Day 4 @ Taiwan - Nine Tribal Village

Nine Tribal Village was a theme park on the nine aboriginal tribes of Taiwan. The park was packed with many local primary school students. The park provided a good introduction on the various cultures, practices and history of the various tribes. It was definitely educational. The park was located on mid-mountains which also provided a scenic place for strolling and taking pretty pictures.

There was a park devoted a large area to cherry blossoms. There was also a large field of lavender. Althought the scale was much smaller than Hokkaido, it was still pretty impressive. As it was a smaller scale, there was no smell from the lavender. I was very attracted to the lavender set up in front of a mansion which was used as the mansion for My Princess's series. The beautiful mansion also attracted many of our shots. We nearly went crazy with taking pictures of the beautiful mansion and reliving the scenes of My Princess.

The cool weather also helped enhanced the strolling experience.

Day 3 @ Taiwan - Taichung's Feng Jia Night Market

Feng Jia Night Market was one of the largest night markets in Taichung. In terms of scale and variety, it is definitely smaller and more limited than Shilin in Taipei. However, I thought that it is also less crowded and the things are also cheaper than Taipei.

We were especially attracted by the variety of foods which certainly were more value-for-money and less touristy and commercialised than Shilin. As we were not very hungry from lunch, we decided to just buy back to hotel to eat more leisurely and spend more time on shopping.

Of the many local snacks of Taiwan, we thought we had yet to try their braised meat rice. Hence, we decided to go for an alternate version - black pepper pork cutlet rice. We thought at the price of SGD3 per set, it would be just a generous serving of black pepper pork cutlet. Never did we know that the set also included a choice of 3 other side dishes which included stir fried vegetables and tofu.

Compared to Shilin, the food here was certainly more valued for money.

Day 3 @ Taiwan - Taiwan High Speed Rail

Finally, we got a chance to take the Taiwan High Speed Rail to travel from Taipei to Taichung. With the high speed rail, a 3-hour journey by coach has been shortened to only a mere 45 min. It was supposed to be able to run up to 300km/h but somehow the speed was not felt when we were inside the train.

Day 3 @ Taiwan - Ximenting

Ximenting was the shopping district in Taipei where the youngsters normally gathered on weekends. This was THE place to see and be seen. This place boosted a cineplex, many famous eateries such as the Ah Zong Mee Sua and Lao Tian Lu marinated innards. During weekends, one might even be lucky to bump into some superstars who might be holding their autograph session here.

(Ah Zong Mee Sua)

(Ximenting is a popular shopping area among the youngsters)

Day 3 @ Taiwan - Grand Hotel Taipei

I have seen the facade of this hotel numerous times, be it from TV programs or my previous trip. It is almost like a dream come true to be able to admire its beautiful architecture up close and personal. No matter which angle I look at the Grand Hotel Taipei, I seemed not be able to get enough of it.

The inside was equally luxurious in rich red and gold. I was attracted to an elderly doorman with his starched bright red uniform. When I requested for a photograph with him, he jokingly commented that he could recommend other handsome younger doormen for me to take photos with. I politely declined his goodwill as I mentioned I would prefer to take my photo with him as he was handsome.

Even if I did not get a chance to stay in this hotel, I was already contented with this brief visit.

Day 3 @ Taiwan - Martyrs' Shrine in Taipei

The National Revolutionary Martyrs' Shrine in Taipei was dedicated to the people who died fighting for the Republic of China. Many visitors were attracted by the young soldiers who were standing guards at various checkpoints of the Shrine. Of course, how could we miss having our shots taken with these handsome hunks? A fellow caucasian tourist even volunteered to help us with a family portrait with the guard.

(Entrance of Martyrs' Shrine)

(Martyrs' Shrine)

(Changing guards)

Day 2 @ Taiwan - Shilin Night Market

Shilin Night Market was the most well-known night markets of Taipei. There were many famous food / snacks that could be found in Shilin, eg the big fried chicken cutlet, the fried oyster, smelly tofu and oyster mee sua.

Walking across the road from the food section, the shopping belt which stretched for miles fascinated all visitors with its variety and many stalls. As the skies darkened, the crowd only built up.

Day 2 @ Taiwan - The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall commemorated the former president of Taiwan - Chiang Kai-shek. The Hall stood at one end of the Liberty Square and was flanked by the Concert Halls of Taipei.

(The Liberty Square Pristine White Monument. Passing through the Monument led us to the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall which was visible behind the Monument)

(The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall which also housed the Museum devoted to Chiang Kai-shek)

(The statue of Chiang Kai-shek)

(The Facade of the Concert Halls)

Day 2 @ Taiwan - Chiufen Old Town

Chiufen referred to nine portions in Chinese. It used to be an old mining town which housed nine families. The family members used to buy groceries for one another. When one bought anything, they would ask for nine portions as they would buy on behalf of the other families. Soon, the town became known as the town of nine portions - Chiufen.

