Family Taiwan Trip - Day 9

Bye Bye, Taiwan~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Merry times always pass so quickly. It's our departure day from Taiwan back to our sunny island, Singapore.

Despite the weather not being too kind on us, I did have a good time in Taiwan. The family bonding time and precious moments we created together will always be part of my memories. So before my memories get eroded over time, I thought it will be a good idea to document everything down. That was the main reason of starting this blog.

My personal highlight of the trip has got to be the release of sky lantern into the sky. Somehow, it felt good doing that - from writing your wishes on the lantern to seeing your wishes floating up to the sky. The whole experience felt so tranquil and at ease. Hopefully the wishes we made will come true one day (except for the princess wish of becoming Elsa).

A good choice!
At least it passed my cleanliness standard

Waiting for our transport to send us to airport

At Taoyuan International Airport

Having lunch at Food Court

Last minute shopping

Waiting to board the flight

We are going home ~~~~~~~~~

Having some "ME" time by sitting separately
from family (ie princess)

She exclaimed "Wowwwww" when she saw
the child meal

The airline prepared a birthday cake for my father-in-law
which was somehow "disfigured" on the way home
 

So thank you Taiwan for the beautiful scenery we have seen, the countless food items we have eaten and the warm hospitality we have experienced.
We will definitely be back again!



<---- Family Taiwan Trip - Day 8

Family Taiwan Trip - Day 8

Taipei City - Danshui, Ximending

Our last day in Taiwan and the rain did not seem to die down. In fact, it got heavier by the day! Regardless of the weather, we decided to proceed to Danshui.

I have fond memories of Danshui when I visited with my other half in 2009. It was after our wedding photo shoot and so my diet plans were cast aside momentarily. That means I can eat shamelessly without feeling guilty! I remembered the yummy Ah Ge (阿給) which is fried beancurd filled with glass noodles drizzled with a sweet sauce. Drool ~~~~~~

The 30 minutes or so ride to Danshui was a straight forward one. Alight from the station and The Old Street is just a 5 minutes away from the station. You can expect to find lots of local street food and souvenir shops. It was pouring when we got there. So it was a challenge to hold the umbrella and take some shots.

In one of the souvenir shop

A hungry girl is an angry girl

Fishballssssss

Yong Tau Foo
How I wish I can buy these back

Milk Muah Chee (Dry)

Milk Muah Chee (Soup)

After lunch, we decided to take the ferry from Danshui to Bali Left Bank (八里左岸). I was sceptical about the ferry ride as it was still raining and the ride may be too bumpy for the princess. The last thing I can handle is her throwing up in addition to the inconvenience caused by the rain. In the end, we decided to have a go at it since we have already travelled all the way there. The 10 minutes ride proved to be smooth sailing (phew!).

There are many souvenirs shops and cafes near the pier. However, many of them remained closed. We were not sure of the reasons. Maybe we were there on a weekday. Or maybe due to the constant rain - they don't expect many visitors, so might as well close for the day.
I saw many bicycle rental shops as well, so I reckon cycling must be popular on a dry day.
Since weather is not our side, we stayed in Bali Left Bank for only a while before taking the ferry back to Danshui.

On ferry ride to Bali 

Smile ~~~~ no matter what happens

While waiting for the rest, we didn't forget to entertain ourselves

The three troopers who went on a "mission" to check out a café
Unfortunately, it was closed.
Check out the bicycles parked at one corner. A pity we didn't have
a chance to rent those bicycles.

We planned to have seafood dinner at Danshui Fisherman's Wharf to celebrate my father-in-law birthday. However, after a disappointing visit to Bali Left Bank, we assumed that the shops at the Fisherman's Wharf may also be affected. So we took the train back to Taipei city and made contingency plans along the way.

Upon reaching Taipei, we decided to go back to our hotel room to rest for a while before heading to Ximending for dinner.
But before heading back to hotel, I had to buy my favourite 50嵐 bubble tea and I chanced upon this stall at the underground shopping mall selling scallion pancakes (蔥抓餅). It's just like our Singapore roti prata except it's more crispy. The dough is pan fried with oil drizzled on it and then "squashed" with 2 utensils to create the crispy edge and chewy texture. You can choose to have it plain or add toppings (egg, ham etc) to it. Extremely sinful but very addictive! Best to go with a cup of bubble tea!

My nth cup in Taiwan

Although I just stuffed myself with the scallion pancake earlier, it was time to head out for dinner at Ximending. We decided to walk to Ximending in an attempt to burn off some calories ahead of our feast.
We decided to have Mala Hot Pot highly recommended by my husband. Upon reaching the Ximen store, we were told to come back for our dinner slot. So we shopped around Ximending for a while.

Our group easily identified by the orange brolly provided by the hotel

The princess was too hungry to wait till dinner time
So it's 7-11 tea eggs to the rescue!

Ooooohhhhhh so good!

Finally our turn!

Dispenser drinks

Canned drinks

Fruits and dessert

The perfect way to end the dinner - with a pot
of tea

Just look at the variety!
And there is a staff stationed nearby who speaks through a microphone to
inform the kitchen on the food to replenish.
So you will not see any empty tray at any time

This is what I'm here for!!!!!!

