9th November 2013
Celebrate the happiness that friends are always giving, make every day a holiday and celebrate just living.
It was finally the day to Taiwan and contentment simply burst within me especially when the thoughts of "redemption" came to my mind. You must be clueless about the term redemption. My trip to Taiwan was fully sponsored by bf as a surprised gift for my birthday. It turned out to be a surprise because a kuku darling of mine, Teng (I preferred calling her NLT though) was in cahoots with him. Her professional talent in concealing details in information fooled my completely, making me felt like a fool cursing and swearing upside down (without knowing there's no purpose to curse, waste my time). Hopefully, she's sneezing underneath her blanket now.
Vivian and Javen were really nice to make their way to the airport to send us off. We even had dinner together before taking off. Sometimes, I find Javen a super duper rich kid (in fact, crazy!!!) because he cabbed from his place to the airport just to send us off. It gonna cost him around 40 bucks at least.
#On the plane
I have this funny phobia about taking plane. I'm not too sure if I had mentioned about this before. Oh well, I'll just share about it again even if I did. I always try my best not to visit the toilet because I am afraid of the flushing sound from the toilet bowl. In fact, I'm terrified about it. Unlike our usual toilet bowl at home, the ones on the plane vacuum the waste material like suction. That seriously freak me out.
I suffer slight symptoms of Claustrophobia as well. Claustrophobia is the fear of having no escape and being closed in small spaces or rooms. I am scared of being kept in small areas. The truth is, I'm afraid of taking lift even though I am 20+++++ years old. I always look to the left and right, trying to stand still without moving an inch when I'm alone in the lift. There was one incident when the lift broke down and I was alone in the lift. My lift has windows. Unfortunately, it was stuck between 2 levels and I could only see a dark wall. It was less than a minute before I started to have breathing difficulties. Fortunately, the lift was back to its normal operation after a short while.
The toilets in the plane has really small cubicle and that makes me paranoid. Therefore, I try my best to avoid visit. Sometimes, I'll even force myself to pee (even if it's gonna be just a few drops) before taking off. Unfortunately, I always need to go (toilet) whenever I'm on the plane. Sigh.
Maybe it sounds weird to you, but I'm speaking the truth about the fear from my heart (like seriously). There's no cure for it. It's all in the mind.
#At Taoyuan Airport
#Bf and I
We arrived at Taoyuan Airport early in the morning (6am plus) and the sun was out. We had to wait for the first bus to Taipei Main Station at 8am. We brought our bus tickets (Guo Guang Hao 国光号) and some small bites. 国光号 is a direct bus (30-45 mintes, depending on traffic condition) that takes you from the airport to Taipei Main Station and it's really cheap compared to taking cab unless you are in a rush. It was 6am in the morning and we had all the time.
#国光号 Bus tickets
#Choo-choo train
#Taipei Station
We planned to visit Shifen (十分). It's a place for releasing sky lantern. It was where a movie named "You are the apple of my eye( 那些年我们一起追过的女孩)" was filmed. We bought returned tickets to Ruifang at Taipei station in advance as it was going to be crowded during weekends and bf was afraid that tickets would be sold out and we might have to buy standing tickets (without seat but at a cheaper price).
#Train Station
#Big but empty luggage
I feel proud of myself right now (yes, blogging right now). I'm feeling smart (bf probably won't be glad to read this and Teng might pity him) because I have no luggage. I wanted to bring my own luggage initially. Then one day, I pondered to myself as I looked at the hectic and packed itinerary. I knew I could never be able to manage my own baggage as we would be heading to rural areas (in fact, we will be away from town). The thought of dragging my luggage like a bull uphill struck upon me and I decided that I should place my belongings in bf's luggage. Apparently, I made the rightest decision.
Girls love shopping, so do I. Even though I do not really fancy hiking and mountains, but I love to explore about nature (without exhausting my energy if possible) and history even more. I know it's hard to believe but I really love history. I might not know everything in the whole wide world but I'll probably still be able to strike a simple conversation with you about World War, bombs, science or even exotic lakes on earth, monsters and the real event of case crimes. I hardly talk about these because I'm afraid that I'll bored people out and it's not going to be convincing with my face. Y'know, my friends thought I party every weekend (when I did not), have weekend gatherings (I do sleep at times), endless fun and dine (I'm geeky at home with my rectangular-ish laptop).
#Bikes everywhere
There are bikes everywhere in Taiwan to make transport east and convenient. Bf told me that the local called the bikes 小绵羊. We went to our homestay and we were unable to access 8th floor as it was secured. Bf forgotten to record the name and contact of the homestay we booked (I don't blame him because we had a long list of homestay). Bf borrowed a phone from the 7-Eleven (the local called it Seven) and googled for the name of our homestay. We went to the 9th floor and borrow a phone to make a call. The staff would only be able to arrive at 1030am as the usual check-in time is 3pm. It was 10am and I suggest to bf that we should wait. Just then, the cold wind blew and the creepy feeling crept up my chilling neck. I turned around to see Edmund and Xueli 3 metres before us. The world is small and their hotel was only less than 10 metres away from ours.
