06 July, 2010
01 January, 2010
Chinese Taipei Day 4
1.1.2010
09:30
09:30
The hotel served take-out breakfast to our door - Sandwiches and coffee. Something to fill the stomach before going for the real food.
11:00
Headed to 淡水. The main attraction in 淡水 is the 淡水老街 and the 渔人码头 harbor. 淡水老街 was full of food and souvenirs. I like the onion pie coz they stuff it with fresh ingredients. The shrimp rolls are good too.
FOOD: 阿给 Fried tofu filled with clear noodle，凤梨酥 pineapple cake，面包条 sweet bread stick，葱油饼 onion pie，章鱼圆 squid balls，珍珠奶茶 bubble tea，炸虾卷 fried shrimp rolls。
11:00
Headed to 淡水. The main attraction in 淡水 is the 淡水老街 and the 渔人码头 harbor. 淡水老街 was full of food and souvenirs. I like the onion pie coz they stuff it with fresh ingredients. The shrimp rolls are good too.
FOOD: 阿给 Fried tofu filled with clear noodle，凤梨酥 pineapple cake，面包条 sweet bread stick，葱油饼 onion pie，章鱼圆 squid balls，珍珠奶茶 bubble tea，炸虾卷 fried shrimp rolls。
15:00
The agenda for that day was supposed to include some cruising along the bay on a bicycle. We did not see a place or may have missed the place for bicycle rental, so we walked all the way from 淡水老街 the 渔人码头 harbor. The walk took a good 20 minutes. Good thing that the view was nice and calm. The breeze was in a just nice temperature. The sun was so generous that day, I had to take off my jackets.
The main attraction of that 渔人码头 harbor was the bridge that is called 'Lovers' Bridge' 情人桥. Along the harbor broad walk were mainly food stalls. A local man with heavy beard was giving life a performance on mainly oldies with his keyboard, surrounded by people seated on benches, enjoying their coffee or food. A few Cafes were playing their own music, so you could hear different songs as you walk along the harbor.
Two words - Serene and peaceful. I guess the most important thing would be our own state of mind to take in the serenity and just enjoy the environment.
The main attraction of that 渔人码头 harbor was the bridge that is called 'Lovers' Bridge' 情人桥. Along the harbor broad walk were mainly food stalls. A local man with heavy beard was giving life a performance on mainly oldies with his keyboard, surrounded by people seated on benches, enjoying their coffee or food. A few Cafes were playing their own music, so you could hear different songs as you walk along the harbor.
Two words - Serene and peaceful. I guess the most important thing would be our own state of mind to take in the serenity and just enjoy the environment.
17:00
We took the MRT from 淡水 to 剑潭站. Next up, the famous Shi Lin Night Market 士林夜市. It could not be more crowded! Lines were building up everywhere. It was just like the Disneyland, where you just need to line up for the good stuff! I'll just go straight to the food :)
FOOD: Fried mashed potato with ham and cheese (NT60), mixed fruits (NT150), milk tea (NT35), fried bird eggs (NT20).
My personal favorites were the mash potato and the cherry tomato stuffed with some kind of processed plum. We didn't eat a lot because we've been eating non-stop since... 2 days ago? Hehe. Well, also when you travel in a pair, there is only so much food you could try.
MASKS:
Thanks to Kan Yen, I was deliberately looking out for cheap masks. I walked in MOMO pharmacy and never looked back. Muahaha. They were on promotion - buy 1 free 1 deal! ;)
The green box (10 pcs) + the pink box (10 pcs) = NT299
The white box (25 pcs) + the purple box (25 pcs) = NT 499
22:00
End
31 December, 2009
Chinese Taipei Day 3
31.12.2009
09:30
09:30
We woke up and found a tray neatly placed outside our room. Charline had prepared breakfast for us before she left for work. How sweet is that? She also left us SMSes, telling us to enjoy ourselves as if it was our own home. We logged on to our emails and Facebook for a short update, and enjoyed our breakfast in a well-decorated living room. We had the whole house to ourselves! This really amazed me because in Malaysia we are taught not to entertain strangers, let alone inviting strangers into our homes and leaving them alone at home like that.
Breakfast: Soy milk 豆奶, 肉棕, 地瓜煎饼, hamburger 汉堡, and coffee.
11:45
Charline took us to a famous place for breakfast - 财伯米糕. The rule of thumb is, when you see a line building up at the store, the food is usually good. They are used to queuing for food, for trains, for everything :)
FOOD: 米糕 3 份，汤 3 份，抄手 dumpling，腊肠 sausage，卤蛋 egg (NT240)
13:00
Again, the kind Charline sent us to a bus station near 东海大学, and we caught a free shuttle to the train station. We took the 3pm High Speed Railway (HSR) from 台中 to 台北。It only took 1 hour. Pleasant ride. (NT700 x 2 pax)
16:00
The hotel we booked seemed near to the Taipei train station on the map, but it is actually a good 15 minute walk. We had to drag our luggages all the way up and down staircases of the overhead bridges, ask for direction, and cross many roads. All of that done with the compliment of the chilly outdoor wind.
