Day 11 (23/6): Taipei (Dan Shui, Longshan, Ximending, Wu Fen Pu)

As advised by the artist whom we drew a joint portrait together at Dan Shui, we went back in the morning as there were supposedly more things to do around there. We saved the last full day we had to revisit the places we thought were nice and that we didn't to get really hang out there long enough.... But it seems that there was a communication breakdown.

Early that morning, at 10.30am, we met my friend, ys at Danshui train station. She was my long time friend whom I have still kept in touch after all these years, and she brought us around Taipei that day. We first took a bus to the Fisherman's Wharf where the Qing Ren Qiao (Lover's bridge) was, which was quite a distance away from the train station (not walkable).

The food there was supposed to be nice... however, until then, I still had no idea where the "nice food" were. I wasn't sure if Fisherman's Wharf referred to the area before or after crossing the Lover's Bridge. There really was nothing special about the Lover's Bridge, though the moment and pose we had was special by itself. Went over to the other side, but most of the stalls were still closed. The only ones opened were the preserved food stalls. We were lured over to one, tried several samples but ended up only ys buying them... 3 heavy packets of preserved stuff.

The famous Hao Da Da Ji Pai was also there, but wasn't open yet as well, and it was the day that we wanted to try it even though we did pass by it at Shilin night market but wanted to save our space for the other night street snacks. We walked along the "dead" stretch of stalls, which was pretty spacious but didn't spend much time there since there wasn't much to do there. We returned to the bus stop, and took the bus back to train station.

The miscommunication like I said before was that Dan Shui was confusing for me. We heard there was the other side, the island across you see in the previous photos... So I thought crossing the bridge would get us there, save us all the trouble of paying for a boat across. However it turned out to be entirely different areas and knowing how Taipei has had its wet spell for the past few days, we decided to give the island a miss. Heard that at the island, its more of hiking, cycling and checking out nature... and it was where the delicious seafood were at (but was told by ys that the seafood wasn't that fantastic).

At Dan Shui streets, we came across a famous overhung of thick tree branches which we heard was a popular site for romantic movies. It felt scarier than romantic but what I'm not the expert here... ;p Also came face to face with a traveller, cast in stone and praying for a safe trip. We also passed by a very provocative candy shop. They packaged their candies in what looked pad boxes, condom boxes and other cute packagings. After that, we also ate at a famous street stall selling Ah Gei... beancurd skin wrapped around Tang Hoon. The stall did look highly well receieved by the locals, especially the primary school kids hanging around there and we decided to give it a try.

We sat at the 2nd storey of the mini restaurant (no air-con), with a window seat which overlooks the streets and the shops across. Good view, but only decent food. I thought there wasn't anything fantastic about it. I bought extra fishballs (with meat fillings inside) and beehoon. All tasted nice but it wasn't mind blowing. Didn't quite like the red sauce they used to cover the wrapped beancurd... reminded me of the Ruo Yuans we ate at Jioufen.

At Dan Shui, we also did try the tie dans, but not on that particular day, on our previous visit. I had to rub it in again because I think I left out the difference between the 2 different kinds of tie dans we tried over there... the packed one and the "fresh" ones. The packed ones (could either choose quail eggs or normal sized chicken eggs) were more chewy and had a stronger flavoring for the egg white. As for the fresh ones, we didn't try both because the quail eggs came in quantities of tens (if I didn't remember wrongly) and the shop owner didn't allow us to buy only 1. So we only tried the chicken eggs. They were weaker in flavor, less chewy, and egg yolk was more flavored than the egg white. And of course, it was hot, compared to the cold packed ones. However, I liked the packed ones more because it brought more justice to its Chen Hu, tie dans. The fresh ones tasted similar to Cha Ye Dans (teaeggs) but the packed ones tasted better with that additional bite in them.

Also came across this stall selling ice creams (coned ones) at an astounding low price of $10NT!! And it was as tall as the Effiel Tower! Now, that's something Singapore really need to learn frm, cheap towering ice creams. However, too good as it may sound, it demerited points for its taste and texture. Tasted like frozen flavored shaved ice. Best ice cream I had was still the one at Jinguashi.