We decided to leave our luggage at their place and check-in at night instead. Edm and Xl decided to join us. We had bentos on the train to Ruifang. Surprisingly, food is allowed on train.
#Our bentos
#At Ruifang
We took TRA to Ruifang and train ride lasted about 40 minutes. Upon reaching Ruifang, you had to exit station to buy Metro tickets to Shifen 十分 that lasted for 20 minutes.
#Ruifang
#Shifen 十分
#Railway
#Suspension bridge
#Demonstrating my Chinese calligraphy
We wrote on 4 sides. Apparently, we wrote nonsensical stuffs. Lazy people want good lifes (like us). Anyway, don't get too serious about what we wrote. It was purely meant for personal entertainment. Bf looked puzzled when I wrote that I want money, holiday trips and a grand wedding without paying a cent. Yeah, I have thick skin but don't you fancy my fantastic idea. I bet you did.
#Ready to release our sky lantern
#Hot air rises
#Higher and higher
#Along the railway track
#Marble Soda
Bf recommended Marble Soda to me. It sounded really cool but I have no strength to pop the marble into the bottle (yes, I'm weak). There is a marble above the bottle cap. You have to press it down real hard and the gassy soda will ooze out of the bottle like fountain.
#Along suspension bridge
I was afraid of suspension bridge (bf claimed that I was afraid of many things) especially when it sway from left to right. You can't see the movement from far, but you can feel it as you walk. Anyway, this is not the scariest suspension bridge. You will find our more after reading my coming up post about my trip to Hualien.
#Setting fireworks
We bought some fireworks at Shifen for our trip to Kenting. Edm was eager to try and he bought some too. He could not find a place to set the fireworks and bf suggested him setting it off on the bridge. I was puzzled by the fact that he wanted to do it in the day. He did it, and I had a hard time searching for the big wide sparks in the sky. Alright, I did not see any as the sky was too bright.
#Waiting for Edm's invisible fireworks
#Bf and I on the bike
We were on our way to Shifen Waterfall (十分瀑布). It's a walkable distance to the waterfall, about 40 minutes according to the local. Our schedule was a little rush, therefore we decided to rent a bike. We took approximately 10 minutes to reach the waterfall. I believe it should take an hour or more by foot after looking at the long distance (uphill and downhill). Bf and Edm parked their bikes along the road and we made our way to the waterfall by foot. It was another 10-15 minutes walk to the waterfall.
#Another suspension bridge
#Railway
#Tickets to the waterfall
#Muddy waterfall
We had to pay for the entry to the waterfall. The waterfall was supposed to be in blue. Unfortunately, it rained and the water washed the dirty muds into the water. We had a "splendid" view of a muddy waterfall. It could have been better if the water is in aquatic blue.
#At the waterfall
#Along the trail
#Bf and I along the trail
#Yummy custard bites
We bought some custard bites before making our way to Jiufen (九份). We wanted to take a cab but all the cabs had been taken. We decided to take the train back to Ruifang. It was mad crowded. We had to push ourselves into the train with all our might. I tried to squeeze a space for Edm and Xl so that they can board the train with us (Or else we'll have to wait for the next train). In the end, I nearly got crushed to death by a lady (huge though) and her son. She was twice my size and she was leaning completely against me with her son. Worst of all, she elbowed my boobs twice or thrice.
Yes, my boobs were small but they exist and had been with me for many years. They hurts even though they are small. She even stared at me after elbowing them. That's when my endless chant (vulgarities) flooded my mind and there was fiery grudges and unhappiness in my teary eyes. I did not bother to argue with her because Edm and Xl were behind me and my little movement might squash them (not likely, but I just want to be safe than sorry).
We took a cab from Ruifang to Jiufen Old Street (九份老街) as our schedule was tight. Alternatively, there is a bus from Ruifang to Jiufen. You can check it out with the local. Jiufen used to be the center of gold mining. It is located within the hills in northeast of Taiwan. The village is next to the mountain and facing the sea.In 1890, someone struck gold near Jiufen. The poor village with only nine families soon attracted prospectors of 4,000 families (according to online source). The street become famous eventually.
#Jiufen
#Badges and keychains
#Food stalls
#Snacks
#Night scenery
#Black boar sausage
#Shrooms and Escargot
I had the shrooms only. Bf had the snails all by himself. I bet he had more than 10 and hopefully everything went well for his tummy. Like-a-snail-terminator. The vendor would extract the flesh from the shell before serving. It looked delicious but I was afraid to try (yes, yes, I'm timid).
