Toddler Travel Archives - Page 10 of 15

Jan 09 2015

Home for the Holidays: Eating in Taipei

I was a bit sad we didn’t get to eat as much as we had hoped in Taiwan. Don’t get me wrong, we ate often and we ate well, but dealing with a toddler’s needs always trumped our desires to get where we wanted to go to eat. We didn’t even make it to a night market!

Still, much of the stuff we ate trumps any of the Chinese/Asian food we can get here in the States. Think of this post as part trip report, part food guide for parents of toddlers who are in Taipei but can’t get out too far!

Our Most Frequented Locale: Taipei 101 Food Court

We spent way too much time eating at the Taipei 101 Food Court, much to our chagrin, but a lot of that was due to necessity. Many nights we couldn’t go out for dinner (due to the jet lag), so what we would do is walk the five minutes from the Grand Hyatt to Taipei 101’s mall and pick up food to go. We also ate their once.

This meal didn't go so well, but it was cheaper than room service — This meal didn’t go so well, but it was cheaper than room service

Luckily, the food court has a ton to offer, and while it’s still mall food, it’s more authentic than, say, Panda Express (which I love). It is definitely a madhouse between like 6-8, though you can get a table if you’re patient (many tables are long and requiring sharing). There are also plenty of high chairs to go around if you do some walking.

In terms of the food, we ate Taiwanese, Cantonese, and Japanese food, and Jess had some boba from a fruit smoothie place. There’s obviously a ton of better things out there in Taipei to eat, but if you don’t want to hold your child in your lap in a taxi too much or are afraid of a sit down meltdown, takeout from the 101 Food Court might be your ticket. Oh and McDonald’s and this fried chicken place called Dico’s were pretty cheap too, if you’re craving something more western.

I chose fried chicken over McDonald's for my one western meal on the trip — I chose fried chicken over McDonald’s for my one western meal on the trip

Beef Noodle Soup: Lao Zhang

One of Jess’ favorite meals was at Lao Zhang, a beef noodle soup restaurant near the Chiang Kai-Shek memorial. They make their own soup base which ranges from spicy to mega-spicy! I was nursing a sore throat at the time so only could go for medium spicy. They also have a tomato based soup for those who can’t tolerate any spiciness at all, we ordered one of these for M (think this could be a vegetarian option as well).

This was one of those meals with relatives where we were not allowed to see the bill at all and I had some trouble with the website (Chinese not good enough and the English version is kind of broken). Still, I don’t think it is too pricey, and the food was great. We pretty much all had beef noodle soup with varying degrees of spiciness and it destroyed almost any beef noodle soup I’ve had here.

Hot Pot: Northeast Pot

We had one of our best meals in Taiwan at China Northeast Pot. This was again with relatives (so no idea on cost) and it wasn’t centrally located at all, but the food was excellent. Their scallion pancake was one of the best I’d ever had. At first I thought someone had just ordered it for me because they know Americans love that stuff, but we ended up getting a second order because everyone was a fan.

I think the soup was heated on some kind of gas stove – they set it all up for you

The restaurant makes its own broth (there are a few to choose from) and there is a sauce station so you can make your own sauce. You can get all sorts of meats, vegetables, tofu, and noodles to cook in the soup – it’s all pretty great. If you’ve never had hotpot before this is a nice place to start – you can just point at pictures of what kind of foods you want!

Meal in Tainan: Chou’s Shrimp Rolls

Since one of our main reasons for the trip was to introduce M to relatives, we took the High Speed Rail down to Tainan. Though I’ve already recounted what a disaster the train ride was, our time in Tainan was actually quite nice. One of the highlights was Chou’s Shrimp Rolls, a fast food restaurant that specializes in Tainanese snacks.

The shrimp rolls were really amazing – processed, fried – everything I love! There were also lots of noodle soups to choose from. Pretty much everything we ordered there tasted great.

Though we didn’t get to pay (again – great trip!), I did catch the prices this time: cheap. If you ever find yourself in Tainan I think this place is well worth a visit.

