Thursday, December 28, 2006
Down
Dawn was breaking.
Energies spent on being hyped up.
The illusion of a possible solution out of the darkness.
Hype lasted but for the moment.
Jitters while seeking confirmation.
A simple scan.
An intense stare.
And the world started crumbling.
Paranoia! Fluster!
The heart pumping fast.
The tears swelling up.
Compose! Compose! Composure!
It can't be true... no, not this!
Why me?
No... don't take this away from me...
Not the life-saver...
Back to Square 1.
A heavy heart.
Energies wasted.
Dumbfounded.
Stone.
Is this finalized?
Yes it is. Nonchalantly.
Shocked.
No. Not now. Seriously.
Lord, help me please!
Lord, please help me!
With me?
Slightly comforted.
Glimpse of hope.
Composed.
Ok. Now.
Rationale explained.
We prepared you.
But still...
How about the promise?
Negotiation made through connections.
Play the game. You sink or you float.
Or backing you must have.
Or be like a lamb up for sacrifice.
Innocent as a lamb, shrewd as a snake.
Latter I am not.
Suffer I will.
Struggle I will.
Pray I must. Pray hard I must.
Strength I need. Courage I need.
Wisdom I need. Perseverance I need.
Trust in God I must.
Provide He will.
Every single thing. Small and insignificant.
To the best I shall thrust.
NOT for men!
NOT for pride!
But for the GLORY OF GOD!
Angels in the vicinity.
Visible or invisible.
Tangible or intangible.
Thank you anyway.
Thank you my Lord.
Thank you.
Energies spent on being hyped up.
The illusion of a possible solution out of the darkness.
Hype lasted but for the moment.
Jitters while seeking confirmation.
A simple scan.
An intense stare.
And the world started crumbling.
Paranoia! Fluster!
The heart pumping fast.
The tears swelling up.
Compose! Compose! Composure!
It can't be true... no, not this!
Why me?
No... don't take this away from me...
Not the life-saver...
Back to Square 1.
A heavy heart.
Energies wasted.
Dumbfounded.
Stone.
Is this finalized?
Yes it is. Nonchalantly.
Shocked.
No. Not now. Seriously.
Lord, help me please!
Lord, please help me!
With me?
Slightly comforted.
Glimpse of hope.
Composed.
Ok. Now.
Rationale explained.
We prepared you.
But still...
How about the promise?
Negotiation made through connections.
Play the game. You sink or you float.
Or backing you must have.
Or be like a lamb up for sacrifice.
Innocent as a lamb, shrewd as a snake.
Latter I am not.
Suffer I will.
Struggle I will.
Pray I must. Pray hard I must.
Strength I need. Courage I need.
Wisdom I need. Perseverance I need.
Trust in God I must.
Provide He will.
Every single thing. Small and insignificant.
To the best I shall thrust.
NOT for men!
NOT for pride!
But for the GLORY OF GOD!
Angels in the vicinity.
Visible or invisible.
Tangible or intangible.
Thank you anyway.
Thank you my Lord.
Thank you.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Taiwan Day 6 - Alishan and Danshui
7/12/06
We headed out for the Sunrise tour of Alishan before daybreak, obviously. Heh. I tell you, it was so cold that I was shivering hard and my teeth were chattering! But I grit them and survived it in my hardy windbreaker.
That's me freezing... this picture reminds me of Australia... it seems like I'm on a farm because of the fences around!
Heh. The splendid view laid before us made everything worth it. God is amazing!
This was the sunset which captured my attention. Its gentle colours blended into the sky... its beauty accentuated by the mountain range... and the cool weather made everything more than perfect.
Little did I know that this would be the nicest sunrise picture I would take that day! Haha!
There I was... on the mountain road... early in the morning when vehicles do not pass by that often, other than tour vans and buses on the sunrise tour.
This was the spot where we were to admire the sun rising up, fitting itself somewhat into a notch at the peak of the mountain ridge. We watched and we watched, but the weather was bad that day and the sun was lazy. Hence we had no beautiful photo of the sun! Haha! What a wonderful sunrise tour!
But we did take photos of the alluring scenery to comfort ourselves.
More scenery of Alishan...
