This Taipei trip was a wonderful break for us and we just want to say a big THANK YOU to Jetstar for organizing this challenge and awarding us with such a comfortable flight, HTC for giving us such a funky and user friendly SMART phone to take good quality pictures and videos and last but not least to Hotel 8 Zone for providing the breathtaking, eye-popping and mind-blowing accommodation with excellent services which exceeded our expectations in any ways. I think words alone can't express our sincere appreciation.
I am sure you guys and girls are eager to find out more about the challenge and our adventures during those 3 days. So here we go :)
Day 1 - Thursday 20 May, 2010
All teams gathered at Changi Airport Terminal 1 at 11am, for a briefing as well as to collect our extra perks :) 1) SGD60 (the extra savings from flying with Jetsaver Light) per team to spend, 2) A pair of limited edition metro card with store value of NT$50, 3) A pair of admission tickets to the National Palace Museum, 4) A pair of personal spoon and chopsticks from Taiwan Tourism Board and 5) A HTC Smart for us to take memorable pictures and videos for this entry.
Der getting our stuff from the Jetstar marketing representative.
Inside our package.
We're team 9! All set to fly...
We made a new friend on board the flight to Taipei. I was sitting beside a very friendly lady, Dee Hong. Hello! Hopefully you'll get a chance to read my entry. She was such a sweet heart. She shared her travel stories and even insisted we share the sandwich she bought on board the plane. She complimented the Jetstar service and planned to make Jetstar her first choice if she is to fly to Taipei again. Who needs in flight entertainment when you can make friends! (Fortunately we had the HTC Smart ready to take pictures anywhere, anytime, even in the plane!)
We arrived at Taoyuan Airport and were warmly greeted by the staff of Hotel 8 Zone.
Once all the teams were out, we were led to our shuttle bus, where we checked in on board the bus and were given our keys hehe. Cool and efficient huh.
The attentive staff also took care of our tummies with some delicious snacks!
My fav is the cream cake... (I even ate der's share hahaha). The generous cream filling in the middle is to die for...
The ride to the hotel seemed shorter than 40 mins as we were busy munching away. Upon arrival, we took the lift up to our room. Once again, we were blown away even by the corridor! This picture doesn't justify as my camera's flash made the place looked too bright. It was dimly lit with a glow right at the end. The sun you see is done by the clever and artistic lighting.
We couldn't resist doing our starjumps even before we reached our room hehe :)
The timing upon arrival on Thursday was just right for the night markets. We freshened up and off we went to the famous Shilin Night Market. With the limited edition Metro card on hand and a convenient 5 mins walk to Zhongxiao Xinsheng station , we were all set to head down to Shilin to shop and eat till we drop.
Inside the Metro
Arriving at Shilin
*Travel Tip* For those going to Shilin Night Market, remember to stop at Jiantan station instead. It will be much nearer. (NT$20)
Anyway, we definitely recommend this place for all tourist as you can find almost everything from food to clothes. You name it, you'll find it. According to my Taiwanese friends, it is also a famous shopping spot even for the locals. We will never want to miss this heaven...
A must eat especially for Der who has been craving for the original Taiwanese fried chicken. (NT$50) Check out the expression haha
You wouldn't want to miss the milk tea with pearls too. The pearls are smaller and very chewy. (NT$20)
The crowded food street.
An array of food and more food...
And I found something which was too exotic for der's liking. He was totally freaked out by me haha it was hilarious...
Der and I had a great time shopping. We even found interesting things like shoe pads to be placed inside our shoes to make one appear taller. Trust them to come up with things like these heh
Der tried his hands on picking a toy but failed :(
Another thing we liked about the night market, is the opening hours. It is opened past 12 midnight. Thus we could spend more time shopping around before we called it a night. That's me with my proud smile on all my spoils from the night market heh
While on the metro, we noticed one thing Singapore can follow suit at our MRT stations. Building of gates at the non underground stations. This might prevent people from falling accidentally or purposely into the tracks.
