Taipei - Day 6 of 8 (Thur 20 Sep 2007)

A bright and scorching day at Long Shan Temple. The place is very much like Si Ma Lu in Singapore with many devotees offerings incenses, fruits and flowers.

Majestic Long Shan Temple

It has Taoist deities and Buddha statues seated at their main hall which I find it interesting b'cuz usually we don't see this kind of combination in most temples.

Spectacular Carvings

Raised my head and I m in awe...their sculpting are something to praised about too. It is so detailedly carved and the golden pieces actually adds to the majestic of the historic building.

Hua Xi Street

Near the temple is a stretch of a street named Hua Xi Street. Since we are too early, we don't get to see their stalls selling snakes tonic wine and stuffs.

Tickets to a Bird's Eye view

Next stop, we are rushing to Taipei 101! We bought the tickets to their building top for the bird's view. The fees are a bit more expensive than I had expected though. It is inevitable to experience ear blockage on our way up especially when the building have the fastest speed lifts in the world.

Taipei 101 Intro Clip

There is something in the building that still beats me. What is the wind damper for? It is placed in the middle at one of the highest floor. Maybe someone could explains about this?

Taipei 101 surging high

Finally gotta capture this significant building after our few days stay in Taipei. We'll be back in the evening for the night view shot. Haha...

Refreshing Treat

While finding our way to the National Palace Museum we stop by a dessert shop for a rest. Whew... it was a hot day but i appreciate it. (better than a raining weather) Until here, we were kind of lost and confused about which bus to take. However the stall owner is kind enough to direct us the way. But we choose to hire a cab instead which was also a wise choice as I could have a comfortable short nap along the way...

National Palace Museum

Thrust me it is super hot here! The museum is huge and spacious, it has been told that Chiang Kai Shiek had actually brought many antiques artifacts along with him from China when he came to this country. Therefore for whatever reason, it is worth taking a stroll inside the palace.

Seeing Is Believing

Wow... I am so close with China's ancient civilization. The artifacts and antiques are amazing. I got to know their lifestyles and cultures in the past. Still wondering are the figurings of the Tang's Dynasty women really 100% abstract from the females during those period or did they improvise some of the features? Most people know that the aesthetics aspect of females during that period were of plump and voluptuous shapes and when i saw the female porcelain figures I have to agree it is really beautiful...

Their jade carvings were stunning as well...fortunately the old skills were not lost b'cuz till these modern days the carving skills could still be spotted in largely populated China.

Danshui's Fisherman's Wharf

Of all the places that I have visited in Taipei, I adore this place most and have fallen in love with it. It is truly charming and dreamy. The ocean blue sky is enchanting... i love it.

To whoever is planning a trip to Taiwan, you should go visit this place be it whether you are single or attached.

Lovers' Bridge

Just wanted to clarify here, although i edited some contrast feature to the photos but originally it is still well-shot with the nature background. I am just adding some touch to enhance its beauty.

I noticed there were many couples who went there for their wedding photo shoots too and they should. Haha... Well... I wish I could have my wedding photos shoot overseas too, must be unique I think. The best is to have professionals do the make-up and I would just sit and be like a queen, haha... Ladies should know how tedious it is to apply make-ups, so time consuming and tiring, however we still do it to make ourselves looks good.

Vast Sea View

The sunset in Taiwan is earlier than Singapore. It is then around 6pm and we could see the sky turning orange...

During Sunset

Nice timing for us! The sun sets fairly fast and we had to hurried back to the bridge for the memorable shots.

Cherish Every Moments

Luckily we brought a tripod along for these valuable shots. It is a wise investment for the vacation.

At The Wharf

This is an overview taken at the end of the wharf. The mountains, hovering clouds match perfectly with the Lovers' bridge and the lightings...

Night time now and the little pub near the bridge had a singer playing the guitar and singing songs by Chang Yu... I feel sad to leave the place (another reason is I am too tired to walk!). Hopes to visit this place again next time...

Miramar Ferris Wheel

We took the bus back to Danshui mrt station and alight at ShiLing station. Miramar is considered too far if we wanted to walk or take a bus there. So we hired a cab instead. We were trying to find the Ferris Wheel when we reached there and we found it! We took pictures at the large empty car park in front of the shopping mall (another wedding couple spotted taking their shots).

