Day 2 of Taiwan Travelogue: Wu Lai & Karaoke @ PartyWorld

We woke up early next morning to visit Wu Lai, 烏來, a fairly small town in South of Taipei. It is famous for its hot springs, that are open to the public in both public and private settings, delicious food and its aboriginal culture (原住民).

WuLai is indeed a charming old town, and being a lover of everything traditional and rustic, you bet I fell in love with this place immediately. 

If you love century eggs, you should give the 温泉皮蛋 a try. It is a kind of preserved eggs made from hot spring water taken from the region. It's really yummy, and tasted more refreshing than the ones we had in Singapore.

Walking down the streets, we had to stop several times, simply to try their delicious delicacies, some of which include the 山猪香肠。Before you leave WuLai, it's worth eating at one of their restaurants as well. You will get to try foods and wild vegetables that didn't taste half as delicious elsewhere.

We then continue our journey to the WuLai Falls (烏來瀑布). 

The WuLai Falls is the largest of the waterfalls located within the Wulai Gorge and is the terminus of the WuLai Scenic Train, a converted Japanese mining cart system now rebuilt for tourists. The train brings you next to the waterfall, a well as near to the terminus of the gondola that brings you to the top of a nearby mountain. Not knowing that there was this train, we trek up the mountain, which was quite an exhausting long walk considering that we brought our parents along with us. Luckily, we could buy a train ticket when going down the hill.

The magnificent waterfall!

We then proceed on to WuLai's public hot spring (烏來溫泉). Admission is Free! Except that, as compared to Beitou, it does not have as many bathing facilities nor there were lockers in sight, so we decided to soak our feet for a while before proceeding to our next destination.

A visit to Taiwan's Karaoke is a must, especially when we are so used to KTVs being part of a shopping mall; in Taiwan, however, the whole building is built for Karaoke goers. It definitely look and feel like a hotel, and there's a toilet in every room. We felt like a "mountain tortoise" for the first time @_@

 

HOW TO GO:

烏來

Alight at Xindian Station (southern terminus of the green line, 新店站), exit the station and turn right towards Bus Stop B located along Beiyi Road (北宜路一段). Board bus route 849 bound for Wulai. Fare is NT15, and may be paid using either cash or Easycard. The ride to Wulai is 40 mins by bus.

錢櫃 Party world

Address: No. 55, Zhong Hua Road, Section 1, Taipei
Tel: (02) 3619 898
Alight at Ximen, Exit 4

Thank you for reading!

♥ Skye Tham & Kim

Day 1 of Taiwan Travelogue: LungShan Temple, Ximending & Pre-Wedding Preparation

Our 9D8N Taiwan itinerary in summary:

Day 1 - LungShan Temple 龙山寺，Ximending 西门町，Choosing of Wedding Gowns at 瑪格麗特婚紗

Day 2 - Wu Lai 烏來，錢櫃PartyWorld  

Day 3 - Wedding Photography Day

Day 4 - Taipei Underground Shopping Mall 台北地下街，Ma La SteamBoat 天外天精緻麻辣火鍋，Choosing of Wedding Photos, Shilin Night Market 士林夜市

Day 5 - Puli 埔里，Sun Moon Lake 日月潭，Cingjing 清境 

Day 6 - Cingjing 清境農場，Cingjing 小瑞士花園，Taichung 台中逢甲夜市，Ningxia Night Market 宁夏夜市

Day 7 - Yilan 宜兰 傳統藝術中心，Yilan Night Market 宜蘭羅東夜市

Day 8 - Yangmingshan 阳明山，Beitou 北投温泉, Collection of Partial Wedding Materials

Day 9 - Din Tai Fung 鼎泰豐, Back to SG :(

We (literally) scoot to Taiwan via an overnight flight, which meant that we have the entire Saturday to spend traveling around Taiwan. The downside to an early morning flight landing, apart from the droopy eyelids, is finding a place to deposit our luggage. We had booked a minsu 民宿, called 台湾猪窝, which is located right above Taipei Main station. Yay to convenience! But this meant, unlike a hotel, we couldn't access the place till the check-in time :( Lucky for us, Taiwan has lockers available at their main station. phew~

Our first destination was the famous Long Shan Temple 龙山寺. My third visit to this place, and yet I'm still in awed by how elaborately decorated and magnificent it was given the space constraint. 

Some facts: 

The statue of Kuan-in in this temple survived the bombing from the allied aircrafts on 8 June, 1945.  The whole main hall and a part of the right annex were burned out during the air raid, but the statue of Kuan-in in the center of the main hall left intact.

Being a masterpiece of traditional Chinese architecture and a well-established Buddhist temple in Taipei, the Lungshan Temple of Manka has become a center of people's religious life and a heritage of local culture. The government assigned Lungshan Temple a historical site of second grade on 19 August, 1985, so that it will be preserved for future generations.