Couple trees. The one on the left is the wife, while the one on the right is the husband. They suffered a forest fire and ended up like that. However, there's still beauty in them, though it gives me a gothic feel... especially when a black crow landed on one of its branches!
The Alishan people created a myth, saying that if you are a single lady, you should take photo with the husband tree, and a single male to take a photo with the wife tree, and send the photo to your target. If you're a couple planning to get married, you should take a couple photo with the couple trees. And if I remember correctly, if you are a married lady planning a divorce, to take a photo with the wife tree, and vice-versa. Hmmm....
Since we are on the topic of trees, and since the sun was too lazy to rise and exhibit its majesty, we went around admiring trees! And this tree is several thousand years old! Look at what a mammoth it is! And how teeny YP is! Hahaha!
Yep, there were monkeys to make our sunrise tour less of a failure as well. Heh. Red faces... not red butts like baboons. And furry, to keep them warm...
More animals for entertainment? A puppy tries to befriend a bulldog...
I even caught duckies in action in the pond! Entertaining themselves! Heh. And I took a video of it! Hahaha! =)
And this was me entertaining myself.
Yep, so that was Alishan for us.
We returned to Taipei and headed straight for Danshui for some good food and shopping, since it was our last night in Taiwan. My impression of Danshui was always good, and the feeling it gave me this time round was as comfortable too! =)
Danshui Night Market
And guess what YP pointed out there?? (Nope, that is NOT my Chinese name!)
More pigging out for us! What a feast! *BIG GRIN*
Look at YP and her mushrooms and aloe vera jelly drink? The expression on her face when she first bit into the mushrooms was one of bliss! Haha!
Cuttlefish before they were grilled.
Me eating the grilled cuttlefish...
Me and my pink guava.... where else can we find pink guava?? I love them so much!
Before I forget, let me relate to you a joke which was pasted on the wall, which stared right at you when you pee-d.
Xiao Qiang (not the gar1 chua4!): Wei4 she3 me4 ni3 jia1 yang3 mao1? (Why do you have a cat at home?)
Xiao Mei: Ying1 wei4 wo3 jia1 bu4 neng2 yang3 gou3. (Because I can't have a dog at home.)
Xiao Qiang: Wei4 she3 me4 ni3 jia1 bu4 neng2 yang3 gou3? (Why can't you have a dog at home?)
Xiao Mei: Ying1 wei4 wo3 jia1 yang3 mao1...(Because I have a cat at home.)
Heh. Was the purpose of this to make us pee more?
Oh, toilets... let me illustrate our hotel toilet to you!
(Nothing extraordinary right? Heh. I remember making Chien pose like that when we were in KL! Hahaha!)
This was taken through the see-through part on the top of the toilet wall, with YP standing on the bed.
Me in a fish tank. This was the bottom see-through part of the door.
Do you get the idea? The toilet door was transparent at the top, and at the bottom! And the door was a sliding one without a lock! Even the shower room inside was totally transparent! It was weird in the sense that the bed was right beside the toilet, and if you stand on the bed and peek into the toilet, you get a CLEAR, FULL VIEW of everything inside!
*Ahem* Purpose?
Anyway, it was time to leave Taipei the next day, so we tried out the normal food that locals eat almost everyday. Their chap4 chai4 rice, in a paper box. I recommended the street I had stumbled upon several days ago.
BBQ chicken with rice and 3 side dishes. Cheap and totally yummilicious and filling! What a treat! Heh.
Yep, so that's all for my Taiwan blog!
Taiwan is really quite an enjoyable destination. It's easy for Singaporean Chinese in terms of communication, and the culture is similar. Great food, shopping and natural landscapes! I recommend! (Is the Taiwanese Tourism Board gonna pay me for this promotion? Hmm... in terms of food also can! Haha!)
Where next??
We headed out for the Sunrise tour of Alishan before daybreak, obviously. Heh. I tell you, it was so cold that I was shivering hard and my teeth were chattering! But I grit them and survived it in my hardy windbreaker.
That's me freezing... this picture reminds me of Australia... it seems like I'm on a farm because of the fences around!
Heh. The splendid view laid before us made everything worth it. God is amazing!
