Michael & Yuhui - Our Life Journey

2006-10-31 - Day 8 - Taipei - Singapore

Our Last day! We haven’t really done much shopping for folks back home so after a nice breakfast of duck noodles (鸭肉扁), we proceeded to walk around Xi Men Ding for one last time.

Luckily just as we were about to head back after lunch a nice railroad sushi place, we found a shop selling Candy and Gift (果风小铺). We bought all sorts of chocolates shaped like condoms and breasts and various candies in different packaging and you can see Yh grinning happily at the gifts we purchased. Soon after, we headed back to hotel to freshen up and waited for our limo service to pick us up.

Taoyuan Airport T2 was all new and rather empty. We even walked back to T1 with the time to spare and felt like we entered two time zones with the old and new terminals in comparison. As we were leaving for our departure gate, we came across an exhibit on Ali Shan. Seems we got to start planning for our next trip! Alas, it’s time to head back to Singapore, wish we had more time to explore Taiwan.. definitely been a great honeymoon for us :)

*note* Came across this website on Xi Men Ding
(http://www.shimen-walker.com/）which we didn’t see before heading to Taiwan. Looks interesting for knowing what’s what in Xi Men Ding.

2006-10-30 - Day 7 - Taipei - Wu Lai

Wu Lai (乌来)

0900 With all our research done we set off to Wu Lai by first taking MRT to Xi Dian station (about 40 minutes ride) and then taking another local bus just right to Tourist Information centre to Wu Lai (NTD$65 x 2). At about 1030, we were at Wu Lai! The last time I was here, my friends and I actually walked 2 hours+ to reach Nei Dong. This time, with the slight drizzle and all, Yh and myself decided to splurge NTD$600 on a taxi ride that took just 20 minutes.

1050 The cab driver ferried us via the moutain roads to Nei Dong (内洞) and even graciously offered us his multi-coloured umbrella (made a great prop for photos ;)). He advised us to take a slow walk in and than call him when we were at the last waterfall. We proceeded to pay for the entrance fee (which didn’t need to be paid 3 years ago!) and strolled into the area. There has been quite a bit of upgrading in form of barriers etc but I honestly can’t say that much has changed other than there seems to be a lot of work going on which kinda spoilt the mood somewhat. The final waterfall was a sight to behold but alas they had erected a barrier preventing people from going near the pool. An adventurous couple had ventured down to have some tea and so we happily took some snaps before going on our merry way back to the entrance. 

1230 Only cable car access to Yun Hsien (云仙乐园) made it kinda special at first since it was situated above Wu Lai waterfall. It was pretty interesting to see the hotel built so high up and we were surprised that apparently they hold business functions here. It must be a great place to discuss business and enjoy the view! The place is apparently packed on weekends since we could see games for children. The slight drizzle made it kinda hard to enjoy and take photos but we spent some time having lunch and trying out archery at the range.

1545 We had read from the magazine that Melody Villa (水韵) was a rather nice place to visit. Since we weren’t quite sure where the place actually was except for some vague instructions from the staff, we proceeded to climb up stairs and along the roads and finally reached 30 minutes later. Unfortunately, there was a old folks group having a celebration and taking up the quaint tents. There was also a special feature whereby you could soak your legs in the spring water and a type of fish would nibble on the dead skin from your feet. We didn’t much have time since it was getting dark and so decided to skip this place and proceeded to head down back to Wu Lai town.

1645 We walked along the moutain roads to Wu Lai town. There, the locals were selling mushrooms and local products. This being a weekday, there weren’t a lot of people around which was kinda good since we didn’t have to squeeze with the crowds. We headed towards Full Moon Spa (明月温泉) to enjoy a soak and some hot tea (NTD$2000 for 2 hours private bath)

Its been a pretty long day of walking and enjoying nature. Definitely a different experience from my previous visit to this place. Overall seems a bit more touristy but still worth a visit for Nei Dong’s waterfall.

2006-10-29 - Day 6 - Taipei - Yang Ming Shan

Yang Ming Shan (阳明山)

1040 After days of waking up at 6 am, we finally took a break and set off for Yang Ming Shan. Unfortunately, we were a little sotong after listening to the hotel receptionist’s instruction of not crossing the road when taking the bus and took the wrong direction when we boarded Bus 260. By the time we realized, we had to wait 15 minutes for another bus (and it was the same bus driver!). The ride is only 15 å…ƒ so luckily only time was wasted.

1215 The bus trip up the mountain took roughly an hour and we were surprised to see quite a few schools along the way as well as a university. After getting off at the terminus, we took another leisure bus around Yang Ming Shan. We hadn’t done much research and after going on the winding road and encountering a lot of fog, we decided to just get off at Leng Shuei Keng (冷水坑) and see what we could do. Thank goodness we had decided correctly since the wind was pretty cold but refreshing and I don’t think we could have walked around for much.

