Taipei Day 5

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. So for the final day, we basically just roamed nearby Ximending. In the day, it's just too blardy warm for comfort. The temperature read 34degrees outside! Scorching!

Sights around Ximending

the grounds of the Red Playhouse

The Red Playhouse, which incidentally only opens after 2pm. It is directly opposite Ximending MRT Station. The first floor is an art gallery showcasing the artwork of local young talents.

Then we hunted down the famed Taoyuan St Beef Noodles, known to locals as Taoyuan Jie Nui Ruo Mian. Comes in Qing Tang (clear broth) or Hong Shao (spicy) versions.

Locals will scoff at the Hong Shao cause I couldn't taste the spiciness at all, and it was a tad salty. Nonetheless, the rich broth screams cow murder! LONG LIVE BEEF! With succulent, marbled chucks of beef afloat in the noodles. NT150/bowl (SDG$7.50). A must try!

Directions :
Opposite Ximen Station
Walk down towards Hengyang St
Then turn in to Taoyuan St
The shop is the last on your left
It doesn't have a signboard, but you'll see large vats of soup outside

The Hong Shao Nui Ruo Mian

Then I insisted we find 85degree bakery to try their cakes. We had the grass jelly (didn't have any jelly inside though) and a piece of cake. They had an air conditioned seating area beside the shop so we could escape the heat for a while.

Inside, local ah peks flocked in, using the area as some sort of club house. The old men joked and danced, amusing me to no end. FYI, the Taiwan Govt gives senior citizens free transport on all public transportation. Cool eh?!

The cake i chose. NT45

Also, I bought some MORE food at Olympia Bakery. This local bakery even has Lu Ruo (stewed meat) and timsum inside. Yummy! I bought a few pastries back to stuff my face! But I'm still soooooooooooooo craving for Kee Wah pastries!!!

URGH! THE TORMENT!

The view of our hotel lobby, Riverview Hotel Taipei, where we spent 5 days of our lives. The breakfast area had an unblocked view of the river, though the food was nothing to rave about. Our room was no.620, in the corner of the 6th floor.

And check out what's the name of the road it is on. Er Mei Street!! Wahahhaa... Makes me feel all Kung-Fu-y!
Haaaaaaaaaaai Yaaaaaaaaaaah!

*no shadow leg (wu ying jiao)* then flies from tree to tree...

I wouldn't recommend this hotel to everyone cause it is quite far from the MRT Station. However, the hotel guests are mainly Japanese and Singaporeans, so it remains rather quiet throughout the day. Also, we didn't have the free porn channels that the other hotels in Ximen seemed to have.

Uncomplicated. Just the way I like it.

This was the place Kristabel would spend her nights watching "Ming Zhong Zhu Ding Wo Ai Ni" (Fated to Love You), a local drama series and an endless stream of "Nu Ren Wo Jiu Da", a local show showcasing makeup and skincare products.

This was where I salivated and rubbed my axillae on the pillows just to annoy Kristabel. And hogged the toilet with my nightly soaks.

And this was the place where we had this riduculous customary ring of the doorbell everytime we returned. Hahaa..

our flight on Jetstar

Due to the small nature of the aircraft, the plane becomes more prone to air turbulence. Not allowing outside food is so EVIL when the options they have on board are so pathetic. But for short distances, I am willing to compromise lah!

Budget plane. Budget service.

my loot from Taipei =)
wooohoot...

It's not easy to live with someone, let alone travel with others, but through the differences, we learn to adapt and make the best out of any given situation

*Stick insect, thank you for the memories*

Taipei Day 4

In the morning, we went off to visit Taiwan Storyland over in K Mall. It features a nostalgic look at Taiwan in the good old days, complete with replicas of a bygone era (1950s-70s). Retro music is piped through the place to enhance the atmosphere. And you can even catch an old movie in the cinema (at a price of course. Damn you capitalism!!)

I saw Mark Lee and Jeff Wang visit the place on TV, so I decided to give the place a look see.

Maybe 1 day, it'll be cool to return dressed in 50s garb to visit the place. Blend in mah!

