Taiwan Day 13, Shizuo day 2 (spring)

 Breakfast is served and we are fed like royalty. Mrs Lin cooked and there is congee instead of weili zhajan men... Sad lol. 

Still delicious... This time my appetite was better??? I managed to finish everything without being too stuffed. 

Then we had tea ceremony and the sister came along and did it in English. M asked why she chose to learn tea ceremony, and Ms Lin realistically replied that it's because to et a job after she graduated from uni and couldn't find a job in Taipei lol. So real. I feel her. 

This time tea ceremony was in front of the main house of the sanheyuan, I asked why and it's because they're currently doing construction work on the upper level just above where we live. They're wanting to redo the rooms and the restaurant there, and the noise and dust was too much. 

At the end of the ceremony, I asked Ms Lin if we could do a factory tour? She said to ask Mr Lin, as he knows more about the tea making process. Dejavu lol. 

After the ceremony was finished, we got ready to go walk some trails. Mr Lin was still around so I asked him if today we good, a dn if he was available to be OK to do a factory tour? He said yes, can do now if needed, and said that the new building over there (with the black netting) is almost complete. Since they are in process of building the new factory some equipment aren't moved to the new factory yet. The weather has been quite dry this season, and the tea leaves are growing quite slowly. It's almost a drought. Usually they would expect to start harvesting work around the beginning of April, but this season they expect it to be 20th of April. We walked to the new building. 

M asked if the workers that come to harvest are all employees, or? 

Mr Lin said that there is an agency that arranges shifus to come and pick for them, and some are employees. Because we harvest 4 months oout of 12 months (4 seasons), one month per season, the shifus need to find work in between. And not everyone lives up the mountain so they come from down the mountain. 

The new factory for the sunbathing process for tea leaves has climate control. The black shade cloth goes over so the leaves don't get sunburn. The morning harvest will have dew drops on the leaves, due to Shizuo's misty climate, so that also needs to be evaporated. They want to ecaoprate about 40% of the moisture in the tea leaf, from the edges of the leaf. The moisture concentrates into he stem. The sides of the building has vents for good weather, and for rainy weather they close it up and use the dehumidifier. This process takes about 4 hours. 

Once the sunbathing is done, the tea leaves are brought down to the bottom level, where it begins a fermentation process. The leaves are spread out on the big trays - they are building large trays on an machine that can move the trays out and down the side for tossing. 

The leaves get spread out and tossed. Through the tossing process it breaks the protective barrier on the tea leaves and oxidises the leaf. This starts the fermentation. I forgot how many hours, maybe 5 hours? The leaves also get cold air blown on them to open up the pores and let the moisture spread out from the stem. The tossing and resting/oxidisation process gets repeated, I think about 4 times? Then Mr Lin took us to the old factory with the really old elevator doors (like in Titanic) to see the machines. 

Once this process is done, the leaves get taken down to the big tumble machines for further fermentation. The tumblers are made from woven bamboo. Through the tossing motion, the leaves rub against each other and cause bruising, which also causes further fermentation. It is now 1am. I think the leaves are given rest and tunbled again, or it may be once. They are going to buy newer models of tumbling machines which are bigger. 

Next the leaves are taken to the roasting room. The big barrel roasters go up to 300-350°C, and the roasting brings out the aroma and increases the sweet after taste. The roasting will depend on the batch, and the shift will judge. Can't be too cooked, can't be undercooked. A bit like stiry frying. The time taken depends. Then it gets taken out and kneaded. The leaves get put into the cloth bags and balled up and rolled for about 10-15 mins?, rested and repeated 8-10 times.  The total time takes about 7-8 hours. 

Once the leaves are kneaded and formed, they get taken for packaging, and it is now about 7-8am. The leaves are packed into big bulk bags weighing 18kgs each. 

On a good harvest they make about 10-18 bags a day, I think he said. 18kgs each. The ranking of tea quality goes from best: winter, spring, autumn, summer. Summer and Sutumn harvests are shorter, and take only about 1 week. The summer tea is lesser quality in flavour and also cheaper. They rank their teas themselves and also send it off to an official competition for an official quality ranking (and win awards). One jin 一斤 (4x 150g pack) of summer tea is $1200. 

After the tea tour we got ready to walk trails. 

We started off walking up the road to the Sunset Trail, so we could take the Sakura trail down. M decided to wait for us at the start of the Sunset Trail... Stairs are eveil, she said. Lol L and I went up and we made it but our legs suffered.

We made it and the view from top was pretty good. There was a lady in a red dress and a parasol, walked past as I was getting nui photos and she thought Juan Juan was Xavier and she said she plays Love & Deepspace. How rude lol. I said they were from Thunderbolt Fantasy and she replied sounding like she knew the series??? We will never know. Her perfume was so strong... She had come from the Mist Trail. 

Then we had to come back down... The info centre at the start of the two trails was undergoing construction and closed until the 5th of April. Poo. I bought my stamp book for nothing lol. 

We did the Sakura trail but the sakura had finished blooming... We were about a week too late. Nooooooooo.... 

At the end of the trail, we unexpectedly found a stamp for a stamp rally?!?! Well I'm glad I hailed my stamp book with me!!! Never will I be caught out again!! 

 Then we followed the trail and back down to town. 

It was about 1:30pm and we decided to go to 平安快炒 across the road from Tong-Xin. They had outdoor seats too. We got mapo tofu, bamboo shoots, beef stir-fry noodle, and a plate of 水蓮. The mapo tofu was exquisite. Silken tofu... Just right spicy... Full of flavour!!! The breed noodles had a satay flavour base, it was good too. Bamboo shoots were nice and crunchy and not tough. 水蓮 was crunchy too. Everything was awesome. A hit. We finished eating around 2:20pm and the auntie came to get the bill as they close at 2pm, Woops. Lunch was $590, I paid L&M $200.

Inside I could spot that they had a corner with some manga and books, and many figures including a big one of the 3 Yu-gi-oh Egyptian Gods. They also had a blackboard out the front with DBZ Freeza screaming something. 

And near the end of our meal a local guy wearing a DBZ t-shirt walked out and spoke in perfect American English, if the taste was good. And two more sentences after our reply. Lmao that was unexpected. 

After we paid we left and went for a walk around town. I noticed a lot of shops close in the middle of the day. A backpacking European couple was peering into shops to see if they were open - so I told them that the shop is closed. 

We came to a drinks shop with aiyu jelly and we sat and had some aiyu drinks. This place ended up having the poster for the stamp rally, and we finally found out what it was. It runs until September... 

And the boss came out when I looked at the poster. Said he had 3 stamp sheets left, would we like to do it? I had a chat and said we saw the sakura trail one earlier today but the sign there didn't say what it was. 

I ended up taking one stamp sheet and then looked up the three trails (as you can redeem your stamps for prizes in 3 tiers of collection, and need a photo with you in it at the stamp point). The other one was mist Trail, and the one was Cloud Trail. The Cloud Trail was an hour's walk.... And uphill with that many steps? Nooooo. We could do the mist trail one though. So I went to put the sheet back. 

I borrowed the shop's toilet and L and I decided to challenge the Mist Trail and suffer, whilst M went back to rest. 

Off we go. I realised I walked the Mist Trail last year, and started the beginning of the Tea Trail (which links in with Mist Trail and then connects to Cloud Trail on the other end) but didn't finish it was the sun was setting. 

The steps were brutal lol. And the stamp was at the other end of the trail entry/exit, which mean we climbed all the way up to the end... L and I took a selfie showing how unimpressed we were. Haha. I was thinking the stamp may be in the middle so that you'd had to walk part of the trail either way. 

We headed back down via the road, and on the way at the Sakura Trail entrance I met a couple who were trying to take a photo and I offered to take for them. I got a few shots and they were happy. They asked about how far the trail goes up, and I said be prepared for a lot of steps. When asked where we were from, I said NZ. And she said her son spent 3 months there on exchange when 10 years old and was so happy about it. I commented that the schooling there has less pressure and the approach to education is different. 

