Event after event .................

i'd be thankful, grateful (eternally), appreciative if the Big Man up there would give me a break once in a blue moon and stop giving me so many obstacles that probably Zena or Hercules could only overcome, or the Potter boy himself. After a whirlwind trip to Sibu, and a canceled trip to Singapore, I found myself in Taipei again in late March, this time with only my parents.

The night markets were not spared of course but this time the massive shopping centers i passed on them because the trip wasn't a leisure holiday. It was rather more like a spiritual one than it is a shopping trip. But night markets are a must because there is always a good bargain somewhere....trinkets and all.

A slight recap from my last trip here in October, the weather then was much hotter while it is really windy and cold now. Thinking that it should be entering Spring i brought alot of florals and light jackets i ended up buying a hugeass jacket in the end to fight the cold. And everyday now and then i'd find myself walking into 7/11 to buy the hand warming packs cause they were cold even though i had gloves on. I brought only a pair of jeans and bought another pair, thank god i did cause in my suit cases were mostly floral skirts etc...

And there were more bad news, but i do not think i want to share with the whole world. I'm sorry, some things do have to be personal cause i really don't have want to have to talk about it, especially now. Life would consist more of traveling from now onwards. ;) everyday when i think about it, i'd just tell myself how gullible i was to believe everything i hear or see. Maybe it is because i do not go around with a motive. They say you will never meet a liar unless you are one, and i believe that is true.

moving on to lighter and cheery things, here are some photos i took at the xin yuan bed&breakfast at Yilan and it is nothing less than remarkable. The place is beautifully done up and the ambience is great, cosy and homely which is just great because i am homesick, really. gosh i really miss my fifi and i hope my tbrother and aunty has fed him well and kept him hydrated. He must be crazy wondering where his mummy has left him. I feel so guilty now. If only animals could fly too!

so much for now. some zai nan needs to use the pc and judging by the look on his face i think he is very pissed that i've been hogging the pc for way too long.

haha

like i care,

but i need some shut eye. i don't give two hoots about you! bleh!

more soon,
e

Hello Taipei – Day 5

Continuing from the day before

Day 5 started pretty early as the family wanted to go to the temple

for prayers and what not

a good one-two hours later

the whole group went for lunch at one of the better restaurants in Banciao

we must have ordered tens of dishes

at least it was a smorgasbord of them

 

but i was pining for fast food eg McD or KFC

cause i was tired of eating Taiwanese food already!!

 

 

(notice how thin the skin is??)

this is the perennial favorite among the old folks….

delectable fried man tous that came with it

 

funny how everything is red and orangey

 

 

 

 

honestly, everyone had great pickup but lost momentum towards the end

as we chattered throughout lunch

a family friend suggested that we went to Bitan in Xindian

i was elated at the thought of Xindian (Shu qi’s birthtown)

and nodded my head furiously agreeing that we made a stop there

but first i had to go back to Breeze Center to get my bag from Agnes B

i saw a bag that i really liked the night before

which i didn’t buy on impulse and that startled the bf

somehow he sensed that i really liked it and encouraged me to go get it

*hello, no makeup the whole time i was in Taipei

i know i look pale & yucky

i didn’t even put on blusher lo!!!!!!!!

after we sussed that out we began our journey to Bitan

if you look at the MRT map, it is right at the end of the Danshui (red) line

we were told that Bitan was very very romantic

and had a unique color-changing bridge (equally puzzled) like wtf..

but the weather was not on our side, it rained, wtf

we not only had to dodge the rain, we also had to brave the cold!!!

but since we were already there, we snapped a few pictures

and the beauty of the place didn’t translate into the pictures, boy was i disappointed!!

the bf, was, however persistent and insisted we waited it out

and so we parked our arses at Mr Brown (reminded me of Coffee Bean)

chatted over dinner and coffee, and fiddled on our iPhones for two hours

and the rain hadn’t stop!!