The Star: Din Tai Fung

Din Tai Fung is a Taiwanese staple, though they’re everywhere now. If you want to see some in depth thoughts on Din Tai Fung feel free to read one of Tiny Urban Kitchen’s reviews. For my money, it’s one of the best xiao long baos in the world, and the Michelin guide agrees. This would be our first Michelin starred restaurant on this trip and it was way cheaper than anything in Lyon!

Every Din Tai Fung puts on display the careful precision required to make their wonderful dumplings

We went to the Din Tai Fung by Taipei 101 as opposed to the original. The wait times are comparable (I walked by the original a bunch of times on this trip), but as long as you don’t need to go to the O.G., I think the Taipei 101 location is preferable. Yes, we still had to wait 45 minutes, but we spent 35 of those minutes wandering around the mall.

The food, as always, was amazing. Everything is always the perfect temperature, perfect consistency – I seriously have never been disappointed by anything I’ve ordered at Din Tai Fung. A must visit if you’re in Taiwan (or any of the other places where it’s located!).

Random Food: Shao Bing You Tiao and 7-11

Jess and I didn’t get as much Taiwanese breakfast food as we had liked but we did manage to get a shao bing you tiao for our trip to Tainan. That’s a you tiao (oil stick) wrapped in what’s essentially a fried pancake/dough (think scallion pancake). If you’re in Taiwan get out on the street in the morning and find one of these. I mean, it’s fried bread inside of fried bread. Come on, now!

And then I’d be remiss to not mention that 7-11 has a ton of non hot-dog junk food.

Final Thoughts

I don’t know a ton of food, I just know I like to eat it and there are a lot of good options in Taiwan. Even with M in tow, we managed to eat a lot of great food – though not as well as our last trip to Taiwan. It’s no worries though, traveling with a toddler isn’t better or worse, just different. Adjust your expectations and get your eat on in Taiwan!

Other Posts in this Series

Introduction

United Domestic First and LAX Star Alliance Lounge

EVA Royal Laurel Class Review

Using Public Transportation in Taiwan with a Toddler

Visiting the Taipei Zoo

Eating in Taipei

Grand Hyatt Taipei King Suite Review

A Tough Flight with a Toddler

Public Transportation in Hong Kong with a Toddler

Typical Hong Kong Tourist Activities

Hong Kong Disneyland with a Toddler

Jan 02 2015

Five Reasons to Travel with a Toddler

Our trip to Asia is winding down, but before we go I’ve been reflecting a bit about whether it was worth all the trouble dragging our about to be 2-year old halfway around the world. It hasn’t been easy and we’ve never been out past 9 PM (which is like the opposite of what one would usually do in Hong Kong or Taiwan).

At some point in Taipei Jess asked me if knowing what I know now, I’d take this trip again. I’m happy to say that now my answer is a definitive yes. Here are my personal reasons why.

Everything is new and amazing to a toddler

1. Problem solving is fun for me

Although you might have an impression of me as a problem creator (guilty), I enjoy problem solving which takes up about 80% of my energy as a parent. Travel inherently involves a bit of problem solving – figuring out how to navigate a new country in the most efficient (both cost and time) way possible can create a real challenge.

You need to be a lot more strategic about your pathing with a toddler in tow

Balancing a toddler’s needs on top of all that adds a whole other layer that, while stressful, I find really fun dealing with. It’s fun because the rewards of “figuring it out” can be seen on the smiling face of my child which makes it feel worth it.

Case in point: it took a lot of maneuvering to get us there, but the end product of going to Hong Kong Disneyland today was a lot of this:

2. You still get to eat well regardless

Traveling with a toddler definitely slows us down, but the one area that suffers the least is eating. Sure, you don’t get to go to any fancy restaurants, but there is plenty of amazing food to be had that your toddler can enjoy with you (as long as you’re willing to do some advance research/problem solving!)

We even managed to hit up two Michelin starred restaurants on this trip, Din Tai Fung in Taipei and Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong.

Quite possibly my favorite Char Siu Bao (pork bun) of all time

I mean sure, they’re not your typical fancy schmancy Michelin stars, but the food is still amazing and memorable. And in a worst case scenario you can take food back to your hotel room – I guarantee if you do it right it’ll still be better than what you eat at home! What we eat, at least. 🙂

3. The chance to introduce your kid to new cultures is worth it

Or in the case of this trip, her forbears culture. This trip has helped legitimize our decision to speak mainly Mandarin to M, since she’s been surrounded by it since we got to Asia. I also think that there is that “wow” factor for her, especially here in Hong Kong. All the people, all the lights, all the…boats…all these things have been really stimulated (and overstimulating!) our daughter.

