Part 2
Day 3 in Taipei came, and so did our company!
Both hubby and me are pretty camera shy, it would be rare to catch us initiating a photo. But K&A are direct opposite, they are the ever-ready-to-be-photographed couple! Hence you would most likely see more photo of them in this travelogue than hubby and me, haha!
After K&A offloaded and took a short break, we headed off to Rao He (饶河) night market. I think this is our favourite night market; it's mine anyway :) The market's size and variety of food is good.
I like the crowd; it was crowded but not too crowded till we could not get any food or seat. Just enough to lightly jostle us around. There were fried chicken chop, stewed rice, pork ribs soup, sausages, vegetable rolls, crabs etc, and shops for shoes and clothes flanked the food street.
Our first stop for food was this stall selling crabs and clams. I got vege-roll, and we sat at the table provided by this crab stall. The crabs looked really delicious, though hubby and K said the taste was really not that fantastic. I am not a seafood fanatic, I tasted the crab and clams; they tasted just like crab and clams, haha! I liked my vege-roll better :)
Taipei 101 was on our visit list. I enjoyed the photo session and the walk to Taipei 101. It was cloudy but there was some sun. Again, our apartment's location was so good that we could literally walk everywhere. There is a Eslite Mall on the other side of the main road from where we stayed. Prices were on the high side, but I love the Eslite Bookstore and the craft level. Lots of pretty stuff to see. And I love the toilet; the seat cover was warm! That was so nice given the cold weather :)
Frankly, I am not sure what the hype was about; there was so much of write up about Taipei 101. I always have this impression that if you are in Taipei, you MUST visit Taipei 101.
Anyone who is visiting Taipei, SKIP it if you have height phobia or you are simply not interested in branded stuff. If you must visit it, make sure you are a bookstore lover, because there is a Page One in this overhyped building. That was the only highlight for me. Of course, it was not a yucky building, I just felt it was overhyped.
I like Page One, mainly because of their theme, and it was started by a Singaporean :) I had a pleasant surprise when I stepped in.
A set of musical "thingy" were on displayed, and Canon D flooded the surrounding. These "thingy" were mostly made of wood, and much as I would really like to own one, they do not come cheap...
We visited Xi Men Ding on the same day, and the place simply reminded hubby and me of Myeongdong in Seoul! Very vibrant, lots of people, and shops. There were food stalls, shoes shops, accessories, clothes etc. Hubby did said the Onizuka was cheaper when we stepped into their boutique.
We ate the famous rice noodle - Ah Zhong Mian Xian. Given the cold weather, it was really good. The queue never stopped, but the stall workers worked pretty fast. From queuing to the food in our hand, it took perhaps less than 12 min?
I was also satisfied of my bubble tea craving; hot Pu Er with bubbles! Totally happy! It is not easy to get Pu Er with bubble in Singapore, and less with hot Pu Er.
I like bubble tea, but I like my tea hot too. Singapore is perhaps too hot for hot bubble tea? This is definitely something that I would always try to have when I am in Taiwan again :)
Tip (courtesy of Z): When traveling in Taipei, pre register for free wifi for tourists at this website: http://www.tpe-free.taipei.gov.tw/tpe/index_en.aspx prior to your trip if you are a Singaporean. For Malaysian, you can register at the customer service counter after your touch down at the Tao Yuan airport. It is good to get the EasyCard (悠游卡); this is a pre paid card that allows cashless payment for the train and bus. You pay less for each trip too. At the end of the trip, get a refund or keep it for your next trip to Taiwan. We got ours at the train station; and we kept our EasyCard :)
After K&A offloaded and took a short break, we headed off to Rao He (饶河) night market. I think this is our favourite night market; it's mine anyway :) The market's size and variety of food is good.
I like the crowd; it was crowded but not too crowded till we could not get any food or seat. Just enough to lightly jostle us around. There were fried chicken chop, stewed rice, pork ribs soup, sausages, vegetable rolls, crabs etc, and shops for shoes and clothes flanked the food street.
Taipei 101 was on our visit list. I enjoyed the photo session and the walk to Taipei 101. It was cloudy but there was some sun. Again, our apartment's location was so good that we could literally walk everywhere. There is a Eslite Mall on the other side of the main road from where we stayed. Prices were on the high side, but I love the Eslite Bookstore and the craft level. Lots of pretty stuff to see. And I love the toilet; the seat cover was warm! That was so nice given the cold weather :)
Frankly, I am not sure what the hype was about; there was so much of write up about Taipei 101. I always have this impression that if you are in Taipei, you MUST visit Taipei 101.
Anyone who is visiting Taipei, SKIP it if you have height phobia or you are simply not interested in branded stuff. If you must visit it, make sure you are a bookstore lover, because there is a Page One in this overhyped building. That was the only highlight for me. Of course, it was not a yucky building, I just felt it was overhyped.
I like Page One, mainly because of their theme, and it was started by a Singaporean :) I had a pleasant surprise when I stepped in.
A set of musical "thingy" were on displayed, and Canon D flooded the surrounding. These "thingy" were mostly made of wood, and much as I would really like to own one, they do not come cheap...
We visited Xi Men Ding on the same day, and the place simply reminded hubby and me of Myeongdong in Seoul! Very vibrant, lots of people, and shops. There were food stalls, shoes shops, accessories, clothes etc. Hubby did said the Onizuka was cheaper when we stepped into their boutique.
We ate the famous rice noodle - Ah Zhong Mian Xian. Given the cold weather, it was really good. The queue never stopped, but the stall workers worked pretty fast. From queuing to the food in our hand, it took perhaps less than 12 min?
I was also satisfied of my bubble tea craving; hot Pu Er with bubbles! Totally happy! It is not easy to get Pu Er with bubble in Singapore, and less with hot Pu Er.
I like bubble tea, but I like my tea hot too. Singapore is perhaps too hot for hot bubble tea? This is definitely something that I would always try to have when I am in Taiwan again :)
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| Most of the days were cloudy coupled with some sessions of rain and downpour. |
Tip (courtesy of Z): When traveling in Taipei, pre register for free wifi for tourists at this website: http://www.tpe-free.taipei.gov.tw/tpe/index_en.aspx prior to your trip if you are a Singaporean. For Malaysian, you can register at the customer service counter after your touch down at the Tao Yuan airport. It is good to get the EasyCard (悠游卡); this is a pre paid card that allows cashless payment for the train and bus. You pay less for each trip too. At the end of the trip, get a refund or keep it for your next trip to Taiwan. We got ours at the train station; and we kept our EasyCard :)
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