Taiwan 2010 Part 2

17th March:

Twisted and turned our way through the mountainous roads to Kenting. Kenting is made famous for being a filming site for the film, Cape no. 7.

Boy, was it frightening! The roads are quite narrow and it's all thanks to the skillful navigation by the young driver. If you looked down, it's a straight drop to the treacherous waters of Taiwan Strait.

The daunting and long journey was enough to turn to upset my delicate stomach. There was nothing much to do on the bus, except sleep and watch the tapes the tour guide played. I did both, though I spent more time sleeping. The 21 of us were loosely distributed in the 40 seater bus. I got to have 2 seats for myself.

Finally, we reached Maobitou. It literally means "Cat's nose" in Chinese. If you look at the pictures I had taken, I don't think it looks like a cat at all. It is this huge rock facing the Taiwan Strait.

The place was once again full of tourists, mostly those mainlanders from China. It was quite windy up there as we watched the waves licked the rocks.

Made our way to Eluanbi Lighthouse, the only armed lighthouse in Taiwan.

In the evening, we had dinner in a restaurant located near the merciless and magnificent Pacific Ocean. It's too bad that the camera hasn't managed to capture exactly what I saw that day. The photos just don't do the view justice. The sun had set and the waters met the skies in a distinct line. The beach is not filled with pristine white sand but coarse blackish sand. Imagine, the next side of the Pacific Ocean would be America.

A litter of puppies played nearby. They were so cute! Squeal! I could have cuddle them, if I cuddle animals. They loved to play with shoelaces. I love their antics as they tried to climb up the stairs and dug a hole.

Tonight, we stayed at Luminous Hot Spring Resort and Spa located in a secluded spot of a mountain. The hotel is grand with even grander rooms. Or maybe it's due to the fact that I stayed in the honeymoon suite with my mother.

Wow! You can put on a show with its full transparent glass bathroom. The bathroom has a shower area, the basin area and a private stone tub which hot spring water flows as you turned the tap.

The bed, complete with white canopies, in right in front of the transparent bathroom. Of course, heavy curtains can be drawn. All in all, the best hotel we have stayed at.

18th March:

It's just too wasteful to leave the hotel so early in the morning. After all those hours to get there, we just have to say bid goodbye. Alas, we had a train to catch at 8 am plus.

The buffet breakfast was the finest among all the hotels.

Took a 3 hours train ride to Hualien. Originally, the train ride should be shorter and able to offer us a look at the Pacific Ocean. But, the that train got booked up.

Met the coach driver at the station and went to Taroko Gorge. More mountainous roads. However, the natural view that greeted us was worth it. Nature in its finest is there. Those marble slabs, washed and smoothed by the rushing water are in its galore.

We had to wear safety helmets as we walked under cliffs due to unstable rocks caused by earthquakes. There are places warded off and rocks debris litter those areas. We were told to stay near the sides.

Took many pictures of the wondrous features that nature has to offer. The place is off limits for marble harvesting. It's a nature reserve of sorts and belongs to the government.

Taiwan is going through a dry period, thus, the streams are almost dried. You can say that that they have a love-hate relationship with hurricanes. They can't live without it yet it is damaging.

Stayed the night at Charming City Hotel.

19th March:

First, we went to Ilan National Centre for Traditional Arts. It's a huge place where the shops are built like the shophouses of the past. These shops promote and sell traditional and not so traditional crafts, toys and food. We didn't spent much time there.


We went to Chiufen next. It's once again located up on the mountains. It's an alley with lots of small shops selling Taiwanese cuisines and crafts. Since it's an alley, with steep staircases and narrow paths, it doesn't help that the place was crowded with tourists and locals alike. I even spotted Caucasians which was quite the rare sight in Taiwan. Or perhaps they just hand around the Taipei region.


Taiwan's first cinema can be found there and a teahouse is made famous by a film.


At night, we check in our last hotel for this trip, Hotel New Continental Taipei. Our room was quite small, with no bathtub, but the room itself is beautiful in the modern way. My hopes of getting a nice soak before leaving was dashed.


We went to Shilin Night Market and bid farewell to the coach driver as he won't be ferrying us to the airport the next day. It's quite sad actually.