Then we got back to the entrance driveway of Lin Family house, with the red small shrine and the single blooming sakura tree. We started taking photos and one English speaking lady offered to take photos for us. 

It was hard because of the angle of the tree and the slope. 

L managed to get a selfie with his phone case stand, and I helped do a series of photos where I placed him and pressed the shutter button so him and the tree were in frame with him doing various poses. 

Then I tried some nui photos, and home we go. 

Time for dinner, quick break and pee and then off to dinner. We are going to try hotpot at Tong-Xin tonight haha. M decided to skip dinner and rest. 

We walked down and got hotpot of classic bone broth and the crispy high mountain stream fish L had eyed up the previous night. 

It was just right. The fish was a bit dry for me, kinda like the crispy tiny prawn. 

The hot pot had the jelly fuel and it was pretty good! I think my 酸白菜炒豬肉 is still the best though. Mmmm. 

Then we headed to Hi-Life/7-11 for dessert/drink. 

Hi-Life didn't have any fruit for me, so I went to 7-11. They had yellow watermelon. 

When I went to pay, another customer was checking out the pudding and asked the young lad at the counter if they had the no-caramel-pudding-only flavour. He said ti was sold out. The other customer lamented it and the lad laughed. I asked if it was a new flavour? He said yup, this time it's all pudding no caramel, and we got stock today and it sold out fast. I said, oh, I remember seeing a thing of it online. He said, last time it was all caramel no pudding, right? Hahaha. Not sure why people are so crazy about it, rofl. We laughed, I thanked and left. 

I went out and couldn't see L, as I left him behind when I saw no fruit at Hi-Life. He wasn't in Hi-Life anymore, so I texted him. Apparently he arrived just as I left. Lmao I just missed him. Oh well I'll start walking back first. 

I got home and gave him $250 for dinner (dinner was $500). Then I just winded down for a bit and then went for a shower. Also decided to wash my pants and see if they dry cause I've been sweating so bad. 

Now I blog, and finish. Sleep. The weather so rude, it's forecasted to rain at 6am tomorrow, heaviest at noon, and then clear up around 6pm. Poo!!!!! 

Taiwan Day 12 - Shizuo (spring)

 There was hardly anyone at breakfast today, except for 1 person. But I took my breakfast up with me anyway. A lot of items were out yesterday but today they had croissant so I took one, a brown sugar mantou, and nikuman, along with the choco cereal and oats. 

After breakfast, I went back down to return my plate and also borrowed their toilet to poop. 

Then I went up to gran my laundry that was still damp and headed to the laundromat around the corner, but all machines were in use. So I sat for 5 mins, as one machine had 10 mins left, then decided I will go back to the hotel and see if they will let me use the machine early.. I arrived back at 9:38am, and asked reception if they could? 

They let me! I put my clothes in for 30 mins, then popped back upstairs and took my postcards out to he post office with me. 

I decided to head to the post office that was a little further as they held 3 風景戳. That was worth it - I sent 9 postcards in total and Nadi/Archer got all 3 of them. The rest got 2 - the two temples. The guy who served me was so nice and patient. 

Then back to the hotel, It was about 10:08am and my laundry should be done. I asked L to check on my laundry, and he put it on for a couple more mins. I got back and went and grabbed me laundry bag, headed back down, and collected my now dry laundry. Yay! 

Back upstairs and finish packing. It was just after 11am now once we all finished sorting our stuff out. 

We checked out and asked the reception to call a taxi that could fit 3 luggage for us. 

A plain white hatchback came and they could juuuust fit all 3 of our luggage into the boot. Woo! The driver was dressed in a shirt, tie and waistcoat. Fancy! Fare was about $200.

Whilst in the car I reserved train tickets and then collected it at the self-service machine. We went into the platform and hung around. The train that came was a push-pull train, the one with weird baggage holding areas that had the foot rests on it.... 

Welp, looks like we're baby sitting our luggage. I had to manspread but it worked. Thankfully the train is only 45 mins journey. 

Tainan Station had a signboard up about the renewal of the station. It looks like they are under grounding the train lines, which is a real pity. I like open air stations way more. And seems like they are putting a new building out the front? So the train station would be covered.... That's sad man. 

Once at Chiayi we exited the station, and Chiayi station is also an open air station like Tainan. We headed to the TRA info desk for the stamps, and then I popped to the tourist info desk to ask if they had stamps. They had 11! Wow! 9 of them were all uniform circles of the same size, which was satisfying. Two were square/rectangle. 

The auntie at the info desk asked me to spray my hands with alcohol to disinfect before stamping. Very fair. 

I thanked the lady and said bye. 

We headed to the FamiMart just to the left of the station and got lunch. I ate an onigiri combo of salmon and tuna. 

And then ate the bean tea cakes (the kind that drys your mouth out but melts instantly with enough water) left over, and then drank the oolong tea from last night. 

We had about an hour until the bus, so we just hung out under shade and then moved to the bus stop about 20 mins before. 

There were two lines, the reserved and non-reserved. Like no one else was in the reserved tickets line??? Everyone else was lining up in the non-tickets. 

Though, after we got on, two ladies came on near at the end with their tickets. 

The bus driver opened up the bottom cavity for us. Initially we put our suitcases in first but there was another 2 passengers that were getting off at Alishan, so took ours out and reordered them as we were getting off at Shizuo. 

I chose front row seats... Because the bus drivers tend to open up the window when we start ascending the mountain and the air is way better. It was quite hot in Chiayi. 

As soon as we started climbing, the bus driver opened up the window on his side. 

On the way up, we had 2 monkey sightings. We also ran into a truck that was carrying stone pavers/concrete bricks load, that didn't take a turn properly and got their right rear wheel stuck into the gutter on the side of the road... Thankfully their wares were tied down - the stones glad wrapped and on forklift pallets, and secured in place onto the truck. One person was helping spot the bus as they made the turn, the space was soooo tight in between the edge of the road and the head of the truck that had the accident. We made it! The driver thanked the spotter and we headed on. 

One bus coming down in the opposite lane was taking the corner too fast and our driver had to brake to make sure we didn't crash. One passenger behind us said why they turning so fast... And the driver was like 搞什麼. 

We made it safely to Shizuo and I let Mr Lin know we were here. Less than like 3 mins later he arrived and I was in the middle of typing a message cause I remember his little black SUV, might not fit all our luggage, and said I was willing to walk if no room for luggage lmao. 

Turns out he was driving a van! A van so old, it didn't have seat belts on the back seats. And the windows were manual roll down ones. Nostalgic... Cause dad's Ford in Taiwan was like this. 

Once we checked in, Mr Lin went through the briefing and I translated for L and M. 

We settled in quickly, L and M went to look around, and I unpacked a few things. Then I followed them to the observation deck. 

The mist was coming down really hard now and you can't see anything. Real Silent Hill hours! We took a few photos and observed a stray dog family. 

And then when we came down from the observation deck it started raining. Like real rain not misty drizzle. 

Mrs Lin was coming out front the front and asked us if we needed umbrellas. She gave us two. 

And we were gonna head out but observed the cats as it was feeding time... I crept closer to the back door of the kitchen and Mrs Lin was getting their food ready. 

I ended up asking about the cats and she was happy to talk. 
The cat dad was on the stool and the mum has already passed away. She got them neutered and commented about 3 cats hasn't been cause they weren't old/heavy enough yet, and skittish. 

One cat saw the other get put into the cage and taken so is extra wary now, Mrs Lin wants to get them neutered as they are a girl. 

She also commented the stray dogs had puppies recently and they may be a bit noisier at night. And not to put our shoes outside as the dogs come to eat the leftover cat feed, and sometimes if they don't get any leftovers they get a but grumpy and take a shoe.

Mrs Lin also said to go to the restaurant a little earlier as they may shut early if no business on a weekday. And offered to pick us up if the rain is too heavy - but I think we should be alright. Also to be careful of the cars in the mist and they may not see us, and if I am wearing white it's easier to spot me. M went to change a white jacker. We thanked her and headed to dinner! 

