For those of you who have followed me on twitter, you’ll know that I’ve been travelling a lot and since I’ve been around these 2 weeks, I’ve spent a good portion of time making it up to my dogs. I’m amazed that they are still so adorable and that they love me so much. They put me in the center of their world and I want to give them the best I can as well and that means spending time with them whenever I can.

Recently Louis has been extremely attached to me. He plops himself on my thighs or by my pillow side whenever he can. We had fun taking them out for a cycling trip at ECP recently with the dogs in the baskets as we ride. Clara and Celeste were blading and it was a beautiful day out.  I think he misses getting to go out to meet some of his doggie pals as well. I really should organize  a play date for both Louis and Emmie soon.

As the title of this post suggests, some have asked me what foodstuff I bought in Taiwan. Well, quite a lot but I didn’t take photos of most of them and many I’ve already given away to friends and relatives. Those that I did take, I’ll share with you here.

Mochi… this one is black sugar version. I prefer those with the fillings though.

I love love love their Man Han Da Xi instant noodles. The egg I added in but the noodles does come with meats! Incredible and damn shiok! Quite  a huge portion too!

The chips are so-so but the Lay’s Mala one is not bad.

Boxes of macaroons I bought to give away to friends. The fillings are flavored marshmallows instead of cream so it can last longer.

Boxes of pineapple tarts also to give away. Though many people have raved about Taiwan’s pineapple tarts, for personal consumption, I much prefer the ones I make.

The famous Tai Yang Bing or Honey Malt Sunny Pie. Pretty good and great for people with a sweet tooth!

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This post marks the last post of this Taiwan trip. Would I go back? Most definitely! I think there are a lot of places I’ve yet to explore and a lot of places that I’ve been too and would like to do more intensely. But at the moment it looks like Taiwan won’t be in my agenda for the year 2010. Maybe I’ll consider visiting in 2011.

For Hello Kitty fans, you might be glad to note that the Taipei Airport is the only airport in the world that has a hello kitty themed nursing room. I’m not a mother but still I could help but to go in for a look see.

It’s so cute inside! And there was no one there when I popped by so I took a couple of pictures to share. They have complimentary hot water, cleaning wipes, cotton wool, diapers and more for mothers to use.

Other than the main area, there was another separate baby room for mothers who would like more privacy when they breastfeed.

I had my dinner at the airport before hopping onto the flight home. Figured that I much rather sleep my way home in the plane then have to wake up for meal service.

I wanted a light meal of chicken soup noodles and congee but the portions turned out so huge! Just look at the size of the bowl!

True to my word, once I was on the flight, I slept like a baby through the meal service. I did make an exception to wake up for some ice-cream though. I can always make an exception for ice-cream… lol

Finally back to Singapore’s Changi Airport! I love the familiar sights of the orchids!

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On the last day of our trip we decided to take it easy and just shop around or go to the places in the vicinity that we’ve been meaning to take a look but never had the time.

I went down to the nearby departmental stores and drug stores to scout out their beauty care products and also dropped by the supermarket to grab some local Taiwan specialty products to bring back to Singapore. One of the interesting items I saw at the supermarket was this Sentosa brand milk powder!

I headed back to shop a little more in the Ximending area before meeting my family for a late lunch.

We decided to try the Japanese Teppanyaki- Steamboat buffet at the 2nd level next to rainbow hotel. We’ve passed by countless and it was a good time to give it a go.

I can’t remember what the restaurant was called but here’s their Japanese name in the photo below. You’ll have to take the stairs on the left side of rainbow hotel ( if you are facing the hotel) to the 2nd level to get to the restaurant.

After we settled in cozily in a booth where we could look out to the streets, we were asked what sort of soup base we would like and we chose the spicy kimchi. They then handed us a list and asked us to tick what sort of meats, seafood or vegetables we would like for them to serve to us. Since it was a buffet it is entirely up to you what or how much you would like to order.

Let the feasting begin!!! I have to say the food selection here is huge!

I love the fact that once our grill got too charred by all the BBQ we were doing, they came over to replace our grill with a brand new clean one and brought all our food over. It’s such a nice touch.

There was also a huge selection of sauces and a self-service salad bar. Free flow of soft drinks, coffee and tea too!