Since we took the very last train back, which was already past midnight, there were very few people at the station. The very nice station master allowed us to do some jumps there haha. I guess the station was quite a memorable place for us as the metro was the main form of transportation for our 3 days stay at Taipei. I must compliment Der for his jumps. They were all perfect stars! I must say I'm not very happy that his jumps was better than mine. *tsk tsk* I bet he was secretly practicing after all the bad jumps in Penang. haha (sour grapes)
Day 2, Friday 21 May, 2010
We started day 2 early with breakfast at the stylish lounge. I had Chawanmushi!! haha I was pleasantly surprised that they had it and furthermore it tasted fabulous. Happy~~
That's me walking to the station. I think I totally blend into the Taiwanese culture with the umbrella and loads of sun block. Taiwanese girls are into whitening right? haha
We noticed that the Taiwanese are very disciplined when it comes to queuing. We had to queue to get into a packed train. Here in Singapore, everyone just tries to squeeze their way in.
They also have recycle bins everywhere. Going green is the way to go here~
Most importantly... They take care and respect woman! :)
As we were going to Wu Lai (烏來), a small town about 20km south of Taipei, we decided it was best to start off earlier. We believe it is one of the lesser traveled path, even though it is a little similar to Bei Tou where they are famous for their hot springs, it slightly further. However they posses a very rich aboriginal culture found only at that area. We took a train to Xindian station followed by a 40 mins bus ride (NT$40) On our way to Wu Lai, we made some new friends again! This is one thing we love about traveling. We get to meet fellow travelers who share their experiences. This Los Angeles couple has been traveling Asia and Taipei is their last stop. As Asians ourselves, we have never heard some of the islands they mentioned. We told them about this challenge we are joining and they say we'll definitely win hahah thanks for the faith in us!
On a bridge at Wu Lai
They also have a free museum that showcased the Atayal tribal culture.
*Travel tips* This town is seriously small and can be covered on FOOT. Just like what we researched beforehand, there are many cab drivers trying to get us on their cabs. There is really no need for it. So beware! All we had to do was to walk along the natural path. There is only 1 path so it's hard to get lost.
We took a little train (NT$50) that brought us to the terminal of the cable cars where we can get a better view of the waterfall. I really liked the train. It is so small and cute! I feel like I'm sitting in a toy train hah.
The path leading to the fall is called the "Lover's Path"
The spectacular Wu Lai waterfall in the background.
Soaking our tired feet at the public hot spring at Nanshih River.
We ended the Wu Lai trip with a traditional lunch at one of the aboriginal restaurants. We had wild mountain boar meat, steam rice in bamboo tube and dry vermicelli mixed with sesame oil. (NT$340) I find that there was a stench to the meat and the skin was too hard to be eaten. Maybe we were just not used to it.
Bamboo rice
Our lunch. Overall it was a good meal :)
We thought about various things we were passionate about to showcase to you readers. However as both of us are passionate about traveling, we decided that we will like to bring this less traveled place alive with a short documentary video clip taken during our trip. Enjoy~~
The trip to Taiwan Storyland was like a walk down our parents era and some of ours...sheeshhh we're getting old haha (NT$200 each for admission)
Leaving our mark
Der and his fav old school scooters
Hopscotch. One of the all time fav when we were in Primary school.
Inside one of the alleys. Just like those we see in the drama "Little Nonya" where all the crime scenes take placed.
Modern vs Vintage
Der playing a traditional pinball game
The police notice board in the old days
There were so many vintage stuff that brought us back into time
Fortunately time was on our side :) We managed to reach the National Palace Museum (Shilin Station) within the opening hours. With the compliments from Jetstar, we had free entry passes.
We were awed by the large collection of artifacts and artworks found in the museum. The use of 3D effects too made the history comes alive. Once we were outside of the museum, we couldn't resist taking a jump at the wide space. It was the perfect spot for jumping. Perfecto! We name this our winning shot *Beams* So proud of it!
Before we headed off to our last destination Danshui, we spent some time shopping around Shilin station. Some cute sights...
And we found these fav items I purchased in Japan last time I was there. Yeah!!
