Taiwan!

WHAT GREAT FUN!! we did so much and played so much and ate so much... oh my. so wanna go back again.

woke up this morn and found myself on my bed. not that it's anything wrong. it is cosy and warm and really comfy, cos i'm finally back. home sweet home. but the nostalgic feel is overwhelmed by my memories back in taiwan. how i wish we spent a few more days there...

we (hock, geok, jam, xm, jx and me) went to so many places, tried so much food, even shit... (haha, i meant the toilet themed restaurent in taipei), walked so many streets and night markets (shilin, jilong, miaokou, taichung, ximending), shopped like crazy (taichung, ximending, jiufen), viewed breathtaking scenery (taipei 101, yangmingshan), travelled by foot and all kinds of local transportation (big buses, small buses, cabs, metro aka MRT, speed rails, traditional trains), abd we even climbed mountains (yangmingshan's qixing shan).

the best part of backpacking is that u never need to suit timings. no need to rush between destinations, or wait for ppl, or go to places u dun want in ur itinerary. u can choose the places u wanna visit, spend as much time u want to there! relax and enjoy the view. soak in the atmosphere. well, about scenery. taipei 101 needless to say, offers great views. totally mesmerising. for a mere $20 or cheaper if u have speed rail tickets which we had, u get to go to levels 88 to 91. to see the damper baby, the view from the fully glass-panelled room and the open observatory. as we went at night, wad we saw was the night view. the entire night life of taipei city! oh my... gorgeous. with moving vehicles along brightly lit roads and street vendor stalls, with every corner covered with neon lights of buildings and signboards. so pretty.

and yangming shan! we climbed so high we went into the clouds! due to bad weather and it was getting dark, we didn't go all the way up to qixing shan (highest mountain in yangming shan park). sigh. we were already at the entrance of the trek path, which we spent so long finding! but it was still quite a feat that we climbed so high on foot! and for me, dunno why i so stupid, i left for yangming shan in jeans and sneakers only to realise how dumd i was. but at least there were put to the trek test and passed. at least they are still in good condititon now... haha. although we missed the bus that took us to xiao you keng, the entrance to qixingshan, the experience of walking up was no doubt tiring but much more worth it! we saw so much more views that i bet one couldn't see by the roads, and we wouldn't have seen the group of taiwanese who guided us along. thx so much! they even introduced us to a restaurent to have lunch up near the mountains. though it was hard to find, and we almost gave up, we finally found it. and i tell u... it is so so extremely good. i bet the others would agree with me. if they are reading this, i bet they are nodding their heads so hard now... haha. it's called guan chen. try it. we had a 9 course meal for only around $100! for 6 ppl, we ate so much and finished every last bit cos it was just too good!

i dun think i even need to talk bout the night markets. other then good-looking shop owners and good food and good shopping. u can really feel the vibes and culture of the taiwan night life. bustling, fun and ever lasting. haha. and it's pretty funny when u see those smaller stalls squeezing in between the already crowded streets, trying to run for their life while pushing their food or clothes carts away into side alleys and behind advertisement signs. as the police motorcycle rides in with an alarm, the original "come come, here got discounted goods, buy 1 get 1 free" messages from the ppl holding mics in legal shops turn to "the police is here, the police is here, run, run". haha. it happens in all night markets and many times a night. the stalls just go from point to point and return but never goet caught, simply just chased all over the market. wad a sight! when the police return, it all repeats itself. some main shops even allow the illegal carts to enter their shops, so it turns 'legal' for a moment and it's easier to bring back out tho the original position for business. so funny. anyway, we ate so much all the time that i was never full. i eat even before the previous meal is digested! haha.

posted loads of pics onto facebook, though limited cos of facebk limitations. u can still see the main things i talked about! food, ppl, night life, scenery, etc.

i guess the best part of the whole trip was the experience of meeting the locals. the shops were always so friendly and the locals always glad to help. if u think singapore's service was ok, u should go taiwan. we all miss it already. they are always in service, greeting u whenever u enter a shop (huan ying guang lin) and (xie xie guang lin) when u leave. even if u dun buy anything, they smile sincerely as u leave. and they seem to remember each member as a friend cos when u return later, they seem really glad to see u again. throughout the entire journey, so many ppl, esp shop assistants ans locals talk to us like friends when we enter. they know we're not locals since they can hear our non-taiwanese accent (which i faked but was rather a nuisance), and would start chatting with us, asking us where we're from, why we're there, and suggested possible places to visit during our stay and finally wishing us a pleasant journey and a fun trip. took pics with some of them! such friendly ppl. in a food shop, an auntie actually thought we were japanese and started explaining the menu to us in jap. which i understood and wanted to continue faking our identities so that it would be less embarassing for her as she initiated the mistake. but in the end, we told her we understood chinese and she was pretty shy after that. haha.

the trip was fun i would definitely go again if i had to rechoose. and finally, other than tlking bout the trip, i'd like to take this opportunity to thank a few ppl.

firstly, taiwan and your friendly ppl! if not for your views and food and shopping which attracted us to go there in the first place, we wouldn't have been there. and the ppl. how i wish we couls keep in contact. u were all so great and helpful. if not for u all, we may have lost our ways so mmany times. thanks for the guide. and thanks for reccommending all the great places to visit, shop and eat. they all definitely increased the fun factor by a lot, making the entire experience a more wholesome one!

next, my taiwan companions! thx all for being there for me always. without u all, the trip would be so much more different and confirm less fun. special thx to hl and geok who were the main brains of thr trip. they planned most of the itinerary and booking such that we covered as much as we could at a relaxing pace, visiting scenic places, tourist spots and night lives. and if not for geok's expertise in taiwanese destinations and transportation, we could have gotten lost so many times. but we always reached where we wanted to. the tics and hotel choices were also by hl and geok. affordable yet comfortable. really wise of u both! thx...

next, to all who sent me off, esp kf. thanks for going all the way down to the airport, though we couldn't spend much time with u as we had to enter the departure hall soon to catch our flight. nvm, we'll go overseas together next time k! and those who msged me bon voyage like weili, justin, hui and others who wished me silently. i know... haha.

finally, sorry. sorry for those i couldn't go with. sorry to my companions for anything i've done wrong along the trip. sorry to ppl that i didn't get gifts for. it's not that i dun wan. it's that my luggage no space and there is really nothing i can find that i can give u or suit u. scared u dun like mah. tried my best to find though... really. sorry to yh that i didn't meet u in taipei though i say i might. justin said u waited? so sorry. wanted to, but schedule too full, and me and my travelling buddies made a decision not to split up due to safety reasons in a unfamiliar country. so it was harder to meet u alone and spend time together. i'd still like to meet u when i go alone or with fewer ppl next time! u can show me around then!

ok, so much have been said and done but that is never enough as it's only a part of my fantabulous advanture. view my pics on facebook if u can! see ya soon! take care.