KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!  Bernard and I jumped up from our slumber. Realised we've overslept. Ah!!! Can't remember if we set the alarm wrongly or we snoozed off the alarm.

Fortunately we had packed our bags the night before. No time for my usual morning bath. Hurriedly washed up, changed and stuffed our belongings into our bags. Suppose to catch the 9.20 am bus back to Taipei...

As we went downstairs, Wayne assured us that he'll not let us miss the bus... Granny (Wayne's mother) got our breakfast for us. No time to slowly savour the breakfast this morning, but had to gobble it down. Papa and mummy were down early and were already done with their breakfast...

Had intended to take some photos of the place before leaving but could only settle for a hurried shot... So grateful to Wayne for taking the trouble to drive us to the bus station, we made it in time. =P Saw the dog that had accompanied us for the morning walk the day before and took a shot of it too.

What an end to our SML vacation...

Reached Taipei in about 3.5 hours too. Deposited our bags at Cityinn and made payment for the remaining 2 days. Went to the nearby shopping mall for our lunch and had Korean food. It was the period of Anniversary sale for the mall and it was crowded.

Went back to Cityinn after lunch. Wanted to bring our luggage to the room first instead of lugging it up at night when we will likely be tired. While waiting, we explored the common area on the second level, which we did not have the chance to do so before. We found a rather well-equipped pantry where you can cook a simple meal. There's hot/cold water here and even a coffee maker. There's a fridge, pots and an ovenette. Mummy tried to dispense a cup of coffee but failed.
(She later learnt from one of the cleaners that it had run out of coffee powder. Tried the coffee after that and found out that the coffee was "Not bad"! Bernard enjoyed the coffee too.)

Our plan for the afternoon was to visit Danshui. Brought our luggage to the room quickly and took the MRT to Danshui. Took the wrong train initially; a train that ends at Beitou and moved backwards. Thankfully, an elderly auntie heard our discussion and informed us that only alternate trains go to Danshui. We hopped out quickly and took the correct train. Once out of the station, we went to the Visitor's Information counter and asked for the way to the Fisherman's Wharf. We took the Red 26 bus there, just in time to catch the sunset.

Whoa! It was an awesome place, just like Perth's Fremantle. Went onto Lover's Bridge where we enjoyed the sunset, with the wind blowing...

Walked to the other side of the bridge and along the waters... As the sky turns dark,  we took the free Tourist shuttle back to Danshui MRT station and made our way to Danshui Old Streets, where we had our dinner.

As we walked on after dinner, we heard a nice tune, like that of the ice-cream trucks in Hong Kong. Haha.. but it happened to be coming from... a rubbish collection truck! We were amazed to see all the people coming out of the shops and queuing up to dump their rubbish into the truck and those with recyclable materials in the truck following.

In the few days we were in Taipei we have seen the civic-mindedness of the Taiwanese; how they kept to one side on the escalators and how they queued up before boarding the trains. Singaporeans have a long way to go...

Tried the towering ice-cream cone for the novelty of it. Just ice and flavouring, nothing great. The weather was too cold for us to finish it...

Scenes around the MRT station. Another busker, an experienced artist and Dunkin Donuts where we bought our breakfast for the next day.

Sun Moon Lake 日月潭
To watch the sunrise, we woke up early and left at about 5.30 am. It was dark and cold in the morning and we had to bring our hoods over our heads. As we walked along the Maolan trail, we met a few people along the way, usually elderly folks who are up early for their morning exercise too. There were 2 stray dogs who followed us most of the way up the mountain.

As we walked, we felt warmer and was able to enjoy the walk more. It was great to feel the gentle morning breeze brush against our faces. The sky started to brighten up slightly as we near our destination, a viewing gallery near the meteorological station. It was a little steep and challeging towards the top, but we made it! There was another group of people who just arrived too. They had trekked up from the other side of the mountain and mainly locals.

