Exploring Taiwan!

Feelings About The Trip

2006-08-08T02:56:00.000+08:00

i really enjoyed this trip alot, having met friends that i have knew online and also made new friends...the highlights for me gonna be the Green Island tour and Alishan's sunset...will never forget the wonderful experience...also Taiwaneses are really very friendly and warm...and i will definitely go back there again if i have the chance...thanks to all the people who helped me in one way or another!...special thanks to Kevin for taking the time to accompany me around!...to Tripadvisor forum's people especially Nutty and CC for all the help in planning...also to Yongwei and Huiting for making the trip so fun...hope u both enjoyed yourself too =)...and finally to all my new found friends (Betty, Sheung Sheung, Florence and Steven)...miss u all and hope to see u people very soon!!!...that's all folks!!!

Day 18 : Farewell to Taiwan

2006-07-31T09:29:00.000+08:00

woke up late since i slept really late last night haha...we went to Longshan Temple (龍山寺) together...and then to 鼎泰豐 for lunch...food there is really delicious...definitely recommend to try the food there for anyone who is heading to Taipei...i bidded farewell with Betty, Sheung Sheung and Steven...since Florence's flight is almost the same time as mine, we will be leaving for the airport together...we went to Yuanshan (圓山) area first to buy some local delights...the 綠豆糕 is wow...so delicious...bought a big box home together with another box of 鳳梨酥 for my family...headed back to the hostel...packed up...bidded goodbye with Xu 小姐 and family and took a bus to the airport with Florence...she told me about her India trip before she came to Taiwan...their project is somewat like our YEP in Singapore...her trip sounds really fantastic and i hope i do have a chance to go India too next time hehe...parted with her at the gates and finally back home to Singapore...saw a very nice sunset during the flight back, a somewat fitting picture as i ended my Taiwan tour...

final group photo
ops me munching something in my mouth haha =p

me and Sheung Sheung

Longshan Temple

me with Xu 小姐 and family...her boy is so cute!

yummy 綠豆糕

and 鳳梨酥

~~~~~ Next ~~~~~
Feelings About The Trip

Day 17 : Yangmingshan and KTV

2006-07-30T08:51:00.000+08:00

chatted with the Mexican guy in the morning...basically i dun know Spanish and he dun know English...so both of us was like doing strange handsigns trying to understand each other...i think i should pick up some Spanish soon haha...met up with several new friends...Steven from Cananda, Sheung Sheung and Florence from Hong Kong and Betty from South Korea...and so we decided to travel to Yangmingshan (陽明山) together...we stopped by various sights there and they are really scenic...小油坑 is really unique with its strange gas sizzling out from the ground...and 擎天岗 was simply wonderful with the large area of flat grasslands...nice place for taking a nap i thought haha...lying on the grass watching the blue sky is just so relaxing...after that we went back to Ximending for lunch and some window shopping...went to play the popular basketball game that Taiwaneses like to play for watever reason...kinda tiring on the hands u know lol...back to hostel for a rest...watched a show called 40 days and 40 nights at the living room with others...was really a funny show and cracked me up alot...later we met up again and went for KTV at Ximending with a Vietnamese guy Eric joining us...enjoyed ourselves and sang till around 2am...took a walk back to our hostel...chatted with Sheung Sheung and Steven about life back at home before finally ending our tiring day...

Travel Informations
Yang Ming Shan Brochure
Yang Ming Shan Bus 108 Ticket

the naughty cat that woke me and Steven up early in the morning

nice eyes @@

smoking off at 小油坑

free sulfur anyone?

view from near 小油坑

擎天岗

group photo...front from left to right...Betty, Steven and Florence...back Sheung Sheung and me!

jumping for some effects! =p

Betty playing the basketball game haha

finally the raider is asleep ^^"

KTV at Ximending!

me and Florence

~~~~~ Next ~~~~~
Day 18
Farewell to Taiwan

Day 16 : Wulai and Danshui

2006-07-29T08:29:00.000+08:00

went to Wulai (烏來) in the morning, taking bus from Xindian (新店) MRT...went to the aboriginal musuem for a look...very interesting where you get to know the history of the many different tribes and their culture...their tattooed faces are especially unique...took a short train ride to the Wulai waterfall...like the 3rd waterfall or something i have seen already in this tour...so nothing impressive...walk around and explore the village abit...there is also this cable car u can take to higher ground for a higher view...ate lunch at a little shop just by the river, the view from there was nice and i could see people "swimming" or rather struggling in the river with their floats, following the strong current down the river...kinda funny i thought haha...left Wulai and went shopping at Taipei underground mall again...saw lots of toy models...so tempted to buy 1 set of samurai swords model cos it was really nice but expensive too haiz...rested a while before going to Danshui again...lots of people there maybe because the next day is the Chinese Valentine Day...damn, where is my valentine? =p...eat lots of stuff again...tried the freshly caught and cooked squids...u can eat it just like that and u can really taste the freshness of it...went back hostel...met up with alot of new people who just came in...a Mexican family...people from Korea, States and more...the living room is really busting with life haha...and i shared the room with a new comer, Steven from Canada who is here on holiday too...=)

Travel Informations
Wulai Scenic Area Brochure (Inside)
Wulai Scenic Area Brochure (Outside 01)
Wulai Scenic Area Brochure (Outside 02)
Wulai Tourist Tram Brochure (Inside)
Wulai Tourist Tram Brochure (Outside)

Wulai waterfall
beautiful sunset at Danshui

night view of Bali

lots of people!

few art pieces displaying at the Zhongshan underground mall that caught my eyes
this was titled "Top Rated Betelnut"...u probably get what it means ya haha