1340 After a quick brunch and getting a map to orientate ourselves, we set off on a “easy” 2.2 km trail after looking at some of the public hot spring baths.

Actually, 2.2 km in normal conditions would be pretty easy but with the fog, the trail was rather slippery and we took the closer part of 2 hours to get to Jyuansih Waterfall (绢丝瀑布). It was definitely worth taking the trail and I think it would be an amazing place to work out each weekend

1600 A short 20 minutes away from Jyuansih Waterfall was Jiengshan Recreational Area (菁山游憩区). We kinda stumbled into the place without realising there would be a hot spring villa nestled in the area. Luckily, we walked the small winding road and came upon Sakura Resort (原櫻花溫泉). It was a beautiful place and we had afternoon tea enjoying the great view. The skies however wasn’t very cooperative and opened up on us.

While perusing the magazines, I happened upon an article on Wu Lai (the very place we were heading to tomorrow). The great staff at the resort graciously offered us the magazine when we requested to make a copy of the article

1730 Since it was getting pretty late to head towards Bei Tou, we decided to enjoy a 2 hour hot spring bath at the villa. Definitely worth it (NTD $1700) as we got a whole villa to ourselves!

2010 We met a helpful worker who directed us to the public bus (Bus 15) down the moutain. She actually wakes up each day at 4 am to get to her work place!

2045 Getting off at Jiantan MRT, we headed again to Shilin Night Market (士林夜市) for our dinner. One of the definite must try is Deep fried chicken fillet (豪大大鸡排) from on the front row stalls. Had it first 3 years ago and must say the singapore version is nothing like it. We also tried some BBQ Sotong (花枝) and finally had Teppanyaki (铁板烧) for the main course.

We then walked around the area a little to explore the stuff that we missed out last night and Yuhui found a nice shop that specialised in clothing/accessories from India. Guess she finally found stuff to buy as she went wild and purchased a few items there

2330 It’s been a late night for us and we headed back to Ximen Station and our great hotel at Onestar Yuhui helped make phone calls to the places to visit from the Wu Lai article and so we planned out the next day’s itinerary.

2006-10-28 - Day 5 - Taichung - Taipei

Taichung (台中)

0725 A bright morning greeted us in Taichung and we headed out. Unfortunate that the tour doesn’t let us have much time to explore the area since it seems like an interesting place to walk around. We passed a market of sorts on our way.

0905 Our first rest Stop (新竹) after hitting the roads let everyone get a quick breather and stretch out the legs. We’re near Taipei again!

Taipei (台北)

1030 Since a visit to Taipei must warrant a visit to Taipei 101, Sam drove us by some landmark buildings like the Mayor’s office and Taipei 101 to have a look. We also had a very early lunch at a hot pot restaurant. Definitely great to have some ma la steamboat.

1215 Martyr’s Shrine (忠烈祠) was our first stop of the day tour where we witnessed the change of guards. The guards performed the change of shift with amazing endurance and skill with the weapon toss.

1300 National Palace Museum (故宫博物馆) was interesting but unfortunately we couldn’t take photos inside. There were numerous antiques for viewing and apparently there is so much that all of it can’t be shown at one time. We were introduced to 4 unique items.  Bai Cai and Zhu Rou jade that looked amazingly like white lettuce and pork. Also we saw a Tian Lu and Elephant that had some meaning but unfortunately can’t quite remember it

1435 The last time I was in Taipei, we also visited Fengshui Master Mr. Liu (天禄), this time round, it seemed to be a funnier session with a whole lot of insight into numbers and our names. Apparently, the numbers 13, 9 and 4 are good numbers while 10 is bad.

1615 Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall (中正纪念堂) had a concert ongoing and an arts display so was pretty interesting to have a look in the great evening sun.

We also bought some native products that are a definite must try like pineapple tarts Taiwan style.

1815 Dinner for us was at Shilin Night Market (士林夜市). We had a few items like 棺材板 (Bread toasted with ingredients “buried” inside) and also a pasty that wasn’t too great called 大饼包小饼. One of the definite must try is mango ice shavings (芒果冰). We didn’t much like 生炒三鲜羹 which is a mix of various seafood in a stew.

1945 Everyone was parting ways this night as some were traveling back to Singapore and others were staying on. Two of us had booked ourselves into Onestar Hotel (万事达酒店) near Xi Men Ding. The hotel is great (location and room) and we would heartily book it again next time we’re in Taipei

Geotagging and Flickr on our Taiwan trip

2006-10-24 Taiwan Photo Map

Originally uploaded by m.ong.

Thanks to a recent purchase of the Sony GPS-CS1, we’re able to capture photos and where we took them. It’s pretty interesting to see the actual location where we took a photo and have an overview on a map on Flickr.