This was the sunset which captured my attention. Its gentle colours blended into the sky... its beauty accentuated by the mountain range... and the cool weather made everything more than perfect.
Little did I know that this would be the nicest sunrise picture I would take that day! Haha!
There I was... on the mountain road... early in the morning when vehicles do not pass by that often, other than tour vans and buses on the sunrise tour.
This was the spot where we were to admire the sun rising up, fitting itself somewhat into a notch at the peak of the mountain ridge. We watched and we watched, but the weather was bad that day and the sun was lazy. Hence we had no beautiful photo of the sun! Haha! What a wonderful sunrise tour!
But we did take photos of the alluring scenery to comfort ourselves.
More scenery of Alishan...
Couple trees. The one on the left is the wife, while the one on the right is the husband. They suffered a forest fire and ended up like that. However, there's still beauty in them, though it gives me a gothic feel... especially when a black crow landed on one of its branches!
The Alishan people created a myth, saying that if you are a single lady, you should take photo with the husband tree, and a single male to take a photo with the wife tree, and send the photo to your target. If you're a couple planning to get married, you should take a couple photo with the couple trees. And if I remember correctly, if you are a married lady planning a divorce, to take a photo with the wife tree, and vice-versa. Hmmm....
Since we are on the topic of trees, and since the sun was too lazy to rise and exhibit its majesty, we went around admiring trees! And this tree is several thousand years old! Look at what a mammoth it is! And how teeny YP is! Hahaha!
Yep, there were monkeys to make our sunrise tour less of a failure as well. Heh. Red faces... not red butts like baboons. And furry, to keep them warm...
More animals for entertainment? A puppy tries to befriend a bulldog...
I even caught duckies in action in the pond! Entertaining themselves! Heh. And I took a video of it! Hahaha! =)
And this was me entertaining myself.
Yep, so that was Alishan for us.
We returned to Taipei and headed straight for Danshui for some good food and shopping, since it was our last night in Taiwan. My impression of Danshui was always good, and the feeling it gave me this time round was as comfortable too! =)
Danshui Night Market
And guess what YP pointed out there?? (Nope, that is NOT my Chinese name!)
More pigging out for us! What a feast! *BIG GRIN*
Look at YP and her mushrooms and aloe vera jelly drink? The expression on her face when she first bit into the mushrooms was one of bliss! Haha!
Cuttlefish before they were grilled.
Me eating the grilled cuttlefish...
Me and my pink guava.... where else can we find pink guava?? I love them so much!
Before I forget, let me relate to you a joke which was pasted on the wall, which stared right at you when you pee-d.
Xiao Qiang (not the gar1 chua4!): Wei4 she3 me4 ni3 jia1 yang3 mao1? (Why do you have a cat at home?)
Xiao Mei: Ying1 wei4 wo3 jia1 bu4 neng2 yang3 gou3. (Because I can't have a dog at home.)
Xiao Qiang: Wei4 she3 me4 ni3 jia1 bu4 neng2 yang3 gou3? (Why can't you have a dog at home?)
Xiao Mei: Ying1 wei4 wo3 jia1 yang3 mao1...(Because I have a cat at home.)
Heh. Was the purpose of this to make us pee more?
Oh, toilets... let me illustrate our hotel toilet to you!
(Nothing extraordinary right? Heh. I remember making Chien pose like that when we were in KL! Hahaha!)
This was taken through the see-through part on the top of the toilet wall, with YP standing on the bed.
Me in a fish tank. This was the bottom see-through part of the door.
Do you get the idea? The toilet door was transparent at the top, and at the bottom! And the door was a sliding one without a lock! Even the shower room inside was totally transparent! It was weird in the sense that the bed was right beside the toilet, and if you stand on the bed and peek into the toilet, you get a CLEAR, FULL VIEW of everything inside!
*Ahem* Purpose?
Anyway, it was time to leave Taipei the next day, so we tried out the normal food that locals eat almost everyday. Their chap4 chai4 rice, in a paper box. I recommended the street I had stumbled upon several days ago.
BBQ chicken with rice and 3 side dishes. Cheap and totally yummilicious and filling! What a treat! Heh.
Yep, so that's all for my Taiwan blog!