We took a cab back to Shilin and transferred to Metro for Danshui. We went separate ways with Edm and Xl as they wanted to shop. We had better plans ahead too. Danshui old street (Tamsui) is tucked in between Danshui waterfront promenade and the bustling ZhongZheng Road, Gongming Street. It is a pedestrian friendly street with enormous array of food to tuck in and souvenirs to bring home.
#Danshui (Tamsui) Old Street 淡水老街
#Streets of stalls
#Delicious food stall
#My 1st time trying iron egg (铁蛋)
Iron egg (铁蛋) is famous in Taiwan. Local probably love it with beer over a chit chat. Unfortunately, it tasted really bad to me. It was a little powdery in between and I didn't enjoy much of it.
#Beancurd stall
You should try out the local smelly preserved beancurd. The ones we had in Singapore taste really different from the ones in Taiwan. Taiwan is really big and they have many states. You should try different food and flavours at different states. In fact, the smelly beancurd I tried at Taichung was completely (not smelly at all) different from the ones in Taipei.
#Yummy
#Smelly toufu
Some people dislike the stench from it. But, it's delicacy to me even if I should be getting bad breath from it. Most importantly, it's cheap. Less than SGD2 for such a big portion is so worth it. Well, I didn't eat much because I'm always saving some space for my sweet tooth and a greater variety. I used to pity him until Teng told me that she did the same thing too (saving the oily food for her hubby, ahem). I feel so much better after learning about it.
The conclusion is, it's better for him to be fat than I suffered on diet plans. YEAH!
#Crowded street
#A-Mam's Plum Tea
Bf introduced me to this yummy plum tea and that reminded me of plum shots that I had in Phuture (Zouk) when I partied. I'm not an alcoholic but it does taste the same.
#Fishball
#Frying Milk Stall
#Fried milk
You should try this. I'm not a fan for milk but this doesn't taste much like milk. It was all fried and crisp on the surface. I thought the milk was gonna dripped. To my surprise, it was solid and soft inside.
#Ah Gei Lao Dian (阿给老店)
阿给老店 was a famous stall in Danshui for it's fishball and 阿给 (Ah Gei). The fishball has minced meat in between and I think it tasted better than other stalls. It was not very very very fantastic. But it has a kind of local taste and culture in it. You might be curious what 阿给 (Ah Gei) is. I was curious about it too from it's funny and weird name. It is a name of their must-try dish (refer to the photo above, bottom right-hand corner). The top layer taste like beancurd with some fish (meat) and you will find vermicelli after unwrapping the top layer. Yummy!
#Danshui Pier 淡水码头
There was no more ferries to the Fisherman's Wharf as it was late and we missed the last ferry. It cost TW160 for a round trip if you are taking ferry. You may consider renting a bike at TW200 for an hour. I hate pink (always and forever). Poor bf had to take the pink helmet. The rental staff was surprised to see bf wearing the pink helmet (haha).
#With our helmets
I was really afraid of taking bikes. Bf is probably right about me, I'm scared and afraid of everything. On a second thoughts, I had to agree with him. I have good reasons to be afraid. A car has 4 wheels, fast and steady with shelter. A bike as 2 wheels, fast and furious with no shelter. I had this concept since young that bike is never a safe transport. Bf told me that it's cheap to get a bike license. I told him off saying that it's cheap to die with a bike too. One crash, nothing left except flesh. I've seen YouTube videos and I believe what I saw. Bf has an interesting pastime in Malaysia. He loves to go track (which I called it racing). It was a dangerous hobby and I had already banned him from that.
I will never ride a bike if I had a better alternative. It's a 20 minutes drive-away. I'll die if I walk, so I decided to live.
#Lover bridge
Lover Bridge of Tamsui is a white-colored cable-stayed bridge. It derived its name since it was started on February 14, 2003, Valentine's Day. The total length is approximately 196 meters.
#On the bridge
#At the pier
#Fisherman's wharf
The Fisherman's Wharf is really beautiful with the scenic spots for photo taking. There were big and beautiful white yacht and couples dating. You can see a street of pubs or wine and dine, a beautiful place to relax.
#At Fisherman's Wharf with bf
#Beautiful seaview
We met Edm and Xl at Shilin after our second last stop at Danshui. I really admired Edm and Xl's energetic level. They shopped at Shilin and went back to the hotel to unload the stuffs before returning to Shilin again. They ended up playing machines that catch soft toys for an hour plus while bf and I went to grab some bites.
#Cheesy potato
#Mini-kitchen
#Coffee table and rest area
#Lovely bed
#Tv and fridge
The owner of the homestay was trusting. He knew that bf and I would be returning late. He left the keys and card at the letterbox and instructed us to drop it into the letterbox again upon checking out as we were leaving at 6am to Hualien the following day. The security system was really complicated that we had no idea what we had done to trigger the alarm in our room. Fortunately, one of the guest came over to off the alarm for me.
I shall end the post for my first day in Taiwan here.
Good night and sweet dreams.
Cheers,
Pzy
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