Enjoyed the sun slowly rising from one side. Had 2 packets of biscuits which we shared and munched on. The group left rather soon, possibly gotta wash up and rush to work, while we lingered on a little. As we left, we met a tour group arriving. The walk back was comparably more relaxing, downhill all the way.

The sights of the return journey was different from when we started out. No longer dark and quiet, there was much more activity. There were many pupils on the way to school. (It is still the schooling period for the Taiwanese students.)

Arriving at LV, we were ushered in for our breakfast. Was a little tired after the trekking, thus we decided to rest for a while instead of going for our boat trip right away. The timing of the boat trip is every hour, so no hurry. Chatted with Wayne's younger son, Ricky. A very intelligent and confident boy. A very responsible young host. =) Did not manage to take a photo with the entire family though...

After breakfast, went up to our rooms to rest for a while. Captured this shot of the outdoor area behind the house (from our room). That will be a great place to hangout in the summer. =)

At 9.50am, went down to the reception to collect the tickets for the boat ride. We were brought to the correct agents and we each received a stamp on our hands. Got up onto the boat slightly past 10am.

First stop was Lalu Island, in the middle of SML A large part of it was destroyed during the 1999 earthquake and wooden platforms now surrounds the remaining of it. 5 minutes here was more than enough.

Second stop, there was a temple which we obviously did not visit. The attraction here for us was the "Ah-ma tea egg", highly-recommended by all the tour guides. Selling thousands of eggs a day is no exaggeration! However, after trying it, we do not find it that amazing. Eu Yan Sang's ones can better it anytime! =)

Third stop was at the Thao Village. Nothing much here as well, just many roadside stalls selling traditional items and food. Bought some tea bags and sweets here. Near the pier, there was a group of folks in traditional gear who will start singing whenever a boat of tourists arrives. Their main source of income: selling their albums.

At the second and third stop, tourists can choose to stay at the places as long as they wish, and the next boat will arrive every half an hour. We've got to recognise the boat of our operator and go up the boat based on the stamp on our hands.

In all, we took about 2 hours for the boat trip. It was still early for lunch and after eating so much, we went back to our room to rest some more...

After that, we went out for lunch. Not wanting to do more trekking or stay at SML, we decided to move to the nearby town of Puli. Took a Nantou bus from Shuishe. It's about half an hour from SML to Puli. Walked and shopped quite a bit here. Most of my shopping was done at the local bookshop... =) Bought a big bag of cut-guava and a big bottle of orange juice from a fruit-seller too. It's the season for guava and it's everywhere in Taipei too.

The winner of the recent election and his team was also out in full force thanking the voters and the entourage was in their vehicles driving from one street to another. There was even fire crackers and fireworks. Interesting!

We scoured the area for good eating places but found none and had to settle for KFC near the bus station. The chicken pieces felt a bit dry without the chilli sauce though. Took the bus back to SML at 8pm.

Taipei to Sun Moon Lake 日月潭
Woke up around 7am to wash up, pack up and prepare for our journey to Sun Moon Lake, the largest lake in Taiwan. Will need to check out of Cityinn and leave our luggage there for the 2 nights when we'll be away. Got our breakfast and the Family Mart convenience store that was next-door to Cityinn and proceeded to the bus station that was across the road. Very convenient indeed. The bus will bring us directly to SML, alighting us at the Shuishe Visitors Centre.

Being told before-hand that it will be a 4 to 4.5-hour ride, we prepared some reading materials and got the papers and magazine together with our breakfast. (Yes, Joyce, I had the first read of the Mina magazine before you. C; )

We arrived much ahead of time at SML and was pretty surprised. Quickly packed our stuff and deflated our pillows once the driver shouted " 水社, 日月潭". In fact, the journey took only about 3.5 hours. Were glad of course. Went for a much-needed toilet break. Once done, we saw a man walk up to us and gently enquired if we were the guests from Singapore and staying at Laurel Villa.

TEL： +886-49-2855551
FAX： +886-49-2855552
Email： laurel.villa@gmail.com
ADDRESS： No.28, MingSheng St., Shueishe Village, Sun Moon Lake,
                 Yuchih Township, Nantou County 555, Taiwan (R.O.C.)