We finally checked into our hotel - 银宝旅店. Due to the holiday season, the rate was NT1580 for that day (normal rate should be around NT1300). We had to get the biggest room they have. Imagine a queen size bed, with about 2 feet from 3 sides of the bed of walking space, and 1 6ft x 6ft bathroom. Adventurous eh? It was clean, so we did not complaint. Time to wash up for the 2009 final countdown!!!
17:30
Depart for the countdown concert at 市政府 (next to 101 tower).
It was still early when we reached the destination, so we visited the 101 Tower (NT 400 x 2 pax). The 'fastest elevator on Earth' took 30 seconds to reach the 89th floor, where the indoor observatory was. I had to pop my ears twice in 30 secs to equalize. The 91st floor is an outdoor observatory, but too bad it was closed that day. The lady at the sales counter told us that it was closed due to the slight rain and wind, but I think it is just because they are preparing for the new year fireworks. It would be cool to feel the wind at the height of 91st floor though. The visit also included the 88th floor, where the tuned mass damper was located. It is also the largest damper in the world, for now.
The night view of Taipei was ok. It looks exactly like the view when you look out the window from a plane before landing. Well, I did learn a thing or two from the visit. I learned that a damper is a structure used to offset movements in the building caused by wind or earthquake. They come in different shapes and sizes. The damper for KLCC is actually the bridge connecting both towers! Cool isn't it?
19:15
Dinner at the food court in 101 Tower shopping mall.
FOOD: Rice cake 米糕 (NT45), Korean noodle set (NT130), red bean + bean curt desert 豆花+红豆 (NT45)
Souvenir: 101 Tower magnet (NT150)
20:30
The crowd was building up fast at the city square by then. We found a spot about 50 meters from the stage. Everybody either stood facing the stage or sat on the floor facing a giant screen at the back. I did both, but looked at the screen most of the time. The audience was really well-trained. The whole concert was broadcasted live to all over the world, including Malaysia. So, during commercial break on TV, artists and singers just chatted and interacted a little with the crowd. When the cue (an intro music) came up, the audience would get themselves ready to cheer as soon as they go on live TV again. Lol.
Among the artists are: 胡瓜，蓝心梅，莎莎，小鬼，叮当，林志玲，S.H.E，五月天，王力宏 (Lee Hom)。The mayor of Taipei city and the President of Chinese Taipei 马英九 were there for the countdown too! 林志玲 perform her new song from the Jay Chou movie. Not too bad actually. Lee Hom was the finale of the show. He basically had a small concert from 12 midnight to 1am. Great voice he has.
01:00 (01012010)
55,000 people headed to the MRT station.It was crazy!! The MRT operated 24 hours that day, catering for people like us. Workers are stationed at every corner of the streets and train station to control the crowd. They had to stop the crowd at the entrance of the MRT station, and only let a small group of people in at a time. Old folks, families with children and pregnant ladies are given priority. With the size of the crowd, I'd say they did a pretty good job. We reached our hotel at 02:30 am.
Breakfast: Soy milk 豆奶, 肉棕, 地瓜煎饼, hamburger 汉堡, and coffee.
11:45
Charline took us to a famous place for breakfast - 财伯米糕. The rule of thumb is, when you see a line building up at the store, the food is usually good. They are used to queuing for food, for trains, for everything :)
FOOD: 米糕 3 份，汤 3 份，抄手 dumpling，腊肠 sausage，卤蛋 egg (NT240)
13:00
Again, the kind Charline sent us to a bus station near 东海大学, and we caught a free shuttle to the train station. We took the 3pm High Speed Railway (HSR) from 台中 to 台北。It only took 1 hour. Pleasant ride. (NT700 x 2 pax)
16:00
The hotel we booked seemed near to the Taipei train station on the map, but it is actually a good 15 minute walk. We had to drag our luggages all the way up and down staircases of the overhead bridges, ask for direction, and cross many roads. All of that done with the compliment of the chilly outdoor wind.
We finally checked into our hotel - 银宝旅店. Due to the holiday season, the rate was NT1580 for that day (normal rate should be around NT1300). We had to get the biggest room they have. Imagine a queen size bed, with about 2 feet from 3 sides of the bed of walking space, and 1 6ft x 6ft bathroom. Adventurous eh? It was clean, so we did not complaint. Time to wash up for the 2009 final countdown!!!
17:30
Depart for the countdown concert at 市政府 (next to 101 tower).
It was still early when we reached the destination, so we visited the 101 Tower (NT 400 x 2 pax). The 'fastest elevator on Earth' took 30 seconds to reach the 89th floor, where the indoor observatory was. I had to pop my ears twice in 30 secs to equalize. The 91st floor is an outdoor observatory, but too bad it was closed that day. The lady at the sales counter told us that it was closed due to the slight rain and wind, but I think it is just because they are preparing for the new year fireworks. It would be cool to feel the wind at the height of 91st floor though. The visit also included the 88th floor, where the tuned mass damper was located. It is also the largest damper in the world, for now.
