30 June 2013

Taipei Babymoon Day 5: Taoyuan Intl' Airport - Singapore

Our flight home is at 2pm and we had to be at the airport by 12noon. Not much time to explore more, so it's just hotel check out and cab to airport.
 
Cab fare from Taipei city to Taoyuan airport:-
1) Hotel staff assists you to book -  NT1200
2) Quote from those previous taxi uncles whom who rode with - NT900
 
 
 
Our last meal at Taoyuan Airport Terminal 2.
 

The most expensive mango ice we had in Taipei (NT180), and also the best.
Can't wait to be home quick, I miss my Elliot boy so much!!!

Taipei Babymoon Day 4: Carrefour + Partyworld + XMD

We have nothing planned for today. Checked the weather and it's freaking 36 degrees, mind you!!!
So we thought we ought to stay indoors until the moon comes out.

Googled and realised there's a Carrefour branch about 10-15minutes walk from Ximending station.
Wah, I missed Carrefour man... It was one of our fave hangout place at Suntec City when it wasn't shut down back then.

Braved the heat and made our way there. Ate at their sushi express.. Very cheap like 30NT per plate. Yes, regardless of the type of colour plates so a plate of broccoli and salmon will cost the same.


The groceries section at their Carrefour is mind-blowing.


Lotsa food for you to tabao when you don't feek like cooking.
How I wish they have it in Singapore!!!



We bought durian from Carrefour. HAHAHHAA!!!


There's a huge 钱柜 (Cashbox KTV) building at Ximending MRT exit 4.
Karaoke time while hiding from the sun. The room for 2 pax is really huge and it comes with a attached toilet as well. Buy 3 hours & get 1 hour free.


He ordered Banana Split to eat in there.


Timer shot.


Dinner at XMD. It's a fairy tale theme restaurant.


Went there cuz saw the decoration and theme like quite cute but the food so - so only.
Bought late night movie tickets to watch Man of Steel.
Lousy show. A waste of time.


Tabao 蚵仔煎 (oyster omelette) from XMD street hawker to try.
I think it's quite nice leh, like a sweeter and wet version of our 蚵煎 back home.


His oyster mee sua.


Taipei Babymoon Day 3: Danshui + Shilin Night Market

Day 3: We started our day late. We were simply too tired and the bed, I duno was it Sealy brand or what like machiam got gongtao and makes you wanna sleep and sleep.
 
Plan for today is to eat Ding Tai Fung for lunch then train to Danshui.
 
 
Xiaolongbaos @ Ding Tai Fung, Zhongxiao Fuxing Sogo branch.
 
 
GW's first time eating at Ding Tai Fung.
He was abit disappointed and found the dumplings kinda overrated.
 
We then trained 18 stops from Taipei main station to Danshui MRT, around 40minutes train ride.
Exit from MRT, turn right and walk 5 minutes to the Bus terminal and catch a bus R26 to 漁人碼頭 (Fisherman Wharf). Today's weather is also siao one at 35 degrees.
 

The place is famous to view the most beautiful sunset and we were quite stupid to be there so early at 4pm to burn ourselves alive.
 

 
 

The view from the bridge.
 

Along the jetty.
 

Walked to the bridge, but can't take much pictures since most of them will look like this.
 

Fellow roasting khakis spotted.
 

Hide indoors for more Mango ice!
 

Decided to give up waiting for the sunset, take a HELLO I'M AT DANSHUI! photo and left.
Buay tahan the weather man, and my body niam niam one. We took the R26 bus back to Danshui MRT, and along the way we saw the sardine packed buses heading towards Fisherman wharf.
 Ok, maybe that's the right timing to go ~ around 6pm.
 
 

We went to Shilin Night market again because the Jiantan MRT station is on the way our train journey back, and we thought we could take a break from the crazy 18 stops. The shopping at Shilin is better, we ate and tabao some food back too since we were too full eat anymore. GW enjoying his tabao-ed duck heart and chicken gizzards from his favourite 滷味 store at the comfort of our hotel room.
 

At Ximending chomping ice mango again.
三兄妹雪花冰
 

Ah Zong Mian Xian.
 

Wah really very nice leh the rice flour noodles.
 

The always long queue - 豪大大鸡排 at XMD.
The chicken is nicer (like juicier and more tender) and cheaper than in Singapore too.
Pardon my stupid expression, the chicken was piping hot you know.
 

The cool thing about our hotel was this photobooth area at the Basement.
They set up the place like super old school and have props available for you to camwhore with.
 

GW pointing to the Stinky Tofu sign.
He's super ANTI-臭豆腐 until to the extend he will want to go back to the hotel and shower and change into fresh clothings whenever he walks pass a 臭豆腐 store.
He kept saying he could smell it on himself.
 

Scooters everywhere in Taipei., both on the roads and the pavements.
 

