Journey in Taiwan

Back from my trip almost more than a week and now it's time to recap back my journey to Taiwan, a place which I really enjoyed visiting, with all the wonderful and great sceneries, friendly people and convenient transportation accessible to most tourist places.

Welcome to Taiwan

Jan 24 2010

Depart from LCCT airport at 9.55am to Tao Yuan airport. Arrived at Tao Yuan airport around 2.45pm. We were quite excited to have arrived and anticipated the days of exploring Taiwan ahead of us. After claiming our luggage, we bought bus tickets (NT220 per person) to Tai Chung scheduled at 4pm and two and a half hours later, dropped off in front of Sogo, Tai Chung. We literally had to dragged our luggage down a flight of stairs through an underground tunnel over to the opposite side of Sogo to get to our hotel, PC Hotel, next to a five star hotel.

bus counter to purchase tickets to Tai Chung

inside bus heading to Tai Chung

View near our hotel at Tai Chung

Hotel at Tai Chung

Our room at Tai Chung

Our hotel in Tai Chung was booked with help from a friend in Taiwan. Although we had a long day, we went straight back out of the hotel after we checked in and dropped off our luggage at our room. We took a taxi which costed around NT140 per taxi to go to Feng Jia Night Market. The hustling and busy street in Feng Jia confirmed that we had arrived at the famous night market in Tai Chung. I was already starving by the time we got to the night market and the first thing that i hunted for was FOOD!!! There were many food stalls all over the street and we each went to different stalls to buy food to fill our stomach. Actually, choosing what to eat was also an issue for us...haha... those stalls that had nice looking food and smells usually had a long long queue to go with it and those without queue left us wondering if it was worth to try...but our stomach was practically shouting and urging at us to get any food as long as it is food. So we ended up trying their 'stinky tofu', some sausages and chicken fillets with salads (which we got after a long queue). Stomach satisfied and we proceeded to the other stalls selling other than foods. We bought a lot of clothes, some boots and accessories. I like their nice design and the cheap price tag to go with it. :p Well, some clothes were cheap but some were quite expensive....so you have to really walked through the shops at the night market. It was 11pm before we decided to call it a night and took a taxi back to our hotel. Charge for taxi on the way back was NT160. Reached our hotel and need to pack a day clothes to spend a night at Qing Jing Farm tomorrow.

Some of our meals at Feng Jia night market

Jan 25 2010

Had buffet breakfast which was included with the room rates at our hotel. We checked out and left our heavy luggage at the reception before heading out to the streets. We intended to take a bus to Qing Jing Farm but instead a taxi driver approached us to take us up there (NT4400 for 6 persons, journey to and fro from Tai Chung to Qing Jing with some stops at Pu Li). The taxi can seat 6 people and fit our backpack as well. Higher than the price of the bus but shorten the journey and a comfortable ride directly to our cabin villa (I like to called it cabin although it is not really a cabin but it gives me a cabin like feel :p). Transportation decided and we were on our way to Qing Jing. The journey was almost 2 hours and we reached our cabin villa at Qing Jing. Our accommodation is called Top Cloud Villa and it costed us NT3360 for a four persons room per night and NT1960 for a two persons room. Dumped our luggage at the reception and out we went to the Qing Jing Farm nearby. By the time we arrived, it was already noon. There was a farm show at 2.30pm, and in the meantime we walked around the huge farm. In the farm, the sheeps were roaming freely and tourists could get up close and feed the sheeps. This farm had an amazing landscape and with lots of sheeps dotting here and there, it maked me feel as though I'm in some countryside. hmm..maybe IT IS a countryside...

Qing Jing Farm

Qing Jing Farm

Qing Jing Farm

sheeps at Qing Jing

castle at Qing Jing

Again, our stomach was screaming at us and we went to some food stalls nearby to fill our stomach. Most of their meals was either pork or beef, occassionally chicken which was quite rare. Had a beef noodle for lunch and we went back to the farm show scheduled at 2.30pm. It was raining and we had to stand with an umbrella to watch the show. The show let us glimpsed how their dog herded the sheep into groups and in the direction that they wanted. They got some of the audience to be involved in their show by doing simple farm tasks and games.