We went to Tong-Xin, the same quickly fry shop I liked a lot last time. 

We ended up getting a lot of food lol. I made sure to get my 酸菜炒羊肉 that I wanted but didn't get to last time.

We got... To share... Pineapple fried shrimp (which came with a sweet mayo??? And sprinkles), crispy tiny shrimp with garlic and herbs, Makao sausage, fried rice, 龍鬚菜, and a small pot of chicken and mushroom soup (which also had some cockles in it!) which was not small at all! We managed to finish 90% of the food, the soup we left half... I couldn't even fit a piece of chicken from it inside... Total was $1350 and we split it into 3.

Then we went to Hi-Life and 7-11 for some drinks that L and M wanted. No bandages in Hi-Life for M but I found my vita C candy for $25! The staff who served me said there's a pharmacy 5 mins up the road. I think this lady may be Indigenous. I thanked her and left. 

Then at 7-11 L and M found everything they needed. 

I hopped outside as I could hear coughing. One staff was changing the banner over the main entrance. They used magnets to fix it in place, the banner scroll itself is that plastic material. 

And then back home. When we headed back, the sky cleared up quite a lot.  We could faintly see the rest of the sunset. Just chill now. I get to have oolong tea... And boiled the jug for it. Then I checked Pokemon and realised one gym was empty, just up at the observation deck at the start of the mist trail, and an egg hatching in 5 mins. So off I go!! Climbing those stairs in quick succession was oof. I got there with a min to spare. 

Like 3 cars passed me by. 

Then back and finally some tea, and relax. Decided to shower first after flicking through the TV - only the basic channels here. 

Showered and now blog, then bed. Breakfast and tea ceremony tomorrow! I am quite tired. 

Taiwan Day 11 - Tainan 2 (spring)

 Today we are going to hit all the Anping stops.

First off we went to Anping Fort, but before that we stopped for lunch at one of the restaurants outside. They had streetside tables and I got danzai noodles which were vermicelli, bean spirits, one prawn, some vege, and a fish ball.

The smell of stinky tofu kept wafting down and I asked the shop lady if they sold stinky tofu? No but they're just up the street so you can bring 外食 here to eat if you want.

After everyone ordered I went up and bought a serving of tofu for $70 and boy was it stinky good. Hit the spot.

L had oyster omelette with oyster rolls? and M had a regular omelette. Pigs ear for side dish as well as some 海帶芽.

After lunch I got some 冬瓜茶 and we headed to Fort Zeelandia. I found the stamps and finished my tea first before going for a walk around. The pits are cool but someone has been down in the pit and moved all the bricks. Later when we left I let the staff know and the groundsman said it's likely to be kids that went in there to play.

The wall has been covered up for maintenance so you can't really see it, which is a real shame. 

I got a good nui photo with some blooms and then eventually made it to the shop at the top of the fort. I found that they were selling portable soap, with a roll on type container (like a glue stick) and got one for the office days. 

Later I went to the toilet and tested it, and then went back to buy the other stick for $50. 

After we were done at the fort, we headed out towards the Tree house, but stopped at the outer wall remnant and also discovered a new historical house open for viewing. Yang house. They had some art painting exhibits inside, available for sale, and a DIY area for kids (but no classes today). They also had a back courtyard. 

Then we kept going and wandered out to a Yang Shin Trading House which is open with heaps of different DIY experience projects. I found an embossed and embossed a page in my stamp book with it. 

Finally we made it to the Tree house lol. 

I opted to skip to buy prawn crackers and then got myself a egg popsicle (plum flavour) to lick while waiting for L and M. The shop lady at the store was so patient with me. 

Soon after they were done, and it was about 3:44pm at this stage. We called a taxi to go to Eternal Golden Castle and I entered so I can sit in the grounds for a rest. I did have a look around, carrying my 10 bags of prawn crackers around with me haha. 

The little shop was moved to a different location and the building has changed as well. They sold out of the t-shirt that I bought in 2023. 

I bought a Kongzhi noodle snack and munched it and L and M joined me shortly. We had a rest and decided to go back to the Old Street for dinner. We ended up Youbiking there and looked up and down the street with temples. 

We settled I'm on a beef noodle soup place with seating on the street. I got a hot plate braised tofu with plain rice. It was so good?! It was sweet, but the sweetness was just slightly caramelised and not too much. The tofu was full of flavour and the plate sizzling. It was great! M had 魯肉飯 and L and a sausage fried rice with prawn rolls. And fresh prawns.

Yummy. This was really good.

Then a taxi home - the driver who accepted our request was driving a Benz 9 seater today and forgot. So he called to ask and make sure it was OK. 

Fare was about $230. The driver was trying to hint I should download another app for taxis as 55688 is hard to get taxis with. But I find it's ok? And then he kinda left it there. But did give me his card for future tours or trips.

Once home it was laundry time. The dryer isn't very hot and took ages, even 2 hrs later it was not completely dry. This was now 10pm. I did postcards in the meantime, and before that one of the reception ladies were curious about NZ so I told her a lot about what she wanted to know. We had a long chat. 

I ended up sleeping st 11pm cause I couldn't shower until the laundry was done, as it was on the ground floor. Their laundry area was outside at the back of the building though.

I just hung out my laundry as best as I could and sort it out tomorrow. 

Taiwan Day 10 - Tainan (spring)

 In the morning we just had breakfast in our rooms with conbini feed, and headed to Zuoying Station for the local train to Tainan. 

Once we got to Tainan the station was so nusy! It's the busiest I've seen it. We got our stamps, and then looked at getting a bigger taxi for our 3 luggage. But 55688 app couldn't find a driver so we said, worst case scenario we take 2 taxis. So we called a normal taxi and they were like pretty much just in front of us. 

The driver was so nice, and we fitted 1 luggage into the back seat on top of L and M's laps. I sat in the front. The driver was introducing which streets, that were close to our hotel, with good eats and events happening, which was the main Street next to Shennong Street. And the street parallel to it had good eats. 

We got to the hotel and thanked the driver, the fare was about $120. 

We checked into the hotel, and the staff could do English. We dropped off our luggage and decided to go to MOGU KABI first, the Capybara cafe. 

Called a cab, and the taxi driver was talking about which pets/dogs he'd like to own, but the are all expensive upkeep dogs. His friend owns a Samoyed which he would also like, and we talked about how the fur of the SAmoyed means a really bad match in Taiwan summer. Basically the air con has to be on 24/7... And only take the doggy out for a pee and can't really do exercise outside. 

He said that he would like to own a Bi'shuan, and he looked up a pic on his phone; it was a black and white sheperd dog. He said they ar the smartest dogs but I said, if they're too smart they will be problematic lol. He said he want to MOGU KABI back in the peak pandemic years with his brother from America, who commented teh food was a little pricy even for him. They weren't allowed to touch the capybaras but it might have been a pandemic measure. Also that he wasn't sure why they're called capybaras now, they used to be called 水屯（？）. I said maybe because the Japanese called it that and it became trendy? Anyways the driver was super nice and the fare was about $105.

The cafe wasn't that busy when we arrived, phew. 

There were 2 other groups of diners there. We opted to get the fruit cakes and if you bought 4 you get a free cooler bag with their cafe image on it. We got an extra fruit tart. I chose lemon, and the extra one was a combo of fruits. It was very good. Mine was SO TART, they used the green lemon, which is very very sour. 

The shop did have 1 LG ThinQ air purifier inside, but it ain't gonna cover everyone with the amount of people in the space... Better than none I guess. 

After eating we were allowed into the outdoor section with the capybaras. They let us touch them, but not if they are feeding/eating. They Re so chill. It feels like touching a bristle brush. 
The younger was was softer. 

After a while we were done and decided to leave for Shikhan Tower. 

The driver we got was also nice, and at the end of the ride I wished him an easy day and he said, 平安就好，to which I said, yes you're very right! The fare was about $105.

