I haven't been active in this space, but definitely not neglected. It has always been deep down at the back of my head. Haha.
This space always serve a purpose of me jotting down all the memories in life, be it good or bad. Because rereading it always brings back vivid memories :')
So if you're on my instagram, you'd have seen and known that love and I were away in Taiwan :)
This awesome trip lasted for 11 days and 10 nights! From 7 Feb 2015 to 17 Feb 2015!
I must say, this trip was pretty much impromptu as well. It seems like most of our trips are always impromptu and not planned way ahead before like most of the people.
Well, here goes.
Day 1 - Singapore > Taiwan (Tao Yuan International airport) > Xi Men Ding > Wu Fen Pu > Rao He Night Market
The feeling of finally going there seems surreal, since we had only been merely talking about it and not getting into action.
It is our first time to Taiwan, without much knowledge of it. And you've got it, we did not do any research on it at all. But luckily i did some homework by jotting down some notes from my colleagues advice. Thankfully we had a kickass places of recommendations from colleague's sister who used to stay there for half a year.
We had been told that the weather would be cold there, so both love and I had been checking on weather forecasts. In average, the weather there would be around 14 ~ 19 degrees.
Thankfully we did pack some thermal wear, sweaters and coats.
Flying by ScootBiz since it was on promotion :)
Since we took a midnight flight, we reached Tao Yuan International Airport at 0500hrs in the morning. None of the telcos shops located at the airport were opened for business. We had a plan to get a local sim card there, but since it was not opened, we decided to not wait for 3 hours at the airport, hence we took a bus from the airport to our hotel destination located in the heart of Taipei, Xi Men Ding! And while waiting for the bus, we could feel the coldness of the weather kicking in.
We were told to alight the bus which was just a 10 min walk to our hotel. Upon alighting the bus, the weather was so cold that we had to run with our two big luggage to the nearest Starbucks that was insight. A warm cup of coffee never felt that good on our hands. Hahaha.
Walked and searched for our hotel, which was so conveniently located in the heart of Xi Men Ding.
Since we were there way before check in timing, we left our luggages in the hotel, while we walked around the area of our hotel to have a grasp of our surroundings and out to other station.
Here's a very random photo of Taipei Main Station which i find the buildings really nice.
I can only say, the early morning Xi Men Ding is so different from the night Xi Men Ding. It was as is the whole street came alive right in front of our eyes.
Didn't take any photo at Wu Fen Pu, because we were just randomly walking around.
Cut across Wu Fen Pu to Rao He Night Market.
Our first night market in Taiwan! Don't know what to expect, hence we just follow the human traffic and walk, stopping every now and then to buy food haha.
Authentic taiwan sausages! Yumzzz
Ba Kut herbal soup and Lu Rou Fan at one of the street food stalls. Which i personally feel that we got cheated with the rice, because when i looked at other people's rice, there were so much more meat, while ours was all fats -.-
Fried mushrooms in rose salt flavour.
I've always find that the first day of touching down on a foreign country, especially when it's the first time there, it will always be our familiarizing of environment day and not much of exploring.
Went back to our hotel, love and I then had a discussion on our itinerary for the remaining trip. Only from then, we followed on what we've planned.
Day 2 - Happy 67th monthsary love!!
Yong Kang Street > Tsam Tsui > Shih Lin Night Market
Yong Kang Street > Tsam Tsui > Shih Lin Night Market
Here's to our very first bowl of the famous Ah Zhong Mian Xian! Which we managed to find it easily at Xi Men Ding.
Yong Kang Street gives me a more Japanese vibe, and you can really see many Japaneses along the street. It is somewhat like our Haji Lane. Oh and i bought my beanie there to keep me warm.
8 Degrees ice cream which was on our list of recommendations. Haha, it was so cold on that day about 14 degrees, but can't stop us from buying ice cream! But i truly believe its colder than 14 degrees.
Another place to visit by recommendation!
It's Yong Kang Beef Noodles. The queue was pretty snakey though it has two levels of seating.
So love and I ordered these to share. Since we weren't sure of what's their best seller.
Verdict: it was really good and give it a try!
Then, we took the train down to Tsam Tsui Station. All the way at the end of the red line (that's how we remember our stations).
Alighted from the train, and this is the view that we see. It was so cold and foggy.
Tsam Tsui old street. It was a really long stretch of shop houses which sells food, souvenirs and restaurants.
When at Tsam Tsui, the must visit would be Fisherman Wharf.
Took a 20 mins ferry down to Fisherman wharf, the sea was really choppy and it felt like a sea storm is approaching. lol
This is the lover's bridge (if i'm not wrong haha)
There was practically nothing much to do at Fisherman Wharf.
It was just really really cold with the strong wind blowing constantly. Our intention was to catch the sunset, but it was too foggy to see any :/ Nonetheless, it was a good experience!
Took the same red line train down to Jian Tan station to the famous Shih Lin Night Market!
It was night time and hence not many photos were taken since the quality of the photo would turn out bad as well.