Yes, he is the friendly boss and owner of Laurel Villa, Wayne. Wayne gathered our luggage and packed us all into his white mini-van and drove off towards LV less than 5 min away. It was a Sunday and the place was packed with both local and foreign visitors. Just like Sentosa on a weekend, I guess. Met Wayne's family too when we arrived at LV.

LV is a small B&B place that only has 5 rooms that can take up to 14 guests at any one time. It is clean and neat and has a cosy, homely feel to it. It is a very popular place and has to be booked in advance. Has good recommendations on several forums and popular with Singaporeans. In fact we met 2 Singaporean families in the 2 days when we were there. 

Our rooms were not not ready yet. After settling the payment, we were given a short introduction about SML; where to eat, where to visit etc. We proceeded to walk the few streets around the place and looked at some of the stalls that was set up. Many of them will be gone the next day as they are only around during the weekends.

Visited the Shuishe Visitors Centre too where we had some fun time stamping postcards. Also find the 2 guys posing with the terracota models =) 

Felt hungry after some time and went to one of the 2 restaurants recommended by Wayne's family. Said that taste is acceptable to most Singaproeans who visit SML. Ordered a set meal of 4 dishes and one soup for NT$800. There's the famous President fish, mushrooms, local vegetables and deer meat. Free flow of rice...

After lunch, we had the energy to do some trekking. Went on the Hanbi trail that was nearby. There is a church at the start of the trail that was built for Mr and Mrs Chiang Kai Shek to worship in. To reach the church at the top, we had to climb up some steps. It was worth it; the view at the top was magnificent.

It was a Sunday; we sat down on the pews and started singing praises to God. Noticed Bernard's raised hands. Guess we were too loud that a man popped out of the guard room. Hee.. to make sure that we are not up to anything funny.

The 2 armchairs that Mr and Mrs Chiang sat on in front of the church were cordoned off. Wondering how there can such differentiation in church where we are all sons and daughters of God???

Coming down from the church, we started on the Hanbi trail proper. The trail brings us on a path around one side of SML. The view was fantastic from every corner. The first monument we saw was the CKS memorial pavilion.

The Christmas trees and flowers here are gigantic, unlike the mini pots that we usually see in Singapore.

See the unique way of farming aquatic plants by the tribal people.

Waiting for the sunset.. and using the time to explore camera settings. I was the model for Bernard. Hee. Love the first shot.

Sunset finally...

Some photos of Laurel Villa showing the dinner table, our room and the entrance.

We got the dinner and boat trip tickets at NT$245 per person. Thank God that there was some promotion by the government for the boat trip (to promote tourism) and we get some subsidy too.

Chit-chat for a while with the Wang family after dinner and decided that we'll watch the sunrise tomorrow. Will be going on the Maolan trail. Gotta wake up at around 5am tomorrow in order to catch the sunrise. It is the winter time now and day is shorter, otherwise we will have to get up even earlier.

It was still early and we went for a short walk. There is nothing much to do at SML at night. All the roadside stalls are gone and there's only peace and quietness. The lightings are nice though. They really made the effort to brighten up the lakeside area at night.

And after that, we rested early for more trekking the next day.

Programme for the day: National Palace Museum, Tienmu and Ximending

Had our breakfast at MOS burger at the Taipei underground mall. Took the MRT to Shilin (士林) Station- Exit 1 and bus Red 30 directly to the NPM. Had earlier obtained free passes from the Taiwan Visitors Association in Singapore, part of the Visit Taiwan 08-09 promotions.

In NPM, there were 3 levels and many different halls on each level. The attraction was of course the Jadeite Cabbage. There was a queue of about 100m even before entering the hall.

From NPM, we proceeded to P.S. Bu Bu Restaurant (金屋藏车餐厅), a car-themed restaurant in Tienmu (天母) area. It was near NPM and we decided to take a cab there, direct to the doorstep.

