Taiwan Day 8 - Tai Chung + Taipei
Last day in Tai Chung and having had the hotel breakfast before, we decided to have a local breakfast. We were supposed to head over to a street where the locals would have their morning breakfast. But due to my rare but rather poor estimation of the walking distance, we had to turn back halfway and settled for Yong He beancurd.
We had to turn back after realising we couldn't reach the place in time, much to meow meow's disappointment
An outlet of the famous Yong He beancurd
But they were selling so many different kinds of breakfast, it led us to think that this might be a bogus store, simply borrowing the name of Yong He
Checked out of the hotel after a quick breakfast but not before realising that Suraj Sharma was here before. It was pretty odd to find his name here
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It was really too much of a hassle to be taking the bus. And since we had found out that the cabs here weren't all that expensive, we simply threw our luggage into the trunk of a cab and zoomed off to the Tai Chung HSR station.
It was only an hour ride back to Taipei and we reached our hotel at around 1230pm, which was way too early for check in as well. So after leaving our luggage with the reception, we headed over to the East District shopping area, also known as Zhongxiao Dunhua.
Zhongxiao Dunhua was really a shopping heaven for girls but pretty much a bore for the dudes. Fashion stores line up street after street. Do be prepared to pay good money for your purchases though.
Feeling like a zombie while the cat skips along the streets
All the store fronts were meticulously decorated to lure you in
And some came with butlers at the doorstep
And of course, the Stay Real franchise by Mayday's lead singer, Ashin. They had two stores in the same vicinity. WTF…
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We probably walked for over an hour trying to find this cafe place called The Coffee Alley Post, which served good waffles. But other than an inconspicuous store sign, it was pretty much hidden from sight. The entrance was only a one-person width stairway leading up to the cafe.
The serving was huge for a waffle creation
But other than that, we had to order a drink each (cafe's policy). I thought it was ridiculous because we are not talking about a glass of coke or sorts but full-on, heavy-duty bubble teas and the likes. In the end, we couldn't finish the drinks and I remember the milkshake was so bad that the cat didn't even drink a quarter of it.
After exploring the East District shopping area, we headed back to our hotel to check in for a little rest before heading out again.
iTaipei Service Apartment has several themed rooms that you can book through the internet. However, as they claimed, you will only get the room you chose if you book direct with them, which we didn't.
So came the long story of us trying to get the room we originally wanted. Despite stating in my reservation that we would like to have the Modern Bvlgari/Grander Chinese Style, we were instead brought to the American Neoclassicism (the one that we least wanted). The problem is, if I ever wanted a white room I could have gone somewhere else for the kind of money we were paying.
We were then told that all the other rooms were occupied because it's the weekend and that because we had checked in late (Although we were there at 2pm and couldn't do so because it is not the official check in time yet so we came back at around 430pm).
After some more requests to check again, we were told there was really no more rooms available but as we left the room shortly after, we saw more guests checking in. And I thought they mentioned there were no more rooms available. Seriously WTF?
It may look nice here but the condition of the room was appalling if you were to look closer. The cleanliness is hugely disappointing, given that we were so impressed with all the previous hotels we were at. There was hair on the bed, blanket and pillows
The kitchenette which we didn't really utilise
The heater in the bathroom requires around 3-4 mins for the water to hit the temperature you set. So if you first set it too hot, you will have to wait again after you lower the temperature. If it is too cold, you wait again after you increase it. The height of the bathtub was too tall and is seriously a hazard
The laundry area at the balcony, which we didn't use either
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The only saving grace was the location, which was situated right above the Qsquare Shopping Mall. But for the price we were paying, we could have easily gotten something better elsewhere. Definitely not going back again.
There were still a lot of stalls lining up the little roads, including this one that handles Singapore delights. Lol
We just had to try this fried rice wrap...
Which actually turned out to be quite decent in the flavour. Although a lot had to be attributed to the mayonnaise sauce. That just makes everything tastes so good
At basement one, the congregation of the food stalls that were previously located near the train station. As the crowd builds up, it can get hard to go through the stalls because the walking paths were simply too narrow
The oyster omelette, taiwan-style. More sweet in nature
It seems crazy to be ordering chicken rice but the meow is a fan of the dish. So there's no running away from ordering it
And we got ourselves a bowl of meatball soup as well, which tasted pretty much like the bak so soup from Indonesia
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It is always a pleasure to be visiting the Shilin night market. Not only do they have some of the best street food, I do feel they have some of the best game stalls around as well.
The fondest memories was from our first trip here where I ended up throwing over 500 darts to win a toy. So obsessed was I with the game that I woke up with a cramped arm the very next day.
This time round, I was less inclined to try out the game stalls. But as we were walking, we finally saw a Ted soft toy (which happened to be a game prize) that looks like the actual character from the movie. It was a game where you have to knock off all the cans on the shelving.
There was a genuinely chance to bag that, although I was still reluctant. It was only under the urging from the meow that I finally relented.
The game didn't turn out well with me missing the last few cans on the shelf. But it did ignite the gamer in me. Deep down, I knew I could win it. So as the cat was about to leave, I begged to try one more time. And boy was it a correct decision. And it was rather nerve wrecking as well because it was only until the very last bean bag that I have finally managed to strike off all the cans. By then a small crowd has gathered and I felt like a winner. Lol.
So I urged the meow to try her hands too but this time at another game stall where you have to knock off as many panels as you can on a tic-tac-toe like board. She was really bad but she was really enjoying herself. And for that, I was very happy seeing her so elated. Although we only managed to win ourselves a small Rilakkuma soft toy this time round.
And so we went back with two more companions joining us on the trip. More of them later.
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