Directions :
Nearest MRT - Taipei Main Station
The building is directly beside the exit and opposite the Railway Station
Entrance fee - NT250

with NT150 voucher redeemable against products inside
Opens 11am

BTW, K Mall has a wide array of electronics, handcrafted items and Hello Kitty stuff for all those interested.

You are advised to go early to avoid the crowds for better pictures

Even their shops are retro inspired!



We had Yu Geng Mian (thick fish soup with noodles) for an appetizer!

Neither are the toilets spared!

Next, we headed to Danshui, a seaside community, up north of Taipei.

Directions :
Nearest MRT - Danshui Station

The old street is just stone's throw away. Reaching around 1pm, some shops were yet to be opened. As usual, the shopping belt has lots of touts, which add to the vibrancy of the place. Danshui has a lot of speciality shops, eg. Sanrioland, Beatrix Potter and even a teddy bear shop. Though, again, import items don't come cheap.

We bought their local produce of Yu Shu (like our fish keropok), Tie Dan (Iron Eggs) and some crispy crackers with seaweed for the ward, spending about NT400.

Walking along the waterfront with the breeze in your hair was an invigorating experience. And the buildings expressed the individualities of their owners, proudly displaying the art for all to enjoy. Sadly, we were unable to take the boat out to Fisherman's Wharf in the evening for dinner as we had to go Keelung.

We had these for eats

Tall, soft served ice cream for NT20

And Ah Gei (beancurd stuffed with vermicelli drowned in a bean sauce) and the fishball soup. The Ah gei was horrible. I didn't like it 1 bit. This meal cost NT 80.

Next, we went to take the rail to Keelung, another seaside town, famed for it's port, Miao Kou night market and seafood. We found it more difficult to purchase railway train tickets from the machine. There were too many options to choose, making the whole process extremely complicated.

in the train to Keelung

We decided that the most efficient way was to ask the counter staff at the station to make the purchase for us.

Directions :
Take the railway from Taipei Main Station (depends on where you are) and alight at Keelung station. Exit the station and cross over to the other side of the road. Walk straight pass the jetty until you see a Macdonald's. Turn in and you'll find Miao Kou Night Market. Opens after 5pm.

Along the way, we found a shop selling sweets with humerous packaging. Gary bought this for us the other time when he went Taipei. Kris and I still have it cause it's really just too damn sugary sweet (read : diabetes inducing) for comfort.

No offence Gary, but you know lah, with my lungs already compromised, I have to guard my islets of langerhans with utmost care!

We've reached Miao Kou Night Market!

For starters we had the peanut Pao Bing (ice dessert) for NT40. Words cannot describe the marvellous explosion of flavour this little nondescript dessert hides! If I ever return to Taipei, it would be for this. This is pure ecstasy! No kidding.

Then we had spicy prawns and butter alaskan crab. The prawns tasted better as the crab meat was dry. Nonetheless, you will never find alaskan crab for such peanuts in Singapore. This meal cost NT250.


Then we tried their You Fan (glutinous rice) and Pang Xie Geng (thick crab soup). This meal cost us NT70.

More sights of Miao Kou Night Market

Besides food, the night market also sells a mish mash of stuff along its shopping belt. Kristabel found a stall selling a lot of bling hair accessories for her Mum. We found this to be the cheapest, with a comprehensive variety. Each item goes for about NT100 upwards. And the owner can offer direct discounts when the crowd increases or when he feels like it.

We left Keelung for Wu Fen Pu and Rao He again cause we needed to collect the handpainted sneakers that we ordered the previous night. This time, stopping at Songshan Railway Station proved a more engery efficient option. (Rao He NM is just opposite the station!)

I've bought handpainted shoes in Singapore and Bangkok, but this lady's artwork was something different. The ones I got from Bangkok are more edgy and dark featuring monsters, and I designed my own pair in Singapore.

The design I selected for this pair is more chirpy. I also asked her to add the word "Taipei 2008" on 1 foot, for memory's sake. It doesn't come cheap though, at NT690/pair, choose wisely. Painting alone costs NT400. But she guarantees the paint used will not seep when washed.

She also paints the designs on T shirts. 1 particular design of a puppy looked very lifelike but the price was too steep and the cutting of the T doesn't appeal.

We ended the night by digging into more Ah Zong Mian Xian at Ximending and drinks at 7-11.

BURP....