As soon as we got in after buying tickets, they had a tour starting at 1:30pm. No English, so I translated for L&M. 

After the tour, we had a look around the gift shop, and I bought some postcards. 

Then we were done and M needed coffee and I decided to go for 冬瓜茶 since I saw the sign. 

The shop had no electricity until 4:30pm, so they were only selling bottled tea. Okay... I'll take it then. This shop must be really famous cause they had so much ordering machines. 

Afterwards, we headed into the Grand Mazu Temple. I remember visiting this temple! They did had a stamp but you have to ask for it at the counter. They have the pool with heaps of turtles. 

Next we went to ChihMei Theatre, where they have the hand painted posters. The theatre has had its 70 year anniversary last year. They also had stamps but only if you buy something! They had heaps of postcards of the master's painted works. I bought a couple and their stamps were all so nice. 

Cause the lady re-added the stamp ink, the stamps too ages to dry hahaha. 

After the theatre, we headed to Snail Alley. 

I was getting a bit tired and hungry and came to Escargot bistro, and they are open until 11pm on weekends. So yes! I ate here and so did L and M. I got a Pesto Tomato Arguala sandwich for $240, and a honey lemon Yuzu drink that was very very nice. My sourdough bread was awesome and the pesto with heaps of flavour but not too overpowering with the garlic. Mmmm. 

Once we rested and filled up a little, we finished looking around the Alley and then headed towards Shennong Street. At the end of Smail Alley exploration, I found the temple that was illustrated on teh floor tiles and the manholes. They had a stamp as well (had to ask the front desk), and it was a super cute one. 

Shennong street was busyyyyyyy. The vibes were great with the lanterns though. We walked to the end of the street, and looked through a few shops. Cause it was so busy, it was easy to miss shops. Once at the end of the street, you cross the road and there is a small section which was much quieter with less shops and more houses. There was an area with a guy selling panna cotta and pudding with his goose pet. The shop was even named after goose and had a drawing of the goose with a pudding on its head. Hehe. 

I had a caramel pudding and the flavour was very rich. The good kept looking as the owner and pecking him affectionately. There was also a black cat that kept meowing in the little stand behind the pudding store, and the owner lady came to open shop (crystals) and the cat came out. 

After pudding, we walked to the end of this street and there was a diety getting ready to go out on a walk in the carriage. The temple workers were doing a process or ceremony with swinging the carriage lightly in place. One staff came over to where we were standing and told us we are OK to go up to take a look. I asked if the diety - 藥皇大帝  was going out ona  stroll. Yes, he said, the diety will go out all around Tainan and also catch any ill spirits on the way and take it back to take care of it.

They are also building a new temple and the staff said they set in the two dragon pillars in the day time today, and then the deity is going on a stroll out in the evening,

We watched for a bit and looked at the dragon pillars, and then headed back home.

We had a look at the other shops on Shennong Street on our way out, and I got some funny stickers at an indie arts shop. The temple on the street was really quiet and I ducked in and found stamps!! 6 of them! 

The lanters with Shennong Street name was free so we got a quick photo.

Then out on the street they had lots of food stalls, and one was an Indigenious stall/cuisine. Called Puliman.

L got some BBQ meat with 刺蔥 and the owner of the stall asked L if it was good. Yes. 

Another uncle stopped by when I was taking to the stall owner and he said he was also Paiwan. Malimali is the northern way of saying thank you, and Masuali is the southern way of saying thank you. 

The uncle asked the stall owner (who was a young lad) where his home and, and the owner also said that the stall is named after his dad because his dad is the one who plants the 刺蔥 and other herbs (but not the Makao pepper). 

That was cool. After the quick chat we headed home, showered, and died. 

Taiwan Day 9 - Kaohsiung 2 (spring)

Out plan today is to do the Lotus Pond Pagodas, the military battlement on Turtle Mountain, and one of the city gates. 

First off we headed to Lotus Pond and Youbiked there. We arrived and parked the bikes, and entered the little gift shop pop up. I got some postcards there, there was a lot of indie artist wares in there. Then we released the Youbike park was around the corner and returned our bikes. 

L went off into the Pagodas to get photos. They finished renovating the Tiger and Dragon pagoda towers but I opted not to go up and see, because climbing stairs in this humidity and heat would make me dizzy, especially as the stairs go round and round, and there was also a fair amount of tourists today. 

M and I went to the temple across the street and licked soft serve. We both got combo flavour of choco and vanilla. It was $40 a serve. 

Then we had a wee look around inside the temple at the intricate art and carvings. 

Of we go along the path as we met back up with L. To the next pagoda! This one extends out into the pond a little more and the breeze is nice. 

We stayed for a bit, and they had a 2F at the pavilion at the very end, which was very full of bird poop everywhere lol. They did have a dragon tunnel you could walk through the head to the tail (one way), and the inside had statues of the various rohan etc, like the Tiger and Dragon Pagodas. 

The third pagoda was very long and had a fish feeding pond! The breeze was good here too. The Yuandi temple had a long walkway down to the temple, and there were statues of various guardians along the bridge/walkway. At the front they had a karaoke station and some uncles were going at it. The koi pond was just off to he side before the main temple. The main temple had a frog with a coin in the mouth where you could touch it for good luck. They also had a stamp! 

Next to the frog there was a glass full of $1 coins so I gave the frog a coin and touched the head, the tail, the feet. 

I also went upstairs and they had Yuandi also venerated there. The room was smoky and stained black from all the incense. 

At the entrance of the main temple they also had many machines that you could do fortunes by putting a coin in, or a rooster with a golden egg that have you a charm. M did this one and got a little wooden charm that wished for peace/safety and fortune to stay inside. 

We started looking for food and there was a shop along across the road that did the wheel cakes. We got 4 red bean, 1 butter, 1 seasame/peanut, and 1 taro. I had the sesame peanut and one red bean. 

Then we wanted pepper buns but when we got there, the owner was preparing tomorrow's buns and said that sold out today. Aww. 

So we just walked along the road and passed a traditional market, and many many old temples/miaow with old sanheyuan style housing down there and around as well. 

We passed a noodle shop and open to eat inside there. I got 酸辣湯麵 and so did L. M got a plate of 10 dumplings of Park & chives, 

L also chose a big plate of 鹵味 as a side dish, We also ordered a plate of kumara leaves for the table, but didn't manage to finish this because we were so full from the wheel cake earlier... 

The soup was great! No unneceesary flavours, full of veges, just right in sourness, light and not heavy, and the kumara leaves were stir fried. M commented she liked the one from yesterday better, which was blanched. 

L managed to finished all of this side dish.... (amazing) and I managed to finish 90% of my bowl, just leaving soup. My noodle was $70! Kumara leave was $40. M's dumplings (10 on a plate) was $60.

After this we went for the Youbike station down the road and decided to finish cycling the pond. On the way we passed a water sports centre, with one uncle just sitting at the stand in the shade, with life jackets for the paddle boats. He had no business.... I wanted to paddle but the thought of actually paddling in the Kaohsiung mugginess put me off. This was right next to a cafe with coffee and M got an iced mocha. 

There was a corgi on the next table over. They had a lot of outdoor seating with a view of the pond, and also a fabulous breeze coming through. L got a macha soft serve. I didn't get anything. 

After this we continued the cycle and got back round to where we started, We saw the water skiing with someone actually doing it in action. They have a pulley system that pulls you along to ski. It looked really cool, perhaps we can do it with the proper preparedness next time. 

Next we went to Turtle Mountain to find the military battlement. The mountain had lots of stairs... And the remnants of the battlement were cool. Smelt very earthy and dusty though! Some of the round placements for the guns, had numbers on it like a clock, for orientation. That's cool. And a little recessed part under the rim, I guess for ammunition storage. 

You can see the qilin rock and the pebbles in the concrete mix, and the remnants of the camouflage paint on the concrete outer. 

There was also a good view of the lake from the mountain. I can see why this was a stragetic military point. 