Hong Kong has turned M into a big fan of boat rides

But I know one of the best parts of the trip for Jess was the chance for M to not only meet relatives, but the time we visited the house where her father grew up. There’s something special about seeing your child in a place that has significant meaning for you, even if they don’t get it. Sometimes that’s worth the trip in and of itself.

4. Traveling together is a real bonding experience

Every time we travel together, it feels like M takes some major steps developmentally. But deep down I think it just feels that way because we get to spend so much time together. And it’s fun.

It’s fun for our daughter to see and experience new things, and it’s fun for us to be a part of that. I’m sure traveling is a bonding experience with kids of any age, but I think there’s something special about toddlers.

May or may not have had to give her a little nudge down

Sure, they’re just starting to have opinions but for the most part, everything is awesome to them. Whereas when you drag an adolescent around they’re probably just complaining all of the time. Well, maybe that was just me.

But when we ask M if she wants to try something new while we’re on the road, right now the answer is “yaaaaaah” 90% of the time. And that’s fun for all of us.

5. It beats being at home (most of the time)

I guess we could have spent the last 10 days lounging around at home. But I would have inevitably just drifted to my computer, M would have just been doing the same old same old, and Jess would probably be baking something amazing.

Hey, if they get bored, stickers work in any country

Being out here forces us to mix up our routine; that process isn’t easy but it’s definitely worth it. We get to see the world together as a family and have some memorable moments (both good and bad). Not too shabby.

Final Thoughts

What I’ve neglected to mention at all is how points and miles really have made this trip possible. It takes a lot of work and planning to fly business and to stay in confirmed suites, but that’s all things that make our travel easier (and less expensive!). For that I’m thankful.

Ultimately, while it may not be for everyone, I think traveling with a toddler is/was worth it. Especially when it’s 2 vs 1, which is what we’ve got. Feel free to check in with me again if it becomes a game of 2 on 2. Maybe I’ll change my tune…

Asia 2014 was different, but in many ways even better

Jan 01 2015

Dealing with Mishaps While Traveling

So...this is happening..... — So…this is happening…..

This may be a banner trip in terms of screw-ups for Jess and me. I recognize that I am prone to mishaps (that sometimes result in sprinting across a tarmac in Tahiti), but I’d say M’s toddler-hood is really kicking things into overdrive.

Things started at the Star Alliance Lounge when we were waiting for our flight to Taipei. We thought M had gone #2, and after drawing straws to see who would change her, I prepared to take her to the bathroom.

M's got the diapers, but where are the wipes? — M’s got the diapers, but where are the wipes?

“Hey, where are the wipes?”

“I thought you packed them?”

“……………………………”

Check that, this happened towards the beginning of our EVA Air flight. I know this because we both decided we were screwed because there was no way of procuring butt wipes. Luckily, at that particular moment, it was a false alarm, but sure enough, an hour out, duty called. We ended up using our regular disinfectant wipes which was not ideal but did the trick.

Not content to make this mistake only once, we decided to go next level by completely forgetting our consolidated diaper bag in Tainan before our 2 hour train ride back to Taipei. Which of course happened an hour after this exchange:

“Hey we should change her right?”

“Probably but we can also change her at the train station while we’re waiting, right?”

“OK…sounds like a good idea.”

The clutchness of this facility cannot be overstated

NOPE. Luckily in this case we were able to rely on the kindness of strangers. As you may recall, Taiwan is super kid friendly. So we stalked all the parents at the breastfeeding room in the Tainan HSR train station until we worked up the guts to ask someone for a diaper.

Of course, they were super nice about it and even offered two, but we were so embarrassed. Terrible parents! And this was followed by the jet lag incident on the train, which I’m still recovering mentally from.

Diaper bag incident #3 occurred on our slightly nightmarish flight from Taipei to Hong Kong which I haven’t even gotten to write up yet. Let’s just say that the flight attendants called back to Taipei Taoyuan reporting a missing diaper bag only for me to realize I had put it in an overhead compartment separate from the rest of our stuff fifteen minutes later. <hangs head in shame>

Since we’ve arrived in Hong Kong, things have been pretty smooth unless you count M breaking a phone charger as a mishap.

