All the chaperones were sworn to secrecy not to tell the students where we’re heading this afternoon. All they know is that they should get dressed up and be ready to eat 🙂 The Grand Hotel was all booked for dinner but their lunch menu is the same, so we’re headed there mid-day. I’m really excited.
It’s raining hard so we all took taxis there, in groups of four. Groups slowly arrived while we checked out the shops on the second floor of the hotel.
The shops mostly sold jade and coral jewelry.
Though at one shop they asked me if I wanted to buy a handgun haha.
The main lobby is enormous, with large red-carpeted stairs leading up to the second floor. There was a bride and groom walking through taking bridal photos.
Once everyone had arrived we took a group photo before entering the buffet area.
The buffet was incredible. They had steam buns, clams, shrimp, steak, an entire hot pot station, soups, multiple types of fish, a really delicious lox-style smoke salmon (I ate a pound of it)…and that was just one section!
They had sushi chefs making sashimi and sushi rolls, slicing fresh tuna, salmon and more. My highlight was the king crab legs. I probably went back three times for more crab.
There was an impressive glass case with dozens of dessert choices. You just point at them and they fill your plate.
I had panna cotta, crème brûlée, cheesecake, brownie, and fudge. I topped it off with a waffle cone and chocolate Häagen-Dazs 🙂
Tygan built a model of Taipei 101 with empty crème brûlée cups haha
One by one the students fell into food comas, laying their heads on the table to rest, exhausted by the meal and recent lack of sleep. An requested a lúnyǐ (wheelchair) to help wheel her out 🙂
Eventually they mustered the strength to catch taxis back to our hotel. We’ve got 3 kids who are still in the midst of a stomach bug that has been going around. Those that are healthy are resting, packing, or fitting in one last visit out with their homestay friends. A quiet final evening before we fly out in the morning. Hoping everyone recovers enough to manage the 14 hours in a plane tomorrow. Yang Laoshi bought a spread of electrolytes to hydrate those feeling under the weather. Fingers crossed!
I’m off to get one last boba tea for the road. Two weeks have gone by in an instant.
Bonus: The last few nights have been nothing but reruns, until tonight! Two guys balance on posts above a mud pit, taking turns hitting each other in the face with garbage bags.
It felt like if someone gave me $100 and asked me to produce a tv show, this is what it would look like 🙂