Well, I woke up late again, primarily because the rain kept going on the entire morning.
Since the weather gods weren’t really interested in co-operating, I decided to switch things down today. I nipped over to the “Lu Rou Fan” Stall nearby for my fix, and killed a little bit more time in the hotel watching Taiwan television programs, while waiting for the rain to let up.
It finally did by mid-afternoon and I took a long bus ride throughout the city towards the famed Yong He Soya Bean eatery (address) to tick that box. The food was good and I was really quite full by then.
My next objective was to check out the One Piece Carnival/Fair at the famed Shinkong Shopping Mall. This was a humongous 11-storey shopping complex in the heart of the city, and I traversed all the way up to level 7 to their event hall to check this out.
I was tasked to take as many pics of the One Piece merchandise to see if a friend needed me to purchase any limited edition stuff. The One Piece branding never disappoints and it was an eye opener for me even. Manga power is strong in Taipei for sure.
My next stop was this place called Sugar Man cafe, which was known to be a really popular study place for students from all walks of life and it had some history attached as well.
Hidden away in an alley just after the junction with Jinshan and Heping, this cafe didn’t disappoint. It looked like a really a great place to do your thesis, project, write your blog or novel. I liked the rustic, library/cafe like atmosphere and importantly, every table had a powerpoint so one could go to work with their notebook. To my left and right, I could see serious students doing their stuff and how I wished one of these places could be found nearer to home.
There was this young couple minding a bar, which served beverages and snacks, thus completing the circle of that perfect study place.
The rain had come back intensified and this only served to make the cafe all the more cozy. The feeling of writing this blog in this cozy cafe in Taipei during a heavy late-afternoon rain is something everyone should try at least once.
Evening arrived and I headed to another Jazz pub a couple of streets down. (Yes, this was planned by designed so I could hit my places of interested within walking distance of each other) The rain had let up, and it was another pleasant stroll towards the Blue Note Jazz Pub. I had a bit of trouble locating it because it pretty well-hidden in the 4th floor of a nondescript old commercial building 4 streets down from the Taipei University.
This was a storied Jazz pub with an impressive history, and it is said that those Arts students majoring in this genre of music often came here to perform and get exposure.
(Follow this link for my blog on Blue Note Jazz Pub)
My hopes for this pub after that non-starter last night was well rewarded. Those young people on stage could really play jazz!. I had a couple of drinks and had my fill of jazz. This is the place which all jazz lovers had to visit, and I was really patting myself on the back as I left for managing to find this place during this trip.
My final stop was yet another craft beer pub – the 23 Public Pub. (Follow this link for my blog on 23 Public Pub)
Now this was a great joint, and the beer was really good. The vibe and crowd was pleasant as well and I even purchased some takeaway beer before I took a long (last) bus ride back to XMD just before midnight.
As usual, got the usual street food and ended the day by enjoying the food and my take-away beer in the hotel.
Wanderer's Anthology 
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