Oh, and I’m currently typing this with my laptop hooked up to the hotel room TV since a series of unfortunate events has caused the monitor on my laptop to go bust. NBD.

Anyway, mishaps while traveling can cause a lot of stress. We do our best to roll with the punches, and for the most part I do, but sometimes it’s tough not to let things get to you. I was particularly shaken up (or something like that) by the whole laptop is busted situation.

She's happy...so what else really matters? — She’s happy…so what else really matters?

In the end, you’re on the road to enjoy yourself, and you just have to let things go – something I find very hard to do. But mishaps are going to happen, they almost always lead to amusing anecdotes for dinner parties, and in the end, there’s nothing you can do about them – so enjoy the ride. The most important thing is that everyone is healthy and happy. Though we’ve still got a few more days to screw up some more so I’m crossing my fingers…

And hey, at least I got to eat this today.

That's not the lighting, that's mostly raw-ish egg. Yum. — That’s not the lighting, that’s mostly raw-ish egg. Yum.

Interested in more misadventures? Follow me on Twitter or Instagram.

Dec 30 2014

Home for the Holidays: Visiting the Taipei Zoo

We were pretty swamped with meeting up with relatives, so in our four days in Taipei we only managed to do one kid friendly activity. Luckily, it was a good (and inexpensive one), one I think all parents visiting Taipei should consider – the zoo!

Getting There

Getting to the zoo is a piece of cake. It is a terminus for the Wenhu line on the very easy to navigate MRT. It was about a 40 minute trip from the Grand Hyatt Taipei involving one transfer.

The Wenhu line features Hello Kitty on the train

Once you get to the Taipei Zoo station, it’s a short walk to the zoo itself. On the outside of the zoo there are various photo opportunities.

Tickets to the zoo are ridiculously inexpensive. Seriously, what kind of taxes do the Taiwanese pay!? Admission was $2 USD per person. Kids under 18 are $1 and pre-school children (not sure how they determine that) are free.

What to See at the Zoo

The prices would be a good deal for a tiny zoo – but there’s a lot to see here. As an aside, why are zoos in the States so expensive? This is the second low cost zoo I’ve seen in two months overseas.

The highlight of the zoo are its three pandas. There is an entire exhibit hall dedicated to them and when you enter the park you are given a ticket with an entrance time to the hall. I’m not sure how strict they are with this, we went in at our designated time but the reality was the zoo was fairly empty when we were there.

There were two pandas outside (which doesn’t require the timed admission ticket) and one inside. They were cute lumbering pandas, as pandas are wont to be. M was enthralled.

There is also a large store almost solely dedicated to panda gear. I was very tempted to buy a bunch of stuff but thought better of it. Maybe that’s why the admission is so cheap!

Aside from the pandas, there is a ton to see at the zoo. Despite the fact that the penguins air conditioning was broken and the exhibit was closed, we filled up the better part of two hours exploring the zoo (you could probably spend a whole day there if you’re there with kids who can last that long).

Some of the highlights for me were the giraffes, the tiger, the elephant, and the hippo. I don’t think I’ve actually seen a hippo in real life before. Ooh and the camels and zebras were pretty cool too.

Despite being jet lagged, M had a great time at the zoo. She saw some of her favorite animals and met a few new ones. I think the park is pretty well designed and easy to get around. There is a ton of walking to be done though, so make sure your kids bring the proper shoes (and you bring a stroller if you need it).

Final Thoughts

The zoo is a great option for families and adults alike. It’s cheap, the animals are plentiful, and it’s super easy to get to. Fun for all ages!

Other Posts in this Series

Introduction

United Domestic First and LAX Star Alliance Lounge

EVA Royal Laurel Class Review

Using Public Transportation in Taiwan with a Toddler

Visiting the Taipei Zoo

Eating in Taipei

Grand Hyatt Taipei King Suite Review

A Tough Flight with a Toddler

Public Transportation in Hong Kong with a Toddler

Typical Hong Kong Tourist Activities

Hong Kong Disneyland with a Toddler

Dec 30 2014

Home for the Holidays: Using Public Transportation in Taiwan with a Toddler

This post is in small part trip report and in large part informational. Public transportation in Taiwan is cheap, easy, and fairly straightforward – even when your kid is having a rough time. And regardless of how they’re feeling, Taiwan is super kid friendly and their public transportation system reflects that. Here are some quick tips for getting around.

