Singapore likes to think of itself as a modern and high-end Asian city. We are cleaner, greener and leaner than our Asian neighbors, we are constantly reminded by our media and our government.
In subtle ways, our media draws attention to the flaws of our neighboring countries. Look at Malaysia and their church burning religious zealots! Look at Thailand and the instability caused by the Red Shirts versus the Yellows Shirts! Look at Taiwan and their politicians who constantly fight in Parliament!
"Aren't you glad you live in Singapore, where things are better?" seems to be the message.
It was the mental image of chair-wielding politicians that I carried with me when went to Taiwan recently. The wife and I and some friends flew to Taipei (on Singapore Airlines, of course, because it is better than any Asian airline) and spent a week there on holiday.
I was surprised by what I found. Let me share some ways Taipei kicks Singapore's behind.
Showing posts with label Taiwan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Taiwan. Show all posts
7 Ways that Taipei Beats Singapore...by MrBrown
Quick Tips
I've learnt that when you are in Taiwan . . .
- If you still something you fancy (whenever its food or apparels), just get it right at the moment. Because more often than not, the police comes and poof! are all the unwarranted hawkers.
- Do not eat the brekkie provided by the hotel - street hawker soyabean milk is tastier when you are having the chills by the road.
- You watch TW variety shows in the morning because shops only open at 11pm - great reason to wake up late
- First meal there is always meant to be wrong.
- If you see those super tall icecreams on a cone, just eat them.
- Smelly tofu smells & tastes awesome
- Never go up Taipei 101 on a rainy day
- Taiwan girls are just made-up (pun-intended)
- Club Primo is overhyped
- Hello Kitty is less 'ah-lian' in Taiwan and its cooler to like it there than in Singapore.
Lavender Cottage & Hot Spring
If you are ever in Taichung (about 1hr High Speed Rail away from TP), the must go places are:
We wanted grapes, we got grapes. We wanted mushrooms, we got mushrooms. The driver we got was simply fabulous. Lavender Forest was smacked in the middle of the forest and had to drive great distance (45mins) to into. Thank goodness for the purple markings on each lamp post that led us there seamlessly.
We were greeted by the sweet scent of lavender floating around us like butterflies. As we strolled on, we found the field of lavenders. Snap, snap, snap we went and pressed on uphill and found the wishing tree. All I can say is, May my wishes come true...including my mom & aunt's.
Redeemed our entrance coupons with their home-made lavender ice-cream after and went frenzy in their souvenir shop. I swear the scent of lavender was a spell they concocted to make us spend about near $200 (?!) in there.
On the other side of the mountain (another 45 mins), we arrived at Guguan where the mother of all hot springs were concentrated at. On the way there, we learned that they was a flood a few years back that washed off most of the living residents there. What is left now is just a huge valley.
Did you know that one of the hot springs there has earned itself a reputation as the Meiji Hot spring? These hot springs were developed during the Japanese occupations (1895-1945), and it was known that the Japanese Emperor had impregnated his wife with a son after a soak in the hot spring there. Thus in Taiwan, it is also known as the 'Male Child Springs'.
So anyway, we had difficulty deciding on one from the twenty over choices there till we saw Bali Nature Spa. It was very. . . erm Bali. Very Singaporean indeed, go to where you find most familiar.
Well at least with 400NT(~$16) we had a decent changing room (that has a powder room too, whee!) and 2 hot spring pools to choose from. There were barely 10 people around, including us. So it feel pretty private and the weather was very giving as well. Overall, we had a nice soak but the elders just couldn't comprehend the meaning of soaking for not more than 15 mins (BECAUSE YOU MIGHT MAKE YOU DIZZY AND YOU MAY FAINT FROM IT-like told them 98374823978923 times over). Oh well...
Btw, I don't understand the presence of the super hot spring (like 45 degrees) and the super cold ones. Why do people dip in these extreme pools for?
Anyway, before we could faint from over-soaking, we were starving as we had totally skipped lunch. Thanks to Driver He, we were speeding our way to Mei Nung Hakka Restaurant and had the most divine cuisine of the trip.
This dish was awesome, because I do not like salted eggs at all. So when Aunt Chris ordered it, I would try it anyhow... and I did not regret my choice! It was such a perfect combination - who would expect? It does help with the succulent prawns and my love for veggies :)
Its a pity I din get a shot of another veggie dish we ordered. It was done almost like Japanese style - cold, with fish roes, and sesame seeds. Kinda made me wonder if it was authentic, but what the heck, its was delish.