Our next stop was Longshan temple, which by then had started raining... Heard from the guide books it was worth a quick visit. However, we ended up spending quite some time there as we tried praying to the Love God for good wishes, which only ys and yq managed to get, red strings to tie around this wrists so that their Mr. Right was right around the corner... The Love God was more catered for singles, who would come to seek help in finding love. They would have to throw this crescent like wooden blocks thrice, and if at any time they were to fall on opposite sides, you can get a red string. But before that, you'll need to take up the blocks, thank the Love God, then take a packet of red strings and circle them around the incense a couple of times. We tried for the fun of it since all 3 of us were already attached but unlike the other 2 lovebirds, I didn't manage to get it... tsk* tsk*

Then we moved on to yet another prayer... a prediction which we could ask the highest ranking deity around there, be it either career-related, studies, love or health. It was the same concept as the previous, just that after the wooden blocks landed on opposite sides, we would proceed to take up a long and thin wooden prediction from a common metal stand. This time, unfortunately, only me and yq got it. Yq got the best and highest prediction, #1, whereas I gotten around #80+, out of 100 possibilities. We tried checking out what it meant by reading the interpretaion books on one side (which were all in chinese and I caught no balls) but decided to get a better interpretation from the the "live" counters over there... behind each of which was seated a person who would interpret them to you. It was indeed an experience to be remembered, esp. that of yq's who attained such a high honor... what are the odds!!! That's my dear!! =p

The temples had many deities located all around, and one could get the best of all worlds simply by visiting it... which explains why it was so packed and well received by the locals. There was the Love God, the Study God, The Business God, The Baby God, and the All-Rounder Gods (of course they don't call them by that by its for explaining purposes only). The architecture was intricate and ancient-like and it was the most grand temple we had been in Taiwan. The compound was as big as half a football field.

Moving on, we finally spent more time hanging around where we stayed at, Ximending. Tried Ah Zong Mian Xian for 1 last time, before that ys also bought this popcorn chicken bits just located outside of the train station exit. We did try it before but though it tasted pretty good, it wasn't well-liked by us because it contained bone bits. Because we bought so many things, we had to return to our hotel to put down our stuff 3 times that day, and even tried an utterly different flavored drink from 50 lan, some super sour drink which ys told me she used to drink it a lot with her friends when they were schooling ages ago. Wasn't my cup of tea.

While eating the mian sian, while I was eating the mian sian, the other 2 girls didn't like the taste of it so they just shopped at a nearby sports shop. It was there ys bought shoes for her bf, and that was where she gotten a apply-on stick of the hungarian flag... and got the both of us applying it on our arms as well.

We jalan-ed a bit yet again and when scouting for Taiwan's famous, uniquely Taiwan's, Taiwan's very own, one and only Modern Toilet Restaurant, Ma Tong Chan Ting. They had several outlets located around Taiwan, and we heard there was one at Ximending. Hunted it like crazy. While doing so, we also did check out other shopping spots, even passed by a magic shop owned by one of the judges of Zong Yi Da Ge Da and a jigsaw puzzle shop where I bought rare puzzles which ran out of stock in Singapore donkey years back.

Also tried looking for CDs, Little Miss Sunshine's soundtrack which was impossible to find in Singapore. Even in Taipei, it was like finding a needle in a haysack... and the odds were diminishing until... like a stroke of miracle, we finally found it at a rather ulu music shop.. selling at $650NT, cost me a bomb!!!

So we finally did reach Ma Tong Chan Ting, and the front entrance of it was already living up to my expectations. They had cute mascots welcoming us, stationary ones, and there were 2 levels for that restaurant, I think. It was located on the 2nd floor, but you can't miss it if you were to walk pass it because there's this gigantic toilet bowl sticking out from the building it was located at. I didn't check out the 3rd floor so have no idea if there are also seats up there. The toilet sink was a toilet bowl, and we sat on toilet bowls as seats. Our tables were either sinks combined or a bath tub covered by a transparant glass plane. The souvenirs on displayed really made my day. Not because they were cute, interesting or unique, I mean of course they were, but what really made my day was seeing groups of people taking photo with a pile of soft toy shit and the most ingenious pose they could think of was to pretend eating it... Priceless (why didn't I think of that?!).

We asked for recommendations on the dishes and ended up ordering Ma La soup (ys), normal herbal soup (me) and baked rice (yq). While waiting for our order, I also checked out other decor such as a shower line mounted on the side walls and hanging bath robes. When the food came, woohoo!! The soups were served in toilet bowls, while the baked rice was served in a mini bath tub. They were not only adorably packaged, even the food tasted good, surprisingly. I didn't expect much from the concept restaurant but not only did they serve good food, the food was served in huge quantities (like eating a buffet) and provided excellent service. The cost wasn't that expensive, about S$10-15 per pax and our stomachs were filled to the brim after that. We up-sized to a meal and they came with drinks and ice-cream dessert. The chocolate ice-creams were served in mini tubs and shaped like... you guessed it, DA BIAN!! However, though the main courses tasted better than expected, the drinks and dessert were below average.