"Don't Kill Me"...as simple as it can get to promote conservation

Next >>> Day 17 : Yangmingshan and KTV

Day 15 : Taipei 101, Shilin NM and more

2006-07-28T08:24:00.000+08:00

went to the majestic Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (國立中正紀念堂) in the morning, just in time to see the change of guards ceremony...it was really formal, but their creative drill patterns are definitely worth looking out for...there is also a museum dedicated to Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) where you get to learn about his life and how he became the 1st president of Taiwan...the whole compound is actually very big and includes the National Theatre (國家戲劇院) and National Concert Hall (國家音樂廳) with a gigantic square in the middle of the 3 buildings...there were many students and teenagers around the complex too...some practising their dance routines while others perfecting their Chinese calligraphy...then headed to the awesome Taipei 101...standing at incredible height of 509m, it is the tallest building in the world then and was built to resemble a stalk of bamboo...walked around, some window shopping and had a light breakfast there...mainly branded stuffs there...so not for a poor man like me =/...stopped by at the Sun-Yet-Sen Memorial Hall (國立國父紀念館) and a art gallery that was on-going there before going to SOGO to help my friend buy some stuffs...but it was closed due to a fire that broke out the day before...zzzzzzzz...how unlucky i can get!...went to Shilin Night Market in the late evening and spent almost like 4 hrs there lol...shopping and eating...bought lots of clothings =p...tried 考香雞排...tasted just as nice as 炸香雞排 or maybe even better...check out lots of pet shops there too...and the American Shorthair cats really caught my eyes...they are really cute and active haha...really wish i could have one at home...went back to the hostel and chatted with the owner whom we call Xu 小姐...she told me there was actually a 6.1 scale earthquake early morning that day...strangely i didn't felt it...damn...maybe i was in the MRT or something...we also talked about traveling around the world and stuffs...and she really has good knowledge about the different countries since she probably had met countless foreigners from all over the world...really a wonderful woman she is!

Gate of Great Centrality and Perfect Uprightness (大中至正), front entrance to the big square compound of C.K.S. Memorial

outside of the majestic C.K.S. Memorial Hall

there is a total of 89 steps, which symbolises the age of Chiang Kai-shek when he died

inside of C.K.S. Memorial Hall where you can see a big bronze sculpture of the man himself
the 3 main themes of the Chinese characters at the back are Ethics, Democracy and Science