Desserts includes a chocolate fountain, selection of fresh fruits, mango pudding, aloe vera jelly, tarts and ice-cream. They had about 12 flavors of Meji ice-cream on one side and about 6 flavors of Hagan Daz ice-cream on the other.

For those who want more, there is rice and braised meats available as well. All in all, I’d have to say that this was a rather satisfying buffet.

All the mascots were out that day to draw the crowds and we had a little more time after lunch to do more shopping before we had to pack our luggages.

Some of you emailed me regarding the bag I was carrying in Taiwan. It’s a Hermes Garden tote with a twilly. It’s not new and if you look back in my older posts you would have seen me carrying it before. You probably didn’t notice it cause I don’t always post up or remember to take photos of my bags, accessories and shoes when I post my outfit of the day pictures. But as it so happens I did take a close up picture of this bag that day so here you go.

As for my pretty pink coach wristlet, it was a gift from my dearest friend, Sushi so I’m not too sure how much it is. You can see the close up picture in My Little Sister’s Makeover In Taiwan post.

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One of the best and most exciting night markets I found in Taiwan was Miaokou Night Market at Keelung. It’s a good place to explore Taiwan’s variety of food! And it’s really very hard not to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices.

One side of the market was for shopping and there were clothes, dog clothes, household merchandise, shoes and even adult videos among others. While we bought a couple of stuff here and there, it was the food that we were most interested in!

My sister really liked these cute cakes and they were really cheap too. About NT20 to NT30 for the whole set!

We came to Miaokuo Night market after a full day of touring so the sights and smells of the street foods got our full attention! Almost immediately we set to buying and trying as much as we could! Mum got herself some peanut pancake and candied fruits.

We tried the fresh water eel soup.

Since this night market is in Keelung which is near the port, there are tons of fresh and cheap seafood on sale here. My family ordered baked crabs and steamed prawns and crayfish while I sadly looked on cause I couldn’t have any! But I did have my share of fried ribs and chicken! Sadly we didn’t take much photos of the foods we ate cause everyone’s hands were too oily from the food.

In the middle of the bustling night market street is a chinese temple. I supposed that’s how Miaokuo Night Market got its name.

Surrounding the temple on the left and right are even more food stalls! You could find Japanese foods, fishball soups, dumpling soups, oyster omelet, smelly toufu, bubble tea, Taiwanese tempura, all sorts of noodles, fried sandwiches,  ice-cream and much much more!

I could go on and on about the food or show you page after page of photos but I think a video does a better job or surmising everything. In this video, you can view our little trip to Yeh Liu, Jiu Fen, the goldmine and all the way to our trip at the night market.

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We were leaving the mountainous part of Jiu Fen with their many abandoned buildings in the non-touristy areas. I really like those old buildings as they remind me how materialistic men are. While there is gold, everything prospered and when there is none, everything was left in shambles. Had the director Hou Hsiao Hsien not made his award winning movie ” City of Sadness” or 悲情城市 starring Tony Leung, no one would have given the place a second glance and it wouldn’t be the tourist town it is today.

I want to travel the world and see all the famous sights and I also want to explore the world for the buildings and people that the world forgot. If only time, money and commitments would allow me the pleasure. On the way to the city of Keelung, we stopped by at a random area near the sea.

The view was breathtaking! The lovely red cliff over looking the blue and yellow sea with powerful waves crashing at the rocks.

I didn’t take a picture of the color difference in the waters but basically, one side was blue and the water at the bottom of the cliffs are yellow. The yellow is from the sediments of the gold mining mountains of the area and due to the density of the waters, they do not mix thus producing the distinct blue and yellow sea in one particular area.

My silly sister was too tired so she chose to stay in the car instead of coming out to catch this gorgeous view! Mum on the other hand was just as ecstatic as I was!

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Sorry for my bit of emotional outburst in my last post. I don’t usually do that and I’m sorry if I’ve worried anyone. I’m fine and will continue to be positive while I navigate myself in this game of life.

This little town of Jiufen in Taiwan would be total obscured to the whole if not because at some point in its history, gold was found.