And these!

DIY your own dipping sauce

Taiwan Beer

The perfect food to have on a wet day

Enjoy ~~~~~~~~

Super satisfied!
 

 
After dinner, we popped over to Holiday KTV  to sing our hearts out. Upon checking, we were told that the room rate was inclusive of food! OMG! We really couldn't eat anymore after our sumptuous dinner.

Food selection at the KTV

More food ~~~~~~

Singing "Happy Birthday" song to my father-in-law

We returned to our hotel late and was informed by the reception that the hotel has prepared a birthday surprise for my father-in-law. Wow! Nice gesture. The staff came to my in-laws room, armed with a tart, a birthday card and sang "Happy Birthday" together. It certainly was a memorable birthday for him.

My father-in-law who is gamed enough to wear
the birthday hat.

After which, we went back to our respective rooms to begin our packing for our flight home the next day. The past 8 days of fun seemed to pass in a flash.

Time to go home tomorrow!



<---- Family Taiwan Trip - Day 7                                      Family Taiwan Trip - Day 9 ---->

Family Taiwan Trip - Day 7

Taipei City - Taipei 101, Hao Ji Dan Zai Mian (好記担仔麺), Shi-Da Night Market (師大夜市)


Raindrops keep falling on my head ~~~~~~~ The perfect song to sing for the day.

We woke up to raindrops splattering on our hotel room window and the weather forecast was thunderstorm expected for the next few days.

Determined to make the best out of the rainy season, we armed ourselves with umbrellas provided by the hotel and headed out for breakfast that all kids love - McDonald's!

 

Taipei Train Station

After breakfast, we headed to Taipei 101. While my parents-in-law went up to the observatory, the rest of us chilled around the area. The kind of holidays I like now - like what my other half always say "No plan is good plan".
When I was younger, I used to plan all my holidays packed with activities with precision timing. If a certain activity exceeded the time slot, I will get stressed out for not being able to reach our next target. This in turn put others (specifically my other half) in distress and it always resulted in arguments. As age has taken the toil on me, I've started to take things slow in my travel plans. No more planning down to the exact minute - just state the location and enjoy the time there. That's exactly the gist of a Free & Easy holiday right?

Taking the train to Taipei 101

Taipei 101 replica

Saranghaeyo~~~~~~

The joy of finding ice cream!

Enjoying her ice cream

Showing off the medal replica she made 

The glass panels in the background changes colour

We then proceeded to Hao Ji Dan Zai Mian (好記担仔麺) which was highly recommended by my husband. The restaurant serves authentic Taiwanese food with the signature dish being the egg noodles. The noodles portion is relatively small, so you can order more portions with other side dishes.It was still raining heavily and the shop is not accessible by train, so we took a cab there.
Upon arrival, you can see vast array of sample dishes at the shop front and you can place your orders based on what you see.
We were then shown into the restaurant. The décor is historic with antique furniture and posters in a relatively dim environment.
The egg noodles certainly did not disappoint us. The soup base was so flavourful and the noodles was cooked to my liking. It's the perfect comfort food to have on a rainy day. The other side dishes were good too but I will give my vote to the egg noodles any time!

Take you pick!

The signature egg noodles!

It was certainly a satisfying lunch and it was still raining after lunch. As we had dinner plans with our friends, we decided to head back to our hotel room to let the princess take a nap. When she was napping, me and my husband took turns to do our respective shopping. And guess what?! I didn't buy a single item. Wow! That's a record! I thought of making a trip to Chia Te Bakery for my favourite Sun Cakes. But somehow the rain dampen my spirit a little and I ended up at a nearby Starbucks after making a quick shopping round near our hotel vicinity

At Starbucks

Waited a long time for my orders as there
was a 1-for-1 promotion going on.
Thus, long waiting time

Tiramisu Mille Crepe and Iced Fancy Rose Tea Latte

We met up with our Taiwanese friends for dinner while the rest of the family had dinner with our extended family members. Despite the rain (YES! Still raining), it was nice catching up with friends whom we haven't see for a while.

After dinner (on my insistence), we took the train to Shi-Da Night Market which is located next to National Taiwan University. I've read that items sold at this night market are generally cheaper and trendy to cater to the young crowd from the nearby university. My age does not define me, so I'm keen to soak in the youthful atmosphere to see how Taiwanese youngster live.
You can expect to see lots of clothing, shoes, accessories, phone gadgets and of course local snacks there. The price is indeed cheaper compared to other night market and clothes are of trendy style. We didn't buy any food there as we were still full from dinner. What I liked in particular at this night market is the vibe. I can't exactly describe that feeling but it does make me feel young once again.
It was raining when we got there and both my husband and princess were getting tired and restless. I did a quick round at the night market and went back to the hotel with no photos to share.

May the rain have mercy on us tomorrow!



<---- Family Taiwan Trip - Day 6                                   Family Taiwan Trip - Day 8  ---->