The last stop was right at the other end of the red line, Danshui. We were just in time for the sunset.
Once again there were loads to eat along Danshui old street. One should never miss the stinky tofu and grilled sotong.
Some must-buy snacks from Danshui are the fish/prawn crackers as well as the hard black eggs.
Even though we were snacking all the way while strolling along the streets, I couldn't resist the temptation to try out their beef steaks. Initially we thought that it was dumb to have steaks in Taiwan as there were so much more food out there but since we see it everywhere, we figured out that we should give it try. We never looked back. It was awesome! Large portion with very juicy and tender meat. *DROOLZZZZZ* Der tried the cod fish. Very soft and tender as well! *DROOLZZZZZ again* Each set cost NT$170 and it comes with soup, bread and free flow of soft drinks.
Thumbs up!
We were totally exhausted by midnight and decided to head back to the hotel to freshen out before embarking on our night plans :) Taiwan is a city that never sleeps. With just 3 nights, how can we go to bed so early??? We ventured to the 24 hrs Eslite bookstore in the wee hours of the night, in search for 女人我最大 magazine, a fashion and beauty magazine. (NT$95 one way by cab)
Instead, we found a wide selection of Japanese magazines that came with different free gifts. The gifts were mostly bags! Guess what I found??? Yes! The Agnes B bag that comes along with a charm :) I can't find it anymore in Singapore. They were totally sold out!
Der bought a mag that came along with a free Head Porter bag.
There were so many avid readers even in the wee hours of the morning.
Our fruitful trip
Even though everything was closed in the building except for the bookstall, we still chanced upon some large, cute bear bricks figurines.
And we see the HTC phone adverts everywhere! Even on the lift door.
Day 3, Saturday 22 May, 2010
We headed to Taipei 101 as we were told that the trip will not be complete without visiting the landmark skyscraper.
We spotted the Standard Chartered Marathon registration going on. Way to go~~We'll be running the marathon too here in Singapore.
We didn't go up the tower as the tickets were pretty expensive.
We also checked out the much talked about mall that housed all the famous brands and can be comparable to the ranks of world class shopping districts.
After "wowing" at the shops, we came back to reality. We couldn't afford them anyway haha. So off we went to Ximending. The hot spot for all young people. It was also our final stop before we headed back to the hotel.
We passed a stall selling pink panthers and for peeps out there who watch Taiwanese drama, you should know the show Hi My Sweetheart (海派甜心). I think Der can imitate him quite well! See the resemblance. hahah
The must-eat at Ximending. There is always a queue and everyone has to stand to eat!
We also see this white bitter gourd thing everywhere. I think it is the next "in" drink. They usually have it with honey so it isn't very bitter.
We chanced upon a stall selling freshly baked pineapple tarts. Another one of Taiwan's local product. After getting our hands on some, we headed back to the hotel and prepared to say good bye to Taipei.. for now...
As Taiwan is a land of popular idols, check out all the stars posters we came across during our trip.
Bye Bye Taipei... The hotel provided each team a cab to shuttle us to the airport.
Before we end this entry, we seriously feel the need to talk more about Hotel 8 Zone and of course introducing our companion for the trip...
With a stay at a hotel like Hotel 8 Zone, you can't blame us for wanting to stay in the hotel most of the time. We have times when we missed the room while we were out in the day. The moment we sat foot into the lobby, we loved the relaxing atmosphere the lounge gave us.
There was also complimentary drinks and snacks!
We were lost for words the moment the lift to our floor opened and even more lost for words when we opened the door.
The clever play of shadow
No more hanging of signs on door knob, Just push a button.
It is simply one's dream room. What more can you ask for if you have a room like this?
Love the resting spot :)
Ahhh... Heaven....The bed is one of the most comfortable bed ever....
I simply love x 100 the room. Even the bath room is so cool. Can you see that there's a standing shower in the reflection? The shower head is freaking cool too.
The bath tub has a massaging function and funky colorful lights. What's even better is... there's a tv screen right in front . You can relax and watch tv at the same time! How cool is that?!?!
We think the classy side table lamp and the sleek HTC phone complements each other.
