Exploring Taipei Day 5 - Ximending and Chongqing South Road

On our last day in Taipei, we were too lazy to travel anywhere so we decided to just walk down Chongqing South Road (aka 書街) which was near our hotel. After a late breakfast, we wandered there and I made my way through almost the entire street of bookstores. I actually prefer those bookstores there as compared to Eslite since they are less busy and more suited for casual browsing. Discounts were also more substantial and I like to support independent bookstores anyway so it was a win win. Most of the staff are actually quite friendly and though some of the bookstores are jam-packed and it can seem difficult to find what you need, you can always ask the staff to search for specific titles.

After wandering around the bookstores, we stumbled upon a Singapore barbershop in some small street at Ximending. Lol, it wasn't opened that day but it was weird to see a shop with the name Singapore in it.

We also went to the branch of the famous Raohe pepper biscuits and bought 3 of the biscuits for as snacks for the bus ride to the airport.
 

Doesn't this look like a tandoori oven? 

And with that we ended our Taipei trip. There's been so many changes since I went there 10 years ago with my mum and aunt. While the trip was enjoyable, I'm not sure if I'll go back Taipei again, perhaps I'll explore the other parts of Taiwan instead. 

Exploring Taipei Day 4 - National Palace Museum, Yongkang Street and Shida Night Market

On hindsight, going to the National Palace Museum on a Saturday was a really really really bad idea. I thought we could just show up for the Chinese guided tour but the places were all taken when we arrived. Buying the tickets was a breeze but once you enter the museum, it was just filled with tourists everywhere. I actually told CS that we've been to British Museum, Louvre etc and I don't feel that there are that many tourists in those museums. Perhaps those museums are a lot bigger so it doesn't feel as crowded. The National Palace Museum was packed with independent tourists (of course I'm one of them) and those in tour groups. It was honestly a bit of a nightmare, I'm not sure if going on a weekday would have been better but well there I was on a weekend so what can we do.

While we were there, there was an exhibition of artefacts from the Vatican. We've been to the Vatican Museum before but the exhibits inside Vatican Museum was mostly art pieces collected by the various Popes, whereas this exhibition in Taipei was to show the regalia and vestments that the various popes have used before. I'm not Catholic but I did attend a convent primary school so I found the items on display quite fascinating. While we were there I saw a few Catholic nuns, I think  for them it must be their one chance to get so close to the Pope since no pope has ever and perhaps will never visit Taiwan.

We were in Taipei during Qing Ming Festival so there was a special exhibition of 清明上河 which was quite fascinating. The original version was on display alongside the Qing inspired ones. It was intriguing to see the fakes as well and for some reason I always thought fakes were a relatively recent thing but apparently way back in Song dynasty there was already a flourishing business in fakes.

The museum is really quite small but it had a very good collection of artefacts and objects to see. There was an entire room filled with Chinese paintings and another one with Chinese calligraphy. I haven't touched Chinese calligraphy since I was a kid and actually really hated it when I was made to practise it but now that I'm older I have an appreciation for it. I had fun trying to decipher the characters and obviously I couldn't recognise all the characters. Apparently the museum has such a big collection they opened a new museum in Tainan so that more of the artefacts can be displayed and also to allow residents in the south easy access to displays. This however meant that when I was there the famous jadeite cabbage was on display in the Southern branch since it just opened recently. Just my luck. This also means I have to make another trip next time just to stare at the cabbage.

After spending almost half a day at the museum, we decided to go to Yongkang Street to fill our tummies. The place is a lot easier to find compared to 10 years ago with signs at the MRT telling you which way to go. There was plenty of food stalls and we bought my favourite 蔥鬱餅 at a stall which had a long queue. Being Singaporean, we just had to queue when we saw a long line! Other than that we didn't actually eat that much, I think just being older meant our stomachs have shrunk. I also made a booboo while ordering Yakult bubble tea by mispronouncing the character, the staff gave me a funny look, lol.

My favourite snack in Taiwan

After walking for a bit, we reached Shida Market. It's catered more to the university crowd so the vibe was younger and more hip. The market is a lot smaller compared to Raohe and since we weren't really in the mood to eat or shop, we walked around for a short while and then left. I think if you are quite young, the items there would have been quite suitable but since we were quite a fair bit older than the university students it didn't really appeal to us. 

Day trip out of Taipei Day 3 - Shifen, Houtong and Jiufen

On our third day, we ventured out of Taipei for a day trip to Shifen, Houtong and Jiufen. I had chosen a weekday for the day trip as it was supposedly less crowded but in reality it didn't seem to make a difference. 