Time is precious and we hurried up to search for the ticketing counter. Tickets were sold at the movie tickets counter. Movies, cafes, restaurants beside the Ferris Wheel? Wow... Honestly speaking, when i saw the height of the wheel, fearing that i would be up there hanging in the sky inside a cabin, I intended back out but i keep psyching myself of how can I not take the ride when I m already there? Hard on my poor guts again after Leofoo Village.

The view is excellent with gorgeous lightings (but huge consumption of electricity, no good) i could see Taipei 101! FYI, the fees is S$7.50 per person.

Taipei 101 Night View and Eslite Bookstore

Alas our last stop, Taipei 101 again because Alvin insist on snapping its night view here. Guess we were a bit late for most of the lightings are out in the building. On the right photo, behind us is the Eslite store, I like their floral boutiques inside.

Well, see? We ran so many places on this day, I definitely no need to worry about putting on weight in this food paradise country, ha ha...

Do Not Disturb

Ha ha ha... I feel so happy! Day mission accomplished! Whew...... Finally can rest and sleep now....after washing up of cuz.

Taipei - Day 5 of 8 (Wed 19 Sep 2007)

I've been quite lazy lately but i have to complete the trip log since it is already started. Alright Day 5 adventure now.

We were reviewing our photos the night before this day and feel that we should snap more of our encounters and indeed this day we really did poses quite a lot. There's a Chinese idiom saying "kneel and pray for every 3 steps you take", i think for our case is "stop and snap for every 10 (or is it 11,12,13?) steps we take"!

Here's the day opening video:

Recorded before we set off to Wulai

We woke up very early especially me. When we left the hotel after the breakfast it was already ard 8.30...

Jade Lake (near Xin Dian station)

I have to say the sky is beautiful though still with slight drizzle, the mist covering the hill top is enchanting. Wait till u see the rest when we are at Wulai...

Jerky Bus

The bus drives us up the hill and urgggh.... it was so jerky...... along the rocky road!

Reached Wulai

Finally here we are at the foot of Wulai hill... without our raincoat yet.

Maybe we are too early or was it due to weekday or the villagers were still in dreamy mood? The people traffic there was scarce.
All the way we climb up the hill to pose with the nature surroundings, saw the stairs? Seems a long way but actually not as tiring as it looks as along the way we are busy capturing and enjoying the beautiful scenery. It was even more rewarding when we took the cable car up higher. Luckily no mishap happen along the cable b'cuz of the rain, haha...

Wulai is also famous for its hot spring but we didn't have time for it.

Wow... the rapid stream looks amazing right? Omg you should experience the hard work behind the shot, it is tiring and i have to be careful not to let my eye make-up smudge by the rain, urgh... The pic on the left, i was standing on a wooden block bridge and was so afraid that it might break but of cuz it is firm, just my psychology barrier. However the result is good, hehe...

I think these angles are nice especially the one on the right which brings out an oriental feeling... Wouldn't it be better and nicer if we were in bridal gown and suit? haha...

Spotted this golden retriever when we were at buying some of Wulai local products. He is so adorable...and good-natured but too bad he did not look into the camera. Maybe he is whining for we did not reward him any treats for his special appearance in the pic. I wish i could have a golden retriever, i think they are the most handsome species of dogs...

Jade Lake

When we took the bus back to from Wulai, i m really shagged after the whole day walk. Alvin keep pushing me to go to the Jade Lake bridge despite my reluctance to do so. But well, i m glad he did b'cuz is really worth it. Our mind can really win over our body sometimes.

Misty Jade Lake

Crossing the bridge, there is a Rosemary cafe restaurant which we decided to settle our dinner for the day.

Rosemary Cafe Restaurant

The ambiance is nice, with the owner playing jazz music but we waited almost an hour for our course! Because they will only start the course at 5.30pm, then they should have informed us earlier, haha...

I Am Starving

Beautiful Night

Didn't know that night view from Jade lake could be so beautiful as well though. Think thats the end of Day 5? No.....! Heading for Wu Fen Pu for shopping...

Shopping At Wufenpu

The place is so big and is impossible for us to look into every shop/street. I've grabbed 2 bags for S$25 each, 2 nice T-shirts for S$15, a trench coat, 2 blouses, 3 pairs of earrings and 2 strings of necklaces. Seems a lot huh? I could have shopped for more but I've empty our wallet! Too bad...

Taipei - Day 4 of 8 (Tue 18 Sep 2007)

This is a typhoon day and a terribly sad day for me because we r restricted to travel only the areas around Ximending :(

Actually we intended to go to Wulai but judging from the bad weather, all our plan have to be canceled. ~sign~

Our holiday mood had been dampened by the rain...

