Taiwan 2011 – Yilan, Jiaosi, Taipei (Day 9)

Date: Sat 2 Apr 2011
Stay: Wonstar Hotel (Ximen), Taipei 万事达（西门）

Last day of our Minsu tour. A beautiful warm day – apparently we had met with one of the rare dry days in Yilan. Located near coast, it rains for almost 270 days in a year here. Anson was busy washing his car with spring water.

Country Grange

Anson - our reliable, knowledgeable and safe driver-cum-guide

We spent the morning exploring our homestay’s own farm area. Owner, Wu Papa has built an impressive maze of viewing platform at his eco-farm. He is a homestay veteran in the area. His eco-farm has a great variety of fruit trees, flowering shrubs, a handful of happy domesticated poultry and lovely ponds. Guests at the homestay can use the bicycles to explore the area for free. However, beware of roaming wild dogs in the area.

Eco-farm @ Country Grange

Fruit trees like mandarin oranges and pomelos can be found in the eco-farm.

We had to collect and clear our own breakfast sets. Wu Papa would give an introduction of Yilan, its surrounding area and unique culture during this time. Apparently Yilan residents have their own dialect slang. There is a feeding session of the farm animals after breakfast.

Feeding time!

Wu Papa has an interesting stall outside the farm – the stall is unmanned with pomelos in a basket and a tin can where buyers could drop the money in. It has been in operation for almost five years and Wu Papa said he got the idea from a visit in Japan. Trust in people to act responsibly and with integrity – that is his belief. Before we left this lovely place, Wu Papa stuffed two pomelos into my arms.

With warm and welcoming Wu Papa and Wu Mama

We had intended to visit the famous Jiaosi hotspring but since it was a hot day, Anson suggested that we go to the public hotspring footbath instead. That suited us fine. The water was hot – my feet were all red after a few minutes.

Public hotspring footbath at Jiaosi

Along the way, I saw a huge signboard of a bakery which I recognised from a Taiwan TV food programme. The bakery, Cake Noble 诺贝尔 found only in Yilan is famous for its cream rolls　奶冻蛋糕. We went to the branch near Jiaosi and luckily there was no crowd, which is often found at its main store. The rolls looked so tantalising! But since it has to be kept refridgerated, we bought only one signature strawberry cream roll (NT150) to consume when we reach Taipei. Anson bought two for his family as well.

Yummy strawberry cream roll from Nobel Cake - only in Yilan

As it was still early to head off to Taipei, Anson suggested to bring us to Shenkeng Beancurd Old Street, which I had mentioned to him previously. The street is near the Maokong area. We took the expressway to Taipei and along the way, went through the longest expressway tunnel in Taiwan. This tunnel project took almost 8 years to build and met with several difficulties through the years.

As it was a long weekend holiday in Taiwan (for All Souls’ Day and Children’s Day), the expressway was heavy with traffic. Somehow I felt really blessed in this trip – we managed to avoid the holiday crush as we were ending our Taiwan tour the next day.

Shenkeng old street is known for its smelly beancurd – something that I’m not fond of. The street has character with several stalls peddling homemade food stuffs. The smell of the offending beancurd permeated the air. Mum was taken by the kampong chickens she saw and we proceeded to lunch at one of the eateries serving the chicken. It was not good as we thought though.

Shenkeng beancurd old street 深坑老街

It was about 3pm when we finally arrived at Wonstar hotel at Ximenting. Bade farewell to our trusty driver/guide – he has another group to handle the next day so we sent him home early.

Ximending was teeming with youths – expected on a weekend. After checking into our room, we relaxed for a while and had tea with the scrumptious strawberry cream roll. Polished it off within 15 minutes and almost forgot to take a pic! The room exceeded my expectations – we had an executive triple-sharing room which I got a good deal through agoda.com.

Wonstar Ximen hotel - Executive triple-sharing room

Brought mum and aunt to Longshan Temple, just one MRT stop away. The temple was crowded as there was a mass prayer session held for the Japanese earthquake victims. We headed off to Huaxi Night Market nearby. I found the same food stall I had visited a few years back and promptly ordered my favourite kidney dish. Delicious!