It was a bigger night market as compared to Rao He night market. And there were a lot more shops, food, clothes and electronics.
Day 3 - Taipei 101 > Shi Da Night Market
Curiosity got the best of us. As we walked down the streets, we wondered why we constantly see locals there taking packet food away from one particular store as though there's some promo going on, and of course there was a queue in line! Hence, love and I joined the queue (being a typical Singaporean) Hahaha
The only photo that i snap sneakily since no photography is allowed.
Apparently, this is like our Economy rice in Sg! Just that this is of a much bigger scale and it operates differently. This two set only cost us approx SGD $5, which includes the soup! How cheap?
Being a first timer as well as a tourist, we had to go to Taipei 101!
While walking towards Taipei 101, you can already see how foggy the weather was, not to mention it being cold.
Taipei 101 is located on top of a shopping mall, like our Paragon.
Bought our tickets!
We made our way to the outdoor observatory after a round at the indoor. Couldn't see much due to the fog.
Train to Shi Da Night Market.
As of recommendation, Shi Da night market mainly caters to their university students Hence, the clothes there are more trendy and slightly more expensive.
In Taiwan, we need to have their fried chicken, which both love and i loved it!
And oh goddamn, I swear upon my life that I love this wheel pancake. It is the same as our Jollibean / Mr Bean the pancake, but this is fucking awesome! The filling inside oozes out when you take your every bite. It's so good that I had two of them though I'm already full from dinner. Not to mention, it's cheap! One chocolate one was only SGD $0.65!
We took the train back home feeling all satisfied and fat, not forgetting our bubble teas. hahaha.
Day 4 - Rui Fang > Jiu Fen Lao Jie > Ping Xi
The ultimate highlight when in Taiwan would be their sky lantern and their Lao Jie (aka Old Street).
We took a High Speed Rail (HSR) to Rui Fang
Alighted at Rui Fang, we walked to the bus stop to take a bus that would bring us up to Jiu Fen Lao Jie. It wasn't the most pleasant bus ride, but it was definitely most fun due to its super steep road and sharp curves!
How beautiful the view is from Jiu Fen Lao Jie.
The must take stairs when at Jiu Fen.
Back to Rui Fang station and we took a the Ping Xi line train
Ping Xi train only comes approximately an hour per station. So we got to plan our time wisely.
We alighted at Ping Xi and walked to Ping Xi Lao Jie.
I love the vibe that Ping Xi Lao Jie gives out, its something that we can never experience back here.
At Ping Xi station waiting for the train to Shi Fen for some sky lantern!
Our sky lantern with our wishes :)
Yes, this is the exact train track that the train passes by. So whenever the train is approaching, the locals will shout to alert all who are standing/crossing the train track. And tourists releases their sky lantern while on the train track.
What a exhausting day yet well planned.
Day 5 - Zhong Xiao Dun Hua
Love and I planned this day to be rest & relax, on time own target day. Haha. Hence we went to Zhong Xiao Dun Hua, where we can find all the flagship stores, such as Toms, Porter International, Havaianas, Zara etc.
We had a random breakfast at one of the shop houses just a few mins walk away, although our hotel package includes breakfast daily.
Read on some blogger's blog that got to try the shaved ice when in Xi Men Ding.
Chocolate ice cream with banana shaved ice. It is recommended to share with, cause the portion is big, not to mention, its refreshing and yumz.
Went to Taipei Main station to get our tickets first since it was on the way.
Because we got to know that when you buy their tickets early and not on the day of travel itself, it is cheaper! Somewhat like early bird discount! Hahaha.
TRA tickets to Tai Chung
HSR Tickets from TaiChung to KaoHsiung
HSR from KaoHsiung to Taipei
Train to Zhong Xiao Dun Hua and chanced upon Dazzling Cafe. Apparently love's friend used to work here. On the same day, we got to know that Dazzling Cafe is gonna open their store in Sg!
This toast is awesome!
Walked down in search of Ding Wang Steamboat which was also said to be good!
Love and I ate so much that we were so bloated from it, and it only costs us about SGD$30-40 for this wholesome meal with superb service!
Got back to our hotel, and love and I started searching for our stay in TaiChung & KaoHsiung since it was not planned early. But thankfully for us, we managed to get a reliable AirBnB in both TaiChung (with a prompt reply) and KaoHsiung (which did not get back to us till the next day).
Day 6 - Taipei > TaiChung > Yi Zhong Jie > Feng Jia Night Market
Took TRA train ride from Taipei down to TaiChung.
Upon reaching TaiChung TRA/HSR station, you're not exactly at TaiChung main district (the places for shopping) yet, as you're actually at TaiChung's Xin Wu Ri train station Therefore, we still got to take a train down to TaiChung itself.
This is TaiChung station
Walked to our stay of the day, it was just a few lane down the street of TaiChung station. How convenient! And our AirBnB was also on tripadvisor! Lucky us!
Our super cosy home for the evening. It was not grand nor big, but secured and good enough for a stay. And this is the exactly what we've seen from the AirBnB web.