Nothing much for this day, we stay at the hotel for half of the day watching TV. Come to think of it actually we should go to check out their Cashbox KTV, but too late, guess next time if I happen to visit Taipei again.


Well regardless of how bad the weather might be, nice food will always liven my spirits...hehe...
This is taken from the 3rd level windowpane (where we sat) of an Egg themed restaurant (Dan Dan Wu) @ Ximending. Some of the dishes servings were quite huge. My rating for would be just moderate.


Their candy apple is so eye-appealing and delicious! I think Singapore has got an outlet selling the same stuff too but i can't remembered where is it. I ordered the black forest flavor, yummy... sweet and sour taste...perfect dessert after dinner.


Ah Zhong noodle (Mien Xian) is a must try when you are @ Ximending. Apparently the standing crowd proves it all. 1 big bowl is not enough...haha... For this stall there are no oyster in the noodle but erm... pig intestine which I don't dare to eat but the gravy and noodle is nice. Thumbs up!


Shopping around Ximending is rewarding especially during this kind of weather. Because most of the shop owners are willing to give customers good discounts! I bought a pair of nice partially fur boots for just S$25! A good buy, haha...


This is a shop selling mostly Japanese magazine. Since we are there I bought a couple of it of October issue. Just a little cheaper than Singapore by $1 or $2.

Taipei - Day 3 of 8 (Mon 17 Sep 2007)

Our schedule for this day is to go to Leofoo Village at XinZu. We hired a cab to the themepark and to our disappointment, it starts to drizzle! But luckily most of the games were still open to public.

Since it is raining, visitors were scarce and as you can see from the photo where we are the only one at the entrance! Haha... of course other than us, there were some graduating students who were there for their excursion and a few young couples like us.

Here are some photos taken at the Arabic, Cowboy and the Lost world theme...

Our first game to warm up the tempo is a swirling barrel, then the Viking!

I don't know how Alvin do it but he manage to firmly gripped the camera in his palm and video the whole process of the rides down... and below are some of the short clips...

Viking Ride Clip

Pagoda Revenge Clip

Not enough excitement? Next we went to challenge the Pagoda Revenge! Initially, when we witness its height we kinda intent to back off. Omg we were dropped from a 17th storey height and before I can open my eyes, we already landed the ground in within 2-3 sec! I felt like a thin paper floating for 3 sec...haha...



Enough of screaming, time for some entertainment. Went for a short performance at the theater which makes us feeling like a kid again. Also it is a good chance for us to dry ourselves. The whole day we were playing their rides such as magic carpet, tunnel cart adventure, 360 degree flip, 3D adventure etc. In fact, no rides can be as exciting as the Pagoda Revenge.





However there is one ride which we are unable to play because of the rain and that is the 360 degree Firewheel. Should be a fun ride too. We took a picture of it anyway.

The Arabic themed castle.

This is our lunch at about 3.30pm. Luckily we had a heavy breakfast to endure us all through the day...

After a fun and WET day, we took the E-Go bus to Jingan MRT station and back to hotel.

Enough of rest for us but not the weather, it is still raining. Poor Alvin and the camera, he felt so heartache when the rain dropped onto our camera and tripod the whole day, haha... Here we are at Zhong Xiao Dun Hua, due to the approaching typhoon at Taipei, we do have some difficulties strolling down the streets. We passed by a few alleys with many interesting restaurants, cafes and bars...

...which we decided to have our dinner at this noodle restaurant situated among one of the alley. The ambiance is zen-like and the lighting is cosy. We ordered their special spring roll, tea roasted duck (can't remember the name but is roasted with Chinese tea) and their noodle specialty (dan zai mien). The noodle serving is just right and not too salty, the duck is chewy and tasty too. I thought my stomach would still have room for dessert but no, I m already full, haha...

After recharging our stomach, we stroll down the streets of Taipei. Its night scene is really beautiful, maybe is due to the light reflexion of the water puddle, I realize that photo taken on the streets during that time was really nice...


Now Singaporeans...shouldn't we learn from them? Lined up properly while waiting for the train to arrive...I realize that most Taiwanese are very discipline. Not only that they would keep right side on the escalator for others to pass through on the left, some would even wear a mask when they got a cold to prevent virus spreading. Hmm... guess it could be due to the cultural influence from their neighbor in Japan.