Our Little Honey Buns: Self-Health Monitoring Days in Taiwan

Dear Kiddos,

You all did a great job surviving the quarantine. After being stuck inside for 15 days coming out to experience the outside world was so stimulating! The experience of hearing every sound, seeing every bloom - every little thing seemed to be just that more heightened. For the week following our quarantine, we were not allowed to go on any public transportation so we basically explored the areas that were walkable by foot. Taiwan was under stage 3 restrictions, which were as follows:

Wearing of masks at all times outside the residence (even if there is no one around)
Indoor gatherings limited to five people (excludes family living together)
All places of business and public venues are shuttered, with the exception of essential services, police departments, hospitals, and government buildings
Masks and social distancing required at all businesses or venues that remain open
In areas where community transmission has taken place, residents are restricted to a set perimeter and must submit to COVID-19 testing

So we walked everywhere and explored all the things we could. Going from less than 3,000 steps a day to over 10,000 was not an easy transition for you all. You all (except for Hailey who mostly rode the stroller) complained of socks being itchy, or sore feet, but we pushed on, fueled by the plethora of Pokémon available to catch in Taipei. Shout out to Pokémon Go for helping us get through this pandemic!

Lots Cool Architecture

Plumeria Blossoms Everywhere

Temples

Walking in the Rain with Umbrellas Was a Major Motivator

Ferris Wheel Attached to a Mall!

Side Note: One interesting thing that the government implement to help with the contact tracing process was to provide each place of business with a QR code. Anytime you would enter a place of business (even if it was outside), you would scan the QR code and it would automatically create a text message with the location and the date/time you visited. You would then text the information to the CDC. Throughout the trip I must have sent a over a thousand texts because literally, even if you were walking through a shopping alley and wanted to check out a shirt inside a store, you would have to scan. When you stopped by the side of the road to buy a bubble tea, you have to scan. When you rode public transportation or took a taxi, you had to scan.

I purposely found an Airbnb that was close to some hiking trails. So on our first day out, we went hiking.

It was hot and humid, the mosquitos were swarming, you kids were complaining, but we persevered.

There were also 3 large playgrounds within walking distance, but they were all closed off. We did, however; find a little skating rink that was open and we skated almost every day. There was construction going on next to the rink so sometimes you guys would just sit and watch the heavy machinery.

Hiking in Taipei involves lots of stairs, so by the end of the trip, Hailey you were always saying, "I'm so sick of stairs!"

We were also supposed to be able to walk to the dragon boat championship races from where we stayed, but the event was cancelled because, you know it, COVID. We walked to the park and decided to walk across the bridge for the view.

It was finally nice to be able to go to the stores without having to order from Uber Eats or Food Panda. Since the COVID surge, many of the groceries slots were unavailable, so I was super excited to be able to go out and buy our own food. The first week out of quarantine, we found many of the grocery store shelves completely empty (just like it was at the beginning in the States). Luckily our landlord stocked up our place with toilet paper, so we didn't even have to worry about that.

Everyday the CDC would either call us or send us a text to ask how we were feeling. After day 22, the texts stopped, and we finally felt free. We were very fortunate to have been able to quarantine in a fully furnished 3 bedroom house with a kitchen. Many people quarantine in hotels (some don't even have windows, which I don't even know how that would be humane) because they have nowhere to go. As we left Taiwan, they changed their policy so that home quarantines were no longer allowed. (I guess a few people took advantage and left their homes)