Day 2 in Taipei

Being a Friday, Aibek and Jane had to go to work so I basically went around on my own that day.. it was drizzling so instead of going to Beitou to see the hot springs, I went to the National Palace Museum 1st by dropping off at Shilin and taking a bus there.. that place is huge (actually Taipei to me was huge.. so much open spaces here and there) and the architecture was beautiful.. very chinese ah..



hehehe.. there were jade and bronze sculptures, artifacts mostly dating back to Qing Dynasty, calligraphy, maps, accessories.. I stayed like 2 hours at the museum.. it was quite amazing to see with my own eyes these artifacts which were so OLD.. it's like they came alive from the pictures found in my chinese textbooks back in school =) I particularly like the Jade White Cabbage.. it looked so cute.. and the concept was quite interesting.. hehe..

Anyway after immersing myself in chinese culture and history, I got quite hungry so back to Shilin I headed.. had a nice lunch there.. Goose Meat Noodles.. you don't get much of that in Singapore cos apparently goose here in Singapore is more expensive than chicken or duck.. I was trying to pay after ordering and got some weird looks.. later I found out that in Taipei, usually people pay after eating and just before leaving.. hehe..

so after the little lunch escapade, I headed for Bei Tou to see the hot springs… actually the MRT station is Xin Bei Tou.. gotta change at Bei Tou station.. then armed with my map, I wandered around and reached the Hot Springs Museum (yes many museums around) It used to be a Public Bath House and the design was quite Japanese with a Tatami-matted hall, those huge bathing pools, the wooden apparatus and stuff.. oh you can see a stream nearby as well.. that's where the spring water flows down from the hill top (yeah it was on a hill).. after the museum, I walked further uphill and turned into this alley lined with many bathhouses shops.. following the stream up, I finally reached the top and it was like WOW.. all I could see was a huge pool with lots and lots of white steam coming out of it.. yes I had reached Hot Spring Valley (or Hell Valley in some maps)



The water was so hot you can actually see it bubbling and boiling on its surface… the place smelt a bit strange, probably the sulphur and the water looks quite blue and mineral-ly.. what a sight.. oh and I saw a sign that says "Please do not cook eggs here" hahahha.. so cute =)
Anyway, after the spring I headed back downhill again, this time walked beside a small drain with spring water... the water was still warm here.. can still see it steaming..

Reached another museum on the way.. Ketagalan Culture Center.. just a building with a few floors of info and exhibit pertaining more to the different cultures and tribes in Taiwan.. you know, the aborigines.. I was the only person in the whole place so I didn't stay too long.. =) but it was interesting la.. just that it wasn't on my planned itinerary so I didn’t wanna spend too much time there..

So back to the MRT station and off to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall.. oh my gosh that place is so HUGE!!! You'll have to walk for a while across the courtyard to reach the hall itself.. haha… but it was really grand and a sight to behold.. especially when all around the Memoral Site was modern looking buildings.. interesting contrast.. there happened to be an exhibition at the courtyard there as well featuring satellite images of places all around Taiwan.. so in a way I travelled a bit out of Taipei without actually doing it.. hahaha.. this place is definitely worth a visit for anyone who goes to Taipei =)



Oh and the Memorial Hall is also located pretty near the government buildings of Taipei.. I got a bit lost cos the roads didn't all have road signs at every junction but I managed to find the Kuo Min Tang Headquarters.. I also went to take a look at the Parliament House.. interestingly, these 2 buildings lie in a straight line facing each other.. talking about facing your opponent everyday =)

Having satisfied myself seing these 2 buildings, I walked to NTU Hospital MRT station and took the train to Long Shan Temple Station.. this was near evening already so I got to see the temple when it was all lighted up.. quite a number of people were there praying also.. it’s a lot larger than the temples I had been to in Singapore and quite serene as they played the chanting music over the PA system.. well after some photos there, I set off to look for snake alley, having read interesting stuff about what's to see there from Gitti's blog.. unfortunately, I headed in the wrong direction and got to a night market instead.. so sad I didn't see snake alley.. would have tried some snake’s meat or something.. but it was getting late and I was going to meet Jane at Houshanpi later so I headed off instead of turning back to look for the place..

Dropped off at Xi Men also for a while.. this place is a lot more modern and youthful.. youths walking everywhere, fashion shops, cinemas, fastfood outlets, maybe it was because of the rain but I didn't see anybody dressed too "weirdly" such a pity... had heard some interesting stories from Jane.. =) all in all, Xi Men is like our Orchard Road near Far East Plaza =)

So on this day, I travelled from Houshanpi to Shilin to Beitou to CKS Memorial to Long Shan to Xi Men and back again to Houshanpi all on my own.. I walked so much my legs felt weird.. hahaha.. after getting back home, Jane cooked up a nice dinner and the 3 of us sat in front of the TV and ate.. speaking of TV, they have more than 100 channels in Taipei and it’s free no need to pay for the cable channels.. Spoilt for choice I say..

Day 1 in Taipei

After a 4.5 hours flight on Jetstar Asia, I FINALLY touched down in Chiang Kai Shek International Airport Terminal 1.. well it was a pretty small airport, a few shops here and there, not many people around.. oh but it was awfully cold.. wonder why they keep it so air-conditioned =)



Anyway I headed for the bus terminal and got a ticket to Taipei City.. and then it was another hour of travelling the roads to Taipei City.. I remember being quite torn between deciding to sleep or look at the scenary.. so I looked at the scenary for a while, took some photos here and there.. and then got bored.. we were travelling through the more "villagy" part to Taipei so there wasn't too much to see.. I ended up stoning..

Luckily there were more things to see as we neared the city.. buildings, shops selling stuff, people.. but I was more intent of getting to where I wanted to go.. so at last we reached Taipei Main Station and I took the metro to Houshanpi, which is where Aibek and Jane stay.. yup I will be bunking with them for the next few days..

It was good to see familiar faces again after so much travelling.. Aibek kindly took my bag back home while Jane and I headed off for a Tepanyaki style dinner.. I didn’t take any photos of it though.. too busy talking and catching up.. haha.. Aibek was quite amused to hear the more Singlish side of Jane as we chatted..

After dinner, we went for a walk in the area.. 1st we went to Wu Fen Bu.. it’s this wholesale area that sells clothes and shoes and fashion stuff… Taiwanese Fashion is a lot more daring than Singapore I must say.. and the girls have this thing for socks.. hehe.. oh then we went to Rao He Night Market.. at last I had come to this Night Market thing which everyone in Singapore always talks about when you mention Taiwan.. well it was quite like the Pasar Malam here in Singapore.. just that they sell more stuff, and are a bit cheaper.. interesting that so many shops selling similar things at similar prices can survive so long next to each other =)



So we walked around a bit, then took a cab home.. Aibek and Jane stay in a condo (a 5 floor building cramped along the alley) and they were kind enough to host me for these days.. hehe thanks again guys!! and so ended my 1st day in Taipei… =) not bad considering that in one day, I had taken an airplane, a bus, the metro and a cab.. and not to mention having met the infamous housemate of Jane’s mentioned in her blog..