Taiwan is really quite an enjoyable destination. It's easy for Singaporean Chinese in terms of communication, and the culture is similar. Great food, shopping and natural landscapes! I recommend! (Is the Taiwanese Tourism Board gonna pay me for this promotion? Hmm... in terms of food also can! Haha!)
Where next??
Taiwan Day 5 - Alishan
7/12/06
We left early this morning to catch the train to Chiayi. However, the earliest train would reach Chiayi at 110pm, whuch would cut us quite close to the departure of the Alpine Train to Alishan. Moreover, the train to Chiayi was so packed that YP and myself were allocated to separate carriages. Not that she minded... cos she ended up talking to an old man for 3 full hours, in which the old man then presented her with a box full of 20 Tai4 Yang2 Bing3 (Sun biscuits) as a gift, and an enormous pear. Haha! While I entertained myself with the scenery...
And I came upon these contrails... which reminded me of the company at East Coast, and of Shutch in US with me last year.
I dashed out of the train when it pulled over at Chiayi. I rushed to the ticket counter to purchase tickets for the Alpine Train. To my horror, my biggest fear surfaced.
Guy behind counter: "Yi3 jing1 mai4 wan2 le4." (It's sold out already.)
Oh man! Why like that?
And all this time while I was trying to remain calm and plan for the next course of action, a lady kept tugging at me and asking where I was going. I thought it had to be some sort of scam, but I was desperate... and she might have a way out for me. I just needed to be shrewd. So I talked to her to find out more.
Lady: I have 2 tickets for the alpine train.
Me: A-huh... (matter-of-factly... But my actual thought was...."Whoah... There's still hope! My only concern was how much extra bucks she wanted to make off this desperate soul.)
Lady: Same price as the train station.
Me: Really? (My eyes shot wide open when she didn't even try to make an extra dollar off me! Strange right? Then what's her motive?)
Lady: Have you booked a hotel?
Me: Nope.
Lady: How about Yingjia Hotel?
Me: Okie... How much? (I had studied Lonely Planet thoroughly and knew the hotels and their price range.... luckily...)
And she quoted me the same price as in Lonely Planet... what? She's really not going to make any extra off me?!!
Lady: Have you booked your sunrise tour?
Me: Nope. (But knowing that I will book it anyway cos that's THE thing to see in Alishan. And considering whether to trust her or not.... I did anyway!)
So we paid her deposit and she wrote stuff on the receipts she had given, gave us her namecard, and led us to the Alpine train and ushered us to our seats. There, I met an NIE GESL friend! He asked if I had just arrived, and was curious to know how I had managed to obtain seats. Apparently, he had arrived 2 hours before and had bought the last 4 seats on the train! My my.... I really have to thank God for sending an angel down to bless us!
Anyway, this is the Alpine train, and YP and myself in it. Exciting right? It's really like a toy-train... and it transports us through different vegetation, based on change in climate... from trtopical to sub-tropical to temperate. It resembles a botanic tour! From coconut trees, pineapple plantation to betel nut trees to cabbage plantation to bamboo trees to fir trees!! *grin*
Did you know that betel nut trees are these tall? (I didn't... but YP learnt it from her friendly companion - the old man. Haha!)
Cut in the mountain for the Alpine Train's track. (How will that destabilze the mountain? But for the sake of tourism dollars?)
After 3 hours of a noisy but interesting roller-coaster-like train ride, we finally arrived at Alishan... the most-talked about place. And they really do play "Alishan the gu-niang" on the train! Hahaha!
Railway track at Alishan
My first photo at Alishan... where it was seriously freezing. (Well, it's real winter there, I would say. And poor me had to survive with just my windbreaker, or resort to renting a winter coat from the hotel.
And this is why it's worth it... Cloud-covered mountains.
When we arrived, the sun was due to set. And my oh my... it was so enchanting! So much so that I was even disgruntled over the hotel staff picking us up from the station! We hurriedly checked in, dumped our stuff in the room and can you believe it... YP even ran up and down the slope to get back to the station just to catch the sunset! I was impressed, and ran even faster!
Isn't it all just so enchanting? You really just wonder at God's creation, so much so that it makes your heart skip, just by admiring his art.
