Well, this day was spent on the plane and crossing the International Date Line...
Our flight was at 1.15am, 16 August, and after 13 hours of flight, we were at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (also known formerly as Chiang Kai-shek International Airport)
Then it was 5.30am, 17 August already...
Day 17 (17 August '07)
At Taipei, YL continued her flight back to Singapore while the remaining 3 of us stepped out of the airport for a 2 nights stay. Ha.
When at the airport, after claiming our luggages, we were slacking on the sofa at the arrival hall. Not only we were tired, but it was still very early. So basically, we spent 2 hours sitting/sleeping while also checking out on how to go to our hotel.
The breakfast in US time or dinner in Taiwan time::Empty airport at 5am Arrived at Taipei!::Waiting for bus
Thankfully there was free wireless internet, so i checked on the maps. We didnt really plan much for Taipei trip so we had that 2 hours to do some readings...
Proceeded on for a coach bus that would bring us to somewhere near our hotel. When we were told to alight, it felt like a nightmare, because we didnt know where we were and shortly after, it began to drizzle.
But still, with a map, we began a long walk through the streets with our luggages. The worst part - carrying luggages down and up long flight of stairs of the underpass several times! Why don't they have escalator or pedestrian crossing??!
The long and narrow stairs::The hidden hotel in the street Our hotel::The spacious room
Finally reached our hotel at around 11am. Rested, washed-up, changed and we were out in less than 2 hours.
It was 1pm already and the first thing to do was lunch. We didnt search for long and settled on a nice looking restaurant.
The eatery::My salmon baked rice and tea for S$6 The streets::Countdown timer starts at 99!
After lunch, we took their Metro (捷运) to Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall station (中正纪念堂) where we viewed the National Theater which was under renovation, National Concert Hall and National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall (中正纪念堂, also known as Chiang Kai-Shek (CKS) Memorial Hall).
The station gates::Interior Token as ticket::Taking the train
Arriving at train station::National Theater in wrapped The memorial hall::大中至正
A model of the entire site::Locked up in exhibition CKS portrait:: His 6.3m long car and office
In the memorial hall, there was some exhibition about the historic movements that happened in Taiwan or China. The struggles and such. Also, there were some display of CKS, the former president's office and things he used.
From there, we took the train to Ximen (西门) station where Ximending (西门町)is. Ximending is a very big place with many trendy shops for the youngsters. Very crowded and very confusing for us. The clothes there also didn't quite appeal to us. Or partly also we didn't have much time to really shop.
The huge place::The streets And i tried their bubble tea, but it didnt come with pearls
After some time, we managed to find Holiday KTV (好乐迪) and hence tried some Taiwan's KTV. Haha.
Even though there were only 3 of us, but the staff gave us a room that could easily fit 12 to 15 people. There was even an attached bathroom and the songs were chosen from a touch-screen and not from remote control. The remote control was used to create lots of sound effects (for eg, singing in space, concert hall and add-in cheers and applauses). Very cool.
Holiday KTV building::The huge room and the door to the toilet Our food, too much::Choosing songs from touch-screen
But one thing, it didnt allow the option of having the singer's voice. When asked, the staff politely said they will improve next time and such feature will be added in the future. So funny.
Price wise, it was probably a bit expensive, about S$20 for 3 hours but it came with many food that we could order. Couldn't finish in the end, and even if we didnt order, they still charged the same price.
The night Ximending::The train station entrance The safety barrier at station::The above-ground station of Jiantan
After KTV, we left shortly and took the train to Jiantan (剑潭) station where Shilin Night Market (士林夜市) is.
Famous for the local food, we walked through the stalls for the shelter market but didnt have the appetite to try. Kinda of wasted but somehow, the food just didn't quite appeal to me. Then we left to the street markets...
The indoor night market::The food stalls The outdoor market::Selling 'flying Prata'?
Didn't really shop as the clothes seemed expensive (maybe due to the cheap stuffs in the USA) but still bought quite some snacks to bring back to Singapore.
Left the place in less than 2 hours and then it was almost 11pm. Back to hotel after that...
And the bad news of the day was that a typhoon was approaching Taiwan the following day and heard that it would be quite strong.