P.S. Bu Bu Restaurant (金屋藏车餐厅)
No. 1, Lane 140, Zhongshan N. Rd, Sec 7 (中山北路七段140巷1号)
Tel: 886-02-2876-0698
Open: 12.00pm to 10.00pm.
Minimum order of NT$100 per pax

It's an interesting restaurant tucked away in a neat corner. Will probably miss it if we do not have the exact address. It's such a novelty that we started taking photos even before entering the restaurant and many within it, as you can see... We managed to get the seats in the center of the restaurant. The only complete car that they have. It's actually rather popular with customers and advanced booking is required usually. Thank God we got the seats despite not making a booking. Probably it's a weekday lunch.

Not everything we ordered was good. The appetizers were great. Loved the salad that comes with the main course; the dressing has a unique tangerine flavour. For myself I ordered the P.S Bu Bu chicken salad, but found the chicken pieces too dry. For main course, the spaghetti was not bad but the rib-eye was so-so. Again, a little dry on the outside. The tea I ordered for myself was great. They used Twinnings "Four Red Fruits" with pieces of apple and lemon. Nice! =)

It's Mummy's birthday today! Had wanted the restaurant to provide the cake with candles, but they do not have them. Was a little disappointed, but come dessert time, they gave Mummy a little surprise.

See the "Happy Birthday" written on her dessert plate. All cakes came on plates with drawings of chocolate syrup. Cute!

Cost of the meal NT$2420 (or about S$100). Not cheap at all, but it was an interesting experience.

After a heavy meal, we walked around the Tienmu area. It was something like Holland Village where the middle to upper class people stay. Some other restaurants and cafes here and there, alfresco style. The area also contained fashion outlets and I got some clothings here too.

Next place, Ximending! MRT to Ximen station.
Once we got out of the train, we could see the crowd. It was like our Chinatown during CNY. Thankfully, the crowd eased once we got out of the station and the crowds dispersed in various direction. Walked around a bit and then decided to look for food. Of course gotta try the 阿宗面线. Not sure where it really is and asked our way there. Once we got near, we immediately joined the queue that stretches more than 100m. There are no tables and chairs. You practically stand and eat, no exaggeration at all. We followed the crowd. It really tastes good! However, I personally still prefer the mee suah at Raohe last night. =)

You can find many young people busking in the Ximending area. One night alone, we heard 3 different singers. No, they are not asking for donations, but more to promote their music, songs and albums. We find it interesting that they have such a platform for aspiring artistes to showcase their talent.

Heading back to the hotel was easy, taking the MRT back to the Taipei station. Have to pack our stuff tonight as we're travelling to Sun Moon Lake tomorrow morning. Leaving our luggage at Cityinn as we'll be coming back after our trip to SML.

Our plan today was to cover the Yongkang St, Wufenpu and Raohe area.

Slept in a little later today since we had such a tiring day yesterday. Left the hotel at 9 plus and headed to Yongkang St (永康街).

Took the MRT to Daan (大安) Station and asked for directions to the bus-stop that has the buses to bring us to Yong Kang St. We can take buses 20, 22, 38, 204, 209 or 294 from the bus-stop diagonally opposite Daan Station.

There are many Dim Sum places in the area. Din Tai Dung and Kao Chi (高记) are among them. Chose to eat at the latter as it is more popular among the locals. Asked one uncle at the bus-stop for directions and he said that Kao Chi's food is less oily than DTF. As we walk along the way, we can see many others big and small eating places too.

Ordered chicken soup, some noodles, stir-fried 小龙包 and crab meat 小龙包. Our bill for brunch came up to to NT860 and with our Taiwan Youth Travel tag, we have another 10% discount. Paying about S$35; a very affordable meal as compared to a comparable meal like that in Singapore.

After that, had wanted to go for some dessert at Ice Monster (冰馆) which is further down the street, but was so full after the meal that we decided to go for a walk first. Walked further down and discovered a Japanese confectionery shop. It's a small shop but with wide variety of goodies. Got some stuff here of course.