view of the big compound from the top

here come the smartly-dressed guards

changing of guards ceremony

performing some fancy stunts with their rifles

Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world then

Taipei 101 as seen from Sun-Yat-Sen Memorial

Sun-Yat-Sen, the father of modern China

cute American Shorthair!!!

~~~~~ Next~~~~~
Day 16
Wulai and Danshui

Day 14 : Wuling Farm and back to Taipei...

2006-07-27T06:23:00.000+08:00

went out for a early morning stroll in the forest and farms...before i realise it, i was going to be late for my bus to Yilan (宜蘭) from where i will take train back to Taipei...quickly pack up and then begin to walk that damn 5 km to the bus stop...walked about 1km and saw a lorry driving down the same direction...thinking that i might be able to hitchhike, i stopped the lorry and they were kind enough to let me mount the back of the lorry for a free ride...phew...no more walking with my heavy backpack haha...the back of the lorry was filled with cabbages...lots of them...probably freshly harvested from their farm...reached the bus stop and thanked them for their wonderful help...met a old couple at the bus stop and chatted with them...realise they are from China and has bought a piece of farm land and build a house here to prepare for their retirement...how i wish i could be like them when i am old to be able to retire in such a wonderful environment...bus came and took around 2 hrs odd to reach Yilan...another wonderful bus ride thru magnificient mountains sceneries...from there i took the latest train back to Taipei...went back to Taiwanmex Guest House again since i really like it there...got back the same room i lived before i left Taipei that time...but this time, i have the whole 4 person dorm to myself wahahaha...chatted with a Canadian guy in the living room...he is actually my age and has came here to teach english for a year...in fact, many foreigners do come Taiwan to teach english and they do get quite a good salary for just working few hours a day...went to window shop at Taipei and Zhongshan underground mall before hitting Wufenpu and Raohe Night Market again haha...this time i manage to walk till the end of Raohe NM and stuffed myself with lots and lots of foods lol...once again someone asked me if i wanna work at her shop...wtf lol...went back to Taipei Station and exited thru the south entrance...there is actually this little square compound there and there are numerous pillars that glow in different light color...kinda nice...and there are also a few caucasians skateboarding there...so i just sat and watch them perform various stunts while enjoying the mini lightshow...wented back to hostel...a group of people crowded around the living room...it was ladies night and they were going clubbing and ask me along...but i kindly reject since i was really tired and my legs were already hurting from the trekking and walking haha...finally bought my return flight to singapore on 31st July since i needed to do my module bidding then...else i will have stayed longer! =/

strange maple tree whose leaves were still red now...something wrong with its biological clock maybe haha
Wuling bus stop

farmers working hard

Next >>> Day 15 : Taipei 101, Shilin NM and More

Day 13 : Lishan and Wuling Farm

2006-07-26T06:06:00.000+08:00

woke up early in the morning and headed to a bus stop near the train station to wait for the bus to Lishan (梨山), where from there u can continue to Wuling Farm (武陵農場) since i decided to skip Hehuan Recreation Area...a guy approach me saying that they do transport to Lishan too using van for those local villagers there...and the price is just abit more but u will get there faster and can stop anytime u want too...so i agreed since i was lazy to wait for the bus haha...views along the way was stunning as you have to travel up and thru the central mountain ranges to reach there...u can really see the effect of the typhoon on the Nantou area...landslides and rocks as large as a car on the road sometimes...it was really misty too due to the high attitude and sometimes i think visibility is only like 50m or even less...the van has to horn constantly along narrow hill roads to alert other drivers...we stopped over for a break at Hehuan Villa (合歡山莊), which i supposely wanted to stay for the night...was really freezing there, probably around 3300m above sea level there i think...and the surroundings was really nice...then we continued to Lishan and reached there around noon...still very cold over there lol...walk around and saw farms where they grow peaches, apple and pear...transfer to bus to go to Wuling Farm...reach there late afternoon...and wtf...i needed to walk like 5km further into the forest with my backpack to check into my Wuling Villa (武陵山莊) since the local tour bus was not running due to typhoon yesterday...and taxis are super rare up here...curse and swear, but luckily it was cooling at around 20 degree and so took my time to enjoy the surroundings too while i trek up the narrow road...finally found my accommodation...check in into a 6 people dormitory which once again there is only me hehe...in fact, i am probably the only visitor up here now! lol...went trekking up the forest to see a waterfall...the whole area was really deserted probably because it is just after the typhoon and the deafening silence was strange at times...but i really enjoy the time i had to myself in the nature...very relaxing!...headed back before night falls...dinner was provided and i ate together with the forest ranger and his father who was the one who prepared the food...wonderful local taste, and eating and chatting with them really give me a homely feeling in a foreign land...in the night pretty much nothing u can do...so slack in the room, watch TV and slept like 12 hrs haha...

Hehuan Villa
and its surroundings

view just outside Hehuan Villa, that is how high we are!

Lishan's surroundings, with the many different colorful flowers decorating the area

little puppy that disturbed me while i was waiting for bus haha

Wuling Farm surroundings

another close up of a butterfly

peaches!

and pears!

Wuling hanging bridge

the tall and slender Wuling Waterfall

and me in front of the Wuling waterfall

the forest trails

forest spa is good for health!

a meter or something they use to warn about forest fires

Next >>> Day 14 : Wuling Farm and back to Taipei...

Day 12 : Typhoon Day....

2006-07-25T09:08:00.000+08:00

it was already raining heavily in the morning...so couldn't really go out to explore...slack in the room while watching more news of the typhoon and the Middle East crisis...went out in the late afternoon for lunch after the rain stopped...went to a bookstore to take a look at some books...then when i was walking past a shop...someone actually approach me to ask me if i wanna work as a sale personal there lol...but told her i wasn't a local...called to check the transportation status to Nantou (南投) area since i planned to stay 1 night at Hehuan (合歡) recreational area and 1 night at Wuling farm (武陵農場)...and needed to check if buses are still running after the typhoon in case roads might be blocked due to landslides and stuffs...bought some tibits before heading back to the hostel in the evening, luckily just before it started to rain heavily again lol...yeah in Taiwan, they are actually really environment friendly...almost everywhere rubbish bins are classified as both recyclable and normal trash...what more, u actually need to pay a small fee of 1NT to get a plastic carrier at convenient shops!...i also remembered Kevin telling me that people will get fine if they do not separate their household wastes into recyclable and normal thrash...also got myself a jacket to prepare for the cold temperature when i head up to Hehuan mountain and Wuling farm...of cos, more slacking inside the room...=p

me slacking in my room and my messy bed =/
too bored lol...took a picture of myself posing in my new sweater

Next >>> Day 13 : Lishan and Wuling Farm

Day 11 : Lukang and Taichung

2006-07-24T08:34:00.000+08:00