Thank You Jetstar & Hotel 8 Zone!!
I am sure you guys and girls are eager to find out more about the challenge and our adventures during those 3 days. So here we go :)
Day 1 - Thursday 20 May, 2010
All teams gathered at Changi Airport Terminal 1 at 11am, for a briefing as well as to collect our extra perks :) 1) SGD60 (the extra savings from flying with Jetsaver Light) per team to spend, 2) A pair of limited edition metro card with store value of NT$50, 3) A pair of admission tickets to the National Palace Museum, 4) A pair of personal spoon and chopsticks from Taiwan Tourism Board and 5) A HTC Smart for us to take memorable pictures and videos for this entry.
Der getting our stuff from the Jetstar marketing representative.
Inside our package.
We're team 9! All set to fly...
We made a new friend on board the flight to Taipei. I was sitting beside a very friendly lady, Dee Hong. Hello! Hopefully you'll get a chance to read my entry. She was such a sweet heart. She shared her travel stories and even insisted we share the sandwich she bought on board the plane. She complimented the Jetstar service and planned to make Jetstar her first choice if she is to fly to Taipei again. Who needs in flight entertainment when you can make friends! (Fortunately we had the HTC Smart ready to take pictures anywhere, anytime, even in the plane!)
We arrived at Taoyuan Airport and were warmly greeted by the staff of Hotel 8 Zone.
Once all the teams were out, we were led to our shuttle bus, where we checked in on board the bus and were given our keys hehe. Cool and efficient huh.
The attentive staff also took care of our tummies with some delicious snacks!
My fav is the cream cake... (I even ate der's share hahaha). The generous cream filling in the middle is to die for...
The ride to the hotel seemed shorter than 40 mins as we were busy munching away. Upon arrival, we took the lift up to our room. Once again, we were blown away even by the corridor! This picture doesn't justify as my camera's flash made the place looked too bright. It was dimly lit with a glow right at the end. The sun you see is done by the clever and artistic lighting.
We couldn't resist doing our starjumps even before we reached our room hehe :)
The timing upon arrival on Thursday was just right for the night markets. We freshened up and off we went to the famous Shilin Night Market. With the limited edition Metro card on hand and a convenient 5 mins walk to Zhongxiao Xinsheng station , we were all set to head down to Shilin to shop and eat till we drop.
Inside the Metro
Arriving at Shilin
*Travel Tip* For those going to Shilin Night Market, remember to stop at Jiantan station instead. It will be much nearer. (NT$20)
Anyway, we definitely recommend this place for all tourist as you can find almost everything from food to clothes. You name it, you'll find it. According to my Taiwanese friends, it is also a famous shopping spot even for the locals. We will never want to miss this heaven...
A must eat especially for Der who has been craving for the original Taiwanese fried chicken. (NT$50) Check out the expression haha
You wouldn't want to miss the milk tea with pearls too. The pearls are smaller and very chewy. (NT$20)
The crowded food street.
An array of food and more food...
And I found something which was too exotic for der's liking. He was totally freaked out by me haha it was hilarious...
Der and I had a great time shopping. We even found interesting things like shoe pads to be placed inside our shoes to make one appear taller. Trust them to come up with things like these heh
Der tried his hands on picking a toy but failed :(
Another thing we liked about the night market, is the opening hours. It is opened past 12 midnight. Thus we could spend more time shopping around before we called it a night. That's me with my proud smile on all my spoils from the night market heh
While on the metro, we noticed one thing Singapore can follow suit at our MRT stations. Building of gates at the non underground stations. This might prevent people from falling accidentally or purposely into the tracks.