Credit: http://www.lungshan.org.tw/en/index.php

 

We tried Chow’s Porridge 周记肉粥 in our last visit, and it's distinctively traditional taste meant that we had to get our family to try it as well. Apparently, it has been around for ages and is highly recommended by the locals.

 

  

I especially love the porridge, which is of a brownish hue and surprisingly delicious. Their deep fried pork is a must try. We noticed that the food were mostly served cold, or slightly raw, but it could be a signal to dip the foods in your porridge before eating it.

Next was Ximending 西门町 , a popular hang out place for youths. Interesting, this place reminds me of Myeong Dong in Korea.

  

One of our must try in Taiwan! Ice cream, with crushed peanuts and coriander leaves, wrapped in popiah skin. Refreshing as a summer treat.

We then proceed to the bridal studio, 瑪格麗特婚紗, bridal studio at around 5pm to try on the gowns. The hubby-to-be only has a few suit choices to choose from, while I get to try on a number of gowns. But much to my disappointment, I couldn't fit in most of the dresses as the previous few brides-to-be apparently had done a lot more in keeping slim and pretty, while I was still happily eating away. We were glad that we could take photos of all the gowns we tried on though! Very unlike the preconception I have of of bridal studios.

HOW TO GO:

龙山寺

Alight at Longshan Temple Station (Banqiao Line).

周記肉粥

Add: No. 104號, Guǎngzhōu Street, Wanhua District Taipei City, Taiwan 108
Tel: 02-2302-5588
Operating Hours：06:00~16:30

Alight at Longshan Temple Station (Banqiao Line), turn right to Guangzhou Street as you see Longshan Temple right in front of you. Walk for 5 minutes.

Thank you for reading!

♥ Skye Tham & Kim

A rewarding third trip to Taiwan.

Just came back from a 9 day trip to Taiwan. This marks the end of my third trip to Taiwan. It was never on my travel agenda to visit a country three times, but these trips have each proved to be a very different experience.

First trip was purely an experience traveling to a new country. I remembered I didn't really liked it as it felt very similar to Singapore. I would much prefer a country that gave me a different experience. Tried almost all the recommended food in Taiwan, and had more misses than hits.

Second trip was unplanned for. We had initially planned for a trip to Japan, but decided against it when Japan was hit by nuclear disaster (better be safe if we are planning for babies in the future >.<). We were lucky that the flight transited at Taiwan, which meant that we could rearrange the flight itinerary (though we nearly landed up in Japan). The most memorable place was our visit to 澎湖 (Penghu), an archipelago situated off the west coast of Taiwan and we rented a scooter to scoot around the island. The place was so pretty!

The third trip, this trip, was a continuation of our last trip where we signed a Taiwan wedding photoshoot package after chatting up with three wedding companies located just opposite 中正纪念堂.  It was a brave attempt, for we did no background check on the company but for the sight Taiwan could offer, and the price, it was worth the gamble and the experience was definitely unforgettable, and photos turned out to be what we wanted. 

This trip, A and I decided to invite our families along. It was both A and my very first long-distance trip with our family, and all I could say was, it was a bitter sweet experience. It was not easy having to manage expectations, and accommodating to each other lifestyle preference. The lack of freedom to do what you would usually do can sometimes be frustrating. On the good side, we get to try a lot more food and visit places we would otherwise not go as a couple. I'm not sure if I would want to experience this all over again, but let's see. 

This trip also proved to be a self-exploratory trip.

Impatience vs. Accommodating

I do not deny that I am someone with a lack of patience but this trip tested my ability to control myself and be a little more accommodating to differences in a group. It's sometimes better to say what you are feeling at the moment, and other times keep things to yourself. Balance, that's the word.

Independence vs. Reliance

I came to realise that I am somewhat more independent than reliant. While I may give advice, feedback or a sense of comfort to others, I do not like to be relied on.

Internal vs. External Competition

I used to think that I would like it if people see me as a form of competition, but that drains my energy away - having to defend, guard against and be better. Instead of being overly aware of them and by what they say, the main point is to see yourself as your own competitor, and always try to exceed the limit that you were so comfortable in.

Perseverance vs. Instant Gratification

While seated in the plane, on the way back to Singapore, I saw this guy reading a book from the start to the end of the journey. Very focused. Oblivious to what's happening in the surrounding. Charming, I would say. Looking at his personal grooming and the way he dresses, he certainly knows how to take care of himself and his image. Knowledge and charisma is obtained through starting and completing, effort and time, but at the end of the day, it's worth it. So, don't give up something long-term for that short-term reward (a much needed self reminder).

Perfection vs. Acceptance

At the end of the day, no one, no situation, no photo is perfect. Unless it matters a lot, or the return is worth the time invested in correcting that minor wrong/mistake, let's just go back to my very first point - Balance, that's the word. 

 

Thank you for reading!

♥ Skye Tham & Kim