After the meal, I was so satisfied that I turned to my aunt and said, "Ok, I can marry A now, I love Hakka food."
:D
- Lavender Cottage
- Guguan for Hot Spring
- Mei Nung Hakka Restaurant for food
- Call Mr He @ 0921-767461 to taxi you around that day
We wanted grapes, we got grapes. We wanted mushrooms, we got mushrooms. The driver we got was simply fabulous. Lavender Forest was smacked in the middle of the forest and had to drive great distance (45mins) to into. Thank goodness for the purple markings on each lamp post that led us there seamlessly.
We were greeted by the sweet scent of lavender floating around us like butterflies. As we strolled on, we found the field of lavenders. Snap, snap, snap we went and pressed on uphill and found the wishing tree. All I can say is, May my wishes come true...including my mom & aunt's.
Redeemed our entrance coupons with their home-made lavender ice-cream after and went frenzy in their souvenir shop. I swear the scent of lavender was a spell they concocted to make us spend about near $200 (?!) in there.
On the other side of the mountain (another 45 mins), we arrived at Guguan where the mother of all hot springs were concentrated at. On the way there, we learned that they was a flood a few years back that washed off most of the living residents there. What is left now is just a huge valley.
Did you know that one of the hot springs there has earned itself a reputation as the Meiji Hot spring? These hot springs were developed during the Japanese occupations (1895-1945), and it was known that the Japanese Emperor had impregnated his wife with a son after a soak in the hot spring there. Thus in Taiwan, it is also known as the 'Male Child Springs'.
So anyway, we had difficulty deciding on one from the twenty over choices there till we saw Bali Nature Spa. It was very. . . erm Bali. Very Singaporean indeed, go to where you find most familiar.
Well at least with 400NT(~$16) we had a decent changing room (that has a powder room too, whee!) and 2 hot spring pools to choose from. There were barely 10 people around, including us. So it feel pretty private and the weather was very giving as well. Overall, we had a nice soak but the elders just couldn't comprehend the meaning of soaking for not more than 15 mins (BECAUSE YOU MIGHT MAKE YOU DIZZY AND YOU MAY FAINT FROM IT-like told them 98374823978923 times over). Oh well...
Btw, I don't understand the presence of the super hot spring (like 45 degrees) and the super cold ones. Why do people dip in these extreme pools for?
Anyway, before we could faint from over-soaking, we were starving as we had totally skipped lunch. Thanks to Driver He, we were speeding our way to Mei Nung Hakka Restaurant and had the most divine cuisine of the trip.
This dish was awesome, because I do not like salted eggs at all. So when Aunt Chris ordered it, I would try it anyhow... and I did not regret my choice! It was such a perfect combination - who would expect? It does help with the succulent prawns and my love for veggies :)
Its a pity I din get a shot of another veggie dish we ordered. It was done almost like Japanese style - cold, with fish roes, and sesame seeds. Kinda made me wonder if it was authentic, but what the heck, its was delish.
After the meal, I was so satisfied that I turned to my aunt and said, "Ok, I can marry A now, I love Hakka food."
:D
Lavender Cottage, Taichung: 20, Jong Xing (Jung Shing) St., Jonghe Village, Xinshe Township
Operating Hours: 10:30-6:30(Mon-Fri); 10-7(Sat); 9:30-6:30(Sun)
How to get there: Hire Driver He or check their site
Note: there are about 4 branches in Taiwan
Bali Nature Spa:No. 10, Wenquan Lane, Sec. 1, Dongguan Rd., Heping Township, Taichung County
Contact: 04-25951998
Web: www.villa-spa.com.tw (Chinese site)
How to get there: Cab!!
Mei Nung Hakka Restaurant: No. 137 Dadun 12th St. Nantun District
Contact: 04-23105131
How to get there: Cab (still)
Shida Night Market vs. Shihlin Night Market
Those who have been to Taipei would come back and rave about Shihlin night market. How come no one told me about Shida?