Left our luggage (which we packed only 1) in the room and we head out to Yi Zhong Jie.
The afternoon sun was hot, but wearing a long sleeve under this kind of sun, is still alright.
Haha, why not have a large cup of Gong Cha at a even cheaper price when Sg only has in one standard medium size.
So here's love looking all happy because he had been eyeing on this after we walked past it.
It's fried Octopus and it is one whole piece of it. So worth it and yumz!
Studied the bus map and we managed to hop on a bus that brings us to Feng Jia Night Market which is famous in TaiChung!
When night falls, the weather starts to turn chilly again, and hence we got to wear back our coats/sweaters. Haha.
Grilled scallops
Takoballs that was in a looong queue.
The difference between Taiwan and Sg food would be the generosity of portion that they give.
These 2 big balls contains so many different ingredients, to list a few, crab meat, chicken slices, octopus, corn.. etc.
Tired from all the walking and eating, love and i took the same bus back to our home.
Day 7 - It's been a week since we are here at Taiwan!
TaiChung > Kao Hsiung > Pier 2 Arts Centre > Kai Xuan Night Market > Jin Zuan Night Market > Liu He Night Market
While waiting for our train to arrive
It was not as easy to find our place of stay as compared to TaiChung, simply because it doesn't have a distinct signage to inform others that the AirBnB is located there. So in fact through our navigation skills, we already reached the place of venue on time, but couldn't spot the signage. Haha, but thankfully at the lobby there's a nice security guard that told us there are located here. Then the person in charge came down and fetch us up to our room.
Saw this online, and this is what we get! So satisfied :)
Head out to Pier 2 Arts Center as recommended.
This place is beautiful!
This is actually a train museum that we happened to chance upon while making our way to Pier 2 Arts Centre.
Such a heartbreaker lil one
Onward to 3 different night markets in Kao Hsiung which are all recommended!
Kai Xuan & Jin Zuan night market which are both located just side by side~
These 'buses' are all toilets actually
Randomly sat down at a stall to have our dinner, and that's a souffle that you see, and inside the cup will be the soup of the day!
These 2 kids that were at a stall which their grandparents opened. Haha, so love and I sat down and have what their grandparents were selling, and played with the kids for abit. Haha
Home random noodle that I saw people tabaoing back, which looks nice, but taste wise, it was alright.
LiuHe night market
Kao Hsiung most beautiful train station which also happens to be the one nearest to our place of stay there.
Day 8 - Valentine's Day!
Kao Hsiung > Taipei
We basically spent our Valentines day away on the train, making our way back to Taipei. It was a 7hours train ride. Not the most ideal, but at least it's spent with the one I love :)
You know the feeling of being familiar with one place, yes, that's the feeling we got when we came back to Taipei. Love and I were so familar with Taipei that we felt like we've reached home.
Back for more shaved ice in Xi Men Ding!
Potato cheese which i had been saying that we got to try, and when we finally got it, one mouth was the max that i could go. Haha, people who know me well will know that i'm never a fan of cheese, only certain cheese i would eat, like the ones LJS sells, KFC cheese fries, and that's all.
Day 9 - Taipei
Second last day of being in this wonderful place filled with so much food!
Love and I just went around where our legs would take us without any time constraints or plans.
Day 10 - Taipei > Sg (midnight)
It's finally down to the last day of being in Taiwan!
On the last day, love and I went to satisfy all our last minute cravings before heading back to reality.
Can't give this a miss at all!!
Goodbye Xi Men Ding!
Our decision was to be part of the locals and take a train, together with our heavy bulky luggages.
HSR tickets to Tao Yuan station, and from TaoYuan station, we took a airport shuttle bus to the airport.
With this, it marks the end of our Taiwan trip!
The people there are generally nice and helpful. I can only say, different parts of Taiwan gives out a different vibe, which i'm glad that i'm able to experience all. Oh and I couldn't stress how easy it was for us to travel and navigate around wherever we go, i'm so proud to say that we did not even once take a cab to any of our destination. All our travel modes were either by train, bus or walk.
What love and I were disappointed about were the clothes! Haha, we went with the intention of getting some CNY clothings (though we were told there might not be any or unless lucky), but we bought none! Except for pairs and pairs of shoes. It was because it is their winter season, hence most of the shops are still selling winter clothes, only some were selling spring clothes due to the change of season soon (in weeks time). Nonetheless, we had fun!
I would say, I'll definitely be back in Taiwan again!
But it would be to explore other areas that we didn't go! :)
Thank you to my colleague's sister who gave us all the places of recommendation!
Lastly, so thankful to the man behind all these beautiful memories.
Thank you love, for bringing me to new places.
Thank you love, for making this happen for us, always.
Thank you love, for taking care of me, us and our belongings everywhere we go.
Thank you love, for making this trip so amazing and it created so much wonderful memories for us.
To our next destination and adventure! Can't wait! :*
Till then,
xoxo