Longshan Temple - now with a digital signboard

Huaxi Night Market

We went back to Ximending for shopping and more food. Of course I had to bring them to the famous Ah Zong Meesuah – now they have chairs outside the stall! Am not a fan but I guess for first-timers, it’s a must-visit spot.

Bustling Ximending

Mum and aunt needed to buy some local pastries. Ordered the pineapple pastries at GangJi Pastry shop 港记酥皇店 . The shop is opposite East Dragon Hotel 东龙大酒店 in Ximending. Find the street with the food stalls, walk towards the end until you see the hotel on the opposite side of a road. Cross the road and you’ll see the shop opposite the hotel lobby.

A new find at Ximending – a shop that sells foreign magazines, especially those bundled with freebies. You can see the bag samples hanging around the shop which makes it easier for you to decide which one to buy.
The shop is at one of the rows parallel to the Ah Zong Meesuah stall.

Dining at Ximending

After some last-minute shopping, we went back to pack our overloaded bags.

The next day, we took the Freego bus to the airport. Important to note that Freego bus 飞狗 does not stop at Wonstar Ximen hotel. You’ll have to bring your luggage and walk over to a foot reflexology shop opposite East Dragon Hotel, about a 10-minute walk away. The hotel only takes reservation on the day of departure. But because of the poor service at the hotel, I called up Freego directly to make my reservation. Bus ride NT140 per pax, takes about one hour, depending on traffic conditions.

Notes: There are two Wonstar hotels in Ximending area. Do check the locations when you book. There are limited eateries at the airport Terminal 2. You may want to go for early lunch at Ximending instead before departure.

Taiwan 2011 – Cingjing, Mt HeHuan, Taroko Gorge, Yilan (Day 8)

Date: Fri 1 Apr 2011
Stay: Country Grange, Yilan 庄脚所在，宜兰

Started the day with a buffet breakfast. Was enthralled by the ever-changing clouds. The weather looked very promising!

Dramatic clouds

View from our room window

Our first stop was a small market – Mum and aunt bought some local dried food and fruits. The big juicy pears were so tempting! Mum was contemplating on bringing one back to Singapore. We ended up buying one and had the auntie slice it up for us to eat on the journey.

Shopping for local food stuffs

We headed to QingQing Grassland 青青草原 (entrance NT160) – a large green area with good views of the mountains, sheeps, horses and other farm animals. Made it just in time for the sheep show. We tried some goat’s dairy products – ice cream and milk. I couldn’t accept the taste of fresh goat’s milk!

QingQing Grassland 青青草原

Anson decided to take the mountain route today because of the great weather. He emphasised that this route would be tough and most drivers would not want to take this route. The good thing is tour buses would not be taking this path because of the narrow and hazardous condition.

View along the way to Mt He Huan

What a ride! As we ascended the highest part of mountain, we could see snow along the road. It was quite extraordinary to experience tropical and wintry weather within a span of two hours! We stopped at the top of the mountain – everyone was thrilled to walk precariously on the icy roads.

Top of Mt HeHuan 合欢山顶

3275m above sea level

Anson shared that this same road is extremely slippery and icy during bad weather days. It takes a skilful driver to manoeuvre the road and it is really bad on the car tyres and engines. We saw an abandoned car in the snow – apparently stuck after the engine stalled in the cold. Anson said it was better to just abandon the car than get someone up the mountain to tow it away!

Icy road - few drivers would want to tackle the difficult route

We went around mountains after mountains – I was getting lulled to sleep. The soundtrack in the vehicle was great – featured a lot of my favourite and familiar tunes! I couldn’t help but wonder how the locals manage to live within such an inaccessible area. After about two hours’ drive, we arrived near the entrance of Tarako Gorge　太鲁阁 for a quick simple lunch and toilet break.

The next two hours’ drive was quite dangerous as we had to keep a look-out for falling rocks. Anson made a few stops along the way and pointed out the watermarks that powerful floods would make during heavy downpour. It was scary to hear of bridges washed away even at such high points. The tunnels we drive through were all hand-chiselled. I was awed by both the beauty and danger of nature. Most of all, I left with strong admiration for the pioneers who created this road with nothing more than simple tools and bare hands.