(Splendid view from Chiufen)

Chiufen now became more of a tourist attraction with the many well-known eateries. Some of the representative food included fishballs and yam balls. In addition, other well-known Taiwanese food could also be found - such as wild boar sausages, almond tea, barbecued squids and Japanese pancakes. The winding steps also housed many popular restaurants and themed cafes.

When we were eating at one of the fishball eateries, we met an elderly uncle who engaged us in chitchats when he found out that we were tourists from Singapore. He also shared his views on Singapore and the brief history of Taiwan. It seemed that Taiwanese were still as friendly as 5 years ago.

(The winding steps)

Day 2 @ Taiwan - Yehliu

Yehliu was one of the geological parks in Taiwan which boasted many rock formations.

We were deeply impressed by the vastness of the place with the many naturally formed rock formations.

The most well-knowned rock formation was the Queen's Head.

As it was near coastal areas, we could see water at some of the low-lying areas.

Day 1 @ Taiwan - Wu Fen Pu / Rao He Night Market

Wu Fen Pu
Wu Fen Pu was the wholesale garment market of Taiwan. During our last visit, we spent an entire afternoon exploring the streets of Wu Fen Pu fulfilling every shopaholic's dream of being surrounded by clothes and more clothes. During the last trip, we nearly got lost in the maze-like bazaar.

With the last experience, we were attempted to be more organised when we walked around. However, after half an hour, we were getting abit worried about whether we could find our way back to the entrance we came in by. We were also slightly confused whether we have already walked past some of the shops that we saw.

My mother and my sister made some purchases at Wu Fen Pu. I was the only one who left empty handed. Fortunately, this time round, the stall owners no longer insisted that we needed to buy in bulk.

Rao He Night Market

Rao He Night Market was a short distance from Wu Fen Pu. Rao He Market boasted many well-known eateries and snacks which were typical attractions of night markets in Taiwan. The most famous stall should be the pepper bun where long queues could be snaking in front of the stall. We queued for a good 15 minutes before we reached the end of the queue in the drizzling rain.

As it was raining, many stalls were either not opened or it would be difficult to eat in the rain.

In the end, we were lured by a little eatery tucked away in the back of the roadside stalls. It was known as the "Three Mothers Smelly Pot" which served a hot pot of tofu, cabbage and pork. Hot pot was the perfect food for a cold weather. As we were still feeling full, we decided to just order a pot to share among the 3 of us. We thought the pot was served without rice and we needed to order separately. Alas, when the waiter served 4 bowls or rice did we realise that each pot came with a bowl of rice. Fortunately, the waiter allowed us to cancel the order of one serving of rice. In addition, there was free flow of winter tea and water.

The pot was full of ingredients and definitely very good value of money. We wondered how the very slender Taiwanese could consume one pot per person.

It was only afterwards did we realise the true meaning of smelly pot when the hotpot has not bad smell at all. Smelly pot referred to smelly tofu pot. Hence, the tofu in the pot was in fact smelly tofu.

Rao He Night Market was interesting in terms of culinary offers. However, in terms of scale, it was certainly smaller than Shilin Night Market.

Day 1 @ Taiwan - Taipei 101

Taipei 101 is the landmark of Taipei. It used to be the tallest building in the world until it was surpassed by Burj Khalifa in Dubai this year. The lower floors of Taipei 101 consisted of high end boutiques while the basement's anchor tenants of the foodcourt and supermarket still remained even after 5 years.

This time, instead of dining at the foodcourt, we decided to just grab munchies to eat as we explored the surrounding area. We spotted a nice confectionery where the mouth-watering aroma from the freshly-baked bread overpowered all passerbys. Maybe we have found another 'Yamazaki' in Taipei? (Yamazaki is the bakery which sold very nicer bread near Hotel Shamrock in Kowloon, Hong Kong.) Indeed, the bread tasted as nice as they smelled. The bun below was crispy on the outside but juicy on the inside as the melted chocolate oozed into your mouth as you took a bite into the bun. Oh, delicious!

As we walked outside via the sheltered walkway to New York New York - a mall beside Taipei 101 and further up to the Cineplex nearby, we were feeling excited by the cool weather which we could never enjoy in Singapore. We were deeply envious of the citizens of temperate countries where they could enjoy such natural aircon a few months a year. It was a reprieve from the hot humid weather that we have left behind in Singapore.

Despite hearing so much about New York New York, we were disappointed that the departmental store was not a large scale store and the range of goods offered was noticeably smaller than most departmental stores in Singapore.

As it was a Saturday night, the Cineplex was thronged with youngsters queuing to buy tickets to movies. It seemed that one of the favourite leisure activities of Taiwanese on weekends might be to catch movies with their dates or friends, just like many Singaporeans.

Day 1 @ Taiwan - Taipei Taoyuan International Airport

Finally after all the apprehension surrounding the rather unpredictable weather of Taiwan and the sudden earthquake which struck the southern part of Taiwan, we were finally on the flight to the the beautiful island. Relative to a 6-hour flight 5 years ago, the flight time was significantly shortened this time to only slightly more than 4 hours.