Like the gold rush of San Francisco and Shanghai, business boomed and people from everywhere wanted a share of the gold. During that time, Jiufen was nicknamed little Shanghai as it was a symbol for luxury and a place catered to the rich. The Japanese staked their share in the gold during their occupation in Taiwan.

We took a little trip to the Jinguashi mines, a gold ecological park, to learn more. Since it was Visit Taiwan promotional year in 2009, our entrance was free with every receipt we produced.

There was quite a bit to look around and a lot of information about gold mining methods as well as a look into the old Japanese houses that were preserved from those times.

Not everything in this ex-mine is free though. Certain attractions like visiting the gold tunnel was additional cost. But since we were there we thought we’ll go view it too.

After buying the tickets to get into the preserved actual gold mine, we were given some paper shields and hard top construction caps!

Even my sis’s bunny had a cap!

In we go… all looking like gold prospectors especially mum!

The had some dummy figures in the tunnel showing you work that the miners would have done to mine the gold.  Using explosives, checking rocks for streaks of gold or carting out rock with gold.

Next place we headed to after coming out from the tunnel was the gold mining museum. The museum has a lot of information and history but their most compelling exhibition is on the top floor!

Here’s the main draw for the tourist! The world’s largest man made gold bar! It weighs 220 kg and is .999 pure gold! You can’t take it home but you can touch it! And on the monitor in front of it, you can see it’s value in today’s current gold market. They had guards and security cameras guarding this lump of a fortune.

We took a little time to explore the parks and admire Mount Ji Long away from the maddening crowds.

There were a few cute dogs around as well. Pets of the store owners in that area.

And for those who asked about my boots. Here’s a close up picture. I got them in Taiwan at Wu Fen Pu.

And lastly to share a shot of my parents I took when they weren’t looking. Isn’t it sweet?

Although Jiufen is a little too touristy for my tastes, I do feel that they have a lot to offer nature lovers like me if only I had the right company and the time to spare. The next time I head to Taiwan, I’ll book a night in one of the bed and breakfast in Jiufen and maybe spend a day doing the trails up Mount Ji Long or into the non touristy gold mining areas.

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Another must go place. It’s definitely on the touristy side but still worth a visit to get an old town feel. And for fans of “Spirited Away” like myself it was nice to finally visit the location that gave the artist, Hayao Miyazaki, inspiration. The name Jiufen or Nine Portions was derived from the nine families that settled here during the Qing Dynasty. The would go down to the town to order nine portions of whatever they needed and that nickname stuck till today.

The place that everyone visits in Jiufen is the Old Street where all the shopping and food is located. It’s a narrow street with endless choices and lots of people!

We walked till the end of the street for the hilltop view before slowly exploring the dozens of tiny shops. As usual the shops that got my attention most were the food stalls! Choices and more choices!

One of the most famous stalls is Grandma Lai’s Taro Balls. They actually have balls of different flavors like taro, sweet potato, green tea and so on but I liked the taro ones best.

Handmade mochi, tarts and sweets were at every corner and you can get free sampling before you decide to buy some. I bought quite a number of foodstuffs back as well.

Their form of carrot cake… I found it to be rather bland.

Braised meat rice “Lu Rou Fun” with home made fish balls was yummy! The fish-balls were huge yet very bouncy and has a lovely texture.

They even had these meatballs with fish paste fillings! It’s an interesting concept to have meat balls over fish-balls and the taste doesn’t clash either!

Home made noodles. Looks a little like lao shu fen but it’s much thinner and taste slightly different.

Century egg toufu. A cold dish. Taiwan is supposed to be know for their yummy century egg. I’m not a big fan of century eggs as a cold dish… I like them hot in my congee.

My sister’s bunny… not for consumption… =)

Grilled garlic butter cheese escargot and cuttlefish!

My sister with her ice-cream popiah.

Greedy face dad with the mini guava juice! It’s good for digestion but on the sour side though.

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Some of you have asked me if I had ventured to try chewing betel nut in Taiwan. The answer is no. Betel nut is a known carcinogen and have been proven to cause oral cancer so I wasn’t ready to take that risk though my dad did try.

For those who don’t know what betel nut is. Here’s a photo of it in my dad’s hand.