Taroko Gorge - stone edges smoothened by strong waves

In awe of nature

This bridge was previously at the broken road below but was washed down the river by floods. The park people picked it up and fixed it back up on higher ground this time.

We exited Taroko Gorge and reached the eastern side of Taiwan. There is only 1 road linking the north and south of East Taiwan. The coastal highway is narrow and being the one road servicing both ends, traffic was heavier and much faster. The forests we see here were much denser and undeveloped.

We could see the endless Pacific Ocean where the line between sky and ocean was undefined. Surprisingly, the ocean did not have a salty scent like what we have back in Singapore. There was no sight of ships or boats, only buoys indicating fishing nets.

Coastal road along Pacific Ocean to Yilan

Mesmerized by the Pacific Ocean

We drove past Su-Ao　苏奥, a fishing harbour town. Most people on the east coast pray to the Mazhou goddess　妈祖, who is the protector of the fishermen. There is a Mazhou goddess statue covered in pure gold in one of the temples here. There is also the well-known cold spring spa nearby – unlike hotspring, the water here is about 15 deg C.

We finally reached our last minsu, Country Grange　庄脚所在. It is located in a nice quaint neighbourhood. Over the years, several minsu have sprung up in Yilan but Country Grange can be considered one of the early pioneers in the area. The minsu is run by a friendly senior couple, Wu Papa and Wu Mama.

Country Grange - our triple-sharing room and common areas

Anson drove us to town to have dinner at a fishball stall that he recommended. The fishballs turned out to be meatballs! But they were tasty! We also added some dishes that Anson recommended – shark’s meat, liver, hotspring eggs, smoked duck…. The shop was strangely decorated with retro toys collectibles and old Chinese vinyl record covers – the owner’s collections. Next door, the owner’s father, a former fireman, collected giant beehives and strange jars of herbal honey concoction, some with wasps soaked in them.

Yilan Fishball Noodles

Interesting shop decor

This day, we crossed hundreds of mountains. After today, it would be all flat land.

Taiwan 2011 – Alishan, Cingjing Farm (Day 7)

Date: Thur 31 Mar 2011
Stay: Sunshine Villa, Cingjing Farm 见晴山莊，清境农场

Luckily we did not plan for a sunrise viewing – the day started foggy and the drizzle grew heavier in the morning.

After a hearty breakfast, we took a stroll at the backyard of the Minsu, with umbrellas nevertheless. It’s a nice uphill forest trail. We didn’t go far as the muddy trail made it hard for aunt and mum to trek. I suspect there could be more to see behind the tall trees. The owner was constructing a third building and this one will have a fantastic view no doubt as it’s situated higher up.

Forest Walk behind Longyun

Anson informed us that it’d be good to go to Alishan National Park early before the throngs of tourists arrive at the park. Most tour buses would have departed early morning from Taichung and other nearby areas before ascending the mountain and they usually reach the park around noon. Although there are hotels up next to the park, there are limited rooms and quality of stay in these old hotels is merely acceptable for the price you pay. I was glad that we stayed comfortably in our loft room last night.

Along the way down (we have to go round down and then up the mountain again to get to the park), we saw amazing sea of clouds floating amidst the mountain tops. At that height, we were literally above the clouds. There are also beautiful terraced tea plantations – Alishan is known for its high mountain tea.

Morning sea of cloud 云海

Alishan Tea Plantations

Strangely once we went down below the clouds, the sky cleared and it had turned out to be a warmer and dry weather at the park. Parking is horrendous here due to limited spots. We could see tour buses and cars parked several kilometres down the road leading to the park. Luckily we were early and Anson had his way to get into the carpark nearer to the entrance. Entrance to the park is NT100 each.

Anson warned us of the long walk ahead – he has walked around the park countless times. The highlight of this season is the cherry blossoms. We could see several photography enthusiasts toting their equipment and snapping intently at various plants and trees. The famous Alishan railway train could be seen shuttling between two stations in the park.

