Taipei Trip Day 1

Ok, let me start to recap on my 5 days tour of Taipei.
My flight was 830 in the morning, so I have to check in at around 630 at Changi Airport. Well, nothing went wrong at the airport, but I was shocked to see my students there! Ha, it was a big surprise to see around half of the class sending one of their classmates off. I took some photos with them (it is rare after all!), and then went into the DFS area to shop around before boarding the plane.
The plane ride was nice, although the entertainment system wasn’t exactly impressive. In fact, it was almost the same as the one I had 4 years back, where all the movies were all ‘mass screened’ and you can’t control it. During the ride, I found it torturous! Ha, guess that is because when you are in Singapore, you are only accustomed to traveling 1-2 hours at the most, and not 4 hours at a stretch. Hmm, I’m thinking how am I supposed to survive my flight to London later this year.

We touched down at Taipei at around 1315, and we cleared the customs peacefully. I was impressed with the agency for catering a minibus to pick the 4 of us up (it was a 6-seater!), so we had a lot of space on the ride to Taipei city. The weather was great, and there was minimum jam along the way so we actually reached our hotel at around 1500 hours. We bought some pineapple tarts and pastries at this shop near our hotel – I won’t say it was fabulous but it was fresh and good, so of course we had no qualms buying a few boxes worth.

Next, we checked in. The hotel was good for a 3-star one! Apart from it being small, it has all the normal facilities that you want in a hotel room. The only thing the rooms lacked was a window, so you can’t exactly see the night view of Ximending. So yes, I do strongly recommend Royal Castle Hotel for those traveling to Taipei.

After contacting my friend, Jacky, we went on a brief tour of Ximending, with the main objective of finding Ah Zong Mian Xian. We were after all hungry because the plane journey never provide Lunch (there was Brunch though). After walking around and feeling lost (I admit, I don’t know Ximending well), we finally found the stall after asking a few passers-by. The mee sua was good, and it has a nice taste to it. So I must admit, all those reviews, which I heard about it, were validated. Then I met my friend, and we drank bubble tea. Their bubble tea is nice, compared to Singapore’s. Its like it is much more fragrant. After that, we went on to shop at their “GuangHwaShanChang”, since Kenny wanted to look for Gundam models. Oh, along the way we actually saw Jacky Wu and Sweetie filming QiTianDaShen there! So even though we never see any autograph sessions, we did see some celebrity shows!

Taiwan’s Gundam models are cheap! Super, super cheap! Some of their models are like 10-20 dollars cheaper’s than Singapore’s (for the HG ones)! So for those who want Gundam models, buy in Taiwan.

Next, we took their MRT to Taipei Main Station. I will say that Taipei’s MRT system is like Singapore’s, fast and efficient, but the Taiwanese were super courteous. Its like there’s no mad rush into the trains, and they all queue up so obediently for their turn to board the train by the sides.

When we reached our destination, we started first with exploring their underground mall. It is just like our CityLink, except that it was much broader. We spent some time walking down, feeling the Taiwanese pace of life (as well as realizing that the students there like to study in the underground mall). Then, we went to Kmall, to take a look at the biggest Gundam shop in Taiwan. It was really huge! And they do have some really huge Gundam models! We also saw the Taipei Railway Station, snapped photos of 星光三越, took a look at their version of Sim Lim Square (their hard disks are like 30% cheaper than Singapore’s! So tempting!), went to their police station to snap photos, saw their municipal building, and of course saw their peak timing traffic conditions, which was truly horrendous. We also saw their tuition centers, and it is really massive!

We moved on to our next stop 双龙寺. As we had to wait for Jacky’s brother, we went to this nearby park, which happened to have a beautiful fountain display ongoing. It was truly lovely! I think the pictures will be up soon for you all to view. Following that, we went to eat 双喜号鱿鱼羹. That was truly marvelous! Ever since I tasted that 4 years ago, the impression is still deeply etched in my mind, and it was so good to relive that feeling again. Next, we started exploring HuaXi Night Market. It was interesting to see their night markets, which is so full of live and spirit as opposed to KL’s Chinatown. Hmm, we ate the 鳝鱼面 (freshwater eel), and it was indeed special and unique. I don’t think you can ever find that in Singapore. Next, we drank 酸梅汤, which was totally fabulous! It was cooling, refreshing, and the taste was lovely. Its like, Singapore’s one just can’t compete against it.

Then the highlight of the day, SNAKE! Yes, we went to watch a performance of this snake eating a poor white mouse! It is like watching discovery channel. Oh, we also got to savor some snake delicacies – snake meat soup, snake penis, snake venom, snake gall, snake skin, snake blood. Hmm, I think I covered all. It was truly a first time experience for all of us. After that, it was already around 10, so we quickly snapped some pictures and went back to the hotel to rest for the next day, which is equally hectic.