2006-10-27 - Day 4 - Kaoshiung - Taichung

Kaoshiung (高雄)

0900 Our first stop of the day whilst still in Kaoshiung was Spring and Autumn Pavilion (春秋阁). Here, there are three different pagodas that we visited (Long Hu, Guan Yin, Xiong Di Gong).

1000 Our next stop was to visit a fresh water cultivated pearl factory. Had to sit through a short video and explaination of how consuming pearl powder is beneficial to complexion. It was all rather interesting but again another expensive luxury item

1230 Fo Guang Shan (佛光山) was definitely a more interesting place to visit as we opted for a short climb up the slopes while some other members chose to take the golf buggy up. Definitely well worth the effort since the view of Buddha was breath taking. It was also Fo Guang Shan’s 40th anniversary, made me wonder how they constructed all this 40 years ago! We also visited another temple with 3 Buddha’s inside that was very grand and spacious.

1400 We hit the freeway as we left Fo Guang Shan for our next destination.

Taichung (台中)

1645 Chi Lin Fong Hot Spring (麒麟峰温泉) was our very first hot spring! There were a couple of mild 35°C baths but the one that really kept my attention was the 40°C bath… In the cool weather, it was a godsend to soak one’s tired body into it. In our excitement at the public bath, we forgot to take photos and in the end ended up with only photos of the exterior and 2 eggs cooked in the hot spring

1845 We had a chance to visit another night market called Fong Jia Night Market (逢甲夜市). As usual, things were beginning to look the same to us at the night markets so it was a quick walk around. There was a lot of activity and would be interesting to visit the smaller lanes if we had more time. Walking along one of the roads brought us to a snack I first had 3 years ago when I first visited Taipei.. Hot Potatoes mashed up and served in its skin with toppings of your choice. It was definitely great to try it again

2100 Our hotel was right next to a shopping centre and so being night birds that we were, we headed right over to have a look. Everything’s pretty much the same as Singapore except that it was much larger and definitely pretty empty, guess the week day night had a lot to do with it. Had a quick shop for supplies at Carrefour and it was time to get some snooze time.

2006-10-26 - Day 3 - Taroko Gorge - Kaoshiung

Taroko Gorge (太鲁阁)

0830 After breakfast and half hour bus journey, we arrived at a local doctor’s shop to view Wild Ling Zhi that’s picked from the nearby Qi Lai Moutain. Apparently, consuming Ling Zhi involves immersing slices of 天 (horizontal cut) and 地 (vertical cut) into hot water to make tea. Ling Zhi has the effect of detoxifying the body (takes 100 days to change the immune system and 300 days to raise the level of immunity). Its pretty expensive stuff since it takes a long time to grow in the wild.

1000 We headed towards Taroko Gorge and visited 长春桥 and 天祥庙. It was a pretty interesting short walk and took the opportunity to take some photos. 天祥庙 was built to commemorate the engineers who built the bridge at Taroko. Well worth a visit if you happen to be headed towards the area. 

1230 After a hearty lunch, we travelled doing Hua Dong Road towards Kaoshiung.

1600 Lots of country side farms and small towns later, we’re finally near Kaoshiung but there’s still more travelling to go! We even passed a place where there is white water rafting.

Kaoshiung (高雄)

2000 We’re finally in Kaoshiung.. After a brief rest stop, we finally got into the city area and headed for dinner at a restaurant. Food was so-so with a tiny morsel of lobster as the “highlight”.

2100 One of the tourist spots is Shinkuchan Shopping Centre (新掘江商场) on Wufu Road (五福路). Its pretty much like any other night market so can’t say we really enjoyed our hour there. We did however catch sight of a building that looked mysteriously like Vivocity!

2230 Since the previous night market didn’t quite satisfy our curiosity of the city, we headed out right after unloading our lugguage into the hotel room. This time, our destination was Liuho Night Market(六合夜市). It was brisk 15 minutes away although we did ask for directions once and realised it was just one street away Liuho is a long road of food stalls and definitely very lively at night. After a nice supper of 豆花, it was time to head back and get some rest.

2006-10-25 - Day 2 - Yeh Liu - Jiu Fen - Hua Lien

Yeh Liu (野柳)

0600 We woke up early (0600 morning call!). The good thing about tours, is that you wake up early and get to see more.. The bad thing about tours? Waking up early

0845 Our first stop of the day was windy Yeh Liu. It was about an hour travel from our hotel (Kilin Hotel). The day was very sunny and great for taking photos. We spent about 30 minutes or so walking around, looking at the famous queen’s head rock. Managed to catch a photo of a lady as she struggled with her umbrella and the wind (she won).

Almost couldn’t get a nice shot because of all the tourists but in end managed to catch a snap of a fisherman who was walking back from a day’s catch (wonder if he’s the same person I saw three years ago?).

Also took a photo of this little guard house up on the hill when we were leaving although it doesn’t seem to be in use anymore.