woke up early in the morning and had my free breakfast provided by the youth hostel...the uncle at the restaurant was really friendly...chatted with him while i eat...he was rather surprised that i could actually speak such good chinese as he had always thought that Singaporeans only speak English haha...anyway i took an hour bus to Lukang (鹿港) at Zhanghua (彰化), just south of Taichung...walking around and can sense that big wind has already starting to blow, first sign of typhoon!...could see that some of the roadside tentages starting to fly alittle lol...some shop keepers in fact have already starting to pack up even thou it is still so early in the day...ate 麵線糊 for lunch at this little shop...wow really delicious...end up eating 2 bowls of it...walk around again and i probably dun even know where i am heading to thou...kinda lost in the so many alleys intertwining with each others...but those alleys are rather unique and interesting, u know like in those 武俠小說 that kind haha...finally manage to find my way around after some asking around...went to Tienhou Temple (天后宮)...lots of people praying there since the Ghost Festival is starting tomolo...ate more foods from the roadside stalls...tried out those small fried prawns and crabs...really tasty haha...headed back to Taitung in the evening...rested a while before going for dinner at Zhonghua Night Market (中華夜市) and Yucai Night Market (育才夜市)...there isn't alot at Zhonghua NM, but Yucai NM was really crowded with university students and teenagers...somewat like Ximending of Taipei...things there are of cos really cheap too as they mostly cater to the students...eat and eat and eat again!...went back to the hostel and that night, i had the whole room to just myself =p

the shop i went to eat my 麵線糊...note the "無餓不坐" lol
alleys of Lukang

entrance to the Lukang market place

天后宮

fried prawns and crabs

nice hand made wooden musical boxes

this home belongs to one of the richest man there

Next >>> Day 12 : Typhoon Day....

Day 10 : Sun Moon Lake

2006-07-23T07:13:00.000+08:00

drove up to Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) in the morning...quite a distance actually from Taichung...was quite nice, but not very impressive i will say...maybe different seasons have a different feeling...walked around before we took a small ride around the lake...then we went to the Snake Kiln Ceramics Cultural Park (蛇窯) at 水里...it is a nice place to go for pottery lover...got to learn how pottery is done, lots of pottery arts...quite interesting...wanted to make one myself, but didn't do it since i dun wanna to make a mess lol...went back to Taichung and check in my youth hostel...finally farewell to Kevin while he made his way back to 高雄...it was really nice of him to take leaves to accompany me for the few days...we talk about lots of stuff, from politics to game to almost everything...got to more about each other country's culture and living lifestyle...once again, lots and lots of thanks to Kevin for his time and effort!...hope he enjoyed himself too =) ...i went down Zhongxiao Night Market (忠孝夜市) for dinner...i am really addicted to red tea lol...at least drank like 3 of them everyday haha...in the night, a army officer joined me in the 3 room dorm...his name was Jackie...he told me the various interesting places to go in Taichung and Taipei...also gained some insights into the army life of Taiwanese...all Taiwanese guy must serve the military for a certain period, pretty much like what is happening in Singapore...saw the news on TV...another typhoon coming towards Taiwan, reaching on Tuesday perhaps...damn...need to reschedule my plan again haha...

muachi making
posing at Sun Moon Lake

view of the lake

nice flowers

higher view of the lake

lucky it didn't fall haha

wood used for burning at the furnace

the front view of the furnace

old tools used for pottery

lol...jap soldiers actually fought in those!!!

front entrance to the furnace

me!

some pottery pieces

side view

i am the 店小二!!!

at the side entrance

it is pretty dark inside

freshly made pottery

a pottery master hard at work

at the garden

honey bees...........eeeeeeeee

my 3 beds room, not bad for a really cheap price

lots of stuff to choose from and cheap too haha

Next >>> Day 11 : Lukang and Taichung

Day 9 : Sunrise at Alishan!!!

2006-07-22T00:13:00.000+08:00

we moved out from Kaohsiung just pass midnight...the journey there and up is really long and dark...takes around 1 hour to Chiayi (嘉義) and another 2 hours++ up Alishan (阿里山) itself...road is really winding round and round...turn left, right, left, right...must have been really tiring on Kevin =/ ...i also introduced our Singapore local singers to him...Kelly and Kevin...and he really likes Kelly's songs...so glad cos i think Kelly is really good too hehe...reached there around 3.30am...took a short nap before taking the Alishan Forest Railway up to the peak which is situated near Zhushan Station (祝山)...it is around a 30 mins train ride...and damn it was really cold!...temperature is at 8 degree celcius and i didn't bring any sweater with me lol...so i just have to make do with wearing 2 shirts lol...so fun that i experienced the temperature extreme within days...38 degree at Green Island and now 8 at Alishan lol...the sunrise is abit after 5.30am...so the guide took this time to explain to us the surroundings as well as provided us with some information...the position and time of the sunrise actually changes according to seasons...we were at around 2500m above sea level and just directly opposite us is the Yushan (玉山)'s peak which is at 3900++m, tallest in Taiwan...maybe i can plan to conquer it someday hehe...finally the moment of truth...it is really damn damn spectacular!!!...it takes only a minute for the sun to appear from nothing to its full bloom...most of us just couldn't take our eyes off it althou it does start to get abit glaring haha...all the sleeplessness is definitely worthed it i think for just this 1 minute ^^ ...no amount of words or pictures can describe it and you just have to see it yourself...and i am really lucky cos the past 6 days, they haven't been able to see the sunrise due to bad weather...and Kevin has come here like 10 times and only saw 3 sunrises out of them...blessed!!!...took the train back down and found a place where we managed to steal some sleep in the car lol...then we continue to head down to Fengqi Lake (奮起湖) to have our lunch...abit of sight-seeing around before finally driving back to Chiayi to meet another Taiwan friend 毀滅 (dunno his real name >.< ) ...relax and play a little online game before me and Kevin move out for Taichung (台中)...check out the youth hostel that i gonna stay for the next few days before we found a cheap hotel to stay for the night...wanted to meet another friend 小天...but too bad we couldn't find her...hit the night market for dinner and finally more sleep haha...

the place where u take the last stretch of the railway to the peak
man and woman...young and old rushing to catch the sunrise

can't see me can u? lol

before the sun pops out

our guide introducing to us the surroundings

the sun is coming!

full burst of the sun rays within a minute!

hmm...where do you find a last train at 6am!!!...and Kevin caught in a candid shot =p

me and the train at the back

people gathering at the train station, waiting to get down

few of the mountain forest railways left in the world that we travelled on

surrounding where we took a break

railway thru the forest

more scenery

entrance to the small town of 奮起湖...which isn't a lake actually

the popular 便當 with fair share of meats and veggies + tasty bamboo shoot soup

famous place where they make the best 便當

hmmm...wonder what caught my eyes lol

me and those old time steam powered train that operates on coal

i always like bamboos alot...no idea why haha

Next >>> Day 10 : Sun Moon Lake

Day 8 : Kenting and Kaohsiung

2006-07-21T07:23:00.000+08:00

before we made our way to Kaohsiung (高雄), we went touring around few scenery spots in Kenting...there is also lots of beach activities going on around Kenting...motor boat driving, snorkeling etc...i will say Kenting is a perfect place for people who like beach life and night life...stopped at a temple, supposely one of the more popular ones in taiwan before reaching Kaohsiung city in the afternoon...did a little driving tour around...went into Sun Yat-sen University (國立中山大學) to take a peek at the campus too...took a stroll along the Kaohsiung Habour before going to take a rest a Kevin's place...went over to his sis's place to do some computer fixing...she was really friendly and had a little son who was damn naughty...keep messing with us while we try to fix his computer haha...hit Liuhe Night Market (六和夜市) for dinner...it is actually opened all the way till morning and famous for its seafoods...rest again at Kevin's house + some internet surfing before we prepare to move out to Alishan (阿里山) to see the magnificent sunrise!