It’s actually areca nut wrapped in betel leaves. Chewing of betel nut is common in many Asian and South East Asian communities. But it is extremely predominant in Taiwan. Although betel nut is losing it’s popularity to the younger generation it’s still tightly integrated in the Taiwan culture. They actually use betel nut as one of the offerings and bridal gifts during their marriage ceremony.

Here in my hand, you’ll see the betel nut without the leave wrapping and some sour plum. This is another common way for Taiwanese to have their betel nut and is preferred by those who is not completely used to the betel nut taste. Betel nuts are popular with many taxi drivers, farmers or truckers because it is a stimulant and would give an heighten sense of awareness which is very useful for these workers. In other words, it works like the Asian version of a caffeine boost.

Also unique to the betel nut trade in Taiwan is these betel nut beauties or binlang meis. In Taiwan they also refer then as binlang xishi as a reference to Xi Shi, a the legendary beauty of imperial China’s Spring and Autumn Period. I’m only posting up these 2 pictures of the betel nut girl that sold the betel nuts to us because the rest of the photos are just overtly distracting and NSFW.

We were along a highway when we stopped by these 2 X3 m glass houses where the betel nut girl would run down to the car to sell the betel nut. There were many girls but this one gamely posed to allowed me to take shots of her even though she knew I’ll be sharing the photographs. I can see why betel nut girls are such a hit with the men!

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Yehliu is one of those must visit place for all nature lovers that holiday in Taipei. It’s is actually a cape on the north of Taiwan between Taipei and Keelung. As you can imagine there were tons of tourists even though it was raining that day. See all the colorful umbrellas out at play!

The lovely hoodoo rocks you see were all a result of mother nature which is the beauty of it all. I absolutely loved how the red rocks with their unusual formations and the red cliffs contrasted with the blues and greens of the sea.  Spectacular don’t you think?

This cape was formed as the geothermal pressures try to push Datun Mountain (a volcano) out of the sea. Keelung is a volcanic area so there are many lovely natural formations and Yehliu is the most famous of them all.

A life buoy for tourist that insists on going pass the safety borders and risk getting swept away by the strong winds and mighty sea. The safety borders are denoted with red tape on the floor near to the edge of the cliffs but most tourists seem to just ignore it.

There are actually more photos especially of the famous “Queen’s Head” rock which is the main symbol of this area and is constantly being eroded by nature. It is said that in another 15 years, there won’t be that rock anymore. Unfortunately, those pictures were taken with my dad’s camera and I never got them uploaded on my computer so these are all the photos I have.

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In Danshui there are a couple of attractions to view.  The Hongmao Castle (Fort San Domingo), Tamsui Fisherman’s Wharf and the lover’s bridge. You can also take the ferry to Ba Li. But in this post I’m only gonna focus on Danshui Old Street. The main draw for me is multitude of local specialties.

The street stretches from near the Danshui MRT station all the way to the ferry docks. Some of the local foods include iron egg which is stewed in spices then air dried so you get a chewy tiny egg at the end of the process. The famous stall is Grandma’s Tiedan 阿婆鐵蛋.

Another local specialty is A-Gei 阿給 which are deep fried tofu that have been stuff with flavoured crystal noodles (tang hoon) and sealed with fish paste and some sauce over. Apparently Danshui is the place of origin for this dish.

You can also try the Danshui fish balls 淡水魚丸 and  fried fish snacks 魚酥. Among these I also tried the fried cheese which is great for cheese lovers but might be overpowering for those who are not used to the strong taste of pure cheese.

Not forgetting the famous Da Chang Bao Xiao Chang. It looks like a hotdog but like the name suggests, instead of using bread to wrap over the sausage, they use an even bigger sausage to wrap over the smaller sausage and stuff it with pickles and lettuce and sauce. The content of the larger sausage is filled with a mixture of meat and glutinous rice.

My personal favorite is the muah chee!

Freshly made with a spoonful of peanut inside every muah chee ball before getting coated with more peanut. It’s so very soft and chewy! I came back for seconds!

I’m now gonna leave you with a video of the hot spring session we had at Beitou and shots of Danshui old street. Hope you enjoy! You have to be on www.renzze.com to view the videos though.

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