Since there were only two of us, we took a train from Taipei Main Station instead of hiring a driver. There are ticket machines but it was slightly confusing so we just bought our tickets at the counter. After a short wait, we got onto the train for Ruifang. After an uneventful ride, we reached our destination and had to buy another ticket to continue onto Pingxi. The Ruifang station was honestly a huge mess. Most of the tourists queued to buy tickets at the counter as they wanted to buy the one-day pass which enables unlimited rides. We were only planning to go to 3 places so it didn't make sense to join the crowd. It was really a mad scramble cos everyone was trying to buy their tickets before the train left. It was seriously quite chaotic even on a weekday, I can't imagine the madness on weekends.

Rows and rows of touristy shops which you see the moment you disembark 

Our first stop was Shifen, which is apparently a really popular place to release sky lantern (tian deng 天燈) aka Kong Ming Deng 孔明燈. The first thing you see as you walk out from the train station is shops after shops selling sky lanterns. No wait, actually the first thing you see is a shop selling chicken wings, haha. Since the entire journey from Taipei Main Station took a rather long time, we queued for some food and then decided to walk around before deciding which shop to buy from. After walking past all the shops selling sky lanterns, we stumbled upon a shop selling noodles and xiaolongbao. After filling our stomachs, we found a small shop slightly off the train tracks which sold sky lanterns and looked more legit than the touristy ones near the train station. The shop owner came out to talk to us and he went into a very detailed explanation of why 天燈 are built the way they are and the symbolism behind the different colours. We've released sky lanterns aka khom loi during Loi Krathong but the ones in Thailand are just in white whereas the ones in Taiwan had 5 different colours for each side. The shop owner was really friendly so we decided to purchase the lantern from him. He gave us traditional Chinese brushes to write and I was quite surprised that I can still write pretty decently though it's been forever since I practised Chinese calligraphy. After writing what sounded like Chinese New Year greetings on all the sides of the sky lantern and referring to my handphone for Chinese phrases, it was time to let it go!

 Our lonely Tian Deng up in the sky

 View from the bridge, away from the main train station

All the shops provide a service to help you take a photograph as you release the lantern. Releasing it while standing on the train tracks is super popular. There is no real danger as the trains come by hourly and they are very slow. After taking our obligatory picture and releasing our well-wishes, we walked around a bit more. There are shops with staff who can speak Korean/ Japanese fluently and they even ask the customers to pose in the Korean aegyo or Japanese kawaii styles, lol. The guidebook also listed a waterfall in Shifen but walking there would have taken too long and we didn't feel like renting a scooter to explore so we left after a while to Houtong.

I had read about Houtong in a guidebook, it's an old town which got a new lease of life when a resident started posting photos of the local strays online and people started visiting the town to play with the strays. We were there in the afternoon so most of the strays were probably asleep as we didn't see that many of them. The town has totally exploited their status as a cat town with many shops selling cat-related merchandise or serving cat-related food and drinks, the pineapple tarts came in cat shaped pieces! There wasn't that many cats for us to play with so after walking around for a bit and taking another short break, we headed off to Jiufen.

 Friendly cat cartoon greeting visitors at the train station

Some lovely strays just chilling out and wondering why we are disturbing their peace

If I thought Shifen was crowded, Jiufen was ten thousand times more crowded. The number of tourists was utter madness. I cannot imagine if we had went on a weekend how miserable it would have been. The old streets are where most of the crowds are but if you venture just slightly off that path, it becomes a lot more bearable. We also managed to buy pineapple tarts and taiyang bing which were yummilicious. Walking up and down the less crowded streets would have been quite pleasant if not for the ridiculous crowds. While it was possible to find pockets of peace, I didn't really enjoy the place. Miyazaki may have been inspired there for Spirited Away but I think if he goes back now he would have fainted.

 

Some peace and quiet away from the tourist madness

Though the day was long and we were rather exhausted, we made our way back to Taipei and dropped by at Raohe Night Market. I was actually quite excited to go Raohe Night Market as I remember having a good time there. It has expanded quite a bit compared to 10 years ago and the popular 胡椒饼 had a queue which was utter madness. Since we tried the branch at Shilin the day before we gave it a miss. Instead we tried mutton soup, some 状元糕, bittergourd juice which tasted weird but good, and random snacks. We definitely enjoyed Raohe Night Market more than Shilin even though we were crazy exhausted by the time we finally reached the hotel. I would say it's a must-go for Taipei, give Shilin a miss and come to this one instead.

Exploring Taipei Day 2 - Yangmingshan, Danshui and Shilin Night Market

Our original plan for day 2 was to go to the National Palace Museum but for some reason we ended up going to Yangmingshan instead. I honestly can't remember the reason why but we ended up outside Jiantan station waiting for the bus to bring us to Yangmingshan. The bus took forever to come but I wasn't really in the mood to walk up all the way.