Blossoms

There are a few key spots to admire the blossoms such as near the park centre. However the blossoms seemed scarce and not as intense as those I had seen in Tokyo during its blossom period. We suspect the past few days of rain could have shaken off many of the blossoms.

Cherry blossoms in Alishan

Up at Alishan

Anson brought us on a route lined with ancient trees and those turned out to be more interesting than the blossoms. Some of the trees were more than 2000 years old! And many of them belong to the precious species of cypress. According to Anson, many of these cypress trees were felled by the Japanese during its occupation of Taiwan. The wood was highly prized by the Japanese for its hardy and lasting quality. It is now a protected species in Taiwan.

Ancient trees in Alishan

As we strolled along, we noticed bigger groups of tourists, mostly Chinese, invading the park. They talked rather loudly and were not a pleasant crowd to be next to as they tend to push around, smoke and shout amongst themselves. I was glad that we were near the end of our two-hour tour.

We decided to have a quick lunch at the tourist centre just outside the park before embarking on our two-hour drive to our next destination. There were a few eateries and we settled for one that Anson is familiar with. The hotpot lunch was just nice for a cool weather. After lunch, we could see the fog descending. We hurried on our way down the mountain road.

Alishan tourist centre

Hotpot lunch, surrounded by noisy Chinese tour groups

The road to Cingjing was rather straightforward as we took the expressway. It was faster and also because we had already taken the scenic route earlier on our way to Alishan. Nearing Cingjing, we had to go through another round of mountain roads up again. However, it was much shorter than the way to Alishan.

Cingjing Farm is a favourite holiday spot for the locals as well. It is known for the European designed hotels and homestays that dotted the mountain. History has it that mainland China minorities from Yunnan area who had fought against the Communists at the Thai-Cambodia borders were later resettled at this mountain. Although it is not clear why the European architecture predominates, the historical background of the inhabitants is apparent in the Yunnan-Cambodia fusion cuisine found in the area.

Tired from the long walk in the park and long drive, we decided to have dinner at our Minsu, Sunshine villa. They served a good meal of the Yunnan fusion cuisine. Our room and the restaurant have good vantage points for mountain views.

Sunshine Villa - with electric blankets!

Evening glow - view from the restaurant

Delightful dinner

There is even a 7-11 right next to the Minsu. Unlike the earlier two accomodations, this one felt more commercialised. Nearby, we could see the famous Tudor-styled The Old England hotel which is touted as the most expensive hotel in the area. Room stays are NT15,000 onwards for one night!

I was eager to explore the area the next day.

Taiwan 2011 – Sun Moon Lake, Alishan (Day 6)

Date: Wed 30 Mar 2011
Stay: Longyun Holiday Farm, Alishan 龙云农场， 阿里山

We woke up to a beautiful mountain view. Headed out to the owners’ house next door for breakfast. It was a wonderfully healthy homemade meal! Liang Mama who made the dishes with her family came by and introduced us the various dishes so lovingly created.

Breakfast here!

Cosy dining area in the owners' home

Healthy breakfast served with sweet potato porridge - black fungus goes well with organic vinegar!

She also gave us some deep purple coloured grapes (known as Jabotica 树葡萄) which she told us was in season and we could visit the farm nearby and pick the fruit. The interesting point about this antioxidant-rich fruit is that it grows separately on the tree trunks, unlike the usual bunch that we see hanging on trees. We could also eat it whole, seed, skin and all! The skin is sourish, while the white pulpy flesh is sweet.

After the warm breakfast, we explored the compound. The area is dotted with pine trees hence the name of the minsu. There was another house which has a few rooms. Liang Mama told us that a big group could rent the whole house. It was a lovely place, made more homely by the three big dogs! I tried to take a picture with them but the leader of the pack, Xiao Xiong was most reluctant while another brown one eagerly came by and laid down next to me.

Peaceful compound

Protective trio - friendly canines

Soon, we joined some other guests to visit the Jabotica farm. It was quite a sight to see these grapes all over the trunks of the short trees! We could pick and fill up a plastic box at NT200. We were encouraged to eat and pick the fruits at the same time! The fruits can be harvested during two seasons here – during the period of All Souls’ day (end Mar – early Apr) and Mid-Autumn (August). Jabotica trees are hard to find in Taiwan as only a few areas have farms that cultivate them. We were lucky to be at the right place at the right time!