That could really potentially spoil our trip....
Day 18 (18 August '07)
The typhoon really did spoil our day.
Waking up to see that it was raining, i went back to sleep. In the end, we only get out of the hotel at 12pm. Then, it was still raining and the rain would come periodically heavy to light to heavy again.
When we thought the rain had stopped, another wave would come shortly.
But still managed to take the train to Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall (国父纪念馆) station. Armed with an umbrella, we walked to the memorial hall but unfortunately it was closed due to typhoon warning. And we were stuck outside the entrance for 30 minutes because of the heavy rain.
At the side of the memorial hall::The entrance Viewing the statue through the glass::Sun Yat Sen
But good thing was, we could see Taipei 101 from there, so we just took pictures until we got enough of it....
Glooming sky
Walked to Taipei 101 when the rain seemed lighter and along the way, we saw fallen trees and experienced strong wind. That was when my umbrella was spoilt!
Fallen trees::Taipei 101 in full view City Hall
Upclose
Taipei 101 was like a haven to us as it sheltered us from the rain, but it wasn't a shopping haven. Things were expensive, food included. But still, we had to eat our lunch. So we went to the food court...
The entrance::Food stall selling 'Singapore' food The stall that i went::My lunch that cost about S$5.50
And also in the area there are other shopping malls such as New York New York, Shin-Kong Mitshukoshi Dept. Stores (新光三月) and Vieshow Cinemas (维秀影城).
Very strong wind::Inside New York New York Huge varieties of drinks::The cheapest drink with Wu Zun, lol
Vieshow Cinemas::Protected from typhoon Floss bread::Sogo in Taipei 101
And thanks to the rain, we spent like 7 hours walking around in the malls and having dinner in Taipei 101's KFC before heading back to the hotel again...
Interior of Taipei 101
We couldnt go to another night market as they should be closed due to typhoon.
So that's how our Taipei city tour ended up. Didn't really have the time to explore much and there should be much more exciting and interesting stuffs...
Day 19 (19 August '07)
It was time to leave Taiwan.
Our flight was at 9.15am, so we checked out from the hotel early in the morning at 6.30am. And again, i believed the cab driver probably overcharged us a little for the journey from the hotel to the airport. Well, no choice again since the hotel called the cab for us and it was difficult to negotiate the rate before we hopped onto the cab.
Very packed cab::The scenery during our journey The dark sky
So after the standard procedures at the airport, it was time to board the 4+ hours flight back to Singapore.
At Taoyuan Airport::Exterior Checking in::Before entering the departure gate
Waiting to board the plane::Raining day Taking off::Meal on board
Touching down at Singapore was definitely a very mixed feeling. But it was still good to be home after 15 weeks....
.::The End::.
Finally i've come to an end of my Work & Travel posts. Even though im 4+ months late, it was still necessary to complete it and not leave them hanging....
Leaving Las Vegas, we checked out our hotel, back to Greyhound bus terminal and took our bus to Los Angeles! Along the journey, we stopped at Barstow (California) after 1.5 hours where we had our break...
Queuing for tickets::Stopping in the middle of 'desert' The shops where are made up of 'trains'
2+ hours later, we have finally reached Los Angeles at around 2.40pm!
As we walked out of the bus terminal, heading towards the local bus station, there was a loud 'thud'. Turning around, my luggage handle broke and the luggage dropped onto the ground. This made my luggage officially unable to carry anymore except physically carry it in arms.
Broken handle. So altogether, all 3 handles broke!
So to save the hassle, we skipped the public transport and took taxi directly instead...
Arrived at LA::Our hotel And it has a swimming pool but didnt have time to use::Our room
After resting for 2+ hours at the hotel, we went out finally, to explore the Downtown LA. And we chose to walk....
A view from our hotel. The skyscrapers are where we wanted to go
Well, the distance was probably like from Orchard to Marina Square, but by walking we could save on public transport and get to explore...
An advertisement in the air for a theme park (lots of money yah)::The streets of LA Crossing the road::Reaching downtown
Along the way, we thought how come LA didnt appear what we thought it was. The glitz, the glam, the urban. What we saw on the streets was much like a developing country, run-down, old and dirty buildings, houses, shops etc.
