I Love Taiwan : Episode 3

  Still onto Jiu Fen in this 3rd episode, food is still the main subject here. With so many more delicacies to introduce, I think it would be better for one to come and explore, to experience for themselves in this food-filled valley. Seriously, it would take almost the whole day to explore every nook and cranny, hence it is of best advice to come a little earlier so that to have ample time to tour around Jiu Fen.

Must-try Taiwan Sausages!

Look for this shop selling sweet cakes.

Highly recommended!

Weird food sold here as well, XD

  The buildngs in Jiu Fen as you could see, are old and seemed unoccupied. But do take note of the tea sold there in those buildings. Those old streets could easily lead you to any of those shops there.

Old buildings functioning as tea-houses.

Old streets of Jiu Fen.

  One could easily find a tea shop, sit back, relax and enjoy the lush greens surrounding the scenic view of Jiu Fen. There really is nothing to lose, with the mountain breeze blowing through your hair strands, fresh air plenty to fill up them lungs, this really is the place to get a peace of mind.

Local tea products.

Variety of tea products.

Find this tea house if you can!

Scenic beauty of Jiu Fen.

Lush greens.

Ohya, see these cute bottles of orange juices? Don't get fooled into buying 1, it's too expensive for juices! 

  After quite some time in Jiu Fen, we then got off them mountains and headed back to our motels for some rest. Hold it there, it wasn't all. After resting for some while, we soon we once again on the hunt for good food. We did stop by a shop to feast on some great pork knuckles and braised rice. Then, we pushed ourselves to another night market in Taiwan, this time it is Rao He Night Market.

Rao He Night Market.

  There, we tried another type of Taiwanese Bubble Tea Milk, 青蛙撞奶。At first, many thought those black little balls were really frog eggs, but soon got to know they were just a symbolization to the milk tea. It was good anyway, $40 for a cup.

Look at that frog. Now who wouldn't have thought they were frog eggs??

  We also tried the fried pau, 水煎包。It was good as well, and it costed only $10 for one! The Night market like any other was packed with people. There were also games for people to try on. Plus lots of souvenirs and T-shirts to buy especially women's clothing, the night market was at its peak.

Fried Pau.

Smelly toufu again! Yum!

Mutton satay!

Gaming machines.

  I also have to recommend the Taufu Fa sold there. Its not like our normal Taufu Fa, its softer, smoother and less sweet. Really, you have to try the Taufu Fa in Taiwan. Also try to look for the shop selling watermelon juice in the picture below. Its the cheapest there, only $20 for a 700cc cup of pure watermelon juice!

Taiwan Taufu Fa

Only $20 for 700cc Watermelon juice!

Find this juice shop!

  After our night market tour, we soon headed back to our motel, only to find ourselves gobbling up food again at 7-11. Yes! A must to visit Taiwan's 7-11. For them Taiwanese, they couldn't survive without 7-11. So many kinds of food sold there, really if compared to the one in Malaysia, the difference is just too hard for one to believe....

The great Taiwan 7-11 !!

Some photos courtesy from Candy Lee. ^-^

Signing off:

Nickel Low

I Love Taiwan : Final Episode

Mr. J's Diner

  They do say, to keep the best for last. Our last day in Taiwan was indeed, quite a memorable one, well at least for mii yes, I loved this day the most. Our day started off by visiting Sun Yatt Sen Memorial Hall. Once again, the architecture of the building really amazed us. But not only that, the history that place holds was even more amusing. Sun Yatt Sen, whom he, the founder of The Republic of China, also know as the Father of The Nation in China, a great leader in the modern days of China, together Taiwan with it.

Sun Yatt Sen

  There, we enjoyed the sculptures, arts and history that the place holds. And most importantly, we admired the spirits of the loyal guards in Sun Yatt Sen Memorial Hall. It was an experience not to be missed!

Guards of the memorial.

  Soon after, we then carried out what that was planned yesterday for our friend, Mei Kim's birthday. We acted as if we were lost through the streets of Taiwan, unable to find a shop that we planned to go to. And we soon came upon this shop which she wanted to go most, Berry Berry COBO. Just by its name, you could imagine sweets, cakes, toffees and all kinds of good sweet stuff. Indeed it was, a buffet on all kinds of cakes, sweets, snacks and many more other delights!

  We planned it all with Mei Kim's Taiwan friend, and when her friend arrived, Mei Kim was shell-shocked. Yes tears of joy, happiness, gratefulness, however you want to describe it, it was on her face, simply priceless! Happy Birthday Mei Kim!

Mei Kim's b'day!

Tears of joy XD

  Back on the food track, yes, cakes of all flavours, it certainly tempts you on having piece after piece. Besides those sweet stuff, the were western foods as well. Do try the salad, it is superb! Drinks of all kinds were provided as well, certainly it was a buffet fit for its price. Only $300 (RM30) per person, and you can have all that goody stuff in your tummy! But do take note, they have a time limit for dining of 90minutes. So once you've paid, make sure you start gobbling. XD

Cakes of all tastes!

  Later that day, we splitted into a few groups, where some wanted to re-visit Shih Lin Night Market, some wanted to go home and rest, and another of my friend decided to embark on a trip to Taiwanese No.1 Male Pop star, Jay Chou's Restaurant!

  I was tempted to go as well, but I chose Shih Lin instead to buy some of my souvenirs back home. Credits to him that I managed to get pictures of the restaurant. According to him, the atmosphere was superb. Food was great and the prices were quite reasonable. What attracts customers most is the old piano, used in the making of the film 'Secret' a few years back. That I can tell you, even if I wasn't there that day, I could feel the magic it possesses, just by looking at the photos taken there.

The piano in the movie 'Secret'.

  It would be lucky to meet Jay Chou himself there, the owner of the restaurant, but it just wasn't my friend's day. Nevertheless, being a huge Jay Chou fan and being able to be in a place where your idol frequents there is already satisfying enough.

We Love Taiwan!

  Later that night, we visited 7-11 for the last time to stock up some foods to be brought back to Malaysia. We will really miss 7-11 in Taiwan, as most of our memories and chats rose from such a simple and convenient place. Oh yes, do try the Jumbo 'Liang Mian' (Cold Mee), it is good! Beer there is also very cheap, sold at only RM3.2 per can. And for the last time, we walked back, heavy hearted to our motel. Time passed by so very quickly, but we were glad, memories we made and bonds solidified once again.

Try the Jumbo 'Liang Mian', its quite good.

  The next morning, we took the bus back to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. There, we took a few more pictures and soon, we were once again boarding the plane, this time back to Malaysia. I was really happy to gain such experience, and I really thank all my friends for this wonderful memory.

Last day, memories lasting forever!

Back to Malaysia!

Thx to Candy, Pauline, JJ, JenBoon, HanChuan, MeiKim, MeiYee, SiuYin, Welly and Ooi for all this. Hope to see you all in 3rd year soon!!! ^-^

Some photos courtesy of Candy and Mei Yee.

Taipei 101

Some photos courtesy from Candy Lee and Mei Yee. ^-^

Signing off from Taiwan:

Nickel Low