Taiwan Adventure: Day 2 - Miramar Mall and Hwahsi Night Market

     I've been fast-tracking the posting of my Taiwan Adventures considering that I'll be working on my Hong Kong and Shenzhen Adventures soon.  See, I've recently returned from Hong Kong on a four-day trip, and I have to wrap up my Taiwan posts as soon as possible to make way for my new travel adventures.  And, I haven't started on my previous Thailand (March 2010 & 2008), Singapore (October 2008 & 2009), and Hong Kong and Macau (May 2009) Adventures yet.

     So, now, I'll talk about my Miramar Mall and Hwahsi Night Market visits.  Miramar Mall is an out-of-the-way mall located some 15 or so minutes away by cab from the Hello Kitty Sweets cafe.  It can be reached by public transportation, too, via the MRT on the brown line and the free shuttle of the mall.  The only reason why I wanted to go and see the mall, except for the huge ferris wheel on top of it, is my love for Taiwanese drama series.  The Miramar Mall has been featured in Why Why Love starring Rainie Yang and Mike He, both of whom I truly adore.  Though it was so out of the way, it was well worth it.  Heck, if I wasn't too apprehensive of the time (it was almost 9:00 in the evening), and too tired, I would have loved to watch a movie in their IMAX theater and hang out with the young crowd.  Well, let's just say that the mall was teeming with teens and college-aged kids.  I'm 31 already, but well, I think I best relate with people younger than I am and I really get along with them, like my nieces and nephews.  Perhaps because I failed to mature mentally that we're more or less on the same level. Heehee.

     While inside the mall, I saw a poster of the new Meitantei Conan movie and the people were giving me curious stares...what the hell is that woman doing taking pictures of a movie poster like crazy?  See, in the Philippines, anime and other Asian movies are not marketed to be shown on the big screen, save for the influx of horror films some five or so years ago like The Ring.  So, I was so excited to see that Detective Conan poster.

     After a while, I decided to head to the hotel and retire for the night.  Luckily, I saw a free shuttle going to Shilin Night Market.  I hopped on the bus and the ride to Shilin Market was tranquil: the tree-lined streets at night were a sight to behold, plus, it passed by somewhere we could see the Grand Hotel in all its blazing glory.  Really a sight to behold especially at night.

     Considering that the bus stopped at Shilin Night Market, I looked around for a while and after some thirty minutes, I rode the MRT going to Longshan Temple.  Since it was late already, I might as well visit the Hwahsi Night Market.  I know, I was supposed to head directly to the hotel but I might as well maximize my time in Taipei, right?

     From Shilin Night Market, or Jiantan Station, I rode the red line going to the Taipei Main Station, and changed to the blue line going to Longshan Station.  The shops at the underground market at the MRT station in Longshan were already closing and I hurried to the Hwahsi Night Market, which was just across the street from the Longshan Temple.  There were many people, and though it was already late, it was still humid.  I just took a couple of pictures and I hurried back to the station.  I didn't know what time it would close so I ditched my idea to go to Ximenting.  Instead, I went back to my  hotel.  This time, I really retired for the night.

The cast of Why Why Love.
Photographic evidence why I love Rainie Yang and Mike He.
They're too cute for words!

(Wrong spelling; should have been Miramar Mall.  Sorry for the faux pas)

The same background above in the pictures below:

...and here:

This is where some scenes from the series were shot:

I didn't ride the ferris wheel because I'm a wuss.
How many couples do you think were cuddling in there? Hmm...

Hwahsi Night Market

Taiwan Adventure: Day 2 - Hello Kitty Sweets

     I love everything cute, and it includes Hello Kitty.  I don't know where this fascination with Hello Kitty came from.  I think I was in college when the allure of the furry cat caught my attention.  See, I hated the color pink before, but Hello Kitty made me accept the detestable color in my life and now, pink and I are friends.

     Anyway, I thoroughly researched the Hello Kitty Sweets on the internet and I was glad to know that it's located near my hotel, just one stop easily reached via the MTR.  From the MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing Station Exit 3 (across the white Sogo Department Store), walk one block, then turn right and you'll find the Hello Kitty Sweets along the street.  The walking time takes approximately five minutes.

    In my case, I went to Hello Kitty Sweets after returning from my Jiufen tour, and although I was not able to eat anything since 7:00 a.m., I wasn't famished.  It was a good thing, though, because the dinner I ordered from the menu, with the help of the waitresses wearing pink loli outfits, was light.  Just a caesar's salad with chicken and the drinks and dessert that came with it.

