Ximending, near where we stay. It is perpetually full of people, especially young people, day and night.
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On the first day of lunar new year, we went to Long Shan Si Temple to pray. It is full of people.
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We went to see Taipei 101 from the Elephant Hill. We were distracted by the cherry blossom while walking up to the Elephant Hill.
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Walking up elephant hill was not that easy.
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There was a path that link to another hill but due to time factor, we skipped it.
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The next day, we went to squeeze with people to go to Shifen waterfall. We were packed like sardines in the mountain train. Everything the resemble the Japanese mountain train system. There were many people releasing sky lantern on the railway track.
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This strong man took up the challenge to carry the kids
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The mountain train that come only once every hour.
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Sky lanterns being released into the sky. I found it a nuisance, creating so much rubbish in Shifen.
While waiting for the train back to Rui Fang, we bumped into our old neighbour from Kuala Lumpur whom we have never met for many years. We were all surprised. I won the bet with my family - i betted with them that we will bump into people that we know in Taiwan, and true enough.
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Jiufen was a gold mining cliff town in the Japanese colonial era. It was raining for the past one month, and we were incredibly lucky to come on a day with golden sunset.
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Foggy at Jiufen. The water vopour from the sea collided with the cliff of Jiufen and condensed into fog.
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Lanterns in Jiufen made a very interesting photographic subjects. The town went abuzz at night, more so than day time. I must say my brother was the one we should thank for staying till this late in Jiufen to see its glorious moment. He woke up late.
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Night scene of the coast from Jiufen Old Town, was a scene so breath taking when the weather is good.
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41. Keelung night market, which was slightly different from those in Taipei, in the sense that it has more seafood stalls due to its proximity to the sea port.
Yangming Shan rain very frequently. On my first visit, it was drizzly. On my second visit, it was ok. I happened to be in a nursery to photograph the cherry blossom. I must say i was impressed by the many flowers they have there, beside the sakura. Too bad I reached there too late in the day, I could not take much photos.
From Yangming Shan, one can see the whole Taipei city basked in sunset at the right time, but very hard to find a place to take the whole panorama. The sides of the roads are too narrow at times, without any pedestrian paths, and the views are blocked by shrubs. I have came across a private estate that had viewing platform in the gated community but outsiders were clearly not welcomed.
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Shilin underground night market. It was funny that we happened to choose a stall where the daughter happened to be quarrelling with the mum. We got free back massage from people that walked past us and knocked into us constantly as we were seated in a table near the corridor.
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This gentleman was trying to win free beer by making the gymnast figure stood upright after he rotated the handle. You can see the video below. At the time i was filming this, he was into his 6th free beer.
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Musical boxes seen made in Taipei, videos below.
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Videos taken.
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59. Travel article on this trip published by Sinchew Jitpoh (Malaysia chinese newspapers) on 20 Mar 2022.
Things to note:
1. Street eats at the night market might cause stomach discomfort. At your own risk.
2. Youyou card is a convenient public transport payment card that allows you to make payment for goods in shops as well. Very convenient, do get one.
3. I got confused by their public bus system: Some buses tap on the exit, some tap on entry, some tap on entry and upon exit. The driver will get impatient and tell you off if you ask them. Imagine people who do not understand mandarin.
4. The cherry blossom has started early this year.
5. Night markets open on lunar new year eve to a certain extent in Taipei. You must know which one to go.
6. Transfer between metro subway lines were easy. Compared to the distance i have to walk in Singapore when transfering from one line to another, the transfer in Taipei was much nearer. I dont know how they build the lines so close to one another.
7. People there gave up their seats for my parents. There was this boy from Chiayi that gave up seat for my mum and sang for my dad. My brother's jaw dropped to the floor.
8. Go Taoyuan Airport early as the passport clearance and security check can take up some time.
9. You can apply for iTaiwan, which is a free wifi available in many parts of Taiwan. The best part is, wifi is available on the public transport like subway lines and buses. Very convenient.
10. The people in the HSR were so quiet, I could have a nap undisturbed. Taiwan is really like Japan I must say, very civilised.
11. Food in Tainan tend to be sweet. During Japanese colonial era, sugar was a controlled item, only rich people could afford it. So it has been a habit to add sugar to food, in order to enjoy some taste of richness.
12. I found the steamed corn tasted better than the BBQ one. My mum was the wise one to advise me not to take the BBQ one, but i didnt listen to her the first time. Lesson learnt.
13. 7-11 are a plenty in Taiwan. Soooo many of them.
14. Eva Air was really good. I was happy with them.
15. Taiwan is full of travel destinations, one need to come here a few times in order to explore it to greater depth.
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