The family didn't linger on at the night market. We ate there and then took a cab to Taipei 101. It was a good plan, no? I have been wanting to go there to shop from the day it was decided that we were going for this trip. I even went online to check out the brands.


It's a good thing we had some time this night, because I'm seriously angry that we will only have 45 minutes to visit Taipei 101 the following morning due to time constraints. The shops will only be open around 11am and we had to leave Taipei for Taoyuan International Airport around 1pm.
Anyway, the taxi fare was cheap, approximately $200 plus, equivalent to S$8 plus. Besides, the driver allowed the five of us to squeeze into his cab.


Wow, Taipei 101 is more awesome than I thought. I went directly to Esprit, and bought a blouse. Actually, the designs are mostly the same as those sold in Singapore. The prices are not exactly cheaper as well.


Went to Tommy Hilfiger next. We saw this other family in our tour group who apparently had the same idea as us. My mother and I bought their polo shirts. I coveted some designs but they are all too expensive.


We just walk around level 1 and basement 1 because level 2 to 5 are reserved for branded goods. Level 6 is a exclusive area for members who can shop and dine all they want. From level 5, you can take the fastest elevator in the world and shoot your way up to the 99 storey of the building. Obviously, you have to pay for the view.


Had supper in the huge food court in the basement. They sell everything, well, not everything. For one, I want to try out Mister Donuts, but they don't have it there. I ordered McDonalds and it isn't as nice compared to what we have in Singapore.


I went to the Jasons supermarket after seeing it on the Travel and Living channel on the first day. It's akin to what we have in those shopping centres in Orchard area. Gourmet ingredients for foodies. Huge, red apples, Taiwan strawberries, different types of cheeses, etc.


Too bad the strawberries are expensive, or I would have bought them after hearing about it from the tour guide.

Took another cab back to our hotel.

20th March:


No morning call today! We have our time free until 10.45am where we have to check out. As it is, we woke at 6am and had breakfast before going back to our rooms to laze about and do last minute packing.


Went to Taipei 101 as a group and we had 45 minutes. I remembered that there is this shop, Roots, that caught my attention last night. Went there and bought a shirt. I wanted one of those jackets so badly. It's really gorgeous. My mother love their bags but they cost a whooping s$400 plus.


I console myself with the thought that Singapore will have this brand and I can buy what I want when I get back. Who would have know it that the brand doesn't exist in Singapore?! I thought I saw this brand before. Argh! I really like their line of clothes. Just too bad...


Had our lunch at this super quirky restaurant called Five Cent Driftwood Restaurant. Have a look at the photos and you'll know what I meant. The tour guide told us that people who went there will surely whipped out their cameras and start flashing away.


Everything is quirky and unique, from the toilets to the tables to the ceilings to the chairs. The ceilings are done in wavy patterns. We had to climb 4 storeys before having our lunch.


Finally, it's the end of our tour. Reached the airport and said goodbye to the tour guide who have been great.


The flight back got delayed again! What's wrong with China Airlines, seriously? Reached Changi Airport Terminal 1 around 9 plus.


Home sweet home.

Taiwan 2010 Part 1

Well, I'm back. Back to work as well. Time for a recap.

13th March:

So, we woke up early in the morning and made our way down to Changi Airport. The grandparents were there too. I'm not going to go into too much details here. Just that this day was a very unfortunate day and that "suayness" can come in many forms. Simply put, this day was 'Bloody Brilliant'.

First, the computer system for China Airlines went down in Changi Airport. They had to check each passenger in by hand. Then, the computer system got working again, so the handwritten stuff was nil. Check-in again.

Little did we know that the tour group will missed the flight due to overbooking. Yes, I know that overbooking among airlines is a norm, it's the "surest" way to cut down possible losses. But, this day, they didn't foresee that due to the large number of students taking the flight to return home, the chances of a vacant seat was close to none. That, was China Airlines' fault.

We missed our flight despite the initial thought that the flight will wait since it was already delayed because of the slow check-in. And the tour group was the only one left behind. Chan Brothers was at fault too. They didn't send enough man-power to help our group. Other tour agencies had 2-3 staff at hand to take roll-call and check-in procedure. Us? It's just one person. I understand that not everything was his fault, he's only a man, how can he run both sides?