Since we took the very last train back, which was already past midnight, there were very few people at the station. The very nice station master allowed us to do some jumps there haha. I guess the station was quite a memorable place for us as the metro was the main form of transportation for our 3 days stay at Taipei. I must compliment Der for his jumps. They were all perfect stars! I must say I'm not very happy that his jumps was better than mine. *tsk tsk* I bet he was secretly practicing after all the bad jumps in Penang. haha (sour grapes)
Day 2, Friday 21 May, 2010
We started day 2 early with breakfast at the stylish lounge. I had Chawanmushi!! haha I was pleasantly surprised that they had it and furthermore it tasted fabulous. Happy~~
That's me walking to the station. I think I totally blend into the Taiwanese culture with the umbrella and loads of sun block. Taiwanese girls are into whitening right? haha
We noticed that the Taiwanese are very disciplined when it comes to queuing. We had to queue to get into a packed train. Here in Singapore, everyone just tries to squeeze their way in.
They also have recycle bins everywhere. Going green is the way to go here~
Most importantly... They take care and respect woman! :)
As we were going to Wu Lai (烏來), a small town about 20km south of Taipei, we decided it was best to start off earlier. We believe it is one of the lesser traveled path, even though it is a little similar to Bei Tou where they are famous for their hot springs, it slightly further. However they posses a very rich aboriginal culture found only at that area. We took a train to Xindian station followed by a 40 mins bus ride (NT$40) On our way to Wu Lai, we made some new friends again! This is one thing we love about traveling. We get to meet fellow travelers who share their experiences. This Los Angeles couple has been traveling Asia and Taipei is their last stop. As Asians ourselves, we have never heard some of the islands they mentioned. We told them about this challenge we are joining and they say we'll definitely win hahah thanks for the faith in us!
On a bridge at Wu Lai
They also have a free museum that showcased the Atayal tribal culture.
*Travel tips* This town is seriously small and can be covered on FOOT. Just like what we researched beforehand, there are many cab drivers trying to get us on their cabs. There is really no need for it. So beware! All we had to do was to walk along the natural path. There is only 1 path so it's hard to get lost.
We took a little train (NT$50) that brought us to the terminal of the cable cars where we can get a better view of the waterfall. I really liked the train. It is so small and cute! I feel like I'm sitting in a toy train hah.
The path leading to the fall is called the "Lover's Path"
The spectacular Wu Lai waterfall in the background.
Soaking our tired feet at the public hot spring at Nanshih River.
We ended the Wu Lai trip with a traditional lunch at one of the aboriginal restaurants. We had wild mountain boar meat, steam rice in bamboo tube and dry vermicelli mixed with sesame oil. (NT$340) I find that there was a stench to the meat and the skin was too hard to be eaten. Maybe we were just not used to it.
Bamboo rice
Our lunch. Overall it was a good meal :)
We thought about various things we were passionate about to showcase to you readers. However as both of us are passionate about traveling, we decided that we will like to bring this less traveled place alive with a short documentary video clip taken during our trip. Enjoy~~
Introduction from Derrick Leow on Vimeo.
We left the place around 1.30pm and made our way down to Taiwan Storyland (Taipei Main Station). Our plan was to follow the Metro line so that we do not need to go back and forth. As you can see, the path we took was from one end of the green line to the other end of the red line later in the day.
The trip to Taiwan Storyland was like a walk down our parents era and some of ours...sheeshhh we're getting old haha (NT$200 each for admission)
Leaving our mark
Der and his fav old school scooters
Hopscotch. One of the all time fav when we were in Primary school.
Inside one of the alleys. Just like those we see in the drama "Little Nonya" where all the crime scenes take placed.
Modern vs Vintage
Der playing a traditional pinball game
The police notice board in the old days
There were so many vintage stuff that brought us back into time
Fortunately time was on our side :) We managed to reach the National Palace Museum (Shilin Station) within the opening hours. With the compliments from Jetstar, we had free entry passes.
We were awed by the large collection of artifacts and artworks found in the museum. The use of 3D effects too made the history comes alive. Once we were outside of the museum, we couldn't resist taking a jump at the wide space. It was the perfect spot for jumping. Perfecto! We name this our winning shot *Beams* So proud of it!
Before we headed off to our last destination Danshui, we spent some time shopping around Shilin station. Some cute sights...
And we found these fav items I purchased in Japan last time I was there. Yeah!!
The last stop was right at the other end of the red line, Danshui. We were just in time for the sunset.
