So the most exciting thing that has happened in 2008 till date..was my 8D/7N Taiwan trip with BigFace (names changed to protect BigFace's identity).
Taiwan is divided into many counties. We travelled to Taipei and Hualien counties only. They're located on the northern and eastern part of the country respectively. Actually..I planned so much in the months before our departure..through forums and inputs from friends etc..but yet..when I got there..it felt like I didn't plan properly at all..Oh welll.....
03/01/2008Stayed overnight at Changi Airport..thanks to BigFace's suggestion..big mistake..we couldn't get to rest properly...and were super sleepy..but I got this nice shot of our Airport at night..all quiet....
Oh..and a shot of my sexy thighs as well...muahahaha...bored at the airport lar...
04/01/2008Reached Taipei. Took a bus and the MRT down to Ximending area to search for Good Ground
hotel..couldn't find it. This nice old man..wandering around the streets of XMD...led us to our hotel..and offered to let us put up with him at his home..for 700NTD a night. So kind of him. But I didn't want to stay in a stranger's house..would kinda feel restricted? On this day, we went to WuFenPu (but I was too lazy to look for clothes), Raohe Street Night Market (people eating everywhere) and Taipei 101 (nice view plus it's super cold up there). By the time we got to Taipei 101, BigFace was already tired and kept sitting around.
05/01/2008Woke up bright and early. Took a train down to visit the C.K.S memorial hall (but now known as National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall due to political controversies as you might already know)
After all that walking around the huge premises..we were hungry. We had breakfast at one Mr.Ogenki that we chanced upon. We had a very good breakfast here !!! There was some potato toast and it was delicious !! I love Mr.Ogenki. Can someone tell me if they have an outlet here in Singapore?
Okay next stop..a bus up to Wulai. That's me waiting grumpily for the bus.
BigFace liked Wulai most out of all the places we had visited during our trip. Wulai is like an aborginal mountaineous area..but..we didn't see any aborginals...i guess since the whole place is so commercialised now..they were probably living in some remote area deeper within Wulai..attempted to get to where the aborginals really live via taxi..but think taxi guy cheated us...and we still din see any aborginals... Anyhow...the view and weather in Wulai were great..and BigFace went crazy buying all kinds of souveniers..
The river flowing past was hot hot hot...we went down to dip our feet into the hot river..for free...coz I'm too cheapskate to pay for the hot spring bath services provided by the many shops set along the river..but in any case..I think the shops tap into the same river that so many people were washing their feet in..erm..so the people who are paying..are actually paying for dirty water? I don't know man...
Okay..so this day was spent mostly at Wulai..my camera batt died while in Wulai..and BigFace wanted a picture with the waterfall in Wulai..but couldn't get one. Oopz. And while we were walking along , this group of village kids came rushing up to us..and asked him if I was an African..hahha..they were pretty adorable..BigFace explained that I was an Indian..but think they don't really know what Indians are. They addressed BigFace as "Susu" which means "Uncle" in Mandarin (issit?). So cute !!
Anyway..up in Wulai...I was like having my period..and needed a toilet urgently..so asked this shop assistant where the nearest toilet was..she said there wasn't any...but..instead of just stopping there..she led me to use the toilet within the shop...that was only used by the staff. How sweet and kind right? I think if i were in Singapore...I would just be brushed off with a 'Don't Have'.
After Wulai..took a bus back down..then went to Bitan Green Lake or something...but at night..couldn't really see much..and the lighting of the bridge aint all that spectacular.
06/01/2008
En route to Hualien via train..slept most of the way..but woke up in time to catch some nice scenery along the way...
Reached Hualien..but nobody from the inn was there to pick us up!! BigFace was not too happy with me..luckily..kind people from the visitor's info centre helped us to call the inn..and this nice sweet lady from the inn came to get us..I really loved this inn !!!!!!! It's like a beach cottage..and we got a double storey room with 2 beds !! And there was a swing!!! (which became quiet scary at night.. coz you know..what if it began swinging on its own???)
Look..what wonderful view of the Pacific ocean from our balcony. 
And there's a dog there..called Da Mao..he looks super adorable but he didn't like me much !!!!!
Silly dog. 
Erm...I'm getting tired of all this blogging already...Think i shall make my recap short.
Ok so anyhow..I had planned to go to some farm on this day..but the lady at the inn said it was too late..coz the farm would be closing soon..and for the exorbitant prices we had to pay for admission meant that it would not be worth it to stay for just a few hours..so ok..nvm..we just rented a taxi and went to the some night market and some stone musuem at the Hualien city centre...
Highlights:
1) Half naked men dancing at the stone musuem...they are not the real tribal people..but it's okay...they're super cute..most of them..and super good bod. I sent BigFace off to shop around.....while I stayed put and watched the performance. Hehehehehe. Here's a video...not very clear though..
I also took a video of the 'tribal women' dancing..but who cares bout them?
2) BigFace bought some sparklers thingie..that shot up some sparks non stop for a while..we played it near our inn after we returned to the inn at night..the area is like pretty deserted and extremely quiet..but we were still worried that we might wake some people up...
