The worst part about the 6am Airasia flight from Kota Kinabalu to Taipei is the waking up one has to do. Once you have overcome that bit, you are greeted to a fantastic sunrise view of the Mount Kinabalu. Make sure you get a window seat on the right side of the aircraft to see it!
For a duration of five nights in February, I was on a family vacation to Taipei. *cough* Airasia cheap fares bah. Here is the first part of a series of posts about my fantastic trip this time round. Do come back for more posts next week!
Flower Festival in YM Shan, Taipei. Prior to our journey to Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園), the family and I visited my sister at Chinese Culture University where she is currently a Performing Arts undergraduate. Her uni is huge!
During this time of the year, tourist and locals flock to the YM Shan to witness the blooming of cherry blossoms…Somehow an image of Aaron Kwok dancing to Para Para Sakura comes into mind when I see the photograph above.
Massive crowds at 國立中正紀念堂. Being a tourist myself, my Taiwanese friends decided to bring me to the Lantern Festival at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall to witness the procession of people who come here annually to enjoy the decorative lanterns on display. This is held throughout the weekend leading towards the fifteenth day of the first moon.
Taipei Street Food. I have to admit that the street food do not appeal to me as much. I am neither a fan of the oyster ommellete nor of the intestine noodles Ah-Chung is famous for. That said, Rolen recommended I try this local snack—Chinese sausage (lap cheong in Cantonese) wrapped in a roll of glutinous rice. It’s called 大腸包小腸 here.
Little gems. I love how I discover places like these—all whilst trying to make my way to Yongle Market (永樂市場) one evening. Situated behind ZhongShan’s MRT station Exit 1, there are a few shops I’d recommend you poke around.
One of them of which was a Japanese syabu-syabu restaurant which I returned with Dad for dinner. Place was packed with locals. If you can make out the wordings on the plates above, it is the name of the restaurant.
Between 11pm–6am taxi meters add an extra 20 percent to the fare. On the other hand, taxi drivers do offer a small discount for late night passengers who call them directly to gain a competitive edge. Having sat in the passenger seat of a fair share of taxi rides throughout the trip. One driver mentioned an ordeal he faced with his friends when a Malaysian immigration officer reprimanded several PS2s in 1999. The officer ‘suggested’ he sell the items to him instead…
♫ Pretty woman, walking down the street. Pretty woman, the kind I like to meet. As far as most male conversations go, the topic of girls came into light over a cup of coffee one night. ‘Have you seen any pretty girls in Taiwan?’ he questioned. It was then—the most beautiful girl in a grey jacket walked in and seated herself across my table. The reply was a yes. What do you think constitutes a pretty Taiwanese? The impeccable makeup? The coloured lenses? Or their fashion sense?
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