Once again there were loads to eat along Danshui old street. One should never miss the stinky tofu and grilled sotong.
Some must-buy snacks from Danshui are the fish/prawn crackers as well as the hard black eggs.
Even though we were snacking all the way while strolling along the streets, I couldn't resist the temptation to try out their beef steaks. Initially we thought that it was dumb to have steaks in Taiwan as there were so much more food out there but since we see it everywhere, we figured out that we should give it try. We never looked back. It was awesome! Large portion with very juicy and tender meat. *DROOLZZZZZ* Der tried the cod fish. Very soft and tender as well! *DROOLZZZZZ again* Each set cost NT$170 and it comes with soup, bread and free flow of soft drinks.
Thumbs up!
We were totally exhausted by midnight and decided to head back to the hotel to freshen out before embarking on our night plans :) Taiwan is a city that never sleeps. With just 3 nights, how can we go to bed so early??? We ventured to the 24 hrs Eslite bookstore in the wee hours of the night, in search for 女人我最大 magazine, a fashion and beauty magazine. (NT$95 one way by cab)
Instead, we found a wide selection of Japanese magazines that came with different free gifts. The gifts were mostly bags! Guess what I found??? Yes! The Agnes B bag that comes along with a charm :) I can't find it anymore in Singapore. They were totally sold out!
Der bought a mag that came along with a free Head Porter bag.
There were so many avid readers even in the wee hours of the morning.
Our fruitful trip
Even though everything was closed in the building except for the bookstall, we still chanced upon some large, cute bear bricks figurines.
And we see the HTC phone adverts everywhere! Even on the lift door.
Day 3, Saturday 22 May, 2010
We headed to Taipei 101 as we were told that the trip will not be complete without visiting the landmark skyscraper.
We spotted the Standard Chartered Marathon registration going on. Way to go~~We'll be running the marathon too here in Singapore.
We didn't go up the tower as the tickets were pretty expensive.
We also checked out the much talked about mall that housed all the famous brands and can be comparable to the ranks of world class shopping districts.
After "wowing" at the shops, we came back to reality. We couldn't afford them anyway haha. So off we went to Ximending. The hot spot for all young people. It was also our final stop before we headed back to the hotel.
We passed a stall selling pink panthers and for peeps out there who watch Taiwanese drama, you should know the show Hi My Sweetheart (海派甜心). I think Der can imitate him quite well! See the resemblance. hahah
The must-eat at Ximending. There is always a queue and everyone has to stand to eat!
We also see this white bitter gourd thing everywhere. I think it is the next "in" drink. They usually have it with honey so it isn't very bitter.
We chanced upon a stall selling freshly baked pineapple tarts. Another one of Taiwan's local product. After getting our hands on some, we headed back to the hotel and prepared to say good bye to Taipei.. for now...
As Taiwan is a land of popular idols, check out all the stars posters we came across during our trip.
Bye Bye Taipei... The hotel provided each team a cab to shuttle us to the airport.
Before we end this entry, we seriously feel the need to talk more about Hotel 8 Zone and of course introducing our companion for the trip...
With a stay at a hotel like Hotel 8 Zone, you can't blame us for wanting to stay in the hotel most of the time. We have times when we missed the room while we were out in the day. The moment we sat foot into the lobby, we loved the relaxing atmosphere the lounge gave us.
There was also complimentary drinks and snacks!
We were lost for words the moment the lift to our floor opened and even more lost for words when we opened the door.
The clever play of shadow
No more hanging of signs on door knob, Just push a button.
It is simply one's dream room. What more can you ask for if you have a room like this?
Love the resting spot :)
Ahhh... Heaven....The bed is one of the most comfortable bed ever....
I simply love x 100 the room. Even the bath room is so cool. Can you see that there's a standing shower in the reflection? The shower head is freaking cool too.
The bath tub has a massaging function and funky colorful lights. What's even better is... there's a tv screen right in front . You can relax and watch tv at the same time! How cool is that?!?!
We think the classy side table lamp and the sleek HTC phone complements each other.
Thank You Jetstar & Hotel 8 Zone!!
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