This is the picture of Alishan, nice hor?
I took this photo leh.. impressive right? It was a photo of the picture on the wall! Hahaha!!
We were hungry as we hadn't eaten the whole day, and the fact that we were cold made our tummies growl even more. But we were also short of cash, so we had to eat something economical yet filling. We decided on a hotpot place... the price was reasonable and one hotpot could fill us both up comfortably. Also, the lady mentioned that she could offer us free rice. Hahaha! So gian4 beng3 hor? I even pushed the offer to the waiter, saying that we were offered free rice. (I usually wouldn't be so cheap-skate... but I guess when you're poor... you do things out of the ordinary... Hee. Desperate measures, just for 2 bowls of rice...)
The hotpot and heap of rice that made us grin from ear to ear and warmed our bodies and made our tummies happy.
Can I please start on my rice now?
Notice the 2 rabbits? They made me laugh continuously! Haha! "First you bite one ear off, then you bite the other... now it has no more ears..." (To the tune of "Nobody likes me... everybody hates me... I'm gonna eat some worms..." Hahaha!)
What a satisfying meal! *Grin*
Back at the hotel, where we resorted to a photoshoot. We repositioned the lighting and all to get the best effect. Professional hor? =)
And we retired to bed... on that hard hard bed, with our long pants, socks, and jackets, snuggled under the huge and heavy blanket... tossing and turning till it was dawn. Time for the sunrise tour!
We left early this morning to catch the train to Chiayi. However, the earliest train would reach Chiayi at 110pm, whuch would cut us quite close to the departure of the Alpine Train to Alishan. Moreover, the train to Chiayi was so packed that YP and myself were allocated to separate carriages. Not that she minded... cos she ended up talking to an old man for 3 full hours, in which the old man then presented her with a box full of 20 Tai4 Yang2 Bing3 (Sun biscuits) as a gift, and an enormous pear. Haha! While I entertained myself with the scenery...
And I came upon these contrails... which reminded me of the company at East Coast, and of Shutch in US with me last year.
I dashed out of the train when it pulled over at Chiayi. I rushed to the ticket counter to purchase tickets for the Alpine Train. To my horror, my biggest fear surfaced.
Guy behind counter: "Yi3 jing1 mai4 wan2 le4." (It's sold out already.)
Oh man! Why like that?
And all this time while I was trying to remain calm and plan for the next course of action, a lady kept tugging at me and asking where I was going. I thought it had to be some sort of scam, but I was desperate... and she might have a way out for me. I just needed to be shrewd. So I talked to her to find out more.
Lady: I have 2 tickets for the alpine train.
Me: A-huh... (matter-of-factly... But my actual thought was...."Whoah... There's still hope! My only concern was how much extra bucks she wanted to make off this desperate soul.)
Lady: Same price as the train station.
Me: Really? (My eyes shot wide open when she didn't even try to make an extra dollar off me! Strange right? Then what's her motive?)
Lady: Have you booked a hotel?
Me: Nope.
Lady: How about Yingjia Hotel?
Me: Okie... How much? (I had studied Lonely Planet thoroughly and knew the hotels and their price range.... luckily...)
And she quoted me the same price as in Lonely Planet... what? She's really not going to make any extra off me?!!
Lady: Have you booked your sunrise tour?
Me: Nope. (But knowing that I will book it anyway cos that's THE thing to see in Alishan. And considering whether to trust her or not.... I did anyway!)
So we paid her deposit and she wrote stuff on the receipts she had given, gave us her namecard, and led us to the Alpine train and ushered us to our seats. There, I met an NIE GESL friend! He asked if I had just arrived, and was curious to know how I had managed to obtain seats. Apparently, he had arrived 2 hours before and had bought the last 4 seats on the train! My my.... I really have to thank God for sending an angel down to bless us!
Anyway, this is the Alpine train, and YP and myself in it. Exciting right? It's really like a toy-train... and it transports us through different vegetation, based on change in climate... from trtopical to sub-tropical to temperate. It resembles a botanic tour! From coconut trees, pineapple plantation to betel nut trees to cabbage plantation to bamboo trees to fir trees!! *grin*
Did you know that betel nut trees are these tall? (I didn't... but YP learnt it from her friendly companion - the old man. Haha!)