The manager of China Airlines compensated each of us S$150 each and we were to take Garuda Airlines to Jakarta, Indonesia before transiting to China Airlines. The flight from Singapore to Jakarta was terrible. Our new China Airlines flight was delayed, again. Besides, instead of the initial 4 hours journey to Taiwan, it now went to 5 hours.

Finally, we touched in Taoyuan International Airport, hours behind our original schedule. We could have reached in the afternoon, but no, because of so many contributing factors, we had to reach there at night.

Then, when things couldn't get any worse, my family luggage weren't there. The other tour group members safely claimed their luggage, but not us. We found out that they went to KL. How brilliant is that? It's like we're on the roll, except that it's bad luck. Actually, my father already said beforehand that somebody luggage will get lost in the mess.

For the first time, we can claim insurance. And for the first time, we have to nothing except the clothes on our back and hand-carried bags.

The tour guide was kind enough to make us a stop at a local mart to get our necessities. The hotel we checked into is pretty nice. Four Points by Sheraton. We were treated to this gigantic plate of fried rice each after all that hours spent a-wasting on air and ground.

Thankfully, I wore a tank-top inside my dress-shirt. I could, at least, wear my jacket with my tank top for sleeping.

14th March:

A brand new day! We made our first stop at the National Palace Museum. It houses the very famous Jadeite Cabbage from the Qing Dynasty among other ancient Chinese relics and treasures.

The place was chock-full of people, mostly tourists, I think. We aren't allow to take photographs inside the museum and have to wear this earpiece when the tour guide converse with us. The signal isn't very good and it keep picking up conversations in Japanese and English that the other tour guides were speaking.

As the place was crowded, we visited only a few exhibitions. It is quite interesting though, although I have the feeling of information overload. I love history, except the dates and what not part.

My brothers bought a lot of pseudo cabbages as souvenirs.

After lunch, we went to Ximenting which is this busy street with all sorts of street food and clothes targeted at the young and trendy. It is something like Bugis Street in Singapore. Since it was a Sunday, naturally, the place was crowded with the younger generation.

I bought a shirt quite unwilling, because I had to change. The luggage had not arrived. Besides, it's not like it's a habit of mine to wear a new shirt not washed yet.

We tried the white bittergourd juice mixed with lemon. It's very refreshing indeed. I just love the taste of bittergourd despite the fact that I don't eat bittergourd at all. I wanted to buy one of those shiny white bittergourd back.

The tour guide took us to take the metro and then the bullet train down Taichung where we will be visiting Fengjia Night Market. We had mini steamboat for dinner.

We did not stay long at Fengjia Night Market. It's crowded, smelly and generally, not my cup of tea. I realised that for the Taiwanese, motorcycles must be quite affordable. There are road lanes dedicated to motorcyclists and the road sides have parking lots of motorcycles. It seems as though majority of the young generation can afford a motorcycle.

We went to this Nike store and I bought a shirt there.

Stayed the night at DeBao Hotel. Tonight, we'll be getting our luggage back. Hooray! Normally, it will take more than 2 days to reach, but my father asked for the express delivery which meant that we will have to pay US$50 for it.

15th March:

Bright and early morning. Left the hotel for Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village. It was a long journey. Past by many mountains.

Taiwan officially has 9 tribes, but they spilt it to 14 as of now. It is said that a fifteenth one is coming. So, the Culture Village we went to preserve the culture Taiwan's 9 hill-tribes. These include the houses, living styles, clothing and equipment, etc.

It is very informative and I enjoyed myself. The Village also boost a very lovely and grand European-styled garden in which the drama series, The Little Princess, filmed at. Furthermore, there is a theme park inside this Village too.

At first, we rode the cable car up to the top of the mountain with the tour guide which we'll then make our way down on foot and see the different things by ourselves.

The weather was quite cooling there. We stayed till 4pm before going to Wenwu Temple. It overlooks Sun Moon Lake and the water was lit up with the setting sun beams. It is a pretty sight.

We stayed the night at Miracolo View Hotel. Wonder how the hotel got its name? I reckon it is because the rooms overlook the magnificent Sun Moon Lake. My room is quite luxurious. Not only is the bathroom beautifully and wonderfully equipped, there is also a window bench made with clear glass and wood. It's Japanese-styled.