Afterwards, we walked along the old city wall. We walked along the part where they had juanchun housing, and you can see the joints of the brick walls and the various tiles for kitchen or bathroom. One of the walls even had part of the bathtub with the mosaic, the same an Laolao's house!!!! 

This was neat. The other side of the wall still had housing, I assume the roadside row of the juanchun. There were kids playing in the park (must be primary or before primary aged) and one mum just keeping at eye out. It felt like the kids backyard. 

At the end of the juanchun section, the wall was cordended off so we couldn't go further. They were building that new walkway to see the old city. 

So we had to turn back and go around, passing by the playing kids again. There was a small alley leading to the road so we went out there, and could see the houses of the roadside row. One house had a notice from Taipower warning that they were going to cut power aon March 10th. There were also heaps of mail and flyers stuck in the bars of the front door. Some of the houses had front doors or side entrances that were very nostalgic.... 

We finally got to the South Gate and initially we thought it was covered up, but it was just the end of the walkway being built, and they were building an elevator. The actual South Gate was in the middle of a roundabout, and we could cross to go there. You can go up to the top of the South Gate!! You could get a good view of Building #1 of Guomao. 

Afterwards, we headed to Guomao and had a look at the inside of the buildings where it looked like Kowloon, and then the playground at the centre of the community. We took some photos that looks like a band cover hahaha. 

Then back home. We opted for dinner at Dandan, and got takeaway. They did also have a nice long outdoor seating section with a fantastic breeze flowing through today. 

L and M headed to FamiMart while I waited for the order. 

I got the order and headed to the FamiMart we passed, and they were just finishing up as I arrived. 

They got me breakfast! And I asked if there is banana? No banana... L went back in and got me one. Thank youuuuu. 

Off home we go. We ate,... I got the set #1 with the 肉羹湯麵, L a teriyaki burger, and M the set with 2 types of chicken nuggies. 

I had iced lemon black tea. This was very nice. Their chicken is not greasy but oh so moist and crispy. 

Shower, postcards, blog and bed! Tainan tomorrow. 

Taiwan Day 8 - Chishang/Kaohsiung (spring)

 In the morning we had the Minsu breakfast and they did not have lobogao with the tofu skin, but an onigiri with a salted pickled plum inside instead. The club sandwich had a hash brown inside and it was yummy. I swapped with M's mantou for a kumara one so she could have my red rice once to be different from yesterday.

Then back to our room for a poop and to tidy up the rest of our luggage. 

We opted to check out first and left our luggage storage at reception. Mr Guo was there and said byebye.

We took the Minsu bikes with L taking the Youbike ebike cause it's easier for him to cycle.

On the way to coffee M stopped to see some cats and then more cats followed. One was very vocal and wanted pats. The other 3 stared lol.

A dog from the neighbours came out to greet us and then went back home through the other entrance. 

First we went to Mi May Coffee and the husband was there! We parked the bikes on the side. They have a huge gazebo now. He records every visitor's name and date in a little book, that's so cute.

I also learnt that thank you in Amis is "arai" for Northern (Hualien), and "aguisai" for Southern. They tend to sing out the last vowel longer too.

"Hamhamen tayni kiso" was the new sign, and it still means "welcome" or "hope you'd come". I forgot to get a photo of this.

I chose the 瓜地馬拉 coffee made from central north beans. It had a slightly acidic taste with a dry-sweet aftertaste. It wasn't very strong, but very nice.

M chose a latte and since Mr 老王> (owner's name) gave us 2 cups, he tried some and it was wasn't what he was expecting. They also had rose tea which he let us have a cup to taste. It was more herby floral with a stronger minty taste. But it was smooth.

He is so nice and chatty. He also asked us if we were going to 大池 (yes) and then asked where L was from, and knew how to say thank you and hello in Vietnamese. When we left the wife also walked out of the house and waved goodbye at us.

Dachi is right next door and it wasn't very busy! Score. My order was number 13 lol. We were so full but I stuff it in anyway. I made it and finished it all.

I shared a plate of tofu skin (thick soy with spicy) with M and we had a tofu flower each. M also tried the soy milk and we had a 泡菜 to share. L commented that it tastes like KFC coleslaw lol!! And I can definitely see how.

After we finished we had a look at the factory where they make the tofu skin. So cool. Then we rode back towards the Minsu.

We grabbed our luggage and got ready to leave. I wanted to enter the gate a little early so we can look at the paintings in the corridor between the platform and concourse. Since they swapped all the paintings out!

They have cute name signs too now. 

Not long and the train came. We are in carriage 10 right near the back. The carriage was pretty empty until we got to Taitung.

Going through the tunnels that cut through the tail of Taiwan is cool. My ears pop because of the pressure. The sea view is gloomy today but still beautiful. 

On the train I saw the Taiwan Rock Guy?!? Walk past and did a double take but tried not to stare too much!!! Omg. I spent a couple of minutes trying to figure out if it is him, and even asked M. He was in a green shirt and brown overalls. M concluded it is him because the nose looks the same. WTH!! That was totally unexpected. He got off at Kaohsiung Station. It's like meeting a celebrity in the wild lol. 

We got off at XinZuoying and got our stamps, peed and then bought a ticket for the local train to Zuoying. 

Once off we rolled our luggage 10 mins to the Minsu. The host (did not get him name) was super like making sure we were looked after and knew where everything is by telling us how to work the TV, where the bin is, how to work the door, what the common area is like, which way to turn the tap for hot water, aircon, and saying that there are English channels and switched it to that. Lol that was so funny and I tried to tell him that they like to check out local TV but that didn't go anywhere in convo. XD 

Once we settled in we decided to go for dinner at Guomao and stopped at 麵點麵 for dinner. Their noodle broth were good - I had 榨菜肉絲麵 and the noodles wasn't too salty. The kumara leaves had the raw mince garlic on it :( and the pork belly sauce. :( Nooo. L had a dry beef noodle and M and wonton soup noodle. It was a hit. 

L went around to take photos while I finished eating and M and I ended heading back to the Minsu first to grab stuff. L followed soon and we split up. M went to Kinokuniya and L and I took the 205? Or was it 201? Bus to Dream Time Shopping Mall to go to the Pili store. Before we even got there lol we were sidetracked with the other figure shops while trying to find the way to the Pili store. 

L found some Rockman figures and also a gift for his friend. Very fruitful. We finally made it to the store and they had most of their puppets in glass cabinets above the goods shelf, which was a pity because the reflection made it hard to photo and see the details!!! The store was pretty big and L ended up getting quite a few stuffs and I just got a Thunderbolt Fantasy postcard set. 

L decided to try the gacha for the TBF figures, aiming for LXY and Dan Fei (which we could see at least 1 of each inside), and got 3 duplicates of Lie Mei. His first one was LXY, and then Lie Mei. The third one was also Lie Mei. Lmao. The store had a buy $3000 get $300 promo so we went to exchange that at B2 info desk, and also did tax refund at the same time. Then went back up to do the rest of the gacha with the voucher. The fourth was Dan Fei, yay! But we did the last once since we already bought the gacha, and it was Lie Mei LOL. 

We stopped at 7-11 before heading back up to 2F after the info desk and they had a buy 1 apple soda get second was free. So the shop lady asked L to go get another one and he came back with a diff drink in the same area, but it wasn't part of the promo. And so he went back and went through the queuing maze instead of just around the side straight through and the shop lady was like "why he go through the maze? Www" and I laughed too and said I will tease him later. XD

After the gacha we headed up to 8F as they had an anime exhibition for a couple of series, but mostly ones I haven't seen. It was like 15 mins before 10pm closing time and as we entered the area the shop lady started closing the curtains. So L sped run getting photos while I mostly walked through and ended up at the gift shop. My browsing was made easy by knowing like 2-3 series lol. And then sped purchase when L caught up, a Kusuriya t-shirt and a Dandan Dan cat figure. They had some Western animation goods at the end, K-Pop Demon Hunters and others. Took some photos and headed back out of the mall. 

We opted for a taxi home and the fare coat $295 for a 25 min drive. The cab smelt faintly of cigarette smoke. 