Cut in the mountain for the Alpine Train's track. (How will that destabilze the mountain? But for the sake of tourism dollars?)
After 3 hours of a noisy but interesting roller-coaster-like train ride, we finally arrived at Alishan... the most-talked about place. And they really do play "Alishan the gu-niang" on the train! Hahaha!
Railway track at Alishan
My first photo at Alishan... where it was seriously freezing. (Well, it's real winter there, I would say. And poor me had to survive with just my windbreaker, or resort to renting a winter coat from the hotel.
And this is why it's worth it... Cloud-covered mountains.
When we arrived, the sun was due to set. And my oh my... it was so enchanting! So much so that I was even disgruntled over the hotel staff picking us up from the station! We hurriedly checked in, dumped our stuff in the room and can you believe it... YP even ran up and down the slope to get back to the station just to catch the sunset! I was impressed, and ran even faster!
Isn't it all just so enchanting? You really just wonder at God's creation, so much so that it makes your heart skip, just by admiring his art.
This is the picture of Alishan, nice hor?
I took this photo leh.. impressive right? It was a photo of the picture on the wall! Hahaha!!
We were hungry as we hadn't eaten the whole day, and the fact that we were cold made our tummies growl even more. But we were also short of cash, so we had to eat something economical yet filling. We decided on a hotpot place... the price was reasonable and one hotpot could fill us both up comfortably. Also, the lady mentioned that she could offer us free rice. Hahaha! So gian4 beng3 hor? I even pushed the offer to the waiter, saying that we were offered free rice. (I usually wouldn't be so cheap-skate... but I guess when you're poor... you do things out of the ordinary... Hee. Desperate measures, just for 2 bowls of rice...)
The hotpot and heap of rice that made us grin from ear to ear and warmed our bodies and made our tummies happy.
Can I please start on my rice now?
Notice the 2 rabbits? They made me laugh continuously! Haha! "First you bite one ear off, then you bite the other... now it has no more ears..." (To the tune of "Nobody likes me... everybody hates me... I'm gonna eat some worms..." Hahaha!)
What a satisfying meal! *Grin*
Back at the hotel, where we resorted to a photoshoot. We repositioned the lighting and all to get the best effect. Professional hor? =)
And we retired to bed... on that hard hard bed, with our long pants, socks, and jackets, snuggled under the huge and heavy blanket... tossing and turning till it was dawn. Time for the sunrise tour!
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Taiwan Day 4 - Free and Easy
6/12/06
I suggested taking a break from adventures today and relaxing. We headed for Ba Fang for our favourite guotie... It's only$0.20 a piece, you know? Good deal leh... And it's so good! You can trust me on that! *grin*
We were both tired and when YP waved the idea of returning to the hotel for a siesta in front of me. It was tempting, so we split. She headed for Ximending. But I changed my mind and headed to Taipei City Hall instead. I felt the cool cool wind and took comfort in it, even though there was a slight drizzle. Even Taipei 101 felt the effects! (It's the tallest building in Taiwan.) Look! It's as if it has only been constructed halfway, or that the top part has been burnt away! *touchwood*
I wanted to walk opposite the street from the station the last time, but didn't. So since I had the time, I went to explore. It was a fun experience. It turned out that there were many xiao3 chi1 stalls there, selling all sorts of food, from fusion to English afternoon tea places to beef noodles to shui3 jian1 bao1 to goose meat to Vietnamese. As i walked on and soaked in the atmosphere of it all as scooters and cars whizzed past me, I realised this was what I liked about travelling. The non-tourists places, the ones you just happen to stumble upon, the places which locals frequent, covering as many miles as possible into the unknown....
The one tangible reward I got from the gallivanting was a mixed mushroom pancake. I had bio-ed at t when I walked past it, and decided that I would try it out on my way back. It's like the guo-tie skin which was pan-fried, but it had a pocket-full of all kinds of mushrooms! Oh gosh! I was elated! It was incredibly mouthwatering!! Since I wanted a photo and not want people to deem me insane, I hid in a park and took a self-portrait. Hee.