In any case, we finally made it to Yangmingshan BUT we had to take another bus to get to Lengshuikeng (a scenic spot in Yangmingshan where you can do light trekking). Obviously we could have walked up but I remembered walking with my mum and aunt and it was really tiring and we didn't get very far. There are actually quite a few buses which go to the various scenic spots in Yangmingshan but depending on where you are going, you either take the normal bus or the minibus. For Lengshuikeng, only the minibus goes there and after we finally boarded the bus, we understood why. The road to Lengshuikeng was really narrow and windy and it didn't help that the driver drove like he was in Initial D. Since we were standing and the roads was full of sharp turns and bends to move up the mountain, I felt like dying after a while. Thankfully we managed to get to our destination before I threw up. I had also forgotten that temperatures up in the mountain is a lot colder, by the time we reach there I was shivering. However, as one uncle on the bus pointed out 走快一点就不冷 (the faster you walk, the less you would feel the cold), so we got walking. There was a free hot spring bath up at the Lengshuikeng station which was entirely packed with locals.

Hot spring baths for men

We chanced upon a temple, and I was wondering who are the devotees who would come all the way up to worship at the temple. It was rather quiet and we were the only ones. Granted it was a weekday so perhaps they get more devotees on the weekends. After a while we managed to locate the starting point of the trail from Lengshuikeng to Qingtiangang. The trail was well marked-out and quite easy to walk. It was also really scenic, we even caught a couple doing their wedding photoshoot there. I was amazed at how they managed to walk to the location with the pouffy wedding dress, yes it was an easy walk but even then it must not have been easy if you are wearing a pouffy gown. There were also quite a few people hiking even though it was a weekday, I imagine it must be really crowded during weekends.

 

Start of the trail and can you spot the couple in their wedding best? 

I felt like we were in a Chinese painting, lol 

Finally we made it to Qingtiangang, which was really quite lovely. However as it was rather cold, there was a mist and a slight drizzle. The walk took longer than expected since we aren't exactly the fittest people around. We were quite hungry by the time we completed the trail, luckily there was a convenience store so we bought some snacks and a hot drink to keep ourselves warm.

There was a direct bus down to the MRT so we decided to take that rather than go back to the main station at Yangmingshan. It was another harrowing ride and once again the driver drove like he was a character in Initial D. There was a very nice Taiwanese girl who offered to hold onto our cup of hot tea. An old grandfather and grandmother boarded the bus and luckily they were offered seats cos otherwise I really cannot imagine how they can survive being thrown around the bus while standing. Quite a few passengers actually didn't make it all the way down, some of them alighted midway and you can tell that they were either going to faint or throw up. As for me, by the time we finally reached the MRT station, I was about to do the same. 

After a satisfying lunch, we headed to Danshui. It was another misty scene there. There was filming going on for a drama (?) but I didn't spot anyone that I recognised. We walked around the 老街 but it felt overly touristy so we didn't stay too long. We did buy some tidbits but otherwise I didn't enjoy Danshui as much as I did 10 years ago.

A sponge cake stall which had long queues, which I naturally joined

We then headed off to Shilin Night Market since hubby wanted to see the biggest night market in Taipei. It seemed to have expanded in size since I last went, from the MRT station you can already see the stalls. We ate steak and wandered around to explore the market. The popular Raohe pepper biscuit had a stall there, as the queue wasn't that long we queued for it which was really smart of us cos when we went to Raohe the day after, the queue was just ridiculous. We also had the fried chicken which was near the beginning of the market but it wasn't that great. Personally I didn't like Shilin Night Market even when I went 10 years ago and my opinion did not change with this visit. It's just too big and felt overly touristy. If you want to experience having many many stalls to look at, you can go to Shilin Night Market but personally I would give it a miss if I do end up going Taipei again. 

Exploring Seoul Day 5 and Taipei Day 1 - Hiso food courts, revamped airports

On our last day in Seoul, we didn't do much other than walking around Myeongdong and trying to get our tax free claims processed. There are 3 different companies doing tax refunds in cash/ credit cards in South Korea so you do need to check where to go. Luckily Myeongdong has all 3 companies but you do end up walking around quite a fair bit. Make sure to bring your passport, your credit card and all the receipts. The credit card is required as you need to drop off your receipts at the airport, the process was relatively pain-free and all the staff were unfailingly polite. We opted for cash refund as we were running low on Korean won and didn't want to change any more money as we were leaving for Taipei. 

 I did finally try the super long soft serve ice cream. Didn't finish it though, was just too much to eat. 

