Hsinchu Day 2

Boy am I sore. Blisters on the bottom of my left foot toes.

Woke up, went downstairs for breakfast. Other half of the dining area was empty as well today, so I did the same as yesterday. The staff at this hotel are all so nice!

Up we go, make sure we poop. Waiting for 小D and Knuckles to meet up with me.

Zoo and Flower market 花市 today!! Ayyeeeee!! First we walked around to see what's at the 花市。 There were actually people selling various orchid and plants like succs at one end. Herbs and other edibles. Even saw bala, fig, kumquat and basil plants!

Then the food stalls... So good. And pinball and games stalls which are nostalgic. Nice...

Zoo first though. You can pay with Toto card. So good! Only $50 entry fee like whaaaat? so cheap?

The zoo is pretty small, but it's really cosy and cute. The animals are older too, probably because due to the space constraints they don't really get new animals any more. But that's okay.

We saw lots. There used to be an elephant but it passed due to old age. We saw the tiger's paw! Hehe. And sun bears! Monkeys. Raccoons. A hippo's back!

And homo sapiens... LOL in the old aviary that is now some sort of playground. Knuckles cracked this joke it's pretty funny hahaha.

On the way out the we browsed the gift shop - there was so much variety and goods with such cute designs! Sasuga Taiwan! Ahhhh I bought postcards to post and a clothing patch I think would be good as a gift for Bridget. 

The zoo has an old entrance, with really particular design. I love it. It's got a cute charm.

We walked past the glass museum, but didn't go inside. It has the furnace for glass so it's gonna be hot. You can see inside from the big glass panes.

We went into the aquarium and insect house building. Saw a frog!! And some big fish... Manta rays... Turtles... So cute... The insects were a little scary though. Lots of herc beetles hehe reminded me of 四叔, and there were lots of taxidermy ones on the wall. 

Huashi for lunch now. I ate so many various. 

Even dofuru chicken. Mountain yam mochi cake. Fried dumplings. The hot dog that I craved a year back but couldn't find!!

And a particular drink 桂花？ tea which tastes a little sour plum like with a smoky note to it. Interesting. I had donggua tea and it's so much better here??

After we full, I played on a pinball machine. It's a pretty well used one and the spring was a bit stuck. I paid first and didn't know how to use it so I put all 10 balls in the feeder at once and then pressed the button to release the pinball. 🤣 LOL one shot only. Okay I pay again. This time I kept winning balls every couple of shots and I couldn't end lol. The stuck spring handle was a bit of a struggle. I ended up leaving it and told a mum and young kid nearby that I had balls left but I'm just tired so they can play if they want.

After the flower market we went to a bakery across the street from Hsinchu Park. They keep feeding me... They bought me pudding... Bruh I'm being so spoilt!! Very creme Brulee flavour! Nice nice. Saved half for later as I couldn't finish it.

On our way to Police dorm building! It had a really strong Cypress smell inside. Very beautiful. Restored nicely. Love the architecture. Had hints of old TW buildings like the glass panes with patterns.

After that we sat down outside s Café next door after Knuckles bought a drink and tested our feet and talked a lot.

Then decided what to do next - dinner at the duck rice place. On the way we visited another temple where the street has street lamps made to match, they looked like lanterns. This miao was less "dirty"/"aged" or dusty, and the carvings were beautiful. So coooool.

Off we go, duck rice. Managed to score a seat outside and just before the crowds came to line up.

Meal done, we went to pick up a drink. They had a pot full of tiny fish inside and a quirky lotus type plant on top. 

Then they took me to eat crepe, but like it's crispy. This market is also old but it's really quiet now. Most shops are concentrated on the outside, clothing stores. There's heaps of closed store fronts. It's a little sad. There's a barber shop down the back that had some neat interior design with various knock knack decorations. Quirky charming. 

Across the road from this market, is a theatre that was one of the last ones to still paint movie posters on by hand. Now they use printed canvas. The masters that paint are probably retired. A bit of a shame.  We stopped by a game shop and had a browse inside. A lot of titles now have Mando versions. Upstairs is a TCG area. Lmao. Lots of guys, the vibe is the same in every country. 😂

On the way back to the hotel we passed by the oldest street in Hsinchu. What a vibe. There's also a lot of really old buildings in this city. Retro charm. 

This time I didn't forget to give 小D and Knuckles their souvenirs and snacks. 小D came up with me and grabbed the bags. She said the room was pretty nice! Yes, I agree.

Went back downstairs and said goodbye. Hugged them both and thanked them for giving me such a wonderful time!