Cause M already went to sleep we had to ring her a few times to wake up her (we organised this before hand) and she came down to open the door for us. Thank you!!! 

Back to sleep. xD

L went off to do laundry and I took a shower and went to bed. 

Taiwan Day 7 - Chishang 2 (spring)

 Today we woke up and had breakfast provided by the Minsu. They use tofu skin from Dachi tofu and their lobogao was the type I like... Clean... And the sauce was just plain deep soy sauce. Yummy!!

A tea egg, a mini sandwich, apples and cherry tomato, and a red rice mantou. 

We ate like kings. Mmmm. 

Afterwards people got ready and I pooped and went to the post office. I bought some stamps for the post cards and since they were bigger, it cost $13 each. The stamp had a horse on it from Chinese new year. Then back to the Minsu, and we got ready to go out. 

We hired a 4 wheeled, 4 seater bike from Chishang FengChing. It had pedals but it was very hard to pedal off as the bike was heavy. We didn't need to pedal and just vroom the handle to go. If we pedalled it felt like Team Rocket lol, because the front 2 seats had pedals. 

First we headed to PX mart and then the FamiMart next door. PX mart didn't have what M needed but we got drinks and I found a Gungun Guruto! FamiMart didn't have either but I bought some red guava and papaya.... 

Out we go. We headed to Dapo pond amd went round the other way that we didn't complete yesterday. So we went over the little bridge. One man caught a fish as we went past. He was getting ready to gut/prepare the fish, but we left and didn't stay to see. 

We went around and stopped at the little pavilion for photos. 

Next stop was the Wan'an Brick Kiln. There was a labrador from the house that had dogs out last time I was there (I remember they had a black one), who came up wagging their tail and just sniffed at us. Their coat was pale creamy colour. Then they went back and drank water. We had a look at the kilns, then headed off to Angel Road and got photos there. It was really picturesque. 

You can get a really good view of the fields from here! 

Then continued onto Brown Bouvelard, where M had 2 $50 coins to get the little souvenir coin. We stopped for an ice block also - I got ponkan flavour. 

One uncle and his friends were tending to him and he held a handkerchief to his eye. Later someone moved our parked bike and an ambulance came to take him away. Two aunties accompanied him. A farmer was doing spraying but helped to load their 4 Youbikes onto the kei truck, and one lady went in the front. She tried to ride on the back though but the farmer said not allowed. He joked that he was spraying medicine and that now he go and help deliver back the Youbikes, someone should help him spray the rice lol. Two of the group was left and they were talking and mentioned the uncle fell off his bike and hit his head. They left on the Youbike. 

We had some red guava that we bought from the FamiMart earlier. That was really nice. We took turns driving. 

Then M and I needed the toilet so left L at the seats and drove off. Once relieved, we came back to pick up L and we decided to go to the little mini Hakka museum where they also serve Hakka cuisine! 

We got a rice bowl each and I got the bubble tea with rice tapioca. Yummy!! The pearls were cubes and was soft but still QQ. The rice bowl was awesome, it came wrapped in a Hakka floral print furoshiki. I really liked the pork bone soup and pickled radish... Yummy... 

After lunch we headed to the Great View Pavilion, and took amazing photos. On the way there just before the pavilion, a couple crashed their little bubu car.... Into the paddy... The lady was sitting on the edge and the man was trying to put thr window panes back onto the car. I called out to them to call the phone for the rental and the lady called out saying they have. 

On the way out from the Pavilion we decided to go to Du Garden. I missed out last time as they were closed that day. It was a very lovely manicured garden. It started to rain down when we arrived. 

It got heavier as we were ready to leave, so we decided to head back to return the bike. 

When we got back, I paid an extra $100 (it was about 4pm) for the rental fee as we went a little overtime. 

The boss lady was so nice. 

Then back to the Minsu for a break. I did some more postcards that I bought at the mini Hakka Museum. Headed back out to the post office, It was a different staff servicing the postal counter now. They always have to check the pricing chart here, they must not get a lot of international mailing. XD

On my way back the boss lady from Chishang FengChing asked me where I was going. I just let her know that back to eh Minsu for a rest and then we'll have a look around the nightmarket later. She asked me where I was staying this time and I said May Rice  - as oer her suggestion and the breakfast is a feast! 

A very short chat and she fared me well and told ne to be careful going back. 

After a while we headed out to the nightmarket and they had kumara balls!!! YAAAA!!! I got one for $50 and asked for half half plum and original flavour, 

M really liked it and eventually went back for another one. Hehe. 

L eyed up the duck stuff at the stall opposite and ended up picking a variety, some included duck tongue, blood cake, and a tofu-gan. He really liked it. 

After that we decided to go see if Soher is open - they had their metal rollers open halfway, and people were inside but they weren't open today or tomorrow. So sad. 

We decided to go to another shop just dpwn the street for some dessert. 田味家-牛汶水. I ended up picking the 牛汶水, M the almond tea, and L a youtiao. The almond tea isn't quite to M's preference, but my 牛汶水 was delicious. The syrup was deeply caramelised and the mochi was yummy,!!! Would come back again. L never had the youtiao hot as the ones he usually get tends to be cold already. 

After that was went home as the shop closes around 7pm. On the way back we checked out the frogs at the pond in front of the station and one wa son the steps. It was too dark to photo but you could clearly see the frog! 

I sorted out the train tickets for tomorrow and went to pay for them at the station. And then realised I haven't finished the papaya so had them. Yummy! 

Back and then shower, and get ready for bed. Man I am so tired. 

Taiwan Day 6 - Chishang (spring)

 Because the 8:40am train was sold out we opted for the 10:30am train instead. 

We got dressed and went to the train station, it's muggy as today....

We found the MRT stamp for Taipei Station, but the HSR and likely TRA ones are probably upstairs. So we left it and went to the platform. 

Out carriage was full and a lot of people got off at Hualien. 

4 hours later we finally reached Chishang. 

Ahhh yes! The air smells so good. They put new paintings in the corridor between the platform and concourse. 

We didn't stop to look at the paintings... Let's do that on our way back. 

We ended up buying the mochi at the station first... Yummy... 

After that we went to our May Rice Minsu. 

Mr Guo checked us in and the total is $5000 for 2 nights. There were no big towels in our room so I went back to ask for some. And there are 2 stray cats that hang around here. 

Once we were settled we headed out to Chishang Bookshop on the bikes provided by the minsu. Only one cat was there - the white one. They are 16 yrs old. The Bookshop got rid of most of their stationary, and rearranged their furniture. There's only one shelf with some stationary now and mostly books on the others. 

We headed out to Dapo pond and rode around the pond, passed by the laundry pavilion, then towards Brown Bouvelard. On our way back we went past Kaneshiro tree, and then the big water wheel. 

There were like only 1 or 2 other tourists at the spots today!! It was so weird and quiet. 

The weather was cloudy and spritzed a wee bit of rain, so it was nice and cool but not cold and not too hot. 

We made it back to town around 6:30pm and then headed out to dinner. 

Soher wasn't open!! For some reason... So we went to Chaobenwei. 

It was quiet enough for me to be OK to eat inside. We git there just before 7pm and they close at 7:30pm - turns out that's the last order and they close shop at 8pm. Phew. 

I had the braised stinky tofu udon noodles and they were yummy. Mildest spice was spicy enough for me! Just right. 

M had 2 types of 抓餅, one was kumara and one was toona leaf. 

L had the same dish as meal bit way more spicy. 

Once done we stopped by the Farmer's Assoc and I bought 3x 3kgs of rice from Chi-long rice (Farmer Peng!). And various other snacks. The shop staff at the counter had a super aloof and teenage I do not care attitude, lol. He looked young haha. I sent the goods back to Taichung. 

Then we headed back and we just showered and got ready for bed. 

Breakfast is at 8-9:30am tomorrow! 

Time to sleep. 

Taipei Day 5 - Yima visit (spring)

 Today I opted to skip the zoo to go to 姨媽's house to rest and hang.