An interesting to note is we saw very few Whites. Most of the populations are Latinos and also Asians and they speak Spanish.
After walking like 45minutes or so, we reached Downtown LA. But at Downtown, the landscape changed. It felt like another Shenton Way of Singapore...
A map of the area::The tallest tower in Downtown or rather, in California and West USA Webbed
Standing under the 'webs'. Can't get enough of it.
Maybe it was already 7pm++ and off office hours, the place looked deserted. Even the shopping malls were closed. So basically, we had nothing to do. Finding a place to eat was also a problem...
Overturned cars::Actually filming for a movie?? Our dinner place::Pizza!
Ended at a small pizza restaurant only at 8pm++. And after dinner, it was time to walk back to our hotel again, since there was nothing much except office towers.
Intentionally inverted sign?::Lots of stands Expensive parking rates!! (Not just in LA actually)::The night landscape
So we were back to hotel early for once in our USA trips, even though it was still 10pm+.
More actions hopefully, the next day.....
Day 12 (12 August '07)
With a Metro Day Pass, we too a bus to a nearby metro train station and from there, we took a train to Universal City station. At the train station, we were trying to find the gates to insert our ticket or tap. But there were none. Meaning, one can just board the train without buying any tickets! It is just a walk-through thing. But of couse, if caught it is fineable.
They really trust the citizens yah. Furthermore, there were practically no staffs around to check....
They can compete with Singapore
Zooming train::Inside the train Outside Universal City::At Universal Citywalk
Yes, we were going to the Universal Studios - Hollywood! After alighting at the train station, we were lost a bit. But still, managed to find the shuttle bus busstop which will bring us to Universal Studios.
And so coincidentally, while waiting, ZY and friends turned up. Ha, after 12 days, we finally met again.
After some queue, we entered Universal Studios and began our adventure at probably 10.30am..
The iconic logo::Red carpet entrance House of Horrors::Scary posters
The place is divided into the Upper Lot and Lower Lot. Basically just upper level and lower level and we started off with the upper level. Our first stop was House of Horrors. It was like a ghost house and we had to walk through it and along the way, many 'ghosts' try to scare us. Haha...
Terminator 2: 3D::Riding the bike Cyber Grill - our lunch place::My sumptuous lunch
Next we went for Terminator 2, a 3D show where the characters actually jumped from the screen and appeared in real life and later 'walked' into the screen. Interchanging!
Lunch after that and i bought this 'All you can Eat Pass' which was supposed to be shared among the 4 of us (this was not allowed actually). With this pass, i could get a set meal at some of the food restaurants unlimitedly. It was really worth it. But i had to keep queuing up since the pass was affixed to my wrist and i had to make sure the staff didnt recognise me for keep getting food. Haha.
Coke Soak - playing with water::The streets Panoramic view
After walking around, we went for the WaterWorld show which was probably the best live show ever. It was as good as seeing it in the movie!
The setting::Getting sprayed and wet Explosive action::Getting close to the audience With one of the cast::All casts in this show
After the show, we headed on to the next attraction - Shrek 4D which of course is another 3D show but this time, the seats moved and we would get wind-blown and water-sprayed. Very interesting...
The big sign::Cute Wanted posters Louie's Pizza & Pasta::My pass::Our pasta
And we had a little break and snack - chicken pasta, garlic sticks, desert! Of course it was 'free'!
Fear Factor Live::Contestants on stage Universal's Animal Actors::Real animals on stage
Next attraction was the Fear Factor Live and they were playing with snakes, bugs and stunts. The Animal Actors showcased smart animals which movies used and could act as told.
And we got onto Back to the Future ride which is a simulator ride that brought us to scenes in the movie. Actually, lucky that we had a chance to go onto this ride as it was said to be closed on 3 September, 2007.
Then we rushed to catch the Studio Tour which would bring us to behind-the-scenes look at movie-making, the sets and props....
The entrance::Below is the area where the tour will bring us Queuing::Onboard the tram
The tour has a guide which was very good at entertaining people. Although we only saw him through the screen in the segment of our tram, he still could make us laugh. The tour guide would add in effects, videos, subtitles etc and showed us on the screen, just like a tv show.