Headed to the Wufenpu area after that, but stopped by a shopping mall on the way. There was Daiso occupying an entire level and we spent about an hour there. At the same mall, I got myself a new pair of NIKE shoes to replace my worn out pair. It was heavily discounted, even the sales person commented so.

Saw that Starbucks was having discount for its Appreciation Day and decided to stop by to rest our tired feet. Had our drinks and yummy New York cheesecake.

And also on the way was eslite bookstore. Went in to take a look. Saw some nice, cute stuff there but was too expensive... =P

Saw Taipei 101 from afar and took a shot. Too misty to capture it clearly though. Did not include that in our itinerary this time...

From eslite, we walked to Wufenpu. It was a crowded place with narrow lanes. Did not spend much time here. Still, managed to buy a scarf and 2 tops.

Next stop, Raohe. Had a hard time locating the place, but was glad we've finally made it. We all agree that it was the best Night market of all that we've visited for the entire trip. Loved the oyster mee suah here; the peppery taste. Papa wanted to try the mutton and pork ribs soup and we ordered 2 bowls to try.

Walked and ate. Walked and ate some more. And we saw the famous 胡椒饼 and joined in the queue. Was already very full by then but still bought 2 to try. Did not regret our decision. It was fantastic!

After so much walking today, we decided to take a cab back. Not very expensive, only NT$200.

It is our day to Hualien.

Had wanted to wear our normal jackets out. Thankfully, the people at the hotel reception warned us that the day's weather had turned cold and we had better wear something thicker. Of course. we'd to listen to the locals, we got the keys and headed back to our rooms to change to our thicker coats

Had earlier engaged the services of a taxi guide and he'll meet us at the Hualien station. The train ride to Hualien takes about 2.5 hours. We bought our breakfast at the 7-11 at the station and had it on the train. The rest of the ride was spent sleeping. Good that we brought along those inflatable pillows for this trip...

Arriving at Hualien, we met our taxi guide, Mr Lu Lai Fu. Knowing that he is such a sought-after guide, I had made the booking since September. His schedule is already up till Mar/ Apr.

Mr Lu Lai Fu (吕来福)
Mobile phone: +886-09-2856-9081 (drop the first 0 if calling from Singapore)
Rates: NT$2,200 (up to 4 pax) + NT$500 for Cingshui Cliff

Along the way to Cingshui Cliff, we picked up our boxes of packed lunch from one of the eateries. Coincidentally, we met a troop of people going around from shop to shop to garner votes for the Local elections that will be held on Saturday. A scene we usually see over the news appears right before our eyes. Could not resist taking a few shots of the action...

Places we had covered today include:
Cingshui Cliff (清水断崖)
Shakadang Trail (砂卡礑步道), also known as Mysterious Valley Trail (神秘谷)
Swallow Grotto (燕子口)
Tunnel Of Nine Turns (九曲洞)
Cihmu Bridge (慈母桥)

A pity that we were unable to reach the Baiyang Trail (白杨步道) and Water Curtain Cave (水帘洞) as they are still under reconstruction; destroyed during the typhoon earlier this year.

Before sending us to the station for our train back to Taipei, Mr Lu brought us to have our dinner of dumplings and wantons and to taste the 葱油饼. Then, we headed to 曾记 near the train station to get some freshly-made muah chee and other local products.

We were real tired after all the walking and trekking today. Planned for a more relaxed day tomorrow.

Arrived at the airport at about 8 am and met Papa and Mummy. Was the first in the queue for our China Airlines flight to Taipei. Went to the staff canteen for our breakfast. See Papa's artistic arrangement. (Hint: eyes with eyebrows, mouth with tongue sticking out.)

Before booking our CI flight, we were actually considering budget airlines as well and after some calculation we felt that it was more worth it to get the CI flight at slightly more than $500 (with insurance, food, more comfortable seats and great in-flight entertainment). Mummy and Papa got their tickets a little later and had to pay a bit more though. =P

Went in early and had time to walk around the shops. Noticed a sign that shouted "Free 10 mins Neck and Shoulder massage" so we thought why not...

