I will be blogging abt my Taiwan trip! bit by bit, following my itinerary.
There are many ways to go to a particular place, but i will only cover/type the way that is most convenient to me. It should be the more convenient for most as well, if you stay at 西门丁XMD.
or you can email me, i can send you my itinerary. (:
Before visiting Taiwan:
Pls head over to Taiwan Visitors Association for freebies! You will need to bring your air flight details AND your hotel confirmation slip. They are very particular abt this and they will not issue you the freebies unless you bring the required documentations.
I got the free vouchers of NT100 per person for night market.
The freebies tend to change from time to time. And they will only change when the current freebies are out of stock. of which, i dont know when the current freebies will be out of stock. HAHAHA.
Taiwan Visitors Association, Singapore Office
| Address: | 30 Raffles Place, #10-01, Chevron House, Singapore 048622 |
|---|
Bring your IC to exchange a visitor pass to take the lift up to the Taiwan Visitors Association office at Chevron house.
Power plug: Taiwan uses 2 pin. (those straight plugs)
I enjoy spending money for travelling more than buying luxury items. Don ask me why, its just different ppl have different needs. HAHAHA. I truly enjoy finding the differences in culture, their way of living and lifestyle, ppl of another country from the place i call home. To experience what they eat, to see how their streets look like, to immerse myself in a new whole place.
Travel is amazing. And no, its different from spending the weekend in Singapore. You get to rest and throw all your stress and worries back in Singapore. Although travelling is very physically tiring, but its another kind of body ache. LOL. I plan to ensure everything falls in place and hope to visit the place i wanna go, if i got lost and end up at some other place instead, its just another adventure, another place to see. HAHAHA.
nuff said.
Flight tickets:
I paid abt $460 SGD, flying via Scoot airlines. I paid $66 more cause my family members wanted more leg room. And its my best spent $66. Its very shiok to stretch my legs in front of me, even though my legs are not that long in the first place. I shall pay extra the next time i take budget airlines. LOL. Scoot uses boeing planes instead of airbus, its a big plane hence the flight is v smooth and comfortable. no BONG BANG PING PANG during landing. i always thought the airbus wheels are gg to explode with that strong impact.
Spending:
Not a lot. Just 3 pairs of flats, 1 furry boots, 2 boxes of my beauty diary mask, 5 boxes of Dailies contacts and 5 winter wears? 3 cardi. (did i say i bought the cardi for $10 when TCL is selling the exact same pc for $25? Not to mention, i managed to find the exact same pc for $6 one day after. LOL!!!)
I have a crisis finding things to buy in Taiwan. In total i probably spend abt $400 max (helping colleagues buy 8 boxes of contacts). Of course, food and transport is paid by mama. But food and transport is generally cheap. (:
Hotel i stay:
East Dragon Hotel = good location. Although i wont book this hotel again, ma chiam not good enough. HAHA. Lights are not bright enough. And pls, East Dragon is a much better hotel than Raindow Hotel. I highly doubt your ability to slp well at night cause its situated in the cross roads of XMD. XMD can get very noisy at night and if your slp is being compromised, I don think its worth it. So pls walk 2 mins more to East Dragon to ensure you can slp well. I paid abt $50 per head per night for my hotel stay.
Mobile Service in Taiwan:
If you don have to call anyone back home, but need to access 3G constantly just like i do. (I will just die without my whatsapp.) You can JUST opt to buy a 3G sim card that gives you 5 days of UNLIMITED DATA ROAMING that cost NT350. You cant call using the line though, its for data usage ONLY. (No need to bother abt the telecom service provider, so long you can connect to the internet!)
My flight was early, so the cellular service counter located near the tourist center wasnt opened yet. I got my line at another shop instead. (just go any hp shop) Thing to note: you need to bring your IC AND PASSPORT in order to purchase the sim card. Your passport alone doesnt allow you to purchase the sim card. in Taiwan They work with double personal identification.
From the net: Should you wanna call and use data, you buy a prepaid sim card (which cost NT 345 = SGD $14.85) for your mobile line which have NT 300 value of abt 60 mins for you to call overseas. You can just top up NT 350 for data roaming.
The only thing abt smart phones nowadays, you can share the network. Simply use one of the handphones as a hotspot, set a password and everyone can use it. Of course, your friends got to be near you and ensure you have an extra battery/portable charger.
If you are wondering whether you can still use whatapp with a foreign sim card, the answer is yes. Whatsapp is unique to phone, not to sim card. All your conversations wont be lost and your no wont registered as a foreign no.
Taipei MTR:
Cleared immigration and i saw this.
HAHAHAHA. this is v v v funny.
Do you have old flowerly eyes? HAHAHA.
First thing after you clear customs:
If you are less than 30 yrs old, and you intend to visit the National Palace Museum, get the Youth Travel Pass 青年旅游卡. If you dont intend to go, the card is quite useless. LOL. Get it from the Visitor's Counter at the Airport after you clear the customs. its right in front from where you exit from the glass doors. Just show your passport to proof that you are less than 30 yrs old.
From Taoyuan Airport 桃园机场 to Hotel 饭店
East Dragon Hotel 东龙大饭店 Tel: +8862-2311-6969
Address: 台北市漢口街二段 23 號 1.
Once you're done with customs clearance at the airport, (TURN RIGHT) and head for the “Buses” booths.
1. Via Kuo Kuang Bus 国光客运, buy tickets at the counters located left of customs exit. Find express buses station at the airport. NT125. 15 mins interval. Upon reaching Taipei main station, do not go east 3 to buy train tickets. Head over to Metro Taipei (the MRT train), Costs NT 20 = SGD $0.85 to reach Ximending which is one stop away. Ximending is at the Ximen Stop, and the train we were supposed to take from "Taipei Main Station" is the blue line, towards Yong Ning. Head towards the hotel, Ximen Station 西门捷运站 Exit 6.
2. Via Free Go Airport Bus (飞狗机场巴士). Freego bus starts at 5 am in the morning and the last bus leaves the Airport at 1.30 am. it brings you directly to all hotels in Xi Men Ding (西门丁XMD). When you board the bus, just let the driver know your destination hotel - he will remind you to get down when the bus arrives. NT140.
I board Free Go Airport Bus even though its more expensive, cause this bus come first. LOL. My parents were alr on the way to the hotel by the airport transfer i arranged for them. My bro is a last min illegal immigrant, so i have made special arrangements instead. LOL.
Anyway, its 630 am in the morning when i board the bus. But the bus doesnt go to XMD or Taipei main station like 国光客运. Instead, it stops at Zhongxiao Fuxing Station 中孝复兴. which actually turns out to be a blessing in disguise. Taipei main station is a big, messy and complicated interchange, chances are you will get lost in the maze. LOL. 中孝复兴 station is a direct line down to XMD, its a much simpler and easier alternative.
The seats are the bus are very comfortable and the bus have places for you to put your luggage. Its like a coach.
To return from city back to the Airport:
Go Taipei Bus Station A (the place where you buy tickets to yeliu) 国光客运 sell the tickets back to the airport.
Note: If you visit Taiwan after Oct 2013, their metro subway will go all the way to the airport. So such buses are not needed anymore!
Breakfast after reaching the hotel!
Yonghe dou jiang.
Made of glutinous rice, you tiao, pork floss, egg and slices of lean pork.
Their soya bean drink is not bad though! Fresh and beany enough. HAHA. ^^
And we head off to Yeliu 野柳 after our breakfast!How to go Yeliu 野柳:
To get to Yehliu, you would have to find the Taipei Bus Station A. First, take metro to Taipei main station (one stop from XMD), then follow signs that says Taipei West Bus Station Terminal A and Terminal B/Station Front Mall (Z). You will have to walk through the Station Front Mall (Z), find exit Z3?? to go to the Taipei Bus Station A.
You will take国光客运1815 route at platform 8. The bus will make a couple of stops along the way, one being near Zhongxiao Fuxing Station 中孝复兴Exit 2 near Omega (opposite Sogo). Expect traffic jams just before the highway.
Travel Time: About 1hr 20mins.
Price: A return ticket costs NT89.
Tell the bus driver that you wanna go yeliu.
You should also set an alarm to ring after 1 hour. LOL. Well, the bus driver didnt tell us where is yeliu, where to alight. Instead, we were constantly looking at the electronic header that tells you the bus stop name. Hence, the best you can do is to set an alarm after 1 hour. HAHAHA.
I read on the internet that we are supposed to alight the moment i see this. BUT! The bus will come in the opposite direction, so you wont get to see this. LOL. Hence, pls look out of the header bus stop description instead.
Nonetheless, you turn to the left walking towards to the sea and you will be in the right direction to Yeliu.
Not very far, abt 15 mins walk. 1km in?
To return to Taipei: Go back to the bus stop where you alighted. Now, cross the road and take the bus from the opposite side outside a convenience store.
i head back to taipei. but most will visit jiufen after gg yeliu!
for your reference:
From Yehliu to Keelung
Walk to where you alighted previously. cross the road to the bus stop outside a convenience store. Board a Keelung or Danshui bus to Keelung Railway Station, a distance of about 14km.
Fare: NT45. Travel Time: About 40~50mins.
From Keelung toJiufen
From the staggered bus stop in front of Keelung Railway Station board a Keelung bus to Jiufen a distance of about 14km (passing by Rueifang Railway Station). The bus has LED sign display "Jinguashih" 金瓜石 in English / Chinese without a service number.
Fare: NT45 (To Jiufen). Travel Time: About 40mins.
Note: There is no direct bus from Yehliu to Jinguashih or Jiufen.
Things you see along the way:
Do you know what are the light bulbs use for??
Need for light bulbs:
Such ships will out to the sea catching squids during the night. Squids are attracted to lights. After the fishermen turn on the lights, all they do is wait. The squids will all gather in the water waiting for the fishermen to catch them. LOL.
Which is also why, squids are also called sotong. Squids are too sotong alr, they seek death themselves. HAHA.
Do you know what are these for?
i answered mama and said, "its meant for crab catching!!!!"
i swear she looked at me in awe.
i watched too much documentaries. LOL.
you will need to pass by the temple!
Mama thinks its ridiculous for the entrance fee to be $2 SGD. Its jaw dropping low for such tourist attraction to cost even $2. LOL. Truth is, this is v v v worthwhile to come, cause its unbelievably cheap.
Its actually one of Taiwan's north coast crowning glory. HAHA.
This is what yeliu is famous for; Queen's head.
Does it look like the queen's head to you? LOL.
Took a photo with the man made Queen's head, cause i heard the real queen head has a snake like long queue.
Yeliu is made of up of eroded rocks, carved over time by nature's elements of wind, sea water. Its kind of amazing what thousands of yrs of erosion can do. Those mars like rock formations come in all sorts of shapes; honey comb, angel shoes, leopard, tiger etc.
30% goes to saying what each of the rocks resembles, 70% goes to imagination.
These looks like a maze.
This look like a drumstick. HAHA.
Mushrooms!
They were formed by the sea, wind, and rain cutting away the softer underlying sandstone, leaving a greater mass of harder stone resting on top.
I told you the queue is gg to be very long. But, I went the geopark at abt lunch time, where there are hardly any ppl. I queued for like 3 mins to take this touristy photo. LOL.
Spot the crab!
Does that look like a tiger mouth to you?
This look incredibly like a leopard. My hands are coincidentally placed in such a way that it resembles the leopard tongue!!
Takes abt 2 hours max to complete exploring the area with awe of what nature is capable of.
Usually most will go to Jiufen from Yeliu, but i didnt cause i don wanna make my parents tired. So we head back to Taipei! (:
welcome back to XMD!
first food of the day:
i love their different flavours of milk!
i am beginning to miss this!! and, pig intestines are my favourite!! thank god its not oysters inside. LOL.
i went to sushi express for salmon sashimi for lunch. LOL. O.O
and to my dismay, each plate cost $1.28
and their sashimi slices are twice as thick as Singapore. -OMG!-
very shiok.
tamago!!! why Singapore nv sell this at sushi express!!
and i swear these free desserts are v v v nice. OMG.
walked the entire afternoon and my legs gave way.
went to a cafe to take a rest. ordered cakes and coffee.
wootz. if only every afternoon is spent like these!!
sipping coffee, reading a book, eating my favourite cakes.
their coffee are not sweet (yeah!) and its therapeutic for the mind.
pls head to 85 degrees cafe when you are in XMD! their cakes are v v v cheap! like $2.50 per slice. OMG!