Before::Mimicking rainfall and a flash flood After
Heroes studio?::King Kong Tokyo Drift where the cars would fly!
A train station::A gas truck came falling after that Familiar with Desperate Housewives houses?
Met an 'earthquake' and gas truck crashing down
Crashed air craft Leaving the tour::With the nice view
And after the entertaining and eye-opening tour, it was already 7pm. So we took some more pictures and went for our dinner!
With the Hollywood sign::Some famous characters And movies::The setting sun
Since we had that pass, we moved from restaurants to restaurants, trying different food. But we had to be as fast as possible as the shops were closing. And i managed to get the same food twice. Lol.
Anyway, after dinner, we left the park at around 9pm+ as it was closing. But we had yet to explore the lower level yet...
Day 13 (13 August '07)
Well, because we had not finished exploring Universal Studios, we were back again this day, made possible from our '2-days-for-the-price-of-1' ticket. Haha.
But due to some delays, we only reached Universal Studios at 1pm. Quite late actually. But first stop was the lower lot's 'Revenge of the Mummy' ride. It was like a roller coaster with little drop, sharp turns and complete with the movie Egyptian setting and special effect such as smoke, laser and wind. We went on the ride twice as we wanted to get a good ride photo, but pity didnt.
Next was the Jurassic Park ride. It was a water ride and has a huge drop. And this ride was even wetter than Disney World's and we were totally drenched.
The Mummy::Jurassic Park entrance The big splash::Drenched but KR was dry. Ha.
Then we went on for the Special Effects Stages which showed us how sounds, creatures, and other effects were made in movies. Very interactive and fun to watch. Next was the Backdraft where we were faced with blazing inferno coupled with pyrotechnics and special effects.
Special Effects::The studios Fire!::Some performance
And with that, it actually concluded our short lower lot tour. But we still walked around, visiting shops for souvenirs and taking more photos...
A sign showing various attractions::The Terminator The actual view
Camera rolling::With the sign At Citywalk::The night time
Leaving Universal Studios, we were at Citywalk which is like a mini-shopping district with shops, cinemas, restaurants.
And we spent a lot of time at the Abercrombie and Fitch shop. It was probably our last time, so it was time to get serious buying before leaving the USA.
The famous moose logo::The small entrance The clothes!
In fact, the clothes are expensive, but you sure know they are the real, original ones as compared to getting them in Singapore of dubious sources.
But still, i managed to get relatively cheap buys from the clearance sale area. Haha.
After shopping, had our dinner, and return back to the Metro, where we took the train to the Hollywood street. But it was late, we decided to return the next day.....
Day 14 (14 August '07)
This was the day we decided to really find out what Hollywood is. But first, we dug out our best attire and dressed to kill. Ha.
Once again, we took the bus and train to the Beverly Boulevard. We didnt know where to go as Hollywood comprises a big area so we chose one station and alight...
At the Metro sign::Beverly Boulevard At Sunset Boulevard
Then we realised there wasnt much attractions at Beverly Boulevard, so we took the train to Sunset Boulevard. And from there, we took another bus to the RockWalk..
The entrance
The RockWalk is just a small place where there are many handprints of various musicians on the floor and some bronze sculptures on the wall...
Handprints on the floor::With the sculptures The fake and the real
Had lunch at our favourite McDonald's and went on to Hollywood Boulevard, where the main bustles are...
Extremely small cheese on my filet::At American Eagle The huge Gap billboard::The streets
Our first stop was American Eagle and GAP and spent quite some time shopping in the shops. There was sale and the clothes were nice. Ha.
The Walk of Fame::With Britney Many famous stars
The stars that laid on the ground stretches for miles on the Hollywood street. And names on the stars are randomly placed, so it was more like luck in finding any artistes that we know.
Walking around and we ended up visiting Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium...
The entrance::The building Weird stuff:: Even weirder stuff
After the visit, we went to the Hollywood & Highland Center where it is like a shopping and entertainment complex. Also, at the courtyard, it offers a good view of the famous Hollywood sign...