The flight was full with at least 3 group tours and many families on holiday. Thoroughly enjoyed the meal and the in-flight entertainment, and did not sleep much on the journey to Taipei. Managed to catch Up and another movie and played a few games of Sodoku. Was a little irritated by the constant announcements though...

And Oh, the flight has cameras to show the view in front of the plane as well as below the plane. That was an exciting part of the flight =)

Welcome to Taiwan!
After hearing, reading and watching so much about Taiwan, I am finally here! This was a free and easy trip, wanting to relax and enjoy ourselves. I was the one arranging the itinerary. Thanks to my friend, Sheryl, who contributed her March itinerary for reference. She brought her Mummy and another friend to Taipei earlier this year and thus the trip was a well-balanced one. Good for going with parents and the family. Amended her itinerary a little to cater for a stayover at Sun Moon Lake.  Click here for my itinerary.

Took the Kuokuang (国光) airport bus to Taipei Main Station (at NT$125 one way) and had to walk about 5-10 minutes to our hotel. Cityinn is a neat boutique hotel along Huaining St. Per night at NT$1690. I had earlier made a booking through the internet and had to pay a deposit for the first night.

We checked in quickly and then went to get the tickets to Hualien. Next, we went to get our Easy Card (悠游卡). The adult card costs NT$500 ($100 deposit and $20 admin charges if return within 3 months).

And we are off to Shilin Night market. Went to the shopping belt at first instead of the eating places. Realised only after a while. Asked for directions to where all the food stalls are and once we reached the place, we could immediately see the queue for the famous chicken cutlet. And how can we not try after travelling so far?

After more food and drinks, we headed back to the shopping area. It was our first day/ night and we did not really shop much. Headed back to Cityinn for our zzz. Got to get up early to catch the train to Hualien tomorrow.

By Hui Zhi

Have been wanting to attend the Vienna Boys' choir concert for a long... time and finally found company to attend the most recent one here in Singapore. It was such a fantastic experience!

The choir on Saturday, 7 Nov 2009, consists of 20 boys. Loved the soloists; the most outstanding one was a Chinese. =) Maybe they had tried to include more Asians in this leg of their tour, especially so when the new album is entitled "Silk Road". Familiar songs like 高山青 and 弯弯的月亮 were sung to close perfection and earned strong applause from the appreciative crowd.

In the second half after the intermission, the choir managed to draw the attention of the audience by having 4 boys perform a short but cute Austrian dance in Austrian dressing (ie. Sound-of-music style). The conductor was able to get audience participation by having us clap along as accompaniment.

One word: Awesome! =)

By Hui Zhi
Finally some time to walk the streets of Orchard. Visited Ion for first time and spent most of the time in Prologue- the book store. Went to Taka and managed to get a pair of shoes for Bernard to replace his worn out pair and a bag for me.
Was deciding where to go for dinner and Bernard suggested going to Wasabi Tei. Have been wanting to try out the food several times but didn't get to do so until today. Was in the queue for about an hour but was truly satisfied at the end. =)

Queuing outside the little restaurant.

Bernard keeping himself occupied with soccer game on his new mobile phone,  his fave team in action- Man U!

Finally to the front of the queue...

A photo of the restaurant. Tried calculating their daily earnings. Even with limited seating capacity, their monthly takings goes into the 5-digit range...

In operation...

Enjoying our salmon sashimi...

Generous and delicious portion...

Hi friends, do you see the girl in the file attached below turning clockwise or anti clockwise or both? =)

Bernard: Can see both directions
Hui Zhi: Can see the girl turning anti-clockwise

Ever wondered what side of your brain you use most often ? well now the clever people at Yale University have completed a five year study and a simple test to help you work it out.  Below is an image of a spinning girl. If you see her turning clockwise you are using the left side of your brain and if you see her turning anti clockwise yes you guessed it, you are using the right side.

Now, if you can see her turning both directions, and obviously not at the same time you are a member of only 14% of the population.