Using the MRT (Subway)

Taipei’s subway system is called the MRT, and it’s very well designed. Not only can it get you almost all the places you’d like to go in Taipei (and beyond), it’s very intuitive, signed clearly in both Chinese and English, AND makes announcements in English, Mandarin, and other languages that I thought were Cantonese but were actually Taiwanese and Hakka.

Now I’m appreciative of our public transportation system in Boston, but the reality is it can’t hold a candle to Taipei.

First of all, my guess is Taiwanese people pay a ton of taxes – how else can you explain these prices? For NT => USD you basically divide by 30. We took a trip to the zoo and it only cost us a little more than a dollar in USD.

Prices to every station are listed above the ticket vending machines – cheap!

Secondly, there were trains every few minutes every time we rode the MRT – even on weekends.

Thirdly, there are 7-11s in many of the stations (they’re really everywhere) serving awesome stuff like this:

Don't worry, you can get hot dogs too — Don’t worry, you can get hot dogs too

Using the system couldn’t be simpler. After noting your fare price on the map, just choose a single-journey ticket. Then click on your ticket price and number of tickets you want and pay (cash only as far as I could tell).

After that, the machine pops out a couple of tokens that have some kind of RFID in them (or some other sort of chip).

Hmm not sure what happened to my hand color here

Tap the token on the picture as you are entering the gated area, drop token in slot on your way out. Easy as pie.

Before you ride the rails, prepare to ride the...um...cables — Before you ride the rails, prepare to ride the…um…cables

Be forewarned, if you are disabled or using a stroller (like we were), you’re going to have to take a lot of elevators. Generally it’s pretty intuitive where to go (well designed, remember), and there are even attendants at a lot of the stations who are a lot of help. Again, since Taiwan is so kid friendly, lots of people were yielding to us and letting us go first – I guess we do that in America too, so good for us! It definitely feels silly to go up an elevator, walk across a bridge, and then go back down – but that’s just train life.

Taking the HSR (High Speed Rail)

The HSR is just as easy to use as the MRT, though I was able to use a credit card (Barclays Arrival+ with my pin, not affiliate) to buy these. Buy tickets from machines, insert tickets (and take) when entering, insert tickets (and watch go bye bye) upon exit. The HSR can get you between a lot of different points in Taiwan quickly; we took a quick 1 hour 45 minute ride to Tainan to visit relatives.

Having a chip and pin card is still awesome

Be aware that you can choose to reserve seats beforehand or sit in a car with unreserved seating. Buying from a machine, we couldn’t really choose our seats (they were just assigned to us) though my guess is you can if buying at the counter. There is a food card with all sorts of goodies that rolls through the train and they keep it remarkably clean.

Like I said in a previous post, M had a rough ride on the way home so I became very acquainted with the toilet cleaning lady due to my proximity to the lavatories.

One thing to note is that in the HSR stations (and I think I saw some in MRT stations as well) there are Breastfeeding rooms. Jess said you actually have to knock to go inside and they have it set up with boppy equivalents and all that – crazy kid friendly! There is also a baller changing table with a sink right next to it (great design). Didn’t take pictures of that though because I don’t like looking like a creeper.

Taking the Bus or a Cab

Again, the bus is very simple and very cheap. Jess took it once on her own, but I never ended up taking it on this trip because I didn’t want to deal with M on it.

Cabs are everywhere, but one thing to note – the culture around car seats is pretty different in Asia. Lots of babies are held by their parents a lot of the time, and cabs are no exception. Sometimes people look at you like you’re crazy if you ask for a car seat. So, be prepared to potentially hold your child in a car. Just a word of warning.

Final Thoughts

Public transportation in Taipei is cheap, well-designed, and efficient. There are even clean places where you can change your child. Best of all, it can be fun for the kids. Just watch out for rush hour…