Farm Show at Qing Jing Farm

Audience participating in a farm show

Qing Jing Farm

The show ended about half an hour later. We walked back to our cabin villa while enjoying the fresh air and scenery along the way. Stopped by at Qing Jing Tourist Center for some souvenirs and tidbits. I bought a dorayaki with red wine and grape flavour ice cream in it and it was nice eating cold ice cream dorayaki in the cold weather. :p Reached back our cabin around 5.30pm and after we freshen up, we decided to stay in and eat instant noodles instead of going out. For your info, the road to the cabin at night is not very well lit. Although it is safe, but it's some distant away from food stalls. Still within walking distance though. The bed and the toilet bowl in our room has heater because the temperature there is damn cold.

Top Cloud Villa

Jan 26 2010

view from our balcony at Top Cloud Villa

view from our room balcony at Top Cloud Villa

The place was so beautiful, we were snapping photos all the way from inside our room to the hall to the reception and finally to our destination, the buffet breakfast table...breakfast was simple but was very fresh especially the vegetables, it was crunchy. After breakfast, it was outside the building snapping photos again until our taxi driver showed up at the doorstep around 10.00am. He brought us around Pu Li town and stopped by at a wine brewery tourist center.

PuLi wine brewery center

Pui Wine Brewery Center

We bought some peanut candies with different flavours, some milk nougats and walked through the history panel of the wine brewery center. On reaching Tai Chung town, we requested the taxi driver to bring us to buy the Tai Chung local products, suncake and pineapple pastries. He brought us to the shop where the suncake was first originated in Tai Chung.

Shop selling suncakes and other pastries

Suncake

This suncake was quite nice although I like another pastry that I tried more. Too bad the people there said the other pastry would not last very long until I'm back home. However, the suncake they said will last for a month. So, I bought some for my family to try (NT200 for 10 pieces of suncakes). By the time we reached back to our hotel, it was already 2.00pm. Haven't had lunch since breakfast. So, we went to a nearby McDonald for some food. Later, we went to explore the National of Musuem of Natural Science. There were many sections in that musuem. We only explored 3 sections after 3 hours.

motorbikes

path leading to National Musuem of Natural Science

price and schedule

price and schedule

Dinner was at a steamboat restaurant near Sogo. Had a terific time there with my friends. Waiters there were quite friendly. The steamboat had a time limit of 90 minutes of eating and unlimited adding of beef, pork, vegetables or other ingredients.

steamboat restaurant

Steamboat Restaurant

At the Steamboat Restaurant

With a full stomach, we decided to go to Feng Jia night market AGAIN....as we didn't managed to cover all the shops there on the first day :p As I was waiting for my friends to select some accessories, a small advertisement in the shop caught my eye...Tarot Card reading, NT150 for 10 minutes. Since me and another friend of mine have nothing better to do, we went up to the place and enquire about our future...hehe :p

Sogo

nice clock at Sogo

Jan 27 2010

Woke up early in the morning to have breakfast at our hotel at 7am and at around 8am, boarded a taxi (NT140 per taxi) to the bus station (Chao Ma Che Zhan). From Tai Chung, we will be heading to Kao Shiung. Bus tickets costed NT200 per person. The journey took around 3 hours until we reached the Kao Shiung Bus Station.

bus station

Down the bus and walked to an MRT station. We bought a MRT ticket that we could use for a whole day in Kao Shiung for NT200 per person. We proceeded from Kao Shiung MRT to San Duo station to reached our hotel for the night at the '85 tower'. The person in charge leaded us to our rooms and we were in awe when we catched a glimpse of the rooms. Each of us was like 'wow'.... Three of the rooms was decorated with different design and was facing an awesome view. After a brief introduction of the surrounding area from the person in charge, off we went to take the MRT to another station and reached a shop to rent bicycles for the rest of the day. If remember correctly, the price for renting a bicycle was NT80.