I really had a great time and we bought souvenirs from there before leaving. Ys couldn't join us for the rest of the night as her cat was sick and she had to bring her to see the vet so both yq and I had our er ren shi jie once again... this time.. for the last night, we spent it on... SHOPPPPPINNNGGG!!!! To Wu Fen Pu and beyondd!!! But this time, we knew how it worked cos ys told us at Wu Fen Pu you really need to know how to bargain, if not you will lugi.

We spent the entire night walking the streets, and we heard that the streets were even unofficially classified according to designs... Japanese, Korean, Teenager, Adult etc. This time, we didn't check out the $100NT cheap t-shirts but set our taste higher for the more challenging and nicer looking outfits. More challenging because you know the shop owners will rip you off for the prices were not labelled, so you'll have to bargain your way through to get them as low as you can. It was a fruitful shopping night, when I finally got to see my dear actually shopping and buying stuff. I was no exception, saw a couple of good-looking shirts and bought them after sha jia-ing. However, when we got back to our hotel, like I mentioned, it was all about taking risks. Because we couldn't try them on over there so we just have to believe they would fit us. The t-shirts I bought weren't that fitting after all... but yq was satisfied with hers, thankfully not all was lost!!

Then came the hardest and most dreaded part of any trip... the packing. We got ourselves, me especially got myself a whole shit load of stuff and I had so much trouble packing I was perspiring and there was this point where I almost lost hope packing them. Squeezed my luggage like a mad man but still some of the items couldn't get it... And that was when yq's magic bag appeared and saved the day. She had brought another carry on bag, and the toughest item to fit into my luggage was the frames for the jigsaw puzzle which I bought and like a miracle, it fitted perfectly into the carry on bag yq brought.

And the night, the last night in Taipei, was over in a blink of an eye...

To sum it up:
Taipei Ratings: 5/5 (a thriving city filled with fun, life, food and great memories!!)

• Pros and cons staying in Ximending, even though it one of the most happening areas of Taipei, we travelled around often, so only got to see mostly very early in the morning or very late at night... my advice, either Ximending, or staying near Shilin night market would be a good choice as well.
• Dan Shui's fisherman's wharf and Lover's bridge is a little overrated... haven't checking out the other side of the island but if you want, check the weather report before going there, should be like Pulau Ubin.
• Of the only 2 big restarants we did go, Mr J's restaurant was worth it for the concept but not the food and the amount you pay for it, but Modern Restuarant felt like a better place to check out it terms of concept, food and price.
• Of all the night markets, Shiling night market was the best, in terms of what was available, it being the biggest and the liveliness of it. Also, it had the fewest "motorist traffic" (you've to be very careful at all night markets because unlike Singapore's Pasar Malam, the night markets are located along roads and one can never walk along the streets with a peace of mind). Heard that most of the food stalls of Shilin night markets were shifted to this huge sheltered "foodcourt" just opoosite Jiantan mrt station (we didnt check it out because we didn't have time but sounded good). Nothing much to do at Shida, closes early and food wasn't that fantastic.
• Not much to do at Zhongxiao Fuxing area (orchard area) apart from it just being another busy street, but there was a Ding Tai Feng over there which we went on our last day (next post).
• Can check out Sun Yat Sen's memorial hall because apparently he was the "true father" of Taiwan and seeing how Chiang Kai-Shek memorial hall was that grand, it would have been much more impressive for Sun Yat Sen.
• Did most of our apparel shopping at Wu Fen Pu, so make that your 1st and last stop, 1st to check out the price and last after up-ing your bargaining skills (we managed to cut the cost of every single item we bought, just a matter of how much or how low you want it to be).
• Taipei's roads were the safest because the traffic lights were all well organised, had the pedestrian and vehicles' signals and the pedestrian walkways were wide and least clustered.
• You get for what you pay for. The higher priced items were generally of better quality, in terms of clothings and even though the food might seem a wee bit more expensive than Kaohsiung and Hualien, the portion is bigger as well.
• Highly accessible via the underground trains and the railway trains and even bins were the most accessible... you won't have to hold onto your rubbish for more than 50metres.