Originally from Brazil, this fruit is a rare sight even in Taiwan.

Anson came by and picked us up at the farm. We bade the friendly Liang Papa, Liang Mama and Sister good bye and headed towards Sun Moon Lake, a famous tourist spot.

Sun Moon Lake is as the name states, two lakes, one resembling a sun, another the crescent moon. It is the largest body of water in Taiwan and home to a minority aboriginal tribe known as the Thao 邵族。There are only about 600 of them left now in Taiwan, making them the smallest minority in the country.

We visited the Wenwu Confucius temple. There is a flight of stairs near the temple which has 365 steps, each has inscribed famous people who were born on each date of the year. As mine was in February, I had to clamber all the way down. Apparently I share the same birthdate as an Italian opera singer Enrico Caruso and the French impressionist artist Renoir. It was a hard climb up after that!

Sun Moon Lake

Anson informed us about a cultural performance by the Thao 邵族 tribe and we decided to catch it. There was a restaurant at the performance area where we had authentic Thao cuisine for lunch. Apparently the eatery was operated by the Thao tribe princess! We enjoyed the meal very much.

Thao tribe - they have pretty features!

Thao cuisine - the wooden contraption is a miniature version of their fishing boat with net.

Wild boar trotter - so well-done that even the bone can be consumed.

As we continued our way to Alishan, Anson pointed out areas that were destroyed by earthquakes, floods and landslides. We could see tunnels covered by landslides, houses and schools broken up by nature’s wrath. It was a sobering sight for us Singaporeans who lived on a safe land that is hardly hit by any natural disasters.

Roads destroyed

Schools destroyed. Still under repair.

Stopped by a plum specialty shop along the way to get some local pickled plums, wine and sweets. This is run by the local agricultural office which help farmers to package and sell their goods so that they can focus on cultivating their harvests.

The road to Alishan turned out to be quite a ride – the winding road up and down mountains seemed endless! Repair works were ongoing at some parts that were demolished by landslides and heavy rains. As we headed higher up, the descending fog made it more thrilling. Temperature dropped by a few degree celsius. Anson pointed out the hazards of driving up this road and the need to get to our destination by early evening before the fog covered the area. The scenery along the way was astounding though.

On the road to Alishan

There is only 1 mountain road up to Alishan - the road was once made inaccessible for over two months because of landslides, trapping travellers on Alishan.

Above the clouds

We passed by a pair of ancient trees known as Couple Trees 夫妻树 near Tatajia 塔塔加 and an ancient tree of more than 2700 years old! I think about 12 people are needed to hug the tree completely at its width!

Ancient couple trees 夫妻树

Ancient Tree 鹿林神木- 43m tall, more than 2700 years old

Finally reached Longyun which was hidden up on the mountain. It has its own Farmville! Anson got us upgraded to the new block – we got a loft room! The room was spacious and comfortable albeit cold. There was even a heater in the bathroom! Temperature dropped to about 6 deg C at night.

View of Longyun bar-cum-activity centre and its Farmville below.

Upgraded Annexe - our loft room is at the top right window

Modern loft room

Dinner was sumptuous with vegetables right from their farm! There was even a mochi-making session after dinner. Longyun is an establishment here at Alishan. They have programmes such as forest walk, fireflies night walk (which unfortunately for us, was not in season) and activities such as Aiyu 爱玉 jelly making. They have Aiyu fruit growing in their compound!

Homemade goodness with vegetables from the farm

Mochi Making - delicious!

The night was young but it was too cold so we went to bed early.

* Note: Longyun does not provide bath towels.

Taiwan 2011 – Nanzhuang, Miaoli, Taichung, Nantou (Day 5)

Date: Tues 29 Mar 2011
Stay: Songtao Garden, Nantou 松涛园，南投

A beautiful weather to start our Minsu tour! Our driver, Anson, picked us up in his gleaming Volkswagen van. He had driven all the way from Taichung to pick us up. After running through our 5 days’ itinerary, we discussed briefly on our expectations and planned routes. Made some adjustments and we were on our way.

