All About Us: December 2009

Oh yes, this Taiwan trip was fairly a last minute trip where we managed to get cheap flights from Eva Air. The air tickets were RM900 for 2 way per person. We went to this trip together with my sis, mum and Aunty Vicky.

In-Flight Meal >> Chicken

Second option >> Pasta

Airport do provide glasses for you in case you need it to fill in your declaration form

Tao Yuan Internation Airport

We stayed at this Chairman Hotel (台北城美大飯店) at 台北市中正區漢口街一段88號 (Han Kou Street) which is about 10 minutes walk from Xi Men Ting. The hotel was decent and clean and it only costs us about RM300 per person for 4 nights.

Photos of Chairman Hotel

Breakfast area

Our Double Bed Room

The Bathroom

The Corridor

Bedroom for 3 (1 Double + 1 Single)

First Day Outing

After checked in the hotel, we walked around the hotel area to look for food. We stopped nearby to have our dinner - Mee Sua was good. Then the next stop, convenience store - my sis and I just can't get enough of convenience store. We seems to love convenience stores that much!

Dinner - Mee Sua + Dumpling + 滷肉飯

Walking to Xi Men Ting

Xi Men Ting's map

Family Mart convenience store

Hubby with giant Heineken

Second Day Outing

On the second day, we went to Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, 國立中正紀念堂 is a famous monument erected in memory of Chiang Kai-Shek, former President of China. The monument, surrounded by a park, stands at the east end of Liberty Square.

Sis jumping up while snapping this photo

Liberty Square

@ the park nearby Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall

Lunch time approaching and we're looking for food now. We walked around and surveyed a few shops until we decided to try out the famous beef noodle at Yong Kang Street.

Super delicious??

Cute street deco

Famous Beef Noodle

After lunch, we went to Wu Fen Pu (五分埔) which is an area best known for wholesale garment market. We went there by taking the Taipei Metro and stopped at the Houshanpi (后山埤站) station - Nangang Line. While we ladies busy doing our shopping, hubby was busy with his food too. He tried almost every food stall at Wu Fen Pu.

Sis @ 五分埔 (why is she smiling like that?)

Quail Eggs

BIG hot dog & small hot dog

very yummy!

Doesn't taste that nice though

Dinner time

鴨舌頭

Mum loves it!

Yummy!! I love it too.

So does hubby!

西門町

Rainy night at 西門町

BBQ Teppanyaki for dinner

Aunty Vicky in the action

Third Day Outing

We joined a local day tour and the tour will bring us to places like National Revolutionary Martyrs' Shrine (國民革命忠烈祠), Jiu Fen - 九份, Yehliu - 野柳. It was extremely windy at 野柳.

Our tour bus

Inside the tour bus

National Revolutionary Martyrs' Shrine (國民革命忠烈祠) is a shrine in Taipei dedicated to the war dead of the Republic of China. The structure houses the spirit tablets of 390,000 persons killed during the Xinhai Revolution, Northern Expedition, Second Sino-Japanese War, Chinese Civil War and First and Second Taiwan Strait Crises. A changing of the honor guard will also take place in this shrine.

Guard Mounting

九份 which literally means "nine portions" is a mountain area near Keelung. The village here used to house nine families, thus village would request "nine portions" every time shipments arrived form town. Thus the name, 九份 is derived from there.

Waiting for buses to pick us up to the mountain peak

Here comes the bus

Taiwan Sausages

Wearing a wig and big glasses to grab attention

And guess what, she got my attention so I'm gonna buy from her!

So many food to eat / buy

The food we bought - so yummy especially the dessert with

Famous Beef Noodle @ 九份

野柳 is a cape on the north coast of Taiwan. A distinctive feature of the cape is the hoodoo stones hat dot its surface. These shapes can be viewed at the Yeliu Geopark. A number of rock formations have been given imaginative names based on their shapes. The most well-known is the "The Queen's Head" (女王頭), an iconic image in Taiwan. Other formations include "The Fairy Shoe" (仙女鞋), "The Bee Hive", "The Ginger Rocks" and "The Sea Candles". A real bad experience here was during the queue up for the Queen's Head photo. Few China tourists just cut queue like nobody's business. It was so terrible and they are disrespect others so much!!

Oh dear, hubby's not suppose to cross the red line!

Ginger Rocks

Zoom on the Ginger Rocks

Sea Candles (燭台石)

Zoom on the Sea Candles (燭台石)

This was supposed to look like a gorilla but it doesn't right?

Please queue up for photos of the Queen's Head (女王頭)

The Queen's Head (女王頭)

Pedestrian Bridge

Fairy Shoe (仙女鞋)

After the end of the local day tour, we went to Shihlin Night Market (士林夜市). It is considered as the largest and most famous night market in the city. We took the MRT to Jiantan Station (Danshui Line) to reach Shihlin Night Market. Remember not to stop at Shihlin Station as it is not the right station and located very far from Shihlin Night Market! Other than food, various clothes, bags, accessories, shoes and etc can be found here too. There is a big food court that holds few hundreds of stalls and other than that the side streets and alleys are lined with storefronts and roadside stands.

Bought tokens from the machine @ MRT Station

Most of the food / items here are jumbo size

Unique Umbrella

Hubby found a place to enjoy his chestnut while we're shopping

Fourth Day Outing

Went to Danshui Old Street (淡水老街), Tamshui Fisherman's Wharf (淡水漁人碼頭), Mr J's restaurant, Taipei 101 and Xi Men Ting (西門町).

All set up ready to go!

Taking the Taipei Metro

Danshui Old Street (淡水老街) is actually a network of streets that form a very popular shopping area, noted for its massive array of Taiwanese snacks.

滷肉飯

My favourite shop - Hello Kitty

This is the boat we need to take to 漁人碼頭

Tamshui Fisherman's Wharf (淡水漁人碼頭) is a scenic spot known for it's beautiful sunset and fresh seafood.

Sis was trying to do a sequential jump - Jump 1

Jump 2

Jump 3

Hubby found it interesting and decided to join her

My turn to join the fun!

Lover's Bridge (情人桥)

Isn't she cute?

Mr. J restaurant (Mr. J 義法廚房)
There are 2 Mr.J restaurant and both are a french-italian restaurant. The one we went was located at No 250 Wuxing Street, Taipei City 台北市吳興街250號 (台醫店) (within Taipei Medical University). Those interested may refer to the map below:

Please click here for larger map http://www.butaya-tw.com/mrj/map.jpg

View from the 1st floor

Sis with Mr. J's restaurant waiter & waitress

Jay's related items as decoration

Golden Horse Award - Best Original Song

Outside Mr. J restaurant but still within the Taipei Medical University

Taipei 101 (台北101) formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center. The building ranked officially as the world's tallest building before the opening of Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The building was completed in 2004 and opened on December 31, 2004. From 6:00 to 10:00 each evening the tower's lights display one of seven colours as below. The colours coincide with the days of the week: