Other than its political strifes and corrupt government officials, Taiwan is an ideal place to live in. The people are extremely polite and friendly, and I might say, cute! It's the way they speak that can make hokkien sound so demure.
Day 1: Hsin Bei Tou Hot Spring , Taipei
Kinda like a mountain, Bei Tou is the place to go for hot spring baths in the chilly weather. I liked how laid back the town was. Cafes by the sidewalks... running hot springs by the other side walk with steam emerging from the waters. The weather is about 20 degrees celsius and it's usually drizzling here.
Day 2: Taipei
We took a trip on our own around Taipei - it's pretty simple to get around, they have MRTs all over Taipei, the rest of Taiwan's MRT is currently under construction, estimated to take about 6 years to completion. We went to Danshui St - and were surprised to find how all the scooters and motorcycles travelled in the same street with all the shops and where all the pedestrians were. Their presence made the air really polluted though. Everyone in TP seems to own a scooter btw, and parents just carry their infants in one arm and the other driving. Amazing.
Bought some 6 boxes of Sun Biscuits and tried Tie Dan ( Metal Egg), which tasted like our tea leave eggs.
Went to Shihlin Night Market - it's way bigger than Sg's Bugis... It's really happening, even on a Monday night. Had Teppanyaki for dinner, pretty economical and good for a night market.
Day 3
Reunited with the tour guide - he brought us to Jiu Fen, another mountaineous area which rains non-stop for 340 days a year. Should have bought their brollies which were a mere 40 TWD!! That's SGD 2. DAMN!! Pretty, and quality ones.
And I can't recall where exactly we went. But, I can safely say we travelled to the whole of Taiwan. Welcome 2 Taiwan has worked its magic on us.
Taken at a National Park if i recall correctly..
The famous 'change-shift' march.
Cute soldiers march and just to change their shift while tourists like me snap snap and away as though they're an exhibits. Poor dudes.
Taiwan has a generous choice of beverages to guzzle on - just look at that stretch!
