It's a little freaky experiencing an epiphany on a looping overhead freeway while traffic whizzes and wails past you on either side. Taipei is like that sometimes: it can lull you into a false sense of comfort and suddenly, BANG, it reminds you with a hit and a jolt that yes, you really are driving on a downtown traffic-dodging overhead ribbon in a seething, pulsing city of six million people crammed into a tiny land footprint, all very busy getting where they need to go very fast!
We were on our way downtown to visit the exhibition of new Australian contemporary art at the MOCA, Taipei. It was another cold and blustery day, of which we've had more than our fair share on recent weekends, so we'd decided to kill a few birds with one stone. Due to the fact that my rib and surrounding cartilage are still groaning at any real stretching physical activity, the car has not had an outing to the beach for more than a few weeks. Needing to make sure I didn't repeat my battery draining neglect of a few months back, we wanted to get the car out and about. Cass suggested we visit either the MOCA Aussie exhibit or another at the National Palace Museum, featuring works on Greek and Roman legends from the Louvre. MOCA won out on this occasion, but as we'd left our run a bit late, we decided to eat on the way if we could score a precious park anywhere near a restaurant.
We'd just about given up any hope of a park when a gap at the curb, a loading zone mid-week and an ambiguous sign combined to allow us to stop. We tried a new spot but we'd have to wait about 30 minutes. Undeterred, another new restaurant beckoned us around the corner and we had a magnificent 7 course meal at "Toros". This place was pretty impressive, and even though we felt a little under-dressed, we enjoyed a fine meal with beautiful ambiance and doting service for an amazing price. The steak was first class, but chef's suggested cooking time for the cut of meat was under what Cass would have preferred. That slight problem notwithstanding, Toros was certainly a standout. Paying more than usual, we were a little surprised at the cost until we translated back into Aussie dollars: just $70 for two, all those courses and a glass of red wine each on top...we'll struggle again this year coming to terms with Australian prices I suspect. Check out our set menu here: we'll definitely be back.
The squalls hit again as we left the restaurant and the wind and rain were a towel flicking our legs and a watering can showering our coats until we again found the warm shelter of the car to motor further into the city's heart. The parking station at the MOCA surprised us by asking for our "easy-card", Taiwan's electronic chip held value card that we use on buses and trains and increasingly, for lots of small transactions just like this one. It's very handy.
The exhibition itself, held within the beautiful red-brick Japanese designed and built museum was an uplifting and impressive array of all the best from Australia's current crop of cutting edge contemporary artists. There were a few artists and styles of work we recognized, one in particular (Joan Ross) did a similar video work for the "Curious Colony" collection at Newcastle Art Gallery when we were home June before last. There were electronic flowers that reacted as you approached, an eerily authentic lyre bird, electronic imaging beds that analysed your mood and an interactive art space to do your own work interpreting your experience. Morphing video of Taichi masters, giant electronic crickets in swarms on the walls and tiny peep holes with altered video tracks to disorientate and surprise, were just some of the treats for our senses. The best parts of all were the soundtracks of the bush and the wide, impossible blue skies that greeted us around every corner: we got a little homesick!
Very satisfied, both gastronomically and spiritually, we made it home in time to pick up our Papa Poulet chicken and take advantage of having the car (that very rare element in our day-to-day lives here) to transport lots of cat litter home in style, instead of the usual, which is me balancing a silly number of packs precariously on the scooter along the main road to home! A great weekend and we're re-charged to face the challenges of another working week...bring it on!
P.S. photos are fairly self explanatory according to the text, but I did snap a couple of shots on my phone of the beautiful sunset on the way home last week. Also, apologies for all the hyper-links today, but the story seemed to call for them, and also apologies for the pattern I seem to have fallen into of writing this on a Monday afternoon. I do the photos on Sunday night, leave them as a draft, then come to the writing on Monday: seems to be working well for me at the moment so I might keep it going for the time being. I'm reading, "So Much For That" by the incomparable Lionel Shriver...she's awesome! Cass is re-reading everything she can get her hands on from the old bard (work related).
