Thanks everyone for voting!! We started out at 27th place and are now at 8th place after just several days
Please keep the votes coming, we’ve got a shot at this thing!! If you don’t know what we are talking about, click HERE.
We want to wish everyone a Happy Chinese New Year!! This one was extra special for us because it was our first Chinese New Year in Taiwan in 20 years!!!
We have gotten over the jet lag, but for some reason we now go to bed before 10pm and wake up at 7am. If you know us, that’s not really what we are like..hahahha!!! Anyway…I guess it’s healthier for the body!
This is what we’ve been doing…
What else? Finding cool stuff to eat was of course our first task. This is what a typical food stand looks like.
They had some incredible chicken over rice. I could’ve had two of these!
I didn’t because we were waiting for this…Turnip cake + fish ball soup. Oh my…it was sooooo good! And how cool is it to have the chef do her magic right in front of you as you eat??
Can you smell it?
Of course Alice wants to do some shopping. Check out these cool shoes!
I think she was in heaven…
Couple streets down we saw this…whole bunch of hungry students = whole bunch of food stands. Only if we could eat everything we saw…haha
Yummy herbal jelly desert with taro tapioca and peanuts!
Taiwan is also known for its motorcycles and mopads. They are EVERYWHERE!
We went to a tea garden. We didn’t find anything interesting…so we started doing this…HeeHee!!
And this…
Finally we found this Taiwanese Cherry blossoming!
Stunning colors!! Hard to believe it’s just a gutter next to a mountain road.
My grandma, the old master, at work. Besides seeing my parents and relatives, grandma’s cooking is what I look forward to the most. Since it was CNY, she really went all out!
Look what she cooked!! Alice couldn’t wait to dig in! Gotta wait for the elders though
My family, getting ready for the delicious meal!
The giving of Hong Bao (Red Envelope), a tradition for thousands of years. Grandpa always goes first.
My cousin was thrilled to get the hong bao from my mom
This is the year of OX. I wasn’t expecting to get any hong bao because I am so old already. Usually it’s for kids who are still in school. It was an special exception this time since I’ve haven’t been back for CNY for such a long time. Needless to say, I was ecstatic!
Another thousand year old tradition is for everybody to go to the temple and pay their respect. It will bring them much prosperity and fortune for the new year!
Paper lotus made from golden paper.
These golden paper are burned so the deceased, the immortals, and the gods can receive them in heaven.
Little ones join in too!
Look at that concentration! Actually I was trying very hard to place my inscent in the tripod without getting burned by the rest.
More pictures to come soon!
by serendipity
efro^^ - Best time to go home is definitely Chinese New Year!! I miss red envelopes :p
HAHA the Mario Alice and Eric pics are funny!
Nothing beats home-style cooking!! drool…
Happy New Year! 恭喜發財!!
Keep posting more pics!!
Donald - Hey Alice and Eric! Thanks for sharing so many pics from your trip…Kristen and I would love to experience CNY in Taiwan someday! It looks like you’ve really had a good time visiting with your family. I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip…
cathikin - Thanks so much for sharing all the photos. It looks like a wonderful celebration. At last I see pictures of Grandma and Grandpa. And wow! What a lot of good-looking food!
efro^^ - 6th place as of now!!! go go go!! XD
Alice + Eric - Efro: Happy New Year!! The red envelopes are awesome…but I think this is the last time I am going to get them.
Okay, I am bias…
Kristen and Donald: you guys will really enjoy visiting Taiwan. It’s very similar to Japan only the food is tastier
Mrs. Hassan: The celebration during CNY is something else. We just keep eating until we explode!
Anonymous - Thank you for sharing the pictures of your adventurous trip to Taiwan for Chinese New Year. I was in Hong Kong a couple years ago for CNY and I went to the Carnival. It was awesome! Thanks for educating me on your traditions. My girlfriend has gotten some CNY cards over the years from our suppliers in Hong Kong. Your pictures are awesome! I will vote for you…
Anonymous - Oh…I loved the pictures of the cherry blossoms…pink is my girlfriend’s favorite color…I enjoy snapping photos as well but mine are nowhere near as good as yours…I also loved the pics of Arizona…I’ve been to Sedona and I love the red rocks and the Chapel of the Holy Cross…Thanks…I really enjoy your blog.