We love our apartment. It’s spacious and clean, we live above a convenient store, and we have a pool and gym at our disposal. But with all the white walls and lack of décor we decided we needed something to make it feel a little homier. I voted for a puppy, but since Dan wasn’t having any of that, we settled on a plant. So, what better place to buy a plant than the local Hsinchu flower market?
Hsinchu’s Flower Market is the place to be on a late Sunday afternoon. The market is similar to other Taiwanese street markets, with the flower portion really only taking up about 1/4 of the whole thing. The rest of the market could be compared to a state fair back home, with food, games and shopping. While there aren’t any fried Twinkies or Krispy Kreme burgers, there is plenty of other cuisine to choose from that will expand your waistline all the same. Fried eggs, fried squid, hot dogs deep fried in French fries, and the ever so ominous stinky tofu are just a few of the popular selections. For the more health conscious, there are also fresh juices and smoothies available, made from your fruit cup preference.
No street market is complete without carnival games, and the Hsinchu Flower Market has its fair share. One of the most popular is the ‘fishing’ game, where you pay about a dollar in exchange for a net and the chance to scoop up a fish. And let us say that it is way harder than it looks! Dan gave it a go, but those little nets are deceitfully flimsy, and the tissue paper gives way almost immediately as it hits the water.
If you’re not interested in eating or playing games, there is plenty of shopping to be had. The options range from clothing and kitchen supplies to turtles and puppies. And if having so many options stresses you out, there is street-side acupuncture to relieve all that tension!
Although we did get a little sidetracked from our original goal, we made it back to the plant section of the market eventually. Truth be told, Dan can’t recall any of his professors ever mentioning a particular flora that grows best indoors, which made choosing what to buy quite difficult. But after twenty minutes of indecisiveness and playing charades with the salespeople to find out what we could actually keep alive, we settled on an orchid. And for only around $8 US dollars! I think that’s pretty good, right?
Whether actually looking for a plant or not, the Hsinchu Flower Market is definitely a good way to pass a couple of hours, although you probably won’t need more than that. It is located next to the Glass Blowing Museum and Hsinchu Zoo, and while there might be a bus, the best way to get there is by taxi or scooter. We’ve heard mornings are the best time to go, and the market is only open on Saturdays and Sundays.
Beautiful phalae, good choice. They grow quite well in doors. Don’t over water it and make sure it has fertilizer
good to know! thanks!
Dan should have let you get a puppy! Gats misses you.
awww tell Gats I say hi! :-P
Good luck with the orchid growing! They are beautiful but I have great difficulty keeping mine healthy. Have yet to get them to rebloom once the flowers fall off. Let me know the secret if you have better success. That’s a fantastic price. Here they are $15 and up! Great to see the pictures.
We are waiting for a hurricane this weekend. Outer Banks has been evacuated!
How are the teaching classes coming? Thinking of you often. Love and prayers, Gma L
Thanks! We’ll let you know how it goes! And we just got our new DSLR camera, so there will be lots of pictures to come! We’ll be thinking of all of you and the hurricane, hopefully it will lose some of its power soon!
Teaching is going well, still trying to get the hang of things but the second week was way easier than the first, which is promising. Casey is going to be picking up a kindergarten class soon which she is really excited about! We should skype soon! Love you too!
The turtles are so cute!!! So much more than flower to this market
I agree, and I have actually been thinking about going back just to adopt a few of those adorable things!
Your posts, always make me happy. I am living vicariously through your travels! Thank you for being a blessing to me and all those there! Best of luck!
Thanks Elizabeth, you’re so sweet!
Hsinchu?! I’m in Jhubei across the river. Let me know if you have questions or anything. There is also an OK zoo near here for a 20 NT admission and a Confucius Temple nearby as well.
Thanks Josh, we definitely well. Your pictures are really incredible! Was just doing a little stalking of your entire blog :-) I wish we would have known about the Jhubei Yimin Performance–it looks pretty awesome.