 

Taipei Babymoon Day 2: Jiufen + Jinguashi + Raohe

Day 2: Left hotel to find breakfast at XMD.
We found a breakfast shop right behind our hotel that serves cheap burgers and I got GW to tabao for me one every morning. Very nice, NT30 only if you wanna add a egg just top up another NT5. It's something like Ramly burger and their soya bean milk also cheap and good :)

34 degrees hot day. Trained to Zhong Xiao Fu Xing MRT station to take the bus #1026 to 九份 (Jiufen). Got approached by a taxi uncle when we came out from exit 1. He wanna charge us NT600 to Jiufen and we find it too expensive and ignore him. At the bus stop, another taxi uncle came to us and offered NT200/pax to Jiufen sharing with 3 other Japanese girls, who were already in his Toyota Wish.

Wah, cheaper than the other uncle but still we tried to push our luck further by asking NT300 for 2 pax. Uncle like sibeh despo also and ONZ us, wah the feeling like damn shiok. It's a airconditioned 55min ride up the mountain to Jiufen :)


In the back seat of the cab!
The horrible winding up the mountain journey... The taxi drivers here all like F1 racer sia.

We reached Jiufen at about 12 noon.


The scenery upon alighting the cab.


Walked into the old streets of Jiufen and started targeting at their local snacks liao.
There's many souvenir shops here as well. We will hop into one whenever we need to steal their air-conditioning to cool ourselves from the hot weather.


Love love love this snack.
花生捲冰淇淋


2 scoops of ice cream sprinkled with generous servings of crushed peanuts wrapped in a popiah skin.
MANY MANY Chinese parsley inside I LIKE!!!!


Duno what is this and quite smelly one also,
I shall pass.


GW misses this so much. Damn shiok lor.


Couldn't find any stall selling this at other night markets when we went back to Taipei city.
Sad.


Trying to get a picture with the red lanterns lining along the old streets of Jiufen.



Need a cold dessert.
Bought iced taro balls from this stall and went into their seating area next door.






It's very nice and refreshing like cheng tng with chewy taro balls.
Very big bowl too, can share and save some stomach space for other food.


Sorry about my obsession with red lanterns.
Couldn't resist.


Many teahouses at the end of the old streets.
Randomly chose one to have tea.


I ordered Rose tea. (cold one) NT 180.
Not cheap actually, I think the teahouses here exist to chop tourists one.


The view from the patio while we were having our drinks.


GW had blue mountain coffee.
Never order their snacks cuz very expensive plus we were already quite full from eating stall to stall.


Waitress was so nice to help us take a picture.


Some act chio picture.


Oh, and GW bought a car in Jiufen.
Yah and can use as a lighter also lor... HAHA!
GW finds it funny and he bought a Mercedes, Porsche and BMW.
Now he can change car everyday.


We then left Jiufen at 2.30pm and took a 10 minute bus ride to 金瓜石 (Jinguashi), a historic gold and copper mining town. We decided to head there cuz we want to touch the world's largest solid gold brick - weighing 220kg at their Gold Museum.



 But there's no free lunch in this world, here we had to climb the crazy steps to the museum.




Railway track camwhore.


Ready to go for some gold mining!


At the entrance of the Gold museum. Yes it's all gold behind us!!!
But cannot touch and cannot take flash pictures.



The GOLD BRICK.


The value of that 220kg gold brick is 275815600TWD.
How I wish it's mine!!!!


Then we cabbed back to XMD.
No choice, taxi uncle outside Jinguashi just have to tempt us. He quoted NT1200. It's more expensive as it's just the two of us and no one else to share cab with. We bargained hard and got it at NT500.
We found our dinner at some random restaurant with a underwater theme and they had swings for seats and strong air-conditioning.


Bought midnight movie tickets for Word War Z.


Went back to hotel for a quick shower. I can't emphasize enough that the weather is mad hot. It's really kua zhang hot until my underwear is soaked with perspiration. Sorry for being disgusting but that's how crazy the weather was.

After a fresh change of underwear, we trained our way to Houshanpi MRT to check out the wholesale market, Wufenpu. Kinda disappointed though, I find the prices at this so called wholesale market are more expensive than at Shilin Night market, and some like can get it cheaper at our Bugis Village. 

We didn't stay long at Wufenpu, bought 3 tanktops at NT100/pc. (like $4/pc.. Tried to bargain but the uncle face black leh. Fail.) Bobian must buy cuz I'm running out of tops already. Imagine I showered 3 times a day in Taipei...


Walked a long way to Raohe Night Market.



Very nice pepper biscuits, freshly bakes on the spot and super long queue at all times.


Old school carnival games.


Candy strawberry!


GW's favourite. 芒果冰 (Mango Ice)


Selling 滷味 everywhere...
Yeah, this is another GW's favourite.


Heard a lot about 大腸包小腸 from those Taiwanese food shows and dying to try it.
At first I thought it was "Big intestine wrap small intestine" and wondered how it will look like. And now I know I got it completely wrong.


It's actually means "Big sausage wrap over small sausage"
It's kind of a filling snack to me. Glutinous rice wrapping a Taiwanese sausage with crunchy sour vegetables and very big chunks of garlic in there. I'm a garlic lover so this is super shiok for me.


Bye.
Gotta train back to XMD for our late night movie liao!