our bikes at Kao Shiung

view in Kao Shiung

left or right?

view from CiHou fort

We cycled to the harbour to board a ferry taking us to Qi Jian island. At the island, we cycled around to some landmarks, the Cihou Fort and Cihou lighthouse. Cycled along the sea and wished to cycle to the windmill but was too far and it was getting dark fast. We give that place a pass and hope to be able to see it next time. We cycled back to the harbour and board the ferry back to Kao Shiung. We returned our bike and walked to the Liu Ye night market. We enjoyed some dumplings, sausages, otoyaki, and others for our dinner. We walked further along the night market street until we reached the Love River. It was quite a romantic place although nothing much to do there except observing the bridge over the river lighting up in colourful lights.

Love River

Quite a nice place for couples to stroll along. We walked to a nearby MRT station to go to a unique restaurant in Kao Shiung. It is called New Taiwan @ Original (translated from chinese coz dunno wat's called in english). Inside this restaurant is a lot of old style design from a few decades back. Here, you could find those old shops streets design, replicas of old bus station seats, old cinemas, postbox, even an old train on the second floor. While waiting for our orders of desserts to come, we took the opportunity to snap away.

New Taiwanese Original Restaurant

New Taiwanese Original Restaurant

New Taiwanese Original Restaurant

New Taiwanese Original Restaurant menu

New Taiwanese Original Restaurant

New Taiwanese Original restaurant

Train at New Taiwan Original Restaurant

New Taiwanese Original Restaurant

New Taiwanese Original Restaurant

Around 10.45pm, we quickly rushed to the MRT to avoid missing the last train back to San Duo station. Back to our hotel and after freshening up, we began snapping photos of the incredibly lovely hotel. It wasn't until around 1pm that we catched some sleep. And the next morning, we need to wake up at 4.30am!!!

nice design at one of the MRT stations

Room at Kao Shiung

Room at Kao Shiung

Room at Kao Shiung

View from our room at Kao Shiung

Jan 28 2010

Bullet Train from Kao Shiung to Taipei

Woke up early at 4.30am to get ready to gather at the lobby at 5.30am. Dragged our luggage along the deserted pathway along Kao Shiung streets and board the MRT to Zuo Ying Station. From there we took the 7.06am bullet train which costs us NT1265 from Kao Shiung to Taipei, as we missed the earliest train. The journey took about 1 hour and a half to reach Taipei. On reaching Taipei, we bought an Easycard with a value of NT500 for easier access to MRT and bus transport in Taipei. Taipei MRT station was indeed a very busy station. There were people all over the place and the machine that lets people in and out with a beep keep beeping all the while we were waiting to purchase our tickets. We took the MRT together with our luggage (thank god our luggage got wheels =.=') to Xi Men Station. Found our hotel 'Paradise Hotel after a few blocks and rows of shops. Dropped our luggage at the reception as we couldn't check in early, and off we went to our first destination in Taipei, the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. Nothing much there except to snap photos in the large area and to watch the exchanging of the security guards at the memorial hall.

Freedom Public Square

Chiang Kai Shek memorial hall

Chiang Kai Shek memorial hall

Boarded the MRT to go to Loong Shan Temple. A lot of people but somehow we managed to placed the joss sticks in the 10 places designated for joss sticks.

Loong Shan temple

Next we went to was the underground mall 'East Metro Mall' in between two MRT station (Zhong Xiao FuXing and Zhong Xiao Dun Hua stations).

East Metro Mall - underground mall between 2 MRT stations

After some shopping, we again used the MRT and public bus to get to the Taipei 101, the tallest building in Taipei. Had our late lunch there in the foodcourt. Prices per meal at the foodcourt cost around NT130-NT160. The inside of the building looks quite similar to KLCC...with all the expensive brands in there... We then boarded a bus which was supposed to get us back to the MRT station, but however we got on the wrong bus and got down at the next station. While waiting for the right bus to come, we suddenly saw a full view of the Taipei 101 and was actually quite lucky that we got the wrong bus. We got a good view of the full Taipei 101 and without wasting time, we snapped away...

