Four days in Taiwan - days three & four

On the third day, we woke up before six, not our plan. We took the MRT to Taipei Main Station and changed train to Keelung (基隆). The train stopped at Cidu, which was a few stations before Keelung and we needed to change train again. Not a very good start.

We had breadfast at Starbucks in Keelung and had a glance at this rainy port.

Then we took a bus to the scenic spot, Yehliu (野柳) in Wanli. The bus was old and dilapidated. It reflected the financial condition of this area. The bus had no signs showing which stations on the way. I was so so sleepy and we missed the stop and went all the way to the bus terminus, Jianshan (金山).

We took a bus back and asked the unhelpful driver to tell us to get off at Yehliu (being clever this time :-)). We arrived at Yehliu at last.

A small fishing village

It was raining heavily there. There were already large crowds of 'ducklings'. We entered Yehliu Geopark. The park was famous for its time-eroded rocks and most of all, its landmark - the Queen's Head Rock. We took pictures there quickly.

After walking in the park, we went to buy cattlefish which was the popular sea product there. I bought some dried shrimps for my mom that made her very happy.

We went back to Taipei Central. We grabbed some lunch and then had a walk in this area. It was crowded here because it was the heart of the city. Leaving the crowded city, we were headed to the National Museum. We took the MRT to Shilin (士林) and changed bus to the museum. We had waited for a long time for the bus. By the time we reached the museum, it was four-fifteen. The museum closed at five so we didn't bother going in.



We stayed the last evening at Ximending. We had our last souvenir sorted out there. It was raining so we decided to watch a movie for the rest of the evening. It was a violent movie. I didn't enjoy it so much. That ended our third day trip.

On the fourth day, we woke up at six, took a bus to the airport and flew back to Hong Kong.

Byebye

Four days in Taiwan - day two

On the second day, we started our journey at about 10 a.m. We took the MRT (Taipei mass transit network) to Danshui (淡水). It was a small old village with the nick name 'the backyard of Taipei. We walked along Danshui Old street. We could see shops selling old funny stuff like snack, toys and woodcrafts which recalled my memory of the childhood. We also walked along the open market where we could buy souvenirs and food.

Then we walked along the waterfront where we could see beautiful sceneries. The weather on that day was not very good but we still enjoyed the sceneries there. On the way we could see some beautiful and stylish restaurants.

From Danshui, we went to the Fisherman's Wharf. We were supposed to go there by bus but we changed our mind and decided to walk. The road was longer than we expected but we enjoyed the walk because it was nice and quiet. Along the road we saw beautiful flowers and smelt fresh air. On one quiet road we saw couples taking bridal photos. (It is a popular business in Taipei, many Hong Kong people take bridal photos there too) The people there were nice. The motorcyclists and even the workers walking on the flower bed showed their courtesy while they saw us. What a beautiful village!

The Road to the Fisherman's Wharf

We reached the Fisherman's Wharf in about one hour. We knew we reached there by seeing the ducklings' coaches. It was a real fisherman's wharf where you could see fishers, fishing boats and you could smell the salt water. Not like the artificial Hong Kong fisherman's wharf which disappeared in a couple of years.

We took photos at the 'Lovers' Bridge and had lunch at the Waterfront Restaurant. The restaurant was of mediterranean style, the food was delicious and the staff was nice and kind. We had a good time there.


After lunch, it was about four thirty :-), we took a boat back to Danshui and the MRT back to town.

In the evening, we went to Miramar. We had dinner in the food court. We had a ride on the ferris wheels at Miramar. It was the biggest ferris wheels in Taipei.

It was a long and full day. That night we could sleep very well.

Four days in Taiwan - day one

I have been to Taipei with Peter for four days during this Easter holiday. Talking about four days, actually it was only two days and a half because we started the holiday there at five o'clock in the evening on 15th April and left at seven o'clock in the morning on 18th April. On the whole, it was quite an enjoyable and relaxing trip. I enjoyed it very much. One good thing about it was the journey was in our hands. We decided where to go and when to go.

On the first day (15/4), after settled down in the hotel, we went to Taipei 101 for our 'starter'. When we arrived there, it was already full of 'ducklings' queuing up waiting to go inside. We were told to wait for forty minutes. So we went for a drink instead but failed my plan because I expected to see the sun set especially when the day time turning into the night time. By the time we went up there, it was dark already. I was a bit disappointed about it.

We went to the indoor observatory on the 89th floor first. Looking down the road below, I found the view magnificent. We, of course, would not miss the chance of taking some photos.

Then we went up to the outdoor observatory on the 91st floor. I did not enjoy it very much. Maybe I expected it to be exciting but I could hardly had such a feeling. It was surrounding by a high wall which was as high as my shoulders. And above it were bars with gaps about 8 cm or less in between. You wouldn't be afraid even if you had high anxiety. You wouldn't see much either because the wall was too high and the gaps were too narrow. If you want to take photos of the view, you need to take risk by putting your camera outside the bars.

After that, we went down to the 88th floor where we could have a close look at the wind damper. The damper was to reduce the wind movement in high-rises. It was a precious experience because it was not easy to see the damper of a high building.

I think it is worth going up there although I had a few complaints about it. At least it is open to the public, not like the IFC in Hong Kong.

Too long

Nearly one month without writing on this board, wow! Too lazy :-)