Sail Rock(風帆石) in Kenting that looks like a sail from afar
the description of it...i like the phrase at the bottom...
"Leave nothing but footprints. Take nothing but pictures." =)

the most southern part of Taiwan

nice scenery around there too

the temple that we stopped over

view from Kaohsiung Habour with the Tuntex Sky Tower (高雄85大樓) dominating the skyline

the narrow alley taken from Kevin's balcony

my poor tired leg + the out of shaped tanning due to my sandals...
makes a good travel icon for me haha =p

Next >>> Day 9 : Sunrise at Alishan!!!

Day 7 : More Green Island and then Kenting

2006-07-20T08:49:00.000+08:00

woke up in the morning to go to Zhaori Hotspring (朝日溫泉)...it is a pity that we missed the sunrise, but we dun wanna waste the tickets since we already bought them...nice ocean view over there and the hotsprings are just by the ocean...you can basically enjoy the cold ocean water or the warm hotspring anytime u want by just hopping over few stones haha...granted, Zhaori Hotspring is just one of the rare few seabed hotsprings in the world...so being able to relax in the hotspring while hearing the sound of the waves is probably one of the best things u can ever do...once in a while, interrupted by fishes (yeah, there are fishes in the hotspring and plenty of them) swimming thru your legs...then terrible thing struck when i was washing up...my precious s600 camera dropped and the lcd broke...cry!!! ~"~ ...althou i could still take pictures...but basically u are just aiming with your sixth sense lol...watever, i not gonna let this spoilt my mood for the whole trip...luckily for me i still got my k750i phone and finally the camera phone can be put into good use haha...phew...went biking around again, rested a while before we took the ferry back to Taitung...oh...did i say that weather over at Green Island is freaking hot...it is almost like 37 to 38 degree and i have been so tanned due the strong sun from Hualian water rafting and Green Island touring lol...and my knees are already sun burnt cos i forgot to apply sun block lotion there lol...we headed down to Kenting (墾丁) and arrive there in the late evening...checked in to Kevin's friend minsu before heading down to the night streets for dinner...night life there is really happening...lots of cool pubs, discos and of cos hot gals haha...there are also children playing fireworks by the sea...took a long walk before finally heading back the minsu to end our tiring day...

one of the 3 hotspring pools that are artificially "enclosed"
me enjoying the warm water although it is already hot enough lol

one of the natural hotspring in its original form...the ocean is just at the back...and there are fishes inside the hotspring as well!

the waves and the ocean

small hermit crab that we found inside the hotspring

overview of the area

be really careful walking on the rocky seabed

view of the small hotspring building

hey...maybe that is opened by my father's brother's cousin's son's uncle's daughter haha

seaweed ice...one of the local delights too ^^

mother deer!

the deer checking me out lol

baby deer hiding in the bush

鹿肉乾 or dried deer meat from Green Island...
my mom likes them alot...
i am a animal lover myself, so i felt kinda really sinful eating them...but well...it is just a once in a lifetime experience...

bye bye Green Island! wat a heaven it is to me i will say

Taiwan flag flying high on the cruise

a type of fruit called 釋迦 (custard apple)...and is grown locally at Taitung...and i forgot to try it...damn...

Next >>> Day 8 : Kenting and Kaohsiung

Day 6 : Green Island!

2006-07-19T07:34:00.000+08:00

we drove to Fugang Habour (富冈渔港) early in the morning to catch the ferry to Green Island (綠島), which is a pristine volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean just off Taitung...we took a 2 days 1 night package for NT1500 per person which include a room, a mob for self-travel on the island, ferry to and back Taitung, snorkeling + a guided night tour...and it is really cheap considering a return ferry ticket itself is already like NT800 per person...and we were given a room for 4 for the 2 of us...pretty worth it i will say...we ate breakfast near the habour, enjoying the free F16s airshow since the airforce base was just nearby...the ferry takes about an hour and we finally reach green island...mounted onto our 200cc mob (yeah, you dun need to wear helmet there haha) and off we go touring the island while we look for our minsu which is at the other end of the island, but nearer to the ZhaoRi Hotspring (朝日溫泉)...the scenery there is really magnificent!...clear sky...blue water...i just luv it there!...toured around before going for our lunch...we had deer meat which was the local delight there considering they used to rear alot of deers over in the island...went touring again...really beautiful pictures of the Pacific Ocean + rock formations + cliffs...the island itself is actually very small and probably takes around 45 mins of continuous drive to complete a full circle of the island...we went snorkeling in the evening and was really fun...we were fully equiped from mask to full diving suit and shoes...really impresed with the good condition of the equipment since i got pretty bad ones when i went diving in philippines...saw many colorful fishes...there were puppet fishes, sea snake, sea urchin, hermit crab and even fishes almost that of a human size!...and not forgetting the huge array of corals and this humongous brain coral which is probably thousands of years old...the water was really clear and was really relaxing as u dun even need to do any work...the instructor will drag us along with the floats and we will just hang onto it and enjoy the beautiful underwater world haha...we tried flying fish for dinner, another local delight while we watch the sunset by the sea haha...rested a while before going for the night tour with the guide...we moved off in convoys of bikes...was really interesting...we saw deers in the wild running away from us while we tracked them down...big thick fat stick insect which are green!...we also do some stars gazing in the total darkness...and he will show us where is the north star and the various horoscopes...and u can really feel the sky of stars spinning around you haha...and luckily for us...we actually saw a comet!...it leaves a nice trail of its tail behind...so nice...and i made a wish too hehe...the guide was really humorous and also told us lots of stories and histories of the island...Green Island was only opened to tourism a few years back, hence it is still relatively untouched by tourists in the sense...in the past, it acted mainly as a place for prisoners (it is still now actually), including some famous political prisoners like the current vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮)...in the night the road was pitch black since there aren't any road lights there...so the road is only lited by your mob's head light + those little glass bulb that lines the centre of the road which will reflect light back...went back minsu to rest and were supposed to go the Zhaori hotspring abit later in the night so as to catch the sunrise...but we ended up sleeping till the morning lol...

the Fugang Habour from where u take ferry to Green Island
Kevin at the harbour

me outside 朝日溫泉

under the Mati Bridge (馬蹄橋)

rock formations

me and Kevin

part of the Green Island's small fishing port

GuanYin Cave (觀音洞)

looks like a small puppy right? it is called the 哈巴狗岩

and the sleeping beauty (睡美人岩)...u can clearly see her head, neck and her blossoms @@

beauty and the beast???

green forest, dark blue sea and the light blue sky...u have it all!

more wonderful scenery

the sun-tanned and tired me!

sunset by the ocean

Next >>> Day 7 : More Green Island and then Kenting

Day 5 : Rafting Down Xiuguluan River!

2006-07-18T07:38:00.000+08:00