Next stop was Sin Guang San Yue the shopping mall. I took a break and bought a red bean vampire-looking (cos it's white) muachi bread to sit at the classy food court for a rest. Heh.
As I was studying Lonely Planet for newer pastures, Linsen N Road sounded attractive as it is supposedly populated with Japanese stores. I took a train to Shandao Temple and started navigating my way around. I stumbled upon a roadside muachi stall, and so decided to try it. Indulgence in gastronomical tourism. Hee.
It's quite cool. He has a gigantic ball of muachi, which he makes tiny balls off. Next he cuts a slit into the tiny ball and stuffs sesame and sugar mixture into it. Finally he rolls it in peanut and sugar mixture, and sells them individually. Interesting.
And that's me tasting the muachi in my hotel room. A self-portrait. Hee.
As I walked on, I took in the sights, the sounds... all of it. Can you imagine a satisfied smile on my face with every step I take, every corner I turn, every shop I see? It was really an eye-opener and a satisfaction to just wander around. *Grin*
A huge building at a junction...
Silhouette of the road near where we stay...
A night market specialising in take-away food (veg rice) which I stumbled upon cos I had followed the locals and turned into some ulu-ated street which led into a dark alley, not knowing where it would lead me to. This discovery made me grin from ear to ear! The process mattered too lah...
It was too short a distance for me, even though I had covered a couple of streets. So I decided to navigate to Ximending, where I was to meet YP for dinner. You know, the whole experience gave me the high and the hype! I think that's why I love travelling alone at times... the adventure, the freedom...
A fruits market beckoned me. They looked so fresh! I wanted to take photos but was paranoid after someone said i "mei2 li3 mao4" (no manners), so I resorted to paparazzi. Hmm... you would want to know that that can never be my hobby, nor can I become a professional at it. It was dinner time then... so all the locals were streaming the streets searching for their favourite food. My my... the variety of food! From bento shops to lu3 wei4 (somewhat similar to yong tau fu) to bian4 dang1 (packet food) stalls.... It made my tummy yearn for some chomping even though I wasn't hungry!
Ximending. The shopping haven in Taipei.
I have to comment that the fashion industry in Taipei is really quite vibrant. Even though I'm not a shopaholic, I guess one can be transformed into one at Ximending! There's really a whole variety of stuff! Nice place to hang out if you have the money, or just interested in window-shopping or people-shopping.
It's easy to tell a Singaporean from a Taiwanese through generalization. A Taiwanese would be rather well-dressed, but a typical Singaporean would turn up in a T-shirt, berms and slippers. Hee.
Bibimbap was on the menu for dinner. Did you know that it's called ban4 fan4? Well, I didn't, but now I do. And so do you! =)
And that's me in the toilet, trying to be funny. Hee.
I felt cannibalistic, so i chomped on 2 duckie webs. (Hopefully they aren't even acquaintances or 3rd degree friends!)
This was followed by a pao4 pao4 cha2... I mean, being in Taiwan, you just have to drink that right? it's like their national drink! You can find joints selling bubble tea like EVERYWHERE you go! Well, I filled my camera casing with tea as i was posing for this shot. I didn't know my camera casing was THAT thirsty!!
And we finally ended the day in our cosy hotel room which was made romantic by this fine beach picture plastered just above our bed. Create atmosphere ah?? Heh. Shall talk about my INTERESTING room in another entry.
I suggested taking a break from adventures today and relaxing. We headed for Ba Fang for our favourite guotie... It's only$0.20 a piece, you know? Good deal leh... And it's so good! You can trust me on that! *grin*
We were both tired and when YP waved the idea of returning to the hotel for a siesta in front of me. It was tempting, so we split. She headed for Ximending. But I changed my mind and headed to Taipei City Hall instead. I felt the cool cool wind and took comfort in it, even though there was a slight drizzle. Even Taipei 101 felt the effects! (It's the tallest building in Taiwan.) Look! It's as if it has only been constructed halfway, or that the top part has been burnt away! *touchwood*
I wanted to walk opposite the street from the station the last time, but didn't. So since I had the time, I went to explore. It was a fun experience. It turned out that there were many xiao3 chi1 stalls there, selling all sorts of food, from fusion to English afternoon tea places to beef noodles to shui3 jian1 bao1 to goose meat to Vietnamese. As i walked on and soaked in the atmosphere of it all as scooters and cars whizzed past me, I realised this was what I liked about travelling. The non-tourists places, the ones you just happen to stumble upon, the places which locals frequent, covering as many miles as possible into the unknown....