I left at around 10am and got there about 11am.

姨爹' s lil sis was still there but she left about 11:30am.

姨媽 made me lunch - fried egg and onion soup noodle. 

1) heat oil, fry spring onion. 

2) scramble the eggs, wait until charred so the egg smells good. 

3) add some soy sauce, let caramelised. Add yellow wine. 

4) add hot water. 

5) can add some more yellow wine here if ready added. Or just add here. 

6) boil noodles, and cook in soup pot for a bit before plating. 

Shortly after we headed to buy mum's sesame powder, and then send it off at the post office. On the way there we stopped at a fruit shop and they ended up having the honey belle pear?! I couldn't find it in Countdown before I left, lol. What the hell! 姨媽 bought me two and I had one when I got back.

I sent Lake's gift and it cost $498 for 850g (volumetric was 1.7kg though).

Once back at the house, I finished off the postcards and then went down to send them. 

God I was so tired though, and struggled to stay awake.

Went off to the post shop and once back I snoozed. 

I really did sleep, and really tired. 

Then 姨媽 woke me up for pre-dinner which was 冬粉炒大白菜. The dongfen was fat and clear. Super yummy.

And some liang ban cucumbers.

姨媽 cooked some 番茄炒蛋 and 四季豆肉絲. Yummy! With brown rice.

表姐夫 also fried up some turnip cake and I tried 1 slice. It was Canto style and quite yum but I think I still prefer the Tai style with no flavouring.

Yulun (the boy) was reading Cat Warriors. Everyone had dinner and 表姐 gave me a toner with ceramide to try.

表哥 came just as I was getting ready to leave. He was obviously tired and I let him have dinner.

I said bye to everyone. Yushin was in an Elsa dress and was playing shy. 

Gonna miss 姨媽... Hopefully I can come back at the end of the year.

Heading back now and early start tomorrow. 

Taipei Day 4 - Beitou (spring)

 Beitou today!!! 

First we MRT and got off at the Beitou MRT station, and walked towards Shin Beitou Station. We forgot that we were supposed to transfer onto the pink line at the MRT station but oh well, that means we get 2 MRT stamps! 

Then we headed down to Qixing Park, and a man was selling strawberries. We picked the cheapest one at $150. They were tart but yummy. Half the plastic box was just air. XD It was lined with a polystyrene sort of foam and only like 1.5 later of strawberry lined up on the top. 

The old wooden Shin historical Beitou Station was across from the MRT station. The old wooden station had really pretty roof rafters and the roof tiles were copper, so it would have up to 7 different colours depending on the lighting. The windows were round and protuded put from the roof and the unique architecture was pointed out.  The roof gutter piping was copper too. 

The station had a shop inside and some info about the building. Outside there was a old train (pre-air conditioning) with a blue runner that was a Japanese model that ran for many years, adding to the memories of the local Beitou residents. 

Next we headed towards the park and started to stroll towards the Hot Spring Museum. 

We were getting hungry, and we spotted a ramen place just across from the entrance of the park, that had the windows open on 2F. We managed to get a seat next to the window, and thank goodness. The ramen were tourist priced though, at $399 a bowl. It was yum, and their fried tofu was awesome. 

To the Hot Spring Museum now. The museum was busy! 

They were very orderly though, and first we took our shoes off and placed them into the lockers. They had a lot of windows open today, and at the central lounge they had a big tatami mat room, with the sides open to the balcony, so heaps of fresh air. The museum was structured that you could follow the viewing order, and one flight of stairs is one way only, so you go down and then go up another set of stairs. The bottom floor had the big onsen pool, with the stained glass windows. 

There was another room with smaller pools made with the mosaic of 奶奶 and 姥姥's bathtubs!!!!!!!!! I loved this. One of the pools had a screen with a misty effect coming up from the bottom and you could take a photo looking like you're soaking in a natural scenic view background. It was hard hiding the phone in the mist and getting a good photo into frame. 

The Beitou area used to be Taiwan Hollywood due to the large amount of films produced there in the 50-60's. There were heaps of hotels and lots of resorts. If you were a business boss you would come to beitou to have your gatherings and talks, with the makashi (?) bands. Later it became a legal red light district, and then in the 80's it was outlawed so Beitou started to decline. 

Beitou also has the only mineral names after a place in Taiwan called Hokutolite (Japanese pronounciation). This mineral comes from the hot spring waters, and takes 120 yrs to deposit and form. The deeply bluey green of the spring water is one of the 3 types of onsen waters available in Beitou. 

After the museum we went to thermal valley. On the way we stopped for onsen tamago and L got a spicy one. Tea was sold out so I got a non-flavored one and a wine flavoured one. The wine flavoured one really did have quite a strong wine flavour, but the soup it was soaking in is yum. The plain one felt underflavoured in comparison, haha. 

Then we went into Thermal Valley. It was a huge lake that was hot!! With signs saying it is hot and to keep out. I think it was about 75-80°C. So a huge amount of steam rose up all the time. The mud in the lake looked kinda like the moon's surface, crater-y and lots of mountain ranges. It was a small valley and the track went around in a loop. At the entrance they had a hand bath in the shape of Taiwan haha, with the tail being a drain into a secondary pool.

We got to the thermal valley about 4:15pm, and the valley closes at 5pm so we finished more or less on time. We decided to head to a public footbath, and on the way we chance discovered 中心新村!!! I didn't know that was here!! They have 79 houses and eventually all of them will be preserved and open to the public. There was also a stamp rally that pieced together a scenery of the street. 

中心新村 felt the most authentic in the set up and it really did feel like 姥姥's 眷村. So nostalgic... I will come back here again as they close at 6pm and we got here at like 5:15pm. Ahhhhh they even had a public bathhouse/toilet (as no houses had plumbing initially). 

After that we started to head back. We decided to have beef noodles and I found a place about 15 min walk from Shin Beitou Station. It was called 吳家牛肉麵 and there was a line!!!! They had heaps of seating but they were still so busy!!!!!! 

We opted for the other noodle place next door and they were fairly quiet in comparison. The noodles were average, and the soup wasn't very brothy. I had the plain broth (clear soup), and the noodles were just a tad undercooked so it had the floury flavour. 

Once done we headed back to the MRT station to get back to the hotel. 

We stopped by a 7 on the way and bought some stuff for breakfast. 

Then when we were back in Ximen we stopped by Uniqlo and I found a Saint Seiya shirt!! That's a present for Lake, along with the Blokees plakit my friends picked up for me. 

Then back, shower and crash!!! L had energy still and went to DONKI. How. Lmao. My feet actually hurt.

I feel asleep and didn't hear him come back. 

Taipei Day 3 - Sanchong 1st Village (spring)

 Today we are going to Sanchong First Air Force Village to make it for the bunker/ammunition store tour. We got up early and had breakfast at a different store, and then headed to see if Be Coffee was open (they had the dog Bebe) so M could get Bebe coffee. 

But they weren't open!!!! Nooooo!!! 

So we decided to head over to Sanchong early and caught a bus. We managed to find the bus stop that had the earliest bus and got us there the fastest. 

We got there around 10:30am and then signed up for the tour. Since there is no English I did translation for L and M. I missed some details but I got all the important stuff I think!! 

Then afterwards we walked around the village. They also had a flea market/2nd hand bazaar on today and we had a little look around. There were also some food stalls and e got some fresh and had mochi/daifuku. Yummy!! 

So our lunch ended up being various food stall foods lol. I went back for some fried chicken and had some almond tile wafers. The lady for the wafers gave us some new product samples for salted eggs, pork floss, and I think it was seaweed? In a cookie dough. The egg had a great chewy spongy texture and it was sweet and salty. Yummy! 

M went to get some coffee when teh coffee shop opened and they had cats inside!!! 

We took some photos around and looked at the housing - especially number 7 where it was the original size and house (it survived the big flood from the really bad typhoon in year 83, I think). 