woke up early in the morning and dug into our breakfast prepared by the minsu owner...i really like the red tea...packed up all our stuffs and geared ourselves up for rafting!!!...a van came to pick us up to the starting point which is about an hour ride away...so we manage to catch more sleep during the journey...upon arrival, we were taken to watch a safety video, after which we were each equipped with our equipment...a little more practising here and there and off we go...we are supposed to raft down along the lower part of the Xiuguluan River (秀姑峦溪) for around 22km (refer to the brochure below for the map), and it is classified as a class 1-3 rapids...and the best time for rafting is actually just after a typhoon! =p...the 3 of us teamed up with a family of 5 to make 8 persons per raft...it was really exciting...and a few times i thought our raft almost capsized haha but yet we survived....although both the dad and the mum of the family, as well as huiting unfortunately fell overboard into the river haha =p ...whenever we drift too near to the shore, the lifeguard will try to push us around with their rubber speedboat...thou sometimes it made thing worse and we become even more disorientated...there was like around 50 other rafts rowing at the same time down river...and we often do water fighting between the rafts...just splashing water at everyone u see even thou u dun really know them lol...and once in a while we need to clear the water inside our raft in case it sink lol...about halfway down we stopped for lunch that was provided...touched up on our sunblock (yes! u better!) before embarking onto another stretch of the river...thou the 2nd part isn't as exicting as the 1st part i thought, but it was still fun...too bad i couldn't bring my camera along...else will have taken some fantastic pictures of the scenic surroundings...the rafting ended about 2pm...at the endpoint, there are plenty of washrooms for us to clean up ourselves...after abit of dilly dally here and there, our van drove us back to the Hualian train station...since we still got lots of time before our trains come, we went strolling around for a while and finally rooted ourselves into one of the popular muachi store...the handmade muachi was really nice and we quickly got addicted to them, trying to taste all the different flavours possible!...but too bad they can't be bought back home since the freshly made ones can only last 24 hrs...anyway i will be heading south to Taitung (台東) while the 2 of them will be going back to Taipei...i manage to change to an earlier train and pretty surprised that they actually refunded me the value difference!...so farewell with yongwei and huiting and will embarked on another part of my journey...reached Taitung in the night and finally met up with Kevin whom i have known from online gaming...can u imagine the anticipation haha...a quick introduction and off hunting for our shelter for the night...we decided to stay cheap, so we drove to Zhiben hotspring (知本温泉) and camped overnight there...

Travel Informations
Hualian White Water Rafting Brochure (Inside)
Hualian White Water Rafting Brochure (Outside)

we are ready!!!
row row row your raft...

muachi shop that we ate and shop before the train comes

Next >>> Day 6 : Green Island!

Day 4 : South to Hualian, Taroko National Park

2006-07-17T06:05:00.000+08:00

woke up early in the morning to catch our train to Hualian (花蓮) from Ruifang train station...kinda cool to be able to catch a glimpse of the empty Jiufen old alleys in the morning...the town seems to wake up pretty late i will say...anyway the train ride takes around 3 hrs...u be able to see some fantastic sea view of Taiwan's NorthEast Coastal Area along the way...reach Hualian train station around 9 plus and was welcomed by Mr Looi (呂來福), our cabbie driver that i have booked for the day from Singapore for our tour of Taroko National Park (太魯閣)...he is really friendly and said that it was the first time that people actually called him from overseas to book him haha...so i told him i got his contact from the Tripadvisor forum...and he was really thankful and hope that i will help to recommend him more too hehe...went to many different places...couldn't remember the exact names now thou...one of the stops was walking thru the Mystery Valley (神秘谷)...the river water was really clear and blue...along the way u see signboards introducing the places as well as the florals and faunas u can find there...manage to get down to the river via a small path...the water was really cooling and the place very serene, so we took a long break there hehe...probably too relaxing a place that we forgot we still got other places to go haha...we also stop by the incredible Tunnel of Nine Turns (九曲洞) and Swallow Grotto (燕子口), where u get to see those really steep gorges and interesting rock formations...stop by a few other places before breaking off at Tian Xiang (天祥) for lunch...food there isn't really nice i would say haha...but we did tried the bamboo stick rice (竹桶飯)...thou i think those i ate in Vietnam tastes much better hehe...there is a small garden there where u can find lots of butterflies flying around...so we decided to call it 蝴蝶谷 since we didn't knew the exact name of it...was trying hard to catch some of them...but they just wouldn't stay still no matter how careful and slowly i approach them!...after lunch we went to a few other places including Eternal Spring Shrine (長春祠) which was built in memorance of those workmen who lost their lives building the amazing Central Cross-Island Highway...our final stop was at Seven Star Lake (七星潭) which it is actually the Pacific Ocean...and interestingly the beach there is packed with stones rather than sands...waves were really big...almost caught me a few times when i was trying to go near to the water...Yongwei and Huiting were busy hunting those beautiful smooth stones as gifts for friends and i manage to find a very nice one too to keep as souvenir =)...back to our minsu for a rest before heading to the night market at NanBin Garden (南濱公園) for dinner...after that we went to watch the aboriginal dance performance at a culture centre nearby...the costumes of the aboriginal tribe are rather special and i have always wanted to take a photo dressed in one of them hehe...too bad we couldn't make it to the Carp Lake (鯉魚潭) for the light performance that was going on during that period as we didn't manage to find the bus that was supposed to take us there...so walked back to minsu to end our day...minsu owner was really nice...offered us fruits to eat and let us do stone paintings...so i guess that is why the minsu is called Stone House (石頭之家)...thou only Huiting did it since i am not that artistic =)...had to rest early tonight as we have a tough day ahead tomorrow...white-water rafting!!!

Travel Informations
For people planning to do a 1 day trip from Taipei to Hualian, the following train schedules are the best and most recommended. For other timings, check the Taiwan Railway Website.
To Hualian
Train Class: Tze Chiang
Train Code: 1051 (Shulin To Jhihben)
Departure from Taipei: 06.42
Arrival at Hualian: 09.37
Estimated Time of Journey: 2h 55m
Back to Taipei
Train Class: Tze Chiang Train
Code: 1080 (Jhihben To Taipei)
Departure from Hualian: 19.30
Arrival at Taipei: 21.51
Estimated Time of Journey: 2h 21m

empty streets of Jiufen in the early morning

bye bye Jiufen!

at one of the stops at Taroko National Park

road to Tianxiang

i really like the clouds =)

errr....the red Bridge of the Kind Mother (慈母橋)

the blue and crystal clear Shakatang River along the Mystery Valley

woah! i look so miniature

another of Mystery Valley

me posing haha

language of the aboriginal tribe...looks abit like Malay according to Huiting

me and Huiting risking ourselves in the river @@

Yongwei enjoying the cool river water

that is quite alot of people there too hehe

dun cut my tongue!

Yongwei and Huiting posing with the umbrella haha

心如止水 finding peace with nature =p

Swallow Grotto

those little holes must be the grottos, thou i dun think there are swallows in them haha

nice candid shot using the reflection of the mirror =p

look at the deep gorges...notice also the rock that resembles a Red Indian's face on the right

ouch!

groupie photo =)

nice clouds again hehe

our not so tasty lunch =/

hey...i almost got the butterfly!

closeup on a butterfly

Huiting at the "蝴蝶谷"

too lazy to climb to the pagoda haha

smile!

impressive marble formations!

一線天 or something...small river flowing between

interesting...a small pool plunging into yet another small pool

another group photo with Eternal Spring Shrine at the back overlooking the Liwu River

wat...the toilet is 800m away???

battle at 紫境之殿?

i hope the umbrella makes a good parachute lol

aren't we strong? =p

jumping at 七星潭

悲傷太平洋? can u sense the loneliness? =p

cute Doraemon cake

the aboriginal dance performance was really a nice experience

the minsu's owner cute parrots

Mr Looi's namecard (our cabbie for the Taroko tour)

