Food, Travel and Life: Taipei

The view at the breakfast area at my hotel:

I was planning to go to Kaoshiung that day so decided to finish up areas around my hotel and the Taipei National Museum before setting off. Hence, a visit to Longshan Temple. The temple is very pretty with lotsa lanscaping done. There's a pond with superhuge kois and a really beautiful man-made waterfall. When I was there, there's a lot of people doing their incantations for prayers and stuff, so the place is kinda packed.

As for the National Palace Museum, it was one of my favourite spot...the arts, the beautiful antiques, the sculptures, everything! OMG I could have spent hours there if not for my train to Kaoshiung that very afternoon..sigh! I just managed to spend about 4 hours there, which is not enough IMO cos I rushed through everything >< and there's the Aborigines Centre and stuffs nearby which I didn't manage to visit *sob* I didn't take any photos of the displays except for the view of the place from outside cos I dun think any pictures of the display will ever do them justice...:)

After that off I rushed for my very 1st high speed train to Kaoshiung! It was pretty good I guess with the spacious seats and all, though I get a lil dizzy after trying to look at the grass passing by..LOL, I know, stupid right? But it was pretty boring along the journey with nothing much to see :P with the countryside and all..

Anyway, once I'm there, I checked in my hotel and quickly went off to grab some bites...since the bento I got myself at the train station was not very nyum nyum~

A not so nyummy bento but it was quite cheap ;P

Kaoshiung here I come!

The ceiling at the station, I know, this seemed very 38 but I couldn't resist...:S

Ok, these are all stalls leading to the Night Market and I kinda tried them out along the way, making me kinda stuffed by the time I actually reached there. :((((

There egg buns thingie is not so nice I guess but they look so cuteeee...PS: I tried most of the available flavours cos Taiwanese shops got a thing about buying stuff in a large number and not just one by one :S

The Papaya Shake or Papaya Milk that Taiwan is famous for? :P

Since a lot of stalls are selling the same thing, I chose the one with the longest queue and the most reviews and/or newspaper clippings :D

The longest sausage I've ever seen @@

By the third day, I realized I still have a lot to go through in the places I listed out to visit in Taipei. So determinedly, I decided to go to more places before calling it a day. Hence, my first choice: The Gold Ecological Park. Me likey! PS: If you made the Youth Card at the Airport like I mentioned in my first post HERE then there's a discount on the entrance fee :))
When I was there, it just so happened there's a primary school having a class trip there so I kinda joined their group for the tour ;P It was pretty fun and I feel like a kid again (right, :P)
There's alot of those old residence and office for the Japanese and some sorta royal residence of a Japanese prince? during the older days. It is so interesting to see the arrangement of those buildings. You'll kinda get the idea where the higher one's social status, then the deeper in the settlement their houses/residence are, and the architecture varies too! and the garden as well, where the gardens of four seasons can be found in the prince's residence..:P

the gardens

Next up, is the mining area :)

The tunnel! They have realistic wax figures all over the place

I forgot. Either it's ants or praying mantis or sumtink

This is one big piece of gold!

I want one of these! so pretty! who needs roses when you can have this right? *longing look* :P


the gold dust bowl (you get to try your hands at rinsing out the sands n getting d gold sands)

Since kenot take my own pic while I'm doing this, just gotta settle at taking oths :P

A visit to the park makes me feel richer already! LOL
I went on to Jiufen after that. Cause it's just beneath the hills where the Gold Ecological Park is. You can catch the really pretty view of the whole place on the journey up and down the hill actually. When I was there, there was some sort of celebrations where they parade large (super gigantic kinda large) figurines along the streets of Jiufen. :) The old streets of Jiufen were simply beautiful, in a rustic old world kinda way...the weather was great when I was there too, making it simply...unforgettable..not to mention the arrays of exotic snacks I grabbed along my walk..LOL

From above, you basically get the idea of how many people were there right? LOL and when I was there, there were buses of HKies who seemed to buy stuffs in cartons or boxes..like, how much can you actually bring back? Well, they give a new meaning on the needs to use buses to tourist spots...Boxes after boxes of biscuits and local delicacies were packed in trolleys after trolleys of boxes to be stuffed up their overloaded buses. (I wonder how they will fit their other 'reaps' from other spots? and their luggages?@@ cos even without luggages, the previously empty bus is stuffed to the brim in all available compartments *applaud*) LOL

OK, this one was when I was going back from Jiufen, the place I was waiting for the bus has this stall next to it. How can I resist right? Since I had to wait for like 15 minutes and the smell is killing me..LOL XD

This is incredibly out of the world. A must try! PS, they deliver to your hotels too! such service! Info below

The shop's name (I duno wut it says, so yeah)

This is nyummy! Different from regular mochis..It's super super nyummy!

The incredibly and ridiculously expensive seaweed :S But lotsa ppl are buying them..so..:X

Haha, duck's tongue. Nvr had them so I tried. :S

The uncle even pose for the cam, but the auntie a bit fierce :D

Uh, my Taiwanese Sausage? I wonder, how come I owes ended up buying those dat tasted like Lap Chang? Argh!

See the auntie's flower? :P

Wherts? It's Nyummy too!

My original flavour wherts. NOM NOM NOM!

And my grilled mushrooms...so XL right?LOL the mushrooms I mean..:P

Then I moved on to Keelung. I should have either stayed in Jiufen for the night the previous day actually. So much time spent on travelling from one place to another. My next Taiwan trip, I definitely dun wanna pre-booked hotels dy! >< Changing hotels each night would be better cos most of the places open at 8.30-9am and closes at 4pm :(((
I only managed to visit the Keelung Oceanic Culture and Art Museum and the Harbour cos other places are closed. :((((

The Keelung Harbour

Ships of all sizes

At the museum! OK, I look a lil messy but I have like 30mins before they close :S

CAPTAIN! hahaha, changing from one uniform to the other took me like seconds @@

The aunties who worked there are very kind to help me take my pics though XD

Then I started off around the Keelung area, before heading to Miaokou Night Market and Nom-nom some more :P

The food selection are so wide that I just couldn't make up my mind. So I went for the safest choice :P Oyster Omelette MY FAVE and the tempura thingie..but the thing is, the portion is quite big so i was stuffed after the omelette actually...and PS, the omelette here is simply nyummy! Unlike another one I bought from Kaoshioung (to be explained in my later posts).

the tempura

my nyummy omelette

the auntie doing the oyster soupy or sumtink

Then I walked around the Keelung town to digest my poor bloated tummy :S and couldn't resist buying a tiramisu back for my supper/snack while watching TV. :D Heaven!