day2; beitou

after spending 2 nights at SeeYou hotel, we checked out and embarked on a journey to beitou, one of the towns on a higher altitude that was famous for its hot springs. however, we did not catch a chance to try out its natural open-air hot spring, which was full to the brim of people in various interesting swimsuits that were otherwise not exactly suitable in winter weather.

wooden signs outside the hot springs

cute innit this fat furry thingy?? taken with a 300mm lens as this chubby fellow was cleaning itself on a roof

the closest we could get to a hot spring was to visit the Beitou Hot Spring Museum. oh and check into a hot spring hotel later in the day.

there was this area that depicted what a public bath looked like, i just couldn't resist stepping into it. and i did something really crazy, which shall remain untold, ahem.

a hokutolite, or beitou rock which i guess is one of the vital materials for the hot spring. and also where the name of the place originated from

i absolutely adore this stained glass-window

within the vicinity of the museum was a public library of some sort, and outside it were numerous interesting manmade "rocks" with writings on it that actually tells stories if you start reading the words from the centre spiraling down its circumference.

if only all libraries were set as close to nature as this one.

it was actually quite refreshing to be that close to nature but still admire the modern architecture around. in such perfect weather it was as if we were in heaven, or at least, heaven on earth.

as our stomach grumbled, signalling time for lunch, the driver drove us further on in search of food. warm foods, soup, and local delicacies. the right amount of warmth, neutralized the chilling cold as it started to rain; what more could we ask for? it was damn perfect.

local bamboo shoots, if i remember correctly

a peculiar tasting local dish called "cross cat" when directly translated from mandarin

i would call this dish spearheaded shrimps cuz i dont know its name!

after lunch, we advanced to our hot springs hotel, passing YangMing along the way. the driver said we had to take picture with the famous "YangMingShan flower clock". he was so persistent about it that we had to brave the strong wind and rain to stand there for 5 minutes, snap a few pics, laughed hysterically at the umbrellas that were blown into the shape of flowers by the crazy rain.

happy almost-dry people, and me, with the camera. oh look at mum's overturned umbrella!

the town of YangMingShan

after checking in, we went to the Fishermen's Wharf at Danshui where the wind was stronger, the rain heavier, and the laughtersmany times more hysterical! post to follow later!

heart

although i had to unbox this thing by myself, it was still a very sweet surprise, especially when there's no special occasion or celebration. thankyou, love you too X)

have i told u lately,

1. that i took a short excursion to taiping with him two saturdays ago

2. that i found this jan2006 copy of Autocar while spring cleaning my room; it's a "mini special" copy! i was so ecstatic it felt absolutely normal to grin crazily while alone

3. that xiaoxiao now sleeps so much in the morning she can hardly stay put in the evening

4. that i have been playing around in grandpa's garden

and that this title has nothing to do with a song.

taiwan diaries; day 1

and finally, i have overcame procrastination and setting foot on this blog; or rather, fingers on the keyboard. what better way to start a new (blogging) year than by going back to taiwan, day 1.

i havent seen such an antique looking radio in aeons. sanyo?

we actually arrived at taiwan on 11th dec at around 11pm. checked into SeeYou Hotel, ate a red bean bun courtesy of auntie su who was already there, took a warm bath, unpack a little, laze around, slump down on the bed and went straight to dreamland. the next day, well, it's all here :)

i have no idea what this plate of awesomeness is called. egg crepes, perhaps?

after having a super cheap breakfast, we did a little "photo walk" around the streets around our hotel.

ahem, yes, i take pictures with one eye closed.

with our tummies filled, we made our way up to the taipei101. not only was its building taller than anyone else's, with minimal but matching blue ornaments, its christmas tree did not disappoint too!

love this picture to bits!

i have no idea why this picture refuses to rotate itself!

a whole dress made out of beads!

the coral handcrafted statuettes were amazing! if my memory did not fail me, they were mostly made from red coral(?). oh and the owls, how can one not be tempted to take them out of their protective glass cases, chuck them in your bag and carry them all the thousands of miles home?

the remainder of the afternoon was spent walking around the shopping section at taipei101 and then off to XiMenDing! this was where i saw the first mini cooper in taiwan, a bronze limited edition, i professed my love for minis by slapping hui's arm really hard and excitedly asking her to "take peeeeekture take peeeekture!!"

by nighttime, the only rational place to visit after a light dinner of szechuan style porridge was the infamous ShihLin night market. loved taipei's metro, no tickets, only a small recyclable dark blue plastic coin; chic.

anyways, shihlin was swarmed with people grabbing local delicacies as well as imported goods such as clothes from america and accessories from korea. let's just say we didnt let ourselves down there, shall we? shihlin was warm and crowded, but colourful.

printing error? or spelling mistake?

marshmallows!!

corndog!

and when i saw another pearl (/cream?) white cooper parked by the roadside, the fangirl in me cannot contain herself any longer. i snapped a pic, went up to touch it and smiled slyly to myself *grins*