Almost 2 years since my last long holiday. Been busy since my wife gets pregnant and now my cute little bb is 1 yr old. My plan to Italy & Japan never materialize. End of Oct realize both my wife & myself can squeeze out some time for our holiday this year. But time is short to plan to go Italy, so we decided to go Taiwan…. Not a place in my priority because I always like to view a country with rich history.
day 1
Today we stay at Ying Zhen hotel, which very close to the City of Tao Yuan. Hotel is clean, bathroom with custom made Jacuzzi instead of tub.
The master remote control is cool, TV, lights & aircon all control by this
After a short rest, we took a cab to the city of Tao yuan near the train station. He we hv our first bite of street food.
Cant remember the name of this, its like popiah here, but full of vege, no sausage, taste enhanced by the ‘Rou shi’, great taste and very healthy food.
After that we just walk around the city, in shopping center and the street.
Bought another snack
The fired sweet potato ball, it is not like Malaysia one, they press while they frying it, its chewy and air trap in the ball…. Good!
Dinner, we decided to go for something very special in Taiwan. The braise stuff. Da lu tong
Yeap, I pick up some mushroom, intestine, vege, taufu, seaweed, sausage + some thick glass noodle, delicious.
While we walking back to hotel, I saw something I wanted to try even I’m full. My dessert
Ginger soup Taofufa + boiled peanut
That’s not end….. I bought a cake for my wife and myself. A French thousand slice cake…. The brandy cream between the slices… YUMMY!
day 2
After we get to know our guide and other ppl who is going to travel with us for the next few days, we move south. First stop, self pick tomato farm.
I love the tomato juice, taste enhanced by plum powder.
Lunch, was served at Tai Chung in this restaurant
Average dishes, no complaint I but here I hv my 1st taste of the ‘lu ro’ rice.
After lunch, we were asked to try the Taiwan Chewing GUM
Not bad…. But most ppl on the bus are focus on the sexy sales gal…. sorry, better don’t post the photo here….
Da keng farm stay…. A remote area, fresh air, was told most ID Deco & some furniture was made by hands from the wood floating on big flood happened yr ago….
The room is so nice…
Temperature is around 18 before I get into the hot spring spa
Just 33 degree C in the outdoor hot spring today
Yes. My ball go into the hot spring spa, steam room, sauna with me!!!
Today Dinner bit special, mostly village style dishes
The deco of the restaurant is good
Jiu cheng ta fried eggs, 3 cup chicken, ginseng vege, etc I just cant get use to the taste of the soup, otherwise is perfect, specially like the tempura sweet potato (again taste enhance with plum powder(nobody in my table actually notice till I tell them))
After dinner some1 led us in the traditional dancing & singing, we were asked to try to make the muachee the traditional way…. Most lady find it hard.
We were welcome once again with some fire works here
Day 3 still rainy
1st stop, the Fo Guang Shan…. Founded by Master Xing Yun, who also the founder of Malaysia famous Tong Chan Shi in Jenjarom. It’s a huge temple, even with a small museum of Buddhism of the world.
Some wrist shots here
Lunch in a Hakka village
This old man actually use the iron saw to play with some music, like ghost sound to me
Sorry, forgot to take photo here. The Bai Zhan Chicken is fat and juicy…. Fantastic!
After lunch I also try the ‘Lei Cha’ its very much different from the Malaysia and China Version. Instead of some green like mint and jiu cheng ta, they put a lot of nuts…. And their hakka is closer to Hai Fung, more like Hai Lu Fung & He Po…
Here I found the big glass botol coke and the ‘tan choo’ carbonate drinks
Then we move to Gao Shiong
Visit the biggest shopping mall here
Shopping in Taiwan is not our priority, we opted for a Hello Kitty EYE
Love boat ride on Love river
Here we saw a bus that can go into water
Dinner at Liu He night market…. YES
Da Chye mian
Serve with braised pork leg
Ten herb rib & vege
Its not as good as our bakuteh in klang afterall…. Hmm… I miss bakuteh
Even the vege is mixed with the lu rou…sinfully, oily, tasty
Drinks?
Papaya milk
Snack? Guess what?
Got it? No? its squid egg
We bought some local season fruits here… everything is sweet… I like the grapes especially…
Also tabao taufufa as dessert…. The taufufa so smooth even after take it after 2 hours in hotel…
The room in Gao Shiung Jen dao Hotel is so nice….
day 4 cloudy
Move north. 1st stop, sun moon lake
Lunch here. The 3 cups chicken is fantastic, the wild boar meat is good but the cooking is so so…. Bit wasted the good meat.
After lunch, visit the peacock garden….when we get down from bus… so many honey bee fly around n stick to us…. So we decided to skip this…. Some bee actually follow us up to bus… then we move to the ‘ wen wu ‘ temple
Move north to Taoyuan area, to this Beautiful Tong Shen San Zhuang
Some1 said 1 famous Taiwan TV series ‘ ming zhong zhu ding wo ai ni’ have some shots done here.
The ‘tatami ‘ room is cool… 2 big bed for 2 person….
The room also comes with indoor Jacuzzi, but we go for the public SPA instead. 42.5 degree C, I still brought my ball to jump in to it… LOL
Dinner was so so…. But too big portion, bit salty to my taste…. Hm… they tried ot scare me…. Still celebrating Halloween!
day 5 rainy
Morning walk in this beautiful ex Ms Song house
They r preparing for the ‘JU HUA’ festival
Next stop, the ‘Zhong Lie Shi’
After that, some shopping…. Tour guide led us to buy ‘tian lu’ , the fung shui creature…. Hmm… wasting my time listening to those basic fung shui theory…. Still, our member from Singapore bought it, I rather look at this natural stone, dreaming of my next lunch
Lunch in Taipei town, so called the ‘guo yen’, the menu where the ex president serve foreign visitor…. The only dish good is the Chicken!!!
Next, here we go, the former tallest building in the world, 101
Here I visited
My wife trying her wrist shot here
Next, we pay extra to ask the guide to bring us to this, YELIU
And also Jiu Fen
Here I tasted so many good food
‘fook zhou’ ball, drunken chicken, famous fen yuan, etc.
Back to Taipei, poor food from ‘shi ling’ market so reached hotel, I walked down to nearby famous ‘hu shu zhang’ ‘lu rou’ rice
The next 2 days, when I’m on my own….
I tried the famous, in xi menting I tried the ‘ah zhong mian xian’ , ‘xie xie you yu geng’, ‘yao rou bian goose meat’, award winning ‘bi mu yu geng’, the oldest café in ximenting.
I also walked to Taipei station tried the ‘yong he salty soya’, ‘ san wei xiang meat bao’, award winning lian ping beef noodle....
Besides that I took mrt to zhong xiao tun hua n fuxin to try the jay chow restaurant ‘ Japanese pork chop rice ‘tun wu’, the ‘tong qu fen yuan’…
some photo along the trip for sharing