The night view of Taipei was ok. It looks exactly like the view when you look out the window from a plane before landing. Well, I did learn a thing or two from the visit. I learned that a damper is a structure used to offset movements in the building caused by wind or earthquake. They come in different shapes and sizes. The damper for KLCC is actually the bridge connecting both towers! Cool isn't it?
19:15Dinner at the food court in 101 Tower shopping mall.
FOOD: Rice cake 米糕 (NT45), Korean noodle set (NT130), red bean + bean curt desert 豆花+红豆 (NT45)
Souvenir: 101 Tower magnet (NT150)
20:30
The crowd was building up fast at the city square by then. We found a spot about 50 meters from the stage. Everybody either stood facing the stage or sat on the floor facing a giant screen at the back. I did both, but looked at the screen most of the time. The audience was really well-trained. The whole concert was broadcasted live to all over the world, including Malaysia. So, during commercial break on TV, artists and singers just chatted and interacted a little with the crowd. When the cue (an intro music) came up, the audience would get themselves ready to cheer as soon as they go on live TV again. Lol.
Among the artists are: 胡瓜，蓝心梅，莎莎，小鬼，叮当，林志玲，S.H.E，五月天，王力宏 (Lee Hom)。The mayor of Taipei city and the President of Chinese Taipei 马英九 were there for the countdown too! 林志玲 perform her new song from the Jay Chou movie. Not too bad actually. Lee Hom was the finale of the show. He basically had a small concert from 12 midnight to 1am. Great voice he has.
01:00 (01012010)
55,000 people headed to the MRT station.It was crazy!! The MRT operated 24 hours that day, catering for people like us. Workers are stationed at every corner of the streets and train station to control the crowd. They had to stop the crowd at the entrance of the MRT station, and only let a small group of people in at a time. Old folks, families with children and pregnant ladies are given priority. With the size of the crowd, I'd say they did a pretty good job. We reached our hotel at 02:30 am.
Happy 2010!
30 December, 2009
Chinese Taipei Day 2
30.12.200908:30 Walked to the nearby shop for a typical Taiwanese breakfast.
Set 1 (NT50) ：Fried Egg 煎蛋, fried dumpling 锅贴, ham 火腿 and a cup of milk tea 奶茶.
Set 2 (NT45) ：Fried Egg 煎蛋, hash brown, hot dog 热狗, and a cup of red tea 红茶.
10:30
After checking out from hotel ‘幸福之旅‘, the hotel guy was again kind enough to drop us off at 朝马 bus station. On the way there, he also offered to help us get a local prepaid phone number registered at the nearby 7-eleven. Again, friendly and helpful people in Taiwan.
11:00
We took a free shuttle from 朝马 bus station to the High Speed Railway (HSR) station, where we could get bus tickets to our destination of the day. We took a bus from 台中 HSR to 日月潭（新社）. The journey took 90 minutes. Round trip tickets: NT330 x 2 pax.
13:30
Great scenery along the way. Our destination is called Sun Moon Lake 日月潭. It is a huge lake, surrounded by picturesque mountains. People come here to see the view, the temples, the nature and get some fresh air. We bought 2 all day bus passes that enable unlimited bus rides 日月潭环湖游园车 to tour the lake (NT80 x 2 pax). We thought of renting bicycles, but the rental people discouraged us due to the slippery roads from the rain in the morning. Anyway, if you happened to be there on a good day, these are the charges for bicycle rental - They charge different rates for different bicycle models, ranging from NT200/400/800 per hour, maximum charge up to 4 hours.
While waiting for the next bus, we had lunch at a nearby noodle shop. Nothing to shout about the noodle (NT145 for 2), but in the cold weather like that, hot soup is always good.
FOOD: Boar sausage 山猪大肠包小肠 (NT50)
Souvenir: Fridge magnet 文武庙磁铁 (NT100)
16:00
After lots of walking in the freezing wind, we decided to grab some coffee and snacks, and just chill by the lake. Ahh....... :)
17:15
Return to 台中. The bus stopped at 朝马, so we walked about 15 minutes to Feng Jia night market 逢甲夜市 for more local delicacies. Instead of food, T bought a pair of Mizuno Wave 4 running shoes (NT2050).
21:00
Our Taiwanese friend, Charline, took us out for dinner - Ginger soup 姜母鸭汤 steamboat. One of the special things in the soup was called 'Blood Rice' 米血. The name is pretty gross, and being a not so adventurous person, I dared not try it initially. Our Taiwanese friend insisted that we try because local people like it a lot. Those are actually sticky rice mixed with chicken blood, then frozen into sticks of rice before being boiled in the ginger soup. I did try. It does not taste like blood at all, and it's quite chewy. I ended up eating 2 sticks hehe.
23:00
Being a great host, Charline had offered for us to stay over at her place. She lives in Qing Shui Town 清水镇, and her place is simply cute and lovely. We stayed at her guess room, where she hosted many other friends from other countries. We cannot thank her enough for the great hospitality.
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