Jiu Fen (九份)

1030 Our next stop was Jiu Fen (九份), a kinda touristy place which has this long lane along the slope of the moutain we were on. Sam mentioned that the place used to have nine families (hence the name Jiu Fen). Of course, its a crowded place now.. Lots of tourists visit the place.. They do have quite nice food there. First stall sells beef noodles and a few shops down there is a nice fish ball shop also. Walking all the way up brought us to a nice place to take in the scenic coastal view… With a little more time, I think it would be worth it to relax at the numerous cafes and enjoy a morning there.

Su Ao Harbour (苏澳港)

1430 We stopped at 苏澳港 on our way to Hua Lien. There was temple with three different types of 妈祖 (Wooden, Jade, Gold) on 3 levels. Was rather interesting to see the sculptures and carvings on the doors. There wasn’t much else to to do since it was a rest stop after all… Bought us a huge fried prawn tidbit and off we went. 

Hua Lien (花连)

1630 to 1700 Had a traffic hold-up on 苏花公路 due to repairs to the mountain face to prevent rock slides on the mountain roads so Sam was worried we would be late reaching Hua Lien (花连).

1730 We managed to reach in time after all for Ami Aboriginal Show in Hualien. The show was okay.. not sure I would go watch it again since its all rather showy. Didn’t really feel that the person performing the tribal chief was authentic but then I guess its all part of the show. Dinner was just next to the performance which was great since we were pretty hungry by then.

2000 Reached Union Hotel (国统大饭店)! We quickly headed up to our room (326) to stow the luggage. Since it was really too early to go to sleep, we wanted explore the town a little but quickly realised we were on the quieter side. Luckily, we managed to head in the right direction where most of the activity was and did some quick shopping at a department store. That’s when we chanced upon a nice litle cafe “Les Duex Magut Cafe n Tea” on  Jian Guo Rd. Sec. 1 (建国路一段). 

The cafe was a two-storey building where the top floor had swings for chairs! Felt very cosy and certainly interesting as we enjoyed our desserts. The bottom floor actually had half of the area dedicated to cats! There were all sorts of cats that drew close when we approached and definitely glad we explored to end the second night. 

2006-10-24 - Day 1 - Singapore - Taipei

It’s time for our honeymoon! Our parents picked us up to head to Changi T2 very early in the morning. (tip: next time we’re going to do internet check-in!) After a quick 4 hour flight from Singapore, we were picked up by Sam from Polo Travels at Taoyuan Airport. All thoughts of it being a cosy tour were vaporised when we realised we were travelling with 7 other groups on the 40-seater coach. Well, this was going to be interesting…

Xi Men Ding (西门町)

Since we had some free time and I was pretty familiar with Xi Men Ding, we headed out as soon as we got our room at Kilin Hotel (definitely not our first choice of a 3-star hotel). Our first stop for food was of course Ah Zong Mian Xian. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in Xi Men Ding. Also note the push carts full of food. (they mysteriously vanish into small alleys once the cops arrive)

Taipei 101 (台北 101)

Not wanting to waste any time, we took the Metro (Taipei’s MRT) to Taipei City Hall Station. Was pleasantly surprised to see they had implemented and ezy-link type system and even had barriers for safety at the open tracks (wonder when we’ll get this?). After walking out of the station, there was a free shuttle service (Shuttle 101) to Taipei 101 to catch the night sights. We spent 350 NTD each to take the lift up one of the world’s tallest building (My last time was in Shanghai and I must say lift technology is amazing… very quick rides both ways!).

Wufenpu Fashion Area (五分埔)

A quick 2 stops away to Houshanpi Station and 5 minutes of walking later, we were at Wufenpu Fashion Area.. There were streets and streets of different apparels for bulk purchase (or the occasional shopper). Scooters and staff weaved through the small roads to deliver goods. Definitely interesting place visit if you’re into shopping for clothes! (We saw so many types and variations it was hard to know where to start).

Raohe Night Market (绕河夜市)

Further down from Houshanpi was a night market I had visited 3 years ago, Rao He Night Market.. This time round I entered from another entrance since we crossed Songshan Station (Railway). Yh and myself had a nice dinner of Lu Rou Fan (鲁肉饭) and also ice topped with mango, strawberries and kiwi. Packed ourselves a nice bowl of almond jelly back to hotel for supper. Pretty eventful first day for us and we were quite tired since we walked to most of the spots but definitely more fun to walk around and see the sights

Back at Wulai Nei Dong

Back at Wulai Nei DongOriginally uploaded by m.ong.

Two years ago, i came here with a group of friends. Silly us actually walked two hours to see this waterfall. Had a lot of fun but super tiring. This time round i took a bit of a short cut and used a cab. Took 20 min and strolled in with yh still think its a beautiful place even with the slight drizzle