It seemed so long yet CKS International Airport which was now known as Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport seemed as familiar. As we strolled from the airbridge to the inside of the airport, nostalgia welled inside us as we recalled some of the interesting and memorable incidents from our last visit to Taiwan. For instance, we recalled being 'baked' inside the departure hall previously as the waiting lounge faced the afternoon sun.

We were slightly disappointed to note that Taipei was covered in ominously looking grey clouds. The falling rain showed no sign of subsizing. We were hoping that the rain would turn to drizzle when we reached Taipei city in an hour's time.

It seemed our first day in Taiwan would be a wet one.

Earthquake in Taiwan

There is a major earthquake in the southern part of Taiwan - affecting Kaoshiung, one of the cities I will be visiting in the upcoming vacation. It certainly sends some jitters to my family, especially there are often aftershocks following a major earthquake.

Some of my colleagues are also teasing me about my seemingly eventful holidays. I experienced first hand a shock of a major earthquake when I was in Hokkaido in 2008. My Yunnan trip was cancelled in 2009. Now, my Taiwan trip was also fraught with some hiccups, from the inability to book the tour that we were originally interested in to now the earthquake.

I personally am more laissez faire about the earthquake as I know that Taiwan is very experienced in handling and minimising calamity associated with earthquakes as it is one of the countries in the Pacific Ring. Moreover, once the earthquake has hit, the chance of major quakes hitting it so soon is often reduced. In fact, one should worry more if an earthquake-prone countries has not experienced earthquake for sometimes as the impact of a pent-up tectonic stress can be more sinister and deadly.

I should prepare to pack my luggage to enjoy myself in Taiwan.

Asian Civiliation Museum

This is the first time I have been to Asian Civilisation Museum despite wanting to visit this Museum many times, especially when the Kangxi exhibition was on last year. This time, I have caught the start of the Treasury of the World: Jewelled Arts of India in the Age of the Mughals. This exhibition catered to both men and women - few men would not be fascinated by the different daggers and swords of the Princes while few ladies would not be charmed by the sparkles of the gems and exquisite jewellery.

The exhibition spanned half the floor of ACM. First, it gave you a brief history of the Mughal history including the various kings. Of course, the one which was likely to catch people's attention would be Shah Jahan - the romantic King who constructed the Taj Mahal for his beloved concubine Mumtaz Mahal. For those who are interested to find out more about  Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal and their beloved daughter - Jahanara, you can refer to "Beneath the Marbled Sky" which is a fictitious novel based on their stories will introduce you to the colourful history in more light-hearted manner.

The resplendence and the exquisitive workmanship of the jewels emphasize the opulence and the progressiveness of the art during the Mughal empire. My friend noted that many of the daggers are curvaceous rather than straight plates of steel. This led us to ponder if the daggers are largely ornamental and symbolic without any practical use for a straight dagger should be more effective as a weapon than a curved one.

Surprisngly, we are not the only ones who are lured by the bling blings, there are many visitors who are conscientiously taking notes and photos of the exhibits. This is certainly an encouraging sign that the marketing campaigns by the National Heritage Board are finally taking flight with the ability of the Museums to engage more crowd. Musuems are no longer perceived to be unattainable or too lofty for the men on the streets.

I will certainly come back to ACM again when there are other interesting exhibitions. A point to note though, I wonder if there is any utility function behind the doors leading to the exhibition halls - they are certainly very heavy even for an adult like me to push through.

Cathy and Jodie: The Princess and the Flea

Cathy and Jodie is a book by Kit Chan and Yong Siew Fern. This book chronicled the growing up of 2 teenage girls in the eighties. Never have I been able to relate to a book so much even though technically, my teenage years were in the nineties.

It was so engaging that when I read on the train, I could not help stifling a giggle. No wonder I was drawing weird stares from the fellow passengers. If there was no one around, I would have broken out into hysteric laughter.

The angst, the dreams and the idiosyncracies of the 2 buddies were so reminiscent of our teenage years that it was as if I was reliving my teenage years ago. The tales of changing uniforms while strolling along Far East Plaza brought back such fond memories as my alma mater had very stringent rules about loitering outside school in our uniforms. The frustrations about practising for any performance for some events helped built stronger friendships if we could overcome the differences. Our boisterous and tom-boyish attitudes which often intimidated others, including boys were also rather renowned among the various schools.

Upon growing up, the differing paths and pursuits of dreams were also some issues that constantly plagued any clique of secondary school friends. In fact, every time we met, what we were doing with our lives and recallng the past were often the topic flavour of any gathering.

For those of you who have been through a girls' school, this is a must read. For those who have been through a co-ed school, this will also make an interesting read but I am not certain how much of the incidents described are similar to what you may have gone through. Notwithstanding, for all those who have grown up in the eighties and nineties, this would have been made a very amusing read.