If you ask me, I highly recommend Shida over Shihlin. Here's why:
Shihlin:
As you can tell, I am into nude apparels nowadays, just pray I don't head out nude one day. Haha. Btw, those ballet flats are the best buy from the whole trip. It also took me around the 7 days without any discomfort! Its so amazing, I believe it is the rubbery soles that keep it so light and comfortable. I ended up buying 2 more pairs of them. :D
If you ask me, I highly recommend Shida over Shihlin. Here's why:
{Shida Night Market Photo source: Flickr}
Shida:- Better tasting food but lesser variety
- No/not many illegal hawkers
- Trendier choice of fashion apparels
- Good quality of goods (mostly from Korea/Japan)
- Prettier & younger sales assistants!! As they usually students from the University nearby
- My loot: Calf leather work bag from Korea that I use for work now as it fits all my cables, wallet, cardholder, sunglasses & netbook all-in-one - NT3980 (~S$180), Nude work jacket with lace trimmings from Korea - gift from Aunt (think was about S$80), thermal stockings - NT90 (~S$8), Paul Smith (authentic) shirt for bro - NT410 (~S$19) and my mom & aunt also bought a whole lot of other stuff
{Shihlin Night Market Photo source: Flickr}
Shihlin:
- Huge variety of sweet fruits, nicely chopped up too ;)
- Wide range of local food like Stinky tofu, beef steak, bubble tea, oyster vermicelli, oyster omelet, etc
- Too many illegal hawkers running at the sight of the policemen (block my shopping flow)
- Not too fantastic range of fashion wear to choose from
- Too damn crowded especially on SATs!
- My loot: Red stockings - NT180 (~S$8), Nude with pink sole heels - NT600 (~S$27), nude ballet flats - NT200 (~S$9) and thats all!
As you can tell, I am into nude apparels nowadays, just pray I don't head out nude one day. Haha. Btw, those ballet flats are the best buy from the whole trip. It also took me around the 7 days without any discomfort! Its so amazing, I believe it is the rubbery soles that keep it so light and comfortable. I ended up buying 2 more pairs of them. :D
Shida Night Market
Address: Longquan Road, Da-an district
How to get there: Cab or stop at Guting MRT station and take a long 15mins walk
Operating Hours: 6pm (I believe) till 12 midnight
Shihlin Night Market
Address: Shihlin district
How to get there: Stop at Jian Tan MRT station and its just across the street
Operating Hours: 4pm till 1am
Hello Kitty Sweets Cafe
This is a post that can cause extreme reactions - WHOA!! I LIKE, or SHIT, wots wrong with Eun?
Taipei 101
Taipei 101 was recorded the world's tallest building from 2004 to 2010, preceding Kuala Lumpur Petronas Twin Towers. It is also known as Taipei's Financial Centre. However Burj Khalifa surpassed this record on its official opening day - 4 January 2010.
Although it is 101 storey high, the observatory deck is on its 89th floor. And if you are unlucky like me, you happened to be there on a gloomy wet day, just proceed to the 86th floor of scenic restaurants for food!
The misty view from the 86th storey, everything else looks like ants running amok beneath our feet. Inside this restaurant, it is tastefully decorated with elements of oriental and modern finishing. Other than the menu being printed in Mandarin, the rest is all good.
We each ordered a set lunch, I think was about 6 course including dessert. The chef was very kind to allow me to swap my steamed promfret to cod fish instead. I just dont quite fancy the Chinese method of steamed fish, especially those served in weddings and reunion dinners! I am always forced to swallow them down. *gags.
I love the fact that Taiwanese Chinese food comes with appetizers akin to those in Korean restaurants, they call them 'xiao cai'. Simple dish of black beans will make me jump to the waitress and ask how they prepared it, it was sweet yet not overly done. My favourite was the 'Granny Soup' and mango pudding. Again, the sweetness was subtle and perfect.
More about Taipei 101 architecture- If you notice, it is designed in duplicated segments stacked above each other. They resemble pagodas with a bamboo sticking out, and bamboo symbolises learning and growth.
Why 101? - Other than it has 101 floors, 101 represents a notch better than perfection, noting that 100 is the tradition benchmark a perfect mark.
An interesting fact - Remember how the pre-historic people read time? In the afternoon, the shadow of the building adjoins with the bottom and acts as the face of a sundial.
Overall, Taipei 101 is a tourist site that you should at least take a look when you are there. If you prefer to enjoy the view while sipping your hot soup, and avoid the tour groups, do try the 86th scenic restaurants (min. NT 800). Else, your entry to the observatory deck will cost you NT 400.
Btw, if you are a Miu Miu (3F of Taipei 101) fan, you will be pleased to know that its about S$200-300 cheaper than in Singapore, before claiming the 5% tax! Tax claim is also absolutely a breeze. ;)
^ Aunt Chris who is elated about her new buy
Located on No. 7 Hsin Yin Road Sec 5, Taipei 110
Opening Hours: 10am-10pm
Entrance Fee: NT400 (adult); NT370(childen under 12); NT350 (group concession)
How to get there: MRT - alight at Cityhall MRT station and take a 10mins stroll or a 5mins shuttle bus located outside the station
More: here
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