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!



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