     Well, the food is okay, nothing to rave about.  After all, I went there to see the restaurant and to experience dining in Hello Kitty fashion.  It did not disappoint.  Everything is Hello Kitty in pink and white.  The walls, the doors, the ceilings, the tables, the furnishings.  Everything is kawaii!  Even the restroom is decorated pink and white.  The downside is that the food is quite expensive, and there is a minimum food purchase per person of NTD 300.00.  With the expensive price, it'd be easy to reach that minimum.  However, to save some money, don't order dessert anymore because the main dishes come with free drinks and gelatin dessert, unless you really want to eat a cake.

     As for the service, it's really superb.  I don't speak Mandarin so when I asked help in choosing from the menu entirely written in Mandarin, almost all the waitresses came to my rescue and bounced off ideas explaining the menu to me.  And, when I was not able to get a cab because the cabbies I talked with didn't speak English, the cashier downstairs asked one of the waitresses to hail me a cab going to my destination.  Indeed, they're really helpful, like out-of-the-way helpful, and I'm grateful for that.

     Will I return to Hello Kitty Sweets? Of course.  And I might even try visiting the Hello Kitty hotel room and the Hello Kitty ferris wheel in Kaoshiung the next time I visit Taiwan.

     

Taiwan Adventures: Day 2 - Jiufen

  

     This is one of the must-see places for me in Taiwan.  My trip would not have been that happy if I didn't go to Jiufen.  See, I'm a huge anime fan; and any anime enthusiast should know Hayao Miyazaki and his masterpieces, one of which is Spirited Away.  And, apparently, Miyazaki's inspiration for the teahouses in Spirited Away came from actual teahouses in Jiufen.  The narrow, chinese-lantern laden streets, to the noh mask on the wall of one of the teahouses, everything appealed to me. So, I really had to go there no matter what, even for a short period of time.

     According to our tour guide, Jiufen means nine portions, or something.  Apparently, Juifen originally had nine families settled in there, and since the travel from Juifen to the town was far, to save time and cost, whenever one family one goes to town to do shopping, they would have to buy for all the other families.  So, they would have to buy nine of each item.  Hence, the name Jiufen.  To keep the tradition alive, the tour guide told us that we may buy nine of each item, and help the economy.

     As we were nearing Juifen, I noticed that there were buses parked on the side of the roads, and lots of people were walking uphill.  A few moments later and we encountered a traffic jam, but we were almost at the entrance.  The guide told us that if we were riding the big bus, we would have to hike on foot all the way up to the entrance; only small vehicles, such as vans, are allowed since the roads are narrow and busy.  Moreso, it was a weekend and it was packed with tourists.

     The entrance is beside a 7-11, but the alley is so narrow that it was easy to miss.  Our guide told us that the stalls are sequentially numbered and that we'd meet at a certain stall somewhere in the middle, gave each of us the number of the stall and the time we were supposed to congregate there.  We were supposed to roam around by ourselves; some free time for us to eat, sightsee and of course, shop.

    

     After an hour of shopping, I realized, I haven't eaten any taro balls yet, let alone any solid food since 7 a.m., but our free time was up.  Grudgingly, I went to our meeting place around 4:00 p.m.  The guide then walked us through the narrow paths leading to those oh-so-famous steps and to the platform to get pictures of "the teahouse" and it was so worth it.  So nostalgic...I made a mental note to myself that I must return to Jiufen and stay there longer.  And of course, never to return there on a weekend.  So many tourists.

     Though it was a short visit, I was grateful that we had a tour guide.  At least, we started at the top, near the entrance, going all the way down, and not the other way around.  It would have been brutal to climb those narrow steps, no?

Back from Hong Kong and Shenzhen

     We came back from our four-day trip to Hong Kong and Shenzhen yesterday, around 12 midnight.  Casting aside worries, we encountered no problems during our trip.  No stares, no prejudice, nothing.  Business as usual, so they say, even if some of the Hong Kong people knew we were Filipinos and even if news of the hostage crisis were being shown almost every 15 minutes on some public transportations.  Really, if Filipinos would not stop worrying about travelling to Hong Kong because of the Manila hostage crisis, then, we'd be the ones who'd be harboring feelings of prejudice, and not the other way around.  Don't create fears out of nothing; don't let your own ghosts haunt you. Seriously.

     Well, I cannot fault most Filipinos for being afraid; it was fueled by the words of a Filipino consul in Hong Kong to not go there if Filipinos have apprehensions.  Rather irresponsible if you ask me.  However, it's but normal to have fears, but to overreact? Sheesh.  Most of the times, it's better to believe in the goodness and fairness of mankind than be paranoid.  Just try to think positive; negativity is the harbinger of bad luck if you ask me.  Enjoy your travel to Hong Kong and China, as I did mine.  Of course, always exercise prudence and common sense; you need it anywhere anyway.

     To my countrymen, don't let your own fear and prejudice affect your planned itineraries to Hong Kong and China.  After all, we're all human beings; let's not allow the monsters of our own creations dictate our lives. :-)  

Taiwan Adventure: Day 2 - Northeast Coast

      
     This is a rather long post.  So sorry for the incessant chatter.    