At the courtyard of Hollywood and Highland Center::The very far Hollywood sign Close-up::With the sign
Then we shopped at the area where I regretted not buying Aldo shoes. One of the shoes which i tried on was US$29.90 and when i checked in Singapore's Aldo shop, it was around S$120. Sigh...
Trying on Aldo shoes(The white one is mine though)::Grauman's Chinese Theatre Kodak Theater where American Idol finale was held
Anyway, continued on to the Chinese Theater where there are hundreds of Hollywood celebrity handprints, footprints, and autographs in the cement of the forecourt.
With Donald Duck::Many prints on the ground With Harry Potter's main characters
The stars at night::The Simpsons While waiting for bus
Then we left Hollywood and decided to go to other places. But didnt in the end as YT suddenly felt unwell. So back to the hotel.
Along the way, we still managed to take away Yoshinoya as our dinner to eat back at hotel. It was already 11pm+ by the time we had our dinner...
Teriyaki Chicken
Terrible meal times we had. No wonder i could lose weight during our trips, plus carrying 40+kg of luggages and bags when moving from states to state.
Day 15 (15 August '07)
This day was an emotions-filled day. In fact, tears were shed...
Anyway, we were back at Downtown LA again as we needed to find a bank. And along the way, we detoured to see the artistic Walt Disney Concert Hall...
Performances lined up::The front The side
Then we walked along the streets, and it seemed very different from our first visit in the night. At least we saw some life.
The street::Bank of American tower
Some art-piece?::Some building? Some crowds::Some stalls
And we came upon a street with stalls selling fresh fruits, vegetables and other stuffs. Similar to our pasar malam. Ha.
Then we spent 1hour+ on traveling to Warner Brothers Studio. Well, it ain't some theme park but a real studio where the movie-making takes place.
The big sign::The entrance with security At the junction::Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny
We didn't book the tour, so it was just a short visit. Next, we probably spent 2 hours on public transport entirely to the Santa Monica Beach!
Well, it is one of the famous beaches that LA has. The other ones are Long Beach and Venice Beach which i wanted to see but didnt have the chance and time...
The warning signs::This is not Sentosa The very clean beach::The long and wide beach
The beach is very big and the feel was just so different. While i didnt really get into the water, but someone did! Haha...
The toilets at both side were disgusting::The cycling path (This is not ECP) Stepping on the soft sand::Ferris Wheel and coaster in the distant
A panoramic view The beautiful waves::On the platform that extends out to the sea
In fact, the sea that we were at is the part of the Pacific Ocean. And if move across the vast ocean, one would be at Japan!
The 'kelong-like' pier::The beach on the other side Setting sun::The mini amusement park on the pier
The misty beach with much more people on this side::The shops on the pier The map::Entrance of the beach
Spending 2hours+ on the beach wasn't that bad. And we didnt even finish exploring the beach and the surrounding community.
It was already 6.30pm when we left the beach and we gotta check out our hotel by 8pm. Taking public transport again, we managed to check out of the hotel right on the dot. Thankfully.
Yes, it was our last day in the USA.
A bit sad, but still, it was time to leave.
And so we took a cab from out hotel to the airport. We were cheated of our cab fare which was US$60 when the distance was probably only from Jurong East to Changi Airport! But whatever lah, we were already on the cab and the driver refused to yield despite telling him the fare chart inside his cab had shown otherwise.
Reaching the airport at around 9pm++, it was the usual procedures - queuing, checking in our luggages and getting our boarding passes...
In the line with our luggages::Departuring With the American Flag one last time
After that, we had our dinner finally when it was almost 11pm. McDonald's again and this time, since it was our last meal in the US, i just spent it all out and had my fullest meal. As a result, it was my most expensive McDonald's meal ever, costing US$13.08 (~S$19.75).
The departure hall::The spacious interior My Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese burger upsized meal & 10pcs Chicken McNuggets::The sauces
I managed to finish them. Think i really had starved for a very long time.
Our flight was at 1.15am and so we finally went through the security check and proceeded to our departure gates.
The poster of LAX airport::And they changed it shortly after we took the pictures At the waiting area before boarding::On board, waiting to fly
With that, our 14-week stay in USA has finally ended.
With lots of reluctances, we left USA.
Then it was another 13hours of flight to Taipei....