~~~~~ Next ~~~~~
Day 5
Rafting Down Xiuguluan River!

Day 3 : Jiufen, Shifen and Pingsi

2006-07-16T11:08:00.000+08:00

i got to sleep in late since both of them wanted to go for a church service in the morning haha...initally we were supposed to go to Yeliu (野柳), but then had to skip it due to time constraint...packed up our stuffs and took a train to Ruifang (瑞芳) train station...our minsu host from 龍門客棧 came to fetch us with a mini-van...龍門客棧 is located almost near the peak of Jiufen (九份)...so there is a very good view of Jiufen and surroundings from our minsu top floor balcony...rested a while before we head to the crowded Jiufen old streets...the small alleys are really full of people...and i really like those traditional decorations, especially the chinese laterns...bought foods and stuffs before we took a bus back to Ruifang train station...after which we took a train along the Pingsi Line to Shifen (十分)...we had to walk quite a distance to reach the Shifen waterfall and it is funny that every Taiwanese we ask along the way keep telling us that we are just 5 minutes away when actually we are still very far from it lol...we also joke about the literal meaning of its chinese name..."十分大瀑布" for those who understand chinese hehe...but the waterfall was really nice and magnificent and luckily for us it didn't rain as the sky was looking threateningly dark and grey...took our time to walk back to the train station and took another train to Pingsi (平溪) stop...the town was pretty small and looks very unique during the night...we found a shop which was displaying lots of antique stuff...we figured that it was quite interesting...so we just hopped in and had our dinner there while enjoying the oldie songs and ambience...seems to have brought us back to history haha...later we set off a huge Tian Deng(天燈) at the nearest shop from the train station...it was very fun...and we wrote loads of rubbbish on it haha...一路順風 etc...and it is quite a new experience i will say...the shop owner was really friendly and we stayed around the shop eating ice-creams and taking pictures while waiting for the 2nd last train to come...back to Ruifang and then took the bus up to Jiufen...most of the stalls are already closed by around 9pm...but the night view of Jiufen town seem to give you a totally different feelings as compared to during the day...and that was why we wanted to stay overnight there too in the first place =) ...went back to our minsu to take a hot bath and rest...then went to the top floor balcony to brew tea...relax and chat while enjoying the nice night scenery of the surroundings...

Travel Informations
Ruifang Scenic Area Brochure (Inside)
Ruifang Scenic Area Brochure (Outside)

our lunches for the day with lots of dumplings

chilli oil as appetizer? lol

views of the surroundings from Jiufen town

our minsu (民宿)

Jiufen old streets

at the back alley of the Jiufen town...i wanna get my class 2b license soon haha

at Shifen town

walking the railway

the Shifen waterfall (十分大瀑布) and we keep joking about the literal meaning of it haha...if u understand chinese that is

me and the waterfall =)

and you can actually fish there!

the side view of it

surrounding of the Shifen train station at dusk

Shifen train station at dusk

here comes the train =)

the oldie shop that we had dinner...that 100+ year old antique can actually still play!

sort of bring us back to the past hehe

our dinner...looks messy lol

hello...is this errrrr....上海灘???

trying to strike a cool pose hehe...and Huiting caught in the act!

drawings showing the dos and don'ts of the town...SAY NO TO DRUGS!

our "一路順風" on the 天燈...sorry for my ugly handwriting lol

and it's flying!!!

posing with those cute yummy icecreams...and they are really cheap and tasty!

