The week started very well, with Taiwan’s Tomb Sweeping Day coinciding with Cassy’s birthday (as it always does on April 5th) and a day off work for all. Cass had already planned and booked her birthday lunch, taking advantage of the day off to have a meal in the middle of the day and also to take advantage of Chris and Val’s last full day in Taipei to celebrate all together.
We took the MRT down and wandered through the forecourt of Shin Kong Mitsukoshi’s twin department stores on our way to the restaurant. The space was just beginning to come alive, lots of street performers just setting up their magic show, yo-yo demonstrations, straw art stalls, sketching, dancing, singing etc. We ate a mighty meal at Cassy’s favourite Macaroni Grill (which has just been voted Taipei’s number one Italian restaurant by readers of Hungry Girl, a favourite blog of ours) and managed to fit in appetizers, main meals and dessert along with wine! Cassy’s plan was to have a lunch/dinner combo and the mid afternoon timeslot allowed us to do just that: we were still full the next morning!
Daniel the driver had been arranged to pick up Chris and Val at 9 a.m. as they were on their way to Beijing. All went without a hitch and we’ve heard from them since, where they have set a hectic pace visiting and/or revisiting many great spots. They have a guide and a driver all to themselves at some points, not planned that way, but the lack of other customers has worked out well for them.
I’d known for a couple of weeks that I would have a wisdom tooth extracted this Saturday. The trouble was that mid-week the tooth next to it that is the real problem started to ache, at first annoyingly and then almost unbearably. By Friday, I was steeling myself for the wave of pain that seemed to come, rather bizarrely, every hour. It only lasted about three minutes, but I needed to stop everything (walk out of the room if I was teaching, which I was a few times!) then wait it out, tensing muscles, sweating profusely and basically wishing the world would end! By the time Cass got me to the dentist on Saturday I didn’t really care what he did as long as it relieved that rolling world of hurt.
This weekend, after my delirium filled taxi ride home which I don’t remember (!), I’ve just been popping pain killers and lying around. I’ve tried not to be too bad a patient but I’m sure it has been tedious for Cassy. Stitches are not due to come out till next Saturday and then I’ll look forward to the root canal treatment for the tooth that has been causing all the problems….joy!
Suffice to say that after Tuesday, we haven’t done much. Photos are of Taipei 101, now the world’s second tallest building behind the Burg in Dubai, Macaroni Grill, and wandering back down our lane after lunch (like Mr. Lee’s razor wire?!) I’m reading Barry Maitland’s Dark Mirror and Cass is reading Outliers. Cass was stoked to hear from all members of my family, Mum and sisters, along with Aunt V, her sister, Thurza and Lois and a few friends now scattered in other parts of the world for her birthday….thanks!