The one tangible reward I got from the gallivanting was a mixed mushroom pancake. I had bio-ed at t when I walked past it, and decided that I would try it out on my way back. It's like the guo-tie skin which was pan-fried, but it had a pocket-full of all kinds of mushrooms! Oh gosh! I was elated! It was incredibly mouthwatering!! Since I wanted a photo and not want people to deem me insane, I hid in a park and took a self-portrait. Hee.
Next stop was Sin Guang San Yue the shopping mall. I took a break and bought a red bean vampire-looking (cos it's white) muachi bread to sit at the classy food court for a rest. Heh.
As I was studying Lonely Planet for newer pastures, Linsen N Road sounded attractive as it is supposedly populated with Japanese stores. I took a train to Shandao Temple and started navigating my way around. I stumbled upon a roadside muachi stall, and so decided to try it. Indulgence in gastronomical tourism. Hee.
It's quite cool. He has a gigantic ball of muachi, which he makes tiny balls off. Next he cuts a slit into the tiny ball and stuffs sesame and sugar mixture into it. Finally he rolls it in peanut and sugar mixture, and sells them individually. Interesting.
And that's me tasting the muachi in my hotel room. A self-portrait. Hee.
As I walked on, I took in the sights, the sounds... all of it. Can you imagine a satisfied smile on my face with every step I take, every corner I turn, every shop I see? It was really an eye-opener and a satisfaction to just wander around. *Grin*
A huge building at a junction...
Silhouette of the road near where we stay...
A night market specialising in take-away food (veg rice) which I stumbled upon cos I had followed the locals and turned into some ulu-ated street which led into a dark alley, not knowing where it would lead me to. This discovery made me grin from ear to ear! The process mattered too lah...
It was too short a distance for me, even though I had covered a couple of streets. So I decided to navigate to Ximending, where I was to meet YP for dinner. You know, the whole experience gave me the high and the hype! I think that's why I love travelling alone at times... the adventure, the freedom...
A fruits market beckoned me. They looked so fresh! I wanted to take photos but was paranoid after someone said i "mei2 li3 mao4" (no manners), so I resorted to paparazzi. Hmm... you would want to know that that can never be my hobby, nor can I become a professional at it. It was dinner time then... so all the locals were streaming the streets searching for their favourite food. My my... the variety of food! From bento shops to lu3 wei4 (somewhat similar to yong tau fu) to bian4 dang1 (packet food) stalls.... It made my tummy yearn for some chomping even though I wasn't hungry!
Ximending. The shopping haven in Taipei.
I have to comment that the fashion industry in Taipei is really quite vibrant. Even though I'm not a shopaholic, I guess one can be transformed into one at Ximending! There's really a whole variety of stuff! Nice place to hang out if you have the money, or just interested in window-shopping or people-shopping.
It's easy to tell a Singaporean from a Taiwanese through generalization. A Taiwanese would be rather well-dressed, but a typical Singaporean would turn up in a T-shirt, berms and slippers. Hee.
Bibimbap was on the menu for dinner. Did you know that it's called ban4 fan4? Well, I didn't, but now I do. And so do you! =)
And that's me in the toilet, trying to be funny. Hee.
I felt cannibalistic, so i chomped on 2 duckie webs. (Hopefully they aren't even acquaintances or 3rd degree friends!)
This was followed by a pao4 pao4 cha2... I mean, being in Taiwan, you just have to drink that right? it's like their national drink! You can find joints selling bubble tea like EVERYWHERE you go! Well, I filled my camera casing with tea as i was posing for this shot. I didn't know my camera casing was THAT thirsty!!
And we finally ended the day in our cosy hotel room which was made romantic by this fine beach picture plastered just above our bed. Create atmosphere ah?? Heh. Shall talk about my INTERESTING room in another entry.
