a soft spot for Taipei among so many cities.
Blue Note: 4th Floor, No.3 Section of Roosevelt Road 17 1, Daan District, Taipei.
In fact, I have been thinking for a long time whether to talk about Kevin alone, and I always feel that comparing him with the above five sentences seems to be suspected of "materializing" him.
But when I think about it later, Kevin is a very important part of my Taipei story, and even gave me decisive opinions on many important personal decisions, so I still want to share some anecdotes with you.
For a lonely backpacker, the quality and tone of a trip will be greatly influenced by your landlord. Among the people I know, there are really only a handful of people who can be strictly called "interesting souls", but Kevin is definitely one of them.
Kevin's home is located between Ximending and Taipei main station, with an excellent geographical position. Although the apartment sparrow is small and complete, the interior design is entirely handled by Kevin himself, and it is equipped with high-quality hardware (automatic password lock, intelligent toilet, 3M direct drinking water, etc. ).
There is a world map wall at the entrance, which makes me feel very excited. Wherever he has been, he will pin a small ring on it. The mainland, Southeast Asia, America and Europe are all packed. Seeing this wall, I knew that the landlord of this trip was definitely not boring.
Sure enough, Kevin is such a person: meeting for the first time is like an old friend, and he has no sense of distance from anyone. But this sense of closeness is not deliberately created, but naturally produced in such air. When he concentrates on doing his own thing, we are all in a comfortable relationship of love and peace.
Kevin is such an easygoing, enthusiastic and interesting person-
One day at midnight 1, he was probably hungry after finishing what he was doing:
"Karen, I'm going to buy pot-stewed meal. Will you do it again? "
"You still go to eat pot-stewed so late? Recently, I am reducing fat and don't eat indiscriminately. I don't eat. "
"Ah, well, I'm so guilty, I won't go ..." (grievance)
Then he wandered around the house for a while, maybe still a little hungry:
"Karen, I want to make noodles with chicken. Will you do it again? "
……
"After running all day today, my feet are sore. I really want to get a pedicure. "
"Let's go! I'll take you now! "
……
"On the way back, I passed the revolution I wanted to go to before! But it's noisier than I expected. There are many foreigners at the door! "
"come on I'll take you there! "
……
One afternoon, when I met a friend outside, Kevin sent a message on WeChat that he would take another tenant, Meiyu, to Longshan Temple and Mengga Night Market in the evening and asked me if I wanted to go together. I don't think I have any plans tonight. Although I have been there, I had a good time.
I didn't expect Kevin to export all kinds of dry goods all the way. Let's talk about the origin of Taiwan's history 400 years ago and tell me why the monga business circle you see now is like this. ...
Although he didn't comb his hair very much at that time and wore T-shirts and sandals, he really wanted to describe him as "self-satisfied with his poetry and books". Ha ha ha ~ He and the person who teaches in the university class and cultivates the management brand are a soul and an idea, although they are different in appearance.
Then this knowledgeable "cultural man" promised to satisfy my curiosity and take Meiyu and me to Gay Bar for a drink, hahaha. On the night after drinking, I came home from the outside. Kevin made a pot of precious alpine tea to entertain me and another Filipino tenant friend who just checked in that day. The three of us drank tea until midnight, and talked about the history of the Philippines from Filipino to the whole Southeast Asian culture. ...
Anyway, the experience of living in Kevin's house is that when I go back every night, there will always be new tenants or Kevin's own friends at home, and then everyone will sit on the sofa and have tea and chat. But this kind of chat is not pure entertainment, but very cultural.
Because I always come back late, when I finally join, Kevin will rearrange the pace of the chat: usually it starts with asking me to guess where other friends are from.
But it's not so easy to guess at a glance. So in the in-depth interaction and conversation, I can slowly find some "clues", and then constantly revise and verify my answers, although Kevin and other friends will deliberately bother me and enjoy it.
Kevin is a traveler, scholar and businessman. He has too much experience and too much goods in his stomach, so you will never be bored with him, because he will constantly "export" a lot of things to you.
On the last night before leaving Taipei, we sat on the sofa and talked until dawn. When we talked about the oral family history biography of Taiwan Province Province that he is doing now, we hit it off, which also made me very excited, because this is what I want to do most.
An interesting landlord not only provides you with clean and comfortable accommodation, but also acts as a "magnifying glass": he cuts open the cross section of the destination, peeks at the fresh local culture, and magnifies the interest and depth of the trip. And Kevin is such a person.
Ok, stop talking about Taipei.
I hope my exclusive diary can make people who have never been to Taipei want to go to Taipei; Let everyone who has been to Taipei want to go to Taipei again!
In the next episode, let's talk about another favorite place on the island-Fucheng Tainan.