Along the way, Anson shared with us interesting nuggets of historical, cultural and geographical information. He would also point out fruit trees that we saw along the way. The first stop we made was at Nanzhuang 南庄, a small old Hakka town. We wandered around the small town and tried out some local delicacies.

Osmanthus Old Street of Nanzhuang 南庄桂花巷

A Hakka lunch - the duck goes well with the piquant kumquat sauce

Next stop was Dahu strawberry farms 大湖草莓园 in Miaoli 苗栗. Dahu is one of Taiwan’s biggest strawberry producer. There are several strawberries farms and most allow pickings. This was already the third season hence the quality of strawberries may not be as good. Nevertheless, we were just as excited to try picking our own strawberries. The farm we found charged us only NT100 (about SG$4.40) for half a box as we did not fill up the box given, knowing that we will not be able to bring back the fragile fruits and will not be able to eat much in the next few days. We also shopped for some strawberry snacks and jams at the museum (yes, there is a strawberry museum in the middle of the town!).

Off to pick some strawberries

Cute little strawberries

As we were early, Anson took up my suggestion and made a slight detour to visit Taiwan’s biggest night market, Fengjia Night Market 逢甲夜市 in Taichung. It was about 4:30pm when we arrived at the area which was great as the crowd would descend later in the evening. We wandered about the area which was lined with food stalls and fashion shops (lots of shoes, bags and clothings for youths especially!). It is right next to the Fengjia University. One of my favourite finds was the bouncy sweet potato balls! So chewy and crispy and cheap!

Taiwan's largest night market - Fengjia in Taichung 逢甲夜市，台中

QQ Sweet potato balls

There is no MRT system in Taichung hence traffic is heavy with plenty of motorbikes zooming around. The highspeed railway station 高捷 (where you can take the train from Taipei) is a distance away from town. I was told that there are shuttle buses to bring commuters to town but the service is not as frequent.

We bought some food back to the minsu to eat as Anson informed that the place was quite isolated. Darkness fell fast even though it was about 7:30pm when we arrived. As the minsu was located up a hilltop, the roads were dark and hard to navigate. We couldn’t see much in the dark but it looked like a nice area to explore. The Liang brother and sister duo greeted us as we got off the vehicle. Their dogs were excited to meet the new guests too. We were ushered to a house next to theirs and I was bowled over by the cosy unit. It had a sofa set and a large window which I imagined would be a great view in daylight. Himalayan salt crystal lamps dotted the room.

A welcoming and spacious room

I had a blissful sleep this night.

Our living area - pix taken the next morning

Note: Songtao does not provide bath towels.

Taiwan 2011 – Taipei (Day 4)

Date: Mon 28 Mar 2011
Stay: Keymans Hotel, Taipei

Finally, the sun is out! A good day to head out to Yangmingshan 阳明山 and admire the callylilies 海芋 in bloom!

Due to the flower season, there are several transportation options as the park has arranged for additional buses up the mountain during this season. However, these additional services operate only during peak weekends. Going up on a Monday works out better since we need not battle the crowd.

Got off at Beitou MRT station 北投站and took bus 9 that goes all the way up to Zhuzi Lake 竹子湖, the main attraction for the callylilies blooms. The bus is small, takes about 20pax, a deliberate choice for the winding mountain roads.

After about an hour’s ride, we finally reached Zhuzi Lake. There were some confusion as to which stop to get off as the park is huge. We took the driver’s advice and got off at a stop surrounded by callylilies farms. There were a few locals who were out to pick callylilies at the various farms. It was cold – the mountain air was fresh but icy. It started drizzling as well, adding to the chill. Mum was all wrapped up and reluctantly followed the trail.