Taipei 101

Taipei 101

Bus Stop

Back to the MRT, we were now heading towards 'Hou Shan Pi' station to go to 'Wu Fen Pu' - Taipei's largest wholesale market for garments, where hundreds of stores offers clothes of many designs at low prices. We shopped a lot here and went back hands full. On our way back, stopped at 7-Eleven (there are a lot of 7-11 shops here...about 500km you'll see a 7-11) to buy food and snacks for the night.

Wu Fen Pu

Jan 29 2010

inside a public bus

Had our breakfast at 9.00am at a nearby shop. Took the MRT and boarded a bus No 260 to Yang Ming Shan. The journey took around 1 hour to reach to Yang Ming Station and we needed to board another bus No 108 to reach the park. The place was cold and very picturesque. Walked along the park and saw some couples taking their wedding photos there. Pity the bride must be very cold because despite the cold weather, she need to wear strapless gown for her photos.

Yang Ming Station

Bus Stop at Yang Ming Shan

Yang Ming Shan

Yang Ming Shan

Yang Ming Shan

Yang Ming Shan

Yang Ming Shan

Yang Ming Shan

Yang Ming Shan

After the trip, we again took the bus back to town and took MRT to Xin Bei Tou for our hot spring spa. The MRT to Xin Bei Tou was very unique and colourful. They even had a screen in front of our seats introducing the attractions at Xin Bei Tou.

MRT to Xin Bei Tou

MRT to Xin Bei Tou

our room for a relaxing hotspring

hot spring spa

Spa center

After a relaxing hot spa, we enjoyed our Italian meal at the center and proceeded to Dan Shui for the night. Dan Shui has lots of pastries and souvenirs to buy back for your friends and families.

Street at Dan Shui

A handful of these and we still have time to go to the famous Shilin night market. this night market was abit too crowded for our liking. We didn't get much things around here. Reached Xi Men around 11.30pm and had a late supper...desserts (tong shui) at a nearby shop.

Xi Men Ting on a rainy day

Xi Men Ting on a rainy day

Xi Men Ting on a clear day

Jan 30 2010

Morning breakfast at McDonald. Tried their pork burger which is not available in McD Malaysia. Around 10.30am, boarded bus No1062 heading to Jiu Fen. The journey took around 2 hours if not mistaken. Went up there and walked along the originals streets from ages ago.

viwe from Jiu Fen

view from Jiu Fen

Had our lunch at the famous fishballs shop. Indeed very big and delicious.

Famous fishball at Jiu Fen

Jiu Fen

Jiu Fen

Walked through a lot of shops here and then took another bus up to Jin Gua Shi.

a nice police station

view at Jin Gua Shi

view at Jin Gua Shi

view at Jin Gua Shi

Walked around the area and also visited the gold musuem. Took bus back to town and then MRT back to Xi Men Station. By the time we reached Xi Men station, it was already dark. We were looking for food around Xi Men Ting when we bumped into this restaurant that we saw in the internet many times by chance. The restaurant was called 'Modern Toilet Restaurant' and the theme of this restaurant is as per its name. We were sitting on toilet bowls and our tables was a big bath tub with a clear glass on top of it. Our meal was full of shit. Meals come in toilet bowls and some drinks come in flush bowls. Ice cream was in the shape of shit and we practically licked it clean...Gross...but we had fun nonetheless. The food there was nothing to shout about but the theme here is quite creative.

Modern Toilet Restaurant

Modern Toilet Restaurant at Xi Men Ting

Later we again went to Wu Fen Pu which we haven't had enough shopping yet. We shopped until we missed the last MRT train and needed to get a taxi back to our hotel...haha...

Jan 31 2010

Some of our meals in Taiwan

Tao Yuan Airport

Breakfast at a local shop nearby and walked around Xi Men Ting area before taking a taxi to the airport for our flight back home. Departed home at 3.55pm. Goodbye Taiwan...Reached our homeland at 8.35pm. Miss our food so much...muacks...roti canai satu!!!