07/01/2008Highlights:
1) Taroko Gorge. Basically a Gorge with a river cutting through. You can clearly see the foldings on the rocks. Live geography lessons. Nice views, but after a while I got tired. What's new right.
2) Pebble Beach (Cisingtan or something). Heavy rain approaching. Couldn't enjoy.
3) Goat farm with three sad goats. The goats came up to greet us.. coz thought we were bringing them food. but no..we were there to just gawk at them and take photos. Bought back dinner from the goat's farm place..thought warm goat milk would be nice in the cold evening...turns out..goat's milk is disgusting. Gave it to BigFace instead.
08/01/2008The day that we're supposed to return to Taipei. I stupidly forgot to buy our return tickets to Taipei on the day that I had arrived in Hualien. So our inn lady offered to help us. BIG MISTAKE. She got us a 2pm plus train !! I wanted to catch a early train back to Taipei? I couldn't cycle along the coast like I had wanted to and i was getting super bored already..i wanted to return to Taipei asap..
Highlights:
1) Reached Taipei finally. Checked into TS Hotel. Went Shihlin Night Market. Saw really cute puppies. Here's a video..think the puppy is like a small monster..kept terrorizing the other dog.. love the way he cocks his ears. and the sausage dog is so cute and gentle looking..but think sausage dogs look ugly when they get bigger...
09/01/2008This was a terrible day. Got lost while tryin to reach Yehliu..and realised the place was nothing much...just many odd shaped structures due to beach erosion..but took the obligatory photo with the Queen's Head. Can't be bothered to put up the pic.
The entrance to Yehliu itself..has all these people sitting around and fishing..life seems so peaceful and relaxed...
After which..super long journey to Jinguashi for some gold panning..just to realise admission closes at 4pm. Disappointed. Took bus back down for a bit to reach Jiufen..rushed through the shops..coz they close at 6pm. Boohoo. But I like Jiufen..quaint little town on the mountains.
Jiufen.
Supposed to go to Keelung in the evening..but we were kinda tired from all that travelling..and decided to just return to Taipei. At Taipei..caught a movie at XMD to see how their cinema looks like. It looked like a lecture hall. Pyscho killer movie called Dead in 3 days or something. It was in some other European language and with Chinese subtitles only..basically I didn't know what was being said...but guess for mindless killer movies..you don't really need to know. Kinda scary. Someone's neck was sawed through via moving her neck from side to side repeatedly along the chipped edges of a glass fish tank and the head was then deposited inside the tank.
10/01/2008 Explored the Underground Mall. Nothing much there? As we woke up really late and missed breakfast at hotel, hungry me kept pestering BigFace for breakfast. So went all the way to Ogenki to eat after underground mall..haha. Went to Danshui and Fisherman's wharf. Really liked Danshui (my favourite place) and the ferry ride to Fisherman's wharf. Also wanted to go to some island called Pali, but no time. Sad.
Me enjoying the view at Danshui.
People fishing dangerously at the wharf..one wrong move and they will go tumbling into the waters. And the famous bridge...
Highlights:
1) Seemed like the thing to do in Danshui and Fisherman's wharf was to have your potrait drawn? Many artists around..but we chose this particular guy..after observing that he drew the couple before us quite well? Imagine my horror..when the potrait looks nothing like us? I don't wanna reveal how much i paid for it..it's heartbreaking. The funniest part? The artist told BigFace that it's rare that he draws this well, and that he wanted us to scan the potrait and send it to his email, so that he could display it on his website or something. Is he trying to be funny? I don't know...he even wanted a picture with us and the potrait.
Hai..look at him...I don't know whether to laugh or to cry. Click on the picture for a bigger view of the stewpid potrait...
2) Went KTV partyworld late at night. They even have a toilet inside the room and their service seems better than the Singapore one. Basically I'm the only one singing all the limited number of English songs they had. Forced BigFace to sing Barbie Girl with me. He just reads the lyrics and doesn't sing. Guess i should be happy that he at least he spoke into the mic?
11/01/2008Last minute shopping at XMD. Flight back to home sweet home..and back to not- so- sweet office tomorrow. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
So did I like Taiwan? I think so..the rural parts are better...its messy and charming. Would I go again? Probably, but not to Taipei again..to the other counties...heard the south of Taiwan is good. Anyway, the Chinese in Taiwan are so much better looking than the ones in Singapore. Why ah??? Is it just cause they have better fashion sense and dress up n all that? I don't know..but the girls are seriously cute..and hot..and sexy...BigFace was having a field day..forever talking longer than necessary to all the sweet young things working as salesgirls...on the pretext that he's buying stuff...hahahah...and the guys are not too bad too..bigger and taller than the Singaporean Chinese guys..Most Taiwanese are also quite helpful and friendly..warm people...not all whom we encountered..but most. Oh..most look at me like I am an alien..hahah..but two old Chinese ladies said I'm beautiful (think they liked my height) !!!
I need another holiday.
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