that said, we decided to buy clothes and accessories for our phones

and since we couldn’t find any pirated ones during our stay there

we had no choice but to buy it from

an apple outlet at Global mall

and out of the blue (i think it was the rain)

the bf began to have cravings for steamboat …. and thus

we looked around at the foodcourt but the bf kept whining and whining

that we ate steamboat elsewhere

although i was already very tired and feeling gloomy like the weather

i wanted him to be happy and his cravings satiated

we finally found one near our homestay

and the experience turned out pretty darned good

*(i officially like steamboat now) and i crave for it until today

they charge NTD100 per person (ONLY)

and the personal wok was kinda big, portion was huge

enough for the two of us !!!

unlike here where we pay RM50-RM80 for something decent

and that is still not comparable to what we had that night…. i’m salivating already

you know how when it rains and then

you’d love to have something soupy?

if there is something i miss most about Taipei

i’d have to say STEAMBOAT!!

kidyounot

e

Hello Taipei – Day 4

Day 4 began with a hearty breakfast at the hotel restaurant

there were cereal, porridge, noodles, sandwiches, toast, eggs, fruits, cakes etc

after fueling up for yet another long day

we returned to the room to pack our stuff into a box (courtesy of the hotel)

and left it at the concierge (didn’t want to lug it around)

after which we set foot again to the nearest bus stop

and hopped onto a bus (can’t recall what no)

which was headed for Taipei’s most popular landmark

Taipei 101

my favorite Taiwanese lass

we were both grateful and upset because it was foggy that day

grateful because it meant cool wind in my hair

the latter because pointless to go up to the observatory level on the 87th floor

such is life

i must say i saw alot of things that i wanted to buy and i supposed i did

i finally found a luggage bag that i liked – Eminent

i have always used that brand, besides Samsonite (not anymore)

and all my loot, is hidden inside the luggage you see in the picture above, hehehe

since we weren’t going up for the bird’s eye view of the city

we went back to store away my luggage bag

before heading to Taipei Main Station to buy railway tickets to Ruei Fang

where we would then take a bus up to Jiufen

 

the train ride was a nice experience

initially i thought i’d be riding on the high speed train

but because the destination was too close, so it was the conservative train for me

choo choo, the ride was approximately 20 min only

like the locals, we bought a bien tan and a drink to feast in the train

unfortunately, it didn’t taste as good as it looked ..

so screw that ….. however the train ride was quite comfortable

so that pretty much made up for the yucky food..  (don’t be fooled guys)

come think of it, i think we ate quite a bit that day

the bf actually had a big bowl of pho in Taipei 101 foodcourt

when i say big, i mean big..

like this big!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i dunno where he found place to store all the food

but so long as he was happy i guess i am ok with it

besides, we had alot of walking to do, which means they’ll be burnt off anyway

i lost 3-4kg after the trip * (grinz)

notice how most of the girls had surgical masks on?

the bf managed to catch a power nap in the train

while i pressed my nose against the window

looking out at the scenery

i thought Sarawak had alot of greens, turns out Taiwan is pretty green too!!

i guess the first thing one’d notice once we exit the Rueifang station

is that the roads are made of clay, at least i did

i thought that was quite odd

but not all the roads la…..

so the plan was to take the bus up to Jiufen

we cheated

we caught a cab, which cost us NTD180

which is a pretty reasonable price, haha,

i’m just happy i didn’t have to walk that much

i wanted to conserve energy for the walk around Jiufen

which i am glad i did

less walk = less blisters

after the mandatory pictures – scenic background

proof that you’ve been to Jiufen,

we took on ‘Lao Jie’ which loosely translated is Old Street

that was littered with little push carts selling food, drinks, memorabilia etc

the famous yam ball dessert – a must try

Jiufen was a mining town during the Japanese occupation

the village became a tourist attraction not only because of the great scenery

but because also of  a movie scene starring Tony Leung there

i could hear many languages including Japanese, Korean, Cantonese

while walking along the winding street

there were also a lot of alleys

which made it very quaint and beautiful

tea houses were aplenty

obviously characterized by Japanese influence also

we were tempted to visit other nearby attractions

but due to time constraint, we had to pass on it thus

we made our way back to the railway station

to head back to Taipei

and on that very night there was some kind of concert

with a lot of artistes expected to perform

they include Jolin, Jay and Show Luo

as much as i had wanted to see it

we had to pass on it as we made an appointment to meet someone that night

BOO

sucks innit?

free some more!!!

staytunedformore

e