We had a look at the bookstore, and the upstairs Akinoshi artist exhibit of the no. 13 gammy store. The 2nd was so nostalgic because it was added on bit by bit, so the floors and entrances to he different rooms were envevn levels amd the windows were ju哥st randomly in an inner house wall! It reminded me of Nana's house so much. TToTT

After the village we decided to skip the Juanguo jade market and head back to he hotel since it was 2pm. We took a taxi back and it was $155.

We had a break and then L & M decided to go to the underground mall while I headed over to Yima's house! I packed her stuff up and I bet it was close to 10kgs lololol. 

I made it and 表姐夫 and Heishin (the lil girl) was there. 表姐 and Shao Ming wasn't there. Yima mentioned she was in Tainan. 表哥 dropped by and I got to meet 姨爹's youngest sister. 小姑姑。Yima took me to 3laochun for dinner and we had a plate of potato and eggplant and the usual meat dumplings. 

We just chatted and then I started feeling tired after din din (I ate quite a lot) and sat for a bit while they chatted, and then headed home. 

I said byee and walked over to Muzha Park to try and see if there were any fireflies, but alas they did not. The path was so dark and scary though lol. 

I got on a bus and headed back. The bus driver braked really hard. He told everyone who got on to hold the hand rail and sit down quickly. 

I got to Ximen and got off, and then there was an arts and culture/crafts market at Ximen Red House. Too tired nooooo. It was sooo crowded with so many tourists... I picked up some breads and banana from FamiMart and then got back, showered and crashed. 

Taipei Day 2 - Beimen relics and Railway Museum (spring)

 Because of jetlag I woke up around 5am....

Someone with a really squeaky wheel rolled past the hallway at something am in the morning.... 

I've gotten dressed am all ready for the day, and scouted out a breakfast shop. Just waiting for everyone else to get ready now!

Once everyone was ready we headed out to the breakfast shop I counted earlier. 麥而美 the name is called. It was about 7:30am when I arrived and there was a corner table free! Score,

I got some beloved lobogao with fried egg and danbing with corn. Some hash to share amongst the table and some chicken balls. Their lobogao sauce has garlic in it.... Yuck. But it Is a tolerable amount,. Yummy. 

Once done we headed back to the hotel to grab some stuffs. On the way we stopped in a Watson for M to grab some stuff she needed. After that we then headed out to MRT Beimen station to see the relics, because that's the only thing open at this time of the day. 

We looked at the relics inside and then headed out to see the old city gate next to the Railway Museum. We ended up going into the Railway Museum and spent 4 hours there. The entry ticket was $100. 

We started looking at the wall remnants and touched Qing dynasty wall, hehehe. 

They had a bunker (that was not open for visiting), and an octagon which used to be a men's public restroom with urinals all facing inwards in the middle. The women's rstrooms were added later as part of renovations. 

Then we went into the gift shop there and I bought some postcards, and a Green Running Man from a crossing light IC card cover. It moves! It's one of those 3D pictures that moves depending on the angle. 

Then we went into the main exhibit hall, and saw the model diorama at the scheduled show time of 10:30am. The trains drive out and it was neat!!

The rest of the hall on 2F had heaaaaps of rail history information in each room. Also memorial stamps! There's also a  film exhibit as well that's like a special arts and culture exhibit that we did not stay for. 

The president's room has baroque plaster decorations on the wall, which they had to restore after the earthquake. There was a exhibit about the restoration too. 

There's also a little toilet on the side with 花磚 that had a TV and 2 stools showcasing something. I didn't have time to sit and look... 

After upstairs, there's more exhibits downstairs too. I got halfway and then we went for lunch. The cafe was really empty, great!! And the windows and doors were open. I got spaghetti bolgnese and L and I couldn't tell our drinks apart so we accidentally had each other's one. I really wanted to try the lemon black tea, and ended up going back for it before we left the museum. $90 for the drink and worth it. 

Back into the exhibit hall and the ladies at the info desk asked if we were re-entering and if we wanted a stamp for re-entry? 

We got stamped anyway and it's such a cute stamp, I asked for one in my stamp book. 

One side was a complete carriage set up of the old KuangKuo railcards that had dining tables in it.  The way the did the windows was really cool, with the glass matte and moving lights imitated a moving carriage. 

Soooo much history and exhibits, and all so cool! After I went back for my lemon tea drink, we sat in the court area outside the gift shop to drink. There were a group of school kids on a trip. 

Once we left we headed towards Dadaocheng and started browsing the shops and getting the stamps. 

M went on ahead to further explore the street whilst L and I stopped in Dadaochen Theatre for the permanent puppet exhibit, and they had a new exhibit on about different potehi masters and how business was down back in the heyday golden era of Dihua St. 

The info centre had a 2F with a old time tea bar. They also showed me the new stamps some shop had, and an exhibit at Sin Hong Choon 新芳春茶行 a historical tea trading company. 

The exhibit introduced 13 historical buildings around Dihua St. This was really cool to learn. Sin Hong Choon had a open sky hole inside the building for natural light and ventilation. That was cool!! 

Then my Cuz 康康 said he was almost at Ximen station, where I agreed to meet him to grab my stuffs. Oh no. I am 30 mins walk away! It is 5:45pm.

 Told him where I am and he said he'll meet me at Beimen. Oh phew thank you! 

I was almost to the MRT station when I met him up by Y23 exit (I had shared my location). I had just arranged to split up with L&M as they wanted to see the Underground Mall, and just as we did my Cuz waved hi at me. He passed me my stuff and said we could possible go to a nightmarket and pointed out 2 famous spots on the MRT lines.  Sweet, thanks Cuz!! 

Then I followed down into the mall and met up with L&M. They had spotted the plush shop right across from the exit and then M bought a fat pudgy cat plush that kinda looked like their cat Rii. It was $1395. 

Then to the Muse store where we spent a wee while. I ended up getting a Tondemo Skill mousepad for $180. L got a Kirito rain jacket, and M got a new Frieren passport cover pouch. 

Then we started to walk down the street, to look for food and also I was looking for Aiolos for Lake. I looked in every recycle shop and turns out he had sold out.... Goddammit why didn't you speak up and tell me then!! Silly boy. 

It was about 7:30pm now and we started to walk out of the mall, but kept getting distracted. Very understandable... You can't help but want to look at everything! 

We made it back to Ximen, and decided on a quick dinner at DONKI. But the time I realised and figured out where the bentou stuff was in DONKI, it was already like 8pm.... Their microwave was outside! For heating up the food. 

And we got back and finished dinner around 9pm. RIP my feet actually hurt a lot and I was hobbling a bit. 

After dinner and rehydration, I took a shower, and finished blogging. Sleep, another day with lots of walking tomorrow! 

Taiwan Day 1 - Taipei (spring)

 This time I am here with my two friends!! 

We got up early and left the house at 7am, and got to the airport. Because our passports had been changed, we couldn't check in online but they let us check in at the kiosks lol. 

The flight was bumpy and I watched Saumrai Time Slipper, and Look Back on the plane. They had a good show selection, 

They served dinner late and by that time I was feeling sick from sitting so long and kinda ill. I felt better when I stood up though, and then ill again when I sit down. As a result I didn't eat much at all for dinner - the beef was was too salty just for the potatoes. The pork belly for lunch was better and I devoured that fast,. 

Once we landed we went through baggage screening before reaching immigration. They have added NZ passports to the e-gates now!! But I chose to go in the line anyway cause I want a physical stamp... 

Soz friends we ended up waiting a bit longer than we needed to, 

Once we got out, L went to pick up his pocket WiFi, and I went to sort out sending out a luggage back down to Taichung with Pelican Express. 

I made sure to get the stamps from the info desk and then we opted to get a taxi to our hotel. Since we had big suitcases and we got a minivan for $1800 to Taipei. Our hotel ended up being right in the middle of Ximending LOL! I did not realise/check that. 

The hotel is old but it has two openable windows in our room!!! 807. 

Wow the noise from the street performance can be heard. XD But they quietened down by about 9pm.

After I showered I pretty much just died into the bed.