My first impression: could have been worse. It was better than others in that it was completely private (though located in a co-ed bathroom, there were long stall dividers) and it didn't smell horrible. The floor around the hole wasn't completely soaked with water and urine either, so that was good. However, in the end, it did share a few similarities with some of the worst mainland squatters I've used. Toilet paper was not allowed in the toilet, and unfortunately, the flush handle was way too high-up for my foot to reach. (Seriously-- who wants to use a hand to flush a public toilet?)
But enough about bathrooms. Our weekend was actually full of firsts, as we spent our time eating, walking, and site-seeing. Here's a rundown of what we did:
On Friday night we met up with some friends who are teaching English here. They introduced us to a fabulous cluster-f**k of a restaurant in a part of town we had not yet visited. It was super crowded, and for a reason: they serve up the most delicious fresh fish you could possibly imagine. Large tanks outside the restaurant housed tons of different varieties, which guests could select before being seated. Luckily, one of the teachers with us took care of all the ordering, and roughly 20 minutes after they were swimming contentedly, a number of silvery creatures wound up on our table. They were prepared in all different ways, though the best by far was cut up whole--fins, eyes, bones and all-- and boiled in a soup with fresh garlic and onions. We also tried several other dishes, including a few notable firsts: black rice blood cakes (delicious, made with Duck's blood), squid balls (basically deep fried suction cups), and Taiwanese lemon fried chicken. We would have taken photos if we weren't too busy enjoying it all.
After dinner, we spent lots of time chatting, drinking, and wandering around the city, so by the end of the night, we had picked up many valuable tidbits from the gang. Three that I can still remember are: #1) Corporal punishment is allowed in Taiwanese language institutes, as long as the parents sign the necessary permission slip #2) The hookers of Taipei are all over 40 and hang out near Longshan Temple and #3) Taiwanese women age better than western women.
On Saturday we woke up late, then headed to Tamshui-- a sea-side town about 40 minutes outside of Taipei city proper-- where we spent our afternoon strolling through the board walk market and scarfing down the tasty street food.
First impressions were very good. Tamshui is a beautiful, Sausalito-esque place.
It was a bright, clear day, too.
Sadly, Mike didn't bring sun glasses.
For breakfast, I ate fried bird's eggs on a stick.
I don't know what kind of bird they come from, but the eggs were small and speckled gray.
We also tried some lu rou fan (grilled pork and rice), which was okay.
We didn't actually eat any of these candied fruits.
But we did get some fresh squeezed water-melon juice.
And some deep fried baby crabs.
Which we discovered were kind of spicy. 
While walking, we also discovered that Tamshui, like Taipei City, is very pet friendly...
As evidenced by this lovely water-side dog park.
And this creepy glam dog-photography stand.
It was somewhat crowded, but we had a lot of fun.
For dinner, we headed back to Taipei. We'd read about this Italian lounge-- aptly named Capone's-- and decided to give it a try. We didn't know that the house band would play a rough classic American rock set, nor could we predict that they would blast their tunes 10 feet in front of our dinner table. So we decided to stay for a drink and then headed to a different place where we could actually hold a conversation. That place ended up being The Tavern, a hang-out bar for expats. I got a salad and Mike got chicken wings. The food was just okay, but after our long day, we were satisfied.
On Sunday we woke up earlier and went out for breakfast, then took the bus to NTU (National Taiwan University) for a nice walk under the palm trees.
While we were there, Mike tried out some new lenses.
We spent a lot of time near the entrance to the university, which is my favorite part.
How beautiful are these palm trees?
How sweaty am I?
But the walk was totally worth it. Just look at this gorgeous plant life.
We took this crappy photo to prove we were both there together.
And here is documented proof that every student at this university rides a bike:
Later that night we went to our first Taiwanese temple. How could we resist after our friend's told us about the hookers outside Longshan?
The whole experience was wonderfully peaceful, from the hypnotic sound of Buddhist chants to the soothing smell of burning incense. And though I'm not religious, I thought it the perfect way to end a busy weekend.
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