After receiving all our cash refunds, we headed to Shinsegae to stare at expensive stuff we can't afford. On our way there, I spotted a coffee shop selling red ginseng latte, the flavour sounded so interesting I just had to try it. The taste was interesting and while I wouldn't drink it again, it was definitely worth a try. We walked around the basement of Shinsegae and just stared at all the expensive things on offer. As we were there around lunch time, the food court was ridiculously crowded. I saw a queue for the gimbap and being Singaporean decided that the food must be good and bought a beef gimbap to go. My instincts proved correct when I ate it later at the airport lounge. It was seriously mouth-watering, one of my better meals in Seoul. 

At the airport, though we already got our cash refunds, we still needed to drop off our receipts at the various tax refund companies so they can process our claims. Failure to do this means that your credit card would be charged with the cash amount which has been given to you. Though I read that there will be long queues for this, in reality there was no queue at all. I think there must have been a huge influx of tourists so now they have many counters opened to cater for this. As we still had some money left over, I went walked around the duty free shops to take a look. Strangely enough all the prices were listed in USD instead of KRW. I wanted to spend the remaining KRW I had so I asked the staff what I could buy with the amount I had. Sadly, the staff were not very helpful and I had to work out what I could buy by myself. In the end I bought some toiletries and had only a few coins remaining. Buying toiletries in town was a lot better as you get a lot more freebies. Shopping at the airport is recommended only if you need to finish spending your KRW. 

After a short flight of about 2 hours, we landed in Taipei Taoyuan Airport. I last went to Taipei 10 years ago with my mum and aunt. The airport has upgraded since then with a lot more shops. We were quite exhausted when we arrived so we quickly got on a bus. The Freego bus apparently stops by a certain time so we took the Kuokuang bus to Taipei Main Station instead. From there we took the MRT to Ximending to our hotel. Strangely enough, the Taipei Main Station MRT does not sell the pre-paid card which is refundable, so we had to buy a single ticket and then buy the pre-paid refundable one from Ximending station. After all that, we finally arrived at our hotel (which was also in a commercial building). After a short rest, we went out to walk around Ximending. I seem to remember there were more roadside stalls when I was there 10 years back. We also found out that the stalls are not permanent, they have to keep moving around to avoid the police. It's so tough to make a living like that. I managed to locate Ah Zhong Mee Sua and promptly bought a bowl to share with CS, sadly it did not taste as good as what I remembered. There was a huge crowd queuing outside the Nike store nearby, probably for some limited edition sneaker. We never did manage to find out what it was for though. As we were worn out from the traveling, we decided to have an early night after filling our stomachs.

My favourite thing in Taiwan, tea leaf eggs which are found EVERYWHERE!

Exploring Seoul Day 4 - Of hanoks and closed shopping malls

For our second walking tour, we booked the a tour of the Bukchon Hanok Village. I think this place does not require an introduction since almost all the Korea tourist brochures feature shots of this place. We met our guide at Unhyeongung where we found the rest of our tour mates. This tour was much better than our tour the previous day. Our guide was absolutely wonderful and gave us a very good overview of the traditional Korean houses and why they were built this way. She also shared some personal history since her father is originally from the North. I think the psyche of the Koreans is something outsiders really can't understand if you don't have relatives stuck in a place which is so near yet so far. 

We spent quite a bit of time at Unhyeongung, since the Bukchon area was made up of mainly private homes and you can't just enter the houses to take a look. While there were visitors it was really just a handful of people so we could really take our time looking at the sights and taking photos. I would highly recommend you to book the Seoul City Tour for this place. When we finally made it to Bukchon, it was overrun with tourists as expected. Luckily our tour was on a weekday so while it was crowded, a weekend crowd would have been worse as even the locals also go to Bukchon now. As you walk around you will actually notice that a lot of the doors/ gates have notices which tell tourists not to knock or peer into the houses since people are still living there. Our guide was telling us that some people have actually moved out as they couldn't get a good rest cos of all the crowds.

Some clear shots of Bukchon without the crowds

Can you see the noticed on the door? It tells you not to knock or peep into the house

After our tour, we walked around the area for a bit and found a lonely Totoro enjoying the sun.

Since it was our second last day, we decided to venture to Dongdaemun to take a look at the supposedly massive shopping that goes on there. It was however a failed plan. When we went there, NOTHING was opened. I have no idea why but ALL the shops were closed and it looked like a dead town. There was one shopping mall which was opened but I was really looking forward to the wholesale shops. I wasn't expecting to shop up a storm in Dongdaemun but I was disappointed that we missed the buzz of the place. Instead, we went back to Myeongdong and wandered around soaking up the atmosphere.