16th March:

Woke up very early to take pictures of the rising sun and the waters of Sun Moon Lake. Indeed, it's a sight to be reckoned. It is misty in the morning. It seems as though the waters and the sky are one.

Left for Sitou National Forest Recreational Area. It is an area with trails and accommodations. It is a one of the many preserved forested area in Taiwan. Tall trees and blooming flowers are in abundance here given the cooling weather. Occasionally, thick mist will rolled across the skies like waves. Took lots and lots of photographs here.

Went to the University Pond where university students of the past used to hang out at. There is a bamboo bridge across the pond and all seems whimsical.

Next stop was NanYuan Resort Farm where we will stay the night. Today is one of our more relaxed schedule.

The rooms in the farm is built in the European-style. Everything is made of wood and each room area is really big. The houses are built on water and the window overlook the pond. The beds are these Japanese-made healthy beds that are supposed to improve blood circulation and work out your kinks.

There are lots of activities on the farm, even water golf. There is a tiny plot of land in the middle of the pond and one is supposed to hit the ball there. Of course, if you missed, the ball fall into the water. It is pretty difficult to achieve that.

We were taken on a tour around the farm when we first arrived. We had a cruise around a huge pond and got introduced to the different kinds of plants in the farm. Flowers are extremely luscious here.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go... (sort of)

...The taxi's waiting, he's blowing his horn...

...Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane...

Lyrics borrowed from John Denver's Leaving On a Jet Plane.

That's right, I'm leaving for Taiwan tomorrow morning. I'll be back on the following Saturday. Things will have to wait till then. Yay! No work for a week, how cool is that?

Just hoping that the flight to and fro will be smooth and safe and that I'll have fun. Not forgetting, shopping!

Results out today! Heard a rumour that results via sms will be out around 11 plus. Can't wait!

Reason to work

Ahh crap!

More concrete reason why I should have work 4 days a week. Which is exactly what I am doing now.

For the fun of it, I checked out the price rates for a SQ flight to Orlando, Florida. To my horror, a round trip ticket would cost me S$4.8K, minimum. Holy crow! Where am I going to so much money? And it's just air tickets! What about shopping, theme park access, food and hotels?

Then, I went over to check out Chan Brothers travel packages. I found one that is pretty awesome. It starts from S$4.8k and it's a 13 day itinerary spanning from New York/New Jersey to Washington to Orlando. I figured, from Orlando, I can just stay on for another few days before leaving for Singapore by myself.

It's true that I don't know what flight this package consist of, there is a high chance that it is not Singapore Airlines.

Anyway, I just want to have a gauge of how things are. Obviously, I'm not giving up this goal. Because if I did, I wonder how will I be? To be living life without a goal is the worst thing that could happen. How I survive the rest of the semester depends very much on my goals when it is time to go.

With this goal, suddenly, I feel like I have a purpose to do well in my studies, to endure my work. I really do not want to forsake it because of some minor matter.

The date is changable, as long as I have a companion. But, I am not willing to wait for another year. Oh no. I have to make the trip before the second half of DH premiers.

Worst to come would be to join a tour, and that is actually a better solution. It is cheaper, I can visit attractions I normally wouldn't go by myself and I don't have to worry about accommodations/on the road expenses.

Actually, the main reason for checking out the flights and travel packages is because now that my mother wouldn't be going for a eye surgery this March, it means that we may have a chance to go overseas. Besides, she wants to go Taiwan. However, the real problem is that how will we find tours that are not fully booked. Free and easy is out since Osaka and Taiwan flights on SQ are not available during that March holidays.

On a more personal note, I had already signed myself up for duties for 4 days per week. And this is because there is shortage of staff. So, if I were to go overseas...

Ha, but it is wishful thinking if they think I will stay on while the rest of the family enjoy themselves. Of course, I would tell them early if only the date is fixed. Damnation.

Sometimes, I wish I would stop being so responsible to the point of nauseating. I feel irk at myself too. When it is clearly not MY problem, why should I have worry? Huh? That I really don't understand. And when will I stop viewing things out of proportion? I seem to escalate things and get so worried and strung-up over them. Then, I lose sleep and my mind buzzing, filled with all these nonsense.

I need to get those out of my system. Really. Period.