Scenic street at Zhuzi Lake, Yamgmingshan

All wrapped up

Yangmingshan, Zhuzi Lake

Callylilies

We walked around the farms, admiring the flowers and scenery. Found a street lined up with shops – the first being ‘Auntie Guava’ (a literal translation). Delectable freshly pickled morsels of guava, mango slices, cherry tomatoes, peaches etc! I wanted to buy everything! NT100 for a bag. As these preserved fruits do not keep well, we had to make the decision and only bought two bags of mango slices and peaches. Am still drooling thinking about them now…

Auntie Guava stall

Freshly pickled fruits

There were a few flower shops and restaurants. We bought a bag of handmade buns and decided to have a light meal as we planned to go to a hotspring right after. The bus (there is only 1 bus service up here) could take us to Xin Beitou MRT station which is perfect as we could walk along the hotspring hotels.

There are several hotels offering the sulphurous hotspring that Beitou is known for. Opposite Xin Beitou station is a public hotspring (after a very nicely designed library). Cheap but very publicly crowded. We enquired at a few hotels and settled for a public bath at Broadway Hotel. The bath was quite private and quiet. There were not much facilities compared to the one we tried at Wulai. The water was hot at about 45deg C! We didn’t stay long. But the short soak was enough to keep us warm.

Next stop, to hunt down Taipei’s Number 1 Pig’s Blood soup – my favourite and one that can no longer be found in Singapore. I had done my research online before arriving Taiwan and was determined to find the famous Changji Street stall 昌吉街猪血汤. We got off at MinQuan West MRT station 民权西路站, crossed a major junction, asked a few shopkeepers and finally, after about 15 minutes’ walk, found the stall! At 3pm, it was teeming with people. The walls and tables are decorated with accolades. The generous pieces of red tofu – that’s what they call it here as the pieces are so finely made, they taste like tofu! – were just as I had expected, delicious! And only for about SGD1.80 a bowl! I know I will miss this very much when I’m back…

Taipeis No. 1!

The famous Red Tofu

Since we still had time, we decided to re-visit 101, this time to go up the Observatory since the weather was fine. It was not very crowded with the occasional tour groups. The view was great but we couldn’t quite get our directions. Aunt was keen to look at the damper – a huge ball in the centre of the tower which is set to keep the tower balanced. It’s a Japanese invention and weighs a hefty tonne.

View from 89th Floor of Taipei 101

The ball behind weighs a few tonnes!

The evening ended on an easy note as we visited the Eslite tower 城品 and had some light meals. Headed back early to the hotel to pack up and all ready for the start of our Minsu tour the next day.

Taiwan 2011 – Taipei (Day 3)

Date: Sun 27 Mar 2011
Stay: Keymans Hotel, Taipei

Another wet day. We had to go to Maokong today despite the wet weather as it’d be closed on Mondays and we’ll be off to tour the rest of Taiwan over the next few days. I wanted to bring Mum and aunt up to the Maokong because I felt they would like the long and high cable car ride up and the scenic tea plantation area. Also, I wanted to bring them to the restaurant that I visited the last time which served tea-infused cuisine.

To get to Maokong 猫空, take the train to Muzha station 木栅站, walk for about 10 minutes to the cable car station. Because of the wet weather, there was hardly any queue. Otherwise, there is usually a long queue formed by big tour groups. The 4-station cable car ride lasts about 25 minutes and has a good view of Taipei. It costs NT50 each way to the last station and you can use Easy Card to pay.

Maokong tea plantations

I wanted to check out a new tea place and it turned out to be quite a long walk from the Maokong station. We trudged about 30 minutes in the rain and I was disappointed to find out that the place did not offer tea-infused cuisine as expected. Instead, we had tea at a pavilion to warm up first.

Tea @ Maokong

I really wanted Mum and aunt to try the tea-infused cuisine so after consulting them, we headed to the specific restaurant I had in mind earlier. We trekked for another 45 minutes to the opposite direction and finally reached the restaurant 美加茶园. I was so glad that they still serve their special menu. We had Oolong-smoked chicken, tea leaves beancurd, a rather big pot of pork rib soup made with green tea, and delicious mee suah in tea oil. A blissful and rather large serving meal despite requesting for the small portions.