     After my morning trip to Beitou, I went back to the hotel where the tour guide for my Jiufen trip fetched me. I found the travel agency via the Taiwan Tour Bus in the Taiwan tourism website and booked and paid the cost online.  According to the tour package, the guide would take us to the Northeast Coast, Jiufen and back to Taipei. I paid NTD 1,100 for the tour.

     My tour group consists of an Indian family of three (mom, dad and adult son), a gentleman from the US, plus our driver and tour guide. We went aboard a spacious van and I had the seat at the back all by myself. The airconditioning was cranked up high, thank God for that, to alleviate the heat from the summer sun.

     Our tour guide was lively enough and told us quite a number of interesting tidbits about the places we were to visit and about Taiwan in general. I forgot about most of it, though. I have very short attention and memory span. Lol.

     Anyway, we finally reached a coastal area, called the Northeast Coast and we passed by some huge rock formations, apparently, it's called the Nanya Rock Formations, and the old mining site adjacent to the Yin Yang Sea, or the two-colored bay. The area is so pretty: lush, green mountains on one side and the ocean on the other side.

     We had a short stop at some viewing deck some place near where the mountain with a profile of a human could be found. According to the tour guide, we should use our imagination to see the “profile.” He then asked us one by one whether we could see the nose and all, and he had drawn on paper what we were supposed to be seeing. It was funny. But for all I know, I might have misunderstood him, especially that I wasn't paying attention anyway.  That would have been funnier.  There were some huge tetrapods, those four-spiked concrete armor found on breakwaters laying steadily on the coast. I call it the monster jackstones. And I was so excited to see those.  I have been seeing them on some Japanese tv series and I find them quite lovely and fascinating.  Makes me want to stand beside the tetrapods to see how gigantic they are.  Oh, I also saw lots of tetrapods in Danshui, near the Lover's Bridge.  If it wasn't so windy when I went in Danshui, I would have loved to stroll along the breakwater and act as if I'm the heroine of some asian drama series.  Haha!

     There were a lot of people fishing on the rock formations and some were picnicking, swimming, and even scuba diving.  It's like a go-to place for a weekend getaway with family and friends.  And why not?  The beauty of the northeast coast is just so visually stunning: clear blue skies, earthen color of the rocks, the vibrant green of the mountains...

     After that, the guide brought us to see some pretty rock formations. He even led us atop one of the rocks but I didn’t climb on it; it was slippery and I was wearing slippery-soled sandals. And, I’m kinda scared of heights. I have no problem going up, but I have a lot of problems going down. So, I was like a kid who couldn’t play ball during P.E. class. :-(
 

     Since the tour guide was being so generous, he allowed us to stop at the Ying Yang Sea to take some pictures. Apparently, the ore color trailing from the edge of the coastal highway towards the sea comes from the old mining/smelting site on the adjacent hill.  And some of those monster jackstones have been heavily saturated with the ore color as well.  The hues of the tetrapods are a sight to behold.  Really.  And it translates well in pictures.

      We wrapped up our Northeast Coast tour and we proceeded to ascend the narrow , winding road going to Juifen. Yay!

Hong Kong Travel Next Week - Why Not?

     I am going to Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China, next week via Cebu Pacific.  I bought the tickets last July during one of the seat sales offered by the said airline.  But with all the repercussions brought about by the Manila hostage debacle, including the backlash and disdain against Filipinos in general, I have been asked one too many times whether we'd still continue with our travel to Hong Kong.  And I always answer in the affirmative.  Yes, of course, and why not?

     I know security could be an issue.  Imagine, a guest from a country where its Hong Kong guests met a gruesome fate visits Hong Kong just a few days after the incident.  Tensions are still high; emotions, still raw.  I've even read that some Chinese visas issued to Filipinos were canceled, and  that a Hong Kong immigration officer threw a Philippine Senator's passport to him.  I don't know the circumstances how and why it happened; for all we know, it may have been for an entirely different reason.  Personally, however, I have always believed in the goodness and fairness of humans.  I may get some steely gaze, some rude comments, some rash behavior directed against me, but I could get it anywhere in the world, even in my own country.   Heck, I even went to Hong Kong during the height of the AH1N1 scare last year; to Thailand this year when the faction between the red shirts and government was escalating; I even traveled to Taiwan, alone. 

     I am not, however, a moth trying to get near the flame.  Of course, I have some apprehensions; I'm but human.  It's just that I am no more safe in my country than in any other place.  Unless and until the government issues an advisory against traveling to Hong Kong, I'd go there. After all, love for Mickey Mouse transcends all bounds; it heals.