night view from Jiufen

our minsu at night

drinking tea and relaxing =)

~~~~~ Next ~~~~~
Day 4
South to Hualian, Taroko National Park

Day 2 : Danshui, Ximending and Raohe NM

2006-07-15T09:46:00.000+08:00

we ate a nice breakfast at a coffee house nearby the hostel...was raining slightly, so the coffee house's aunties said that Wulai (烏來) will not be fun...and told us to go to Danshui (淡水) instead...and that we can also take ferry to cross over to Bali (八里)...so we changed our plan to go there instead...took the MRT to Danshui which is the last stop on the north line...lots of food stalls there...settled our lunch at one small restaurant...food was really nice!...had a little walk around the riverbank before we took a ferry over to Bali...well...we walked like crazy over there and really not much there to see over at Bali...or perhaps maybe we should have just rented the bicycles haha...took the ferry back to Danshui...tried the famous Danshui ice-cream...they are really cute and only cost NT10 each...then it started to rain heavily...luckily we never went over to the Fisherman's Wharf (渔人码头)...else we would have been stuck in the rain over there lol...plus u can't probably see sunset too in the rain right =)...went back to the hostel for a little washup and rest before heading to Ximending (西門町) for a walk...it was really crowded, with teenagers especially...lots of shops selling the latest fashion and anything that is young and trendy...truely the centre of Taiwan's youth culture...couldn't find any nice food there since our main aim was dinner...so we went over to Raohe Night Market (饒河街) for more food haha...how stupid that we took MRT to Taipei City Hall Station instead of taking the train to Songshan (松山) train station...so end up walking quite a distance again...argh!!! anyway really lots of food there and we ate and ate and ate...love eating those ices especially in such warm weather...couldn't finish walking to the end of the street since we had to catch the last train (yes...at least we are smart enough to take train now ^^")...but i will definitely come back again when i return to Taipei later hehe...

the cat likes my hp...or rather my hp strap =)

our delicious breakfast

drinking the greeeeeeeeen water since the aunties call it 青水 which actually is just green tea afterall haha...

pressing the emergency button? haha

view of Bali from Danshui

they have horse riding there too for kids haha

DIY floss candy!

kinda out of shape thou haha =p

on the ferry to Bali

view of Danshui from Bali

view of 渔人码头 from Bali

at Guanhai Pier after a very long tiring walk!!!

locals fishing there

dude...i rather swim than walk back!!!

one of the houses that i saw from a documentary before that is used for pigeon racing, and in Taiwan, u can earn big buck from it

eating the famous Danshui ice-cream

slurp!

our lunchies

阿给老店 on the left where we have our lunch

大戲...they actually used microphones in the hand lol

Ximending streets crowded with people

in front of Raohe Night Market

trying to finish it in one mouthful

the empty Zhongshan underground shopping mall late at night

~~~~~ Next ~~~~~
Day 3
Jiufen, Shifen and Pingsi

Day 1 : Taiwan, Here I Come!

2006-07-14T09:54:00.000+08:00

meet up with Yongwei and Huiting at the airport...been long since i have seen Huiting, maybe around a year or two already? haha...boarded a afternoon Jetstar Asia flight to Taiwan and touch down at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport (中正國際機場) at around evening...pretty bad flight i would say with lots of turbulence =/ ...we bought a local sim card from one of the counters just outside the terminal before transfering to a GuoGuang bus that takes us to Taipei Main Station (台北車站)...it took freaking long due to the heavy traffic jam on the road and it was raining heavily...probably due to the typhoon that occured just yesterday night...i was feeling really hungry...but still have to rush straight to the train station first to get all the train tickets that we required as i was afraid they might be fully booked...luckily i manage to get all of them after the long wait in the quene...so happy!!!...took the MRT to Zhongshan station and check in to our hostel (Taiwanmex Guest House)...got a 4 bed dorm for the 3 of us...pretty nice and cosy and cheap too hehe...it was still drizzling...but we hit Shilin Night Market (士林夜市) straight away to cure our hungry tummy =p ...first time trying out chou doufu (臭豆腐)...tasted okie with chilli, but w/o...eeeeeeeee yucks...bad sewage smell, just not my type of food lol...ate other stuff like fried oyster (蚵仔煎), sotong soup or something (花枝庚)...it is not really soup, kinda starchy one...and of cos xiang ji pai (香雞排) hehe...went window shopping around...was so tempted to start buying clothes...but had to restrain myself from buying now since i still got many days ahead and needed to travel light...no worries...i will be back!!!...finally back to hostel for a warm bath and rest...

Travel Informations
To reach Shilin Night Market, take the Danshui Line to JianTan Station (劍潭站), NOT Shilin Station!

me and moi backpack, all set to go! =p

me reading "The Green Mile" by Stephen King on the plane

Yongwei and Huiting on the bus from airport to Taipei city

finally some food...yummy!

Huiting to try the chou doufu first wahahaha

argh!!! my turn to have a go at it...

the naughty cat at our hostel that likes to raid our room, and i really mean "RAID" lol

Huiting playing with the cat

me doing stupid stuff haha

~~~~~ Next ~~~~~
Day 2
Danshui, Ximending
& Raohe Night Market

Day 0 : Before The Travel

2006-07-13T21:39:00.000+08:00

i have been planning this trip for a month or so...doing research on the internet and travel forums...really excited to be able to meet some of my Taiwanese friends, and also to be able to travel with my secondary school friends...been to Taiwan once before about 5 years back, but was during my army time and was only given 3 days in Taipei and surroundings which i think isn't really long enough for me to enjoy the Taiwan culture and experience...i can only vaguely remember Yeliu (野柳), Window on China (小人國), Leofoo Village (六福村) and of cos the many night markets...therefore this time, i decided to travel free and easy without booking my flight back yet, and will travel till i feel like coming back home to Singapore =p

~~~~~ Next ~~~~~
Day 1
Taiwan, Here I Come!