Tea-infused cuisine

The relentless rain continued. We headed back to town for indoor shopping instead. My shoes had split the day before from soaking in the rain. My feet were freezing, walking in the rain in peep-toed sandals with thin socks – a rather strange footwear fashion. We got off at Zhongxiao Fuxing station 忠孝复兴站 that is well-connected with two Sogo departmental stores and an underground shopping street. Much better in a nice pair of adidas.

Took the train to City Hall station 市政府站 and then the free shuttle bus to Taipei 101. It was not a good evening to go up to the 101 Observatory so we decided to have dinner and do some toy shopping for my nephew. I introduced Mum and aunt to the Korean copper-plate BBQ at the basement foodcourt. At NT198, it was value-for-money with 3 good servings of side dishes of your choice, meat of your choice together with lots of vegetables and a bowl of rice. Unlike the typical BBQ, they pour soup over the copper-plate pot so the meat is not so dry and you get a bit of soup at the side.

Korean dinner at Taipei 101 foodcourt

After dinner, we walked back to the train station, going through the maze of connecting bridges across the various malls. I found the shopping too overwhelming in this area – too much to see that I was dazed from the sensory overload. We only did target shopping – toys for my nephew and a pair of gloves for aunt who lost hers along the way.

Taiwan 2011 – Taipei (Day 2)

Date: Sat 26 Mar 2011
Stay: Keymans Hotel, Taipei

Woke up to a dreary wet day. Looking at how cold Mum and aunt were, I decided that a good hotspring would warm them up. This day, we headed out to Wulai, a mountain retreat just out of the city. Before we took the train, we topped up our Easy Card 悠游卡. It was convenient to have a note change machine next to the top-up machine so we could have smaller notes. The good thing about using the Easy Card is that you can use on buses as well and it gives rebates, very much like Singapore’s MRT system.

It was easy getting to Wulai 乌来. Take the green line to Xindian station 新店站 (last station in the line), ask the MRT info counter on where to take the bus 新店客运 up to Wulai. The stop is just on the right side of the station exit. There was a queue and we waited about 15 minutes. It was crowded and the ride up to the mountain was scenic though a bit bumpy. After about 40 minutes, we reached the bus station. The ride was surprisingly cheap! Just NT15 (about SGD0.66) to get to this beautiful place!

Melancholic Wulai

The light drizzle got heavier and lent a mystic feel to the place. Wulai is also home to the aboriginal tribe, Atalya 泰雅族, known to be fierce warriors. It is also famous for its colourless and odorless hotspring water. I checked out a few hotspring spas while strolling down the old street. The street offers an array of local delicacies, mostly wild boar meat, wild vegetables, hotspring eggs. We bought some skewers of wild boar meat and crossed a bridge to take the old diesel-ran tram up to a waterfall. Took deep breaths of the fresh mountain air!

Old-school tram to the waterfall

Headed down to the first hotspring spa I spotted – Full Moon Spa 明日月温泉. It was not the cheapest (NT390, unlimited time) but we liked its privacy and there are water therapy facilities in the public bath (Note: this is nude bath, like in Japan’s onsen). It turned out to be a great choice! We felt so relaxed and much warmer after the session.

Full Moon Hotspring Spa

Time for lunch! We settled on an aboriginal-themed meal which was much recommended in guidebooks. It was interesting with bamboo rice, Warrior Soup (wild boar black bean soup), wild vegetables etc. Price was reasonable.

Lunch at Grandma Tai-Ya's

Atalya Cuisine

After a satisfying meal and some shopping of local food, we headed back to Taipei city. The rain got heavier.

Our next stop was the famous Chenghuang Temple 霞海城隍庙at Dihua Street 迪化街. This temple is well-known for its match-making deity 月老 and sees hundreds of singles visiting it yearly. There are temple aides to assist you on the proper rituals to pray to the deity. Dihua Street is lined with shops selling dried goods and medicinal herbs. It is about a 20-minute walk from Shuanglian MRT station (green line).

Chenghuang Temple

On our way back to the train station, we grabbed some dinner from Ningxia Night Market 宁夏夜市, a small-scale night market with stalls of many years’ history. A must-try would be the deep-fried yam balls – so crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. Be prepared to queue.

Deep fried yam balls

Ningxia Night Market