     As a fellow traveler, I condemn the hostage incident and the way the government [mis]handled it.  Innocent guests who only wanted to experience the beauty of our country met a tragic fate.  It could have happened to me; it could have happened to anyone else.

     Perhaps, people's feelings have not been placated yet, and for good reasons.  We've been witnesses to how it all happened, glued to our televisions watching a real-life "prime time"drama unfold before our very eyes.  We've all felt a sense of helplessness and loss when an escaped hostage shouted everyone's dead; and we've all felt a gush of relief and hope when one by one, the survivors were led out of the bus.  It was an intense, long-drawn-out incident, and never had I felt so much empathy for strangers, those hapless victims of the hostage-taking.  No wonder, the feelings of those who share the same nationality as the victims, mostly Chinese from Hong Kong, are slighted, enraged, baffled as to how it ended in a bloodbath.  They feel doubtful of our government's capabilities, and some, turn rage into hate.  We understand that; we're humans, too, and we also feel the same way.  We're affected by it, we're likewise enraged by it.  Lives were lost, and now, the Philippines is paying for it, and it's taking its toll on ordinary citizens like us.  The crime of one, and the folly and ineptitude of a few mark the downfall of the entire nation and shape how the world sees us.  We carry the burden, too, and bear the brunt of the multitude.  I don't have an explanation to offer in defense of my country.  I could only say, I'm sorry.

Taiwan Adventure Day 2 - Beitou

     

     For my second day in Taiwan, which happened to be my birthday, I went to Beitou.  It was already past 9 in the morning when I rode the MRT going there.  It was a long ride, and I had to change trains four times: first, from Nanjing Station to Zhongxiao Fuxing Station; second, from Zhongxiao Fuxing to Taipei Main Station; third; from Taipei Main Station to Beitou Station; and fourth, from Beitou Station to Xinbeitou Station.  Travel was about an hour. 

     From the Xinbeitou Station, I crossed the street and walked towards the Beitou Park.  A couple of minutes later, I saw a very beautiful library.  Apparently, it's Taiwan's first green library, and indeed, it looked eco-friendly.  Made of dark wood with large french windows, it looked so serene surrounded by an outdoor garden with two lily ponds.  It's a sight to behold, and I wanted to go inside, pick a spot near the window, read a book, and just be lost in my own little world.  Ahh...I so wanted to do that, but I didn't have the time and the liberty to do so.  It made me want to go and live in Taiwan if only for the library.

     After taking loads of pictures of the library and of the water lilies under the mid-morning sun, and feeling the heat intensify, I walked to the library's next door neighbor, the Beitou Museum.  But unlike most guests, I took the path from the library's garden to the trail at the back of the museum.  The little stream was so pretty, and there was a rustic looking wooden gazebo.  From there, I walked at the side of the museum's garden and then to main road to reach the entrance.  I took the long way but it was worth it.

      Upon entering the museum, the guests were asked to take off their shoes and to wear the slippers provided.  Most importantly, the staff gave away a fan to each visitor which I was so grateful for.  It was almost 11 a.m. and it was so hot.  Anyway, the museum is a huge house, reminiscent of those English houses with lovely gardens; it also has a lily pond outside.  It has two floors; the main floor features a huge tatami room, like the long dining halls in a ryokan, with a mini-stage.  It comes complete with shoji windows.  Too bad it's off limits to go inside.  There's also a fake cherry blossom tree in full bloom just outside the Japanese room which was well-lighted thanks to a glass-paneled ceiling.  Downstairs, are the various hot springs baths; the roman bath and the Japanese bath among others.

     Afterwards, I headed to the Beitou Thermal Valley, some five minutes away on foot from the museum.  And as I came nearer the entrance, the smell of rotten eggs became more pervasive.  Ah...the stench and the mid-day heat.  Perfect combination, lol!  Good thing that I had my pale yellow umbrella with me; it shielded not only the sun but also the fumes every time the wind billows.  Well, the stench was all worth the dream-like experience I had at the Thermal Valley.  The hot springs produces mist which is both lovely and smelly, but  it evokes that fantasy-like atmosphere.  So dreamy...and so hot under the mid-day sun. 

     And, speaking of mid-day, I had to rush to the MRT station because I needed to return to the hotel in time for my Jiufen guided tour in the afternoon.  I had a hard time hailing a cab so I jogged the whole way down to the Station.  Good thing that I was able to return to the hotel with some 30 minutes to spare.  I even had the time to take a quick shower before the tour guide fetched me around 1:20 p.m.  I was not able to eat lunch, though.  It was lunch or shower, so I chose shower.  I just sipped a free cup of coffee at the hotel's business center, and tossed some water, a face towel, a wrap, and some moisturizer in my shopping bag, and I was good to go.  I was able to rest, and cool down, on the tour van going to Jiufen.  Thank God for airconditioning!

Beitou Library