Taiwan Trip Day 1: 7th Feb 2015, Saturday
台湾之旅第一天：2月7日2015年, 星期六
Attractions for the day:
Ximending 西門町 [Google Maps link]
Modern Toilet Restaurant 便所主題餐廳 [Google Maps link]
Ay-Chung Rice-flour noodle 阿宗面线 [Google Maps link]
The Red House 西門紅樓 [Google Maps link]
Accommodation for the day:
Royal Hotel 皇家飯店 [Google Maps link]
Momorange's first visit to Taiwan! It is definitely a favourite amongst Singaporeans because there is no language barrier if you are Chinese, and of course because of the cheap and good food. Coupled with the fact that their culture and people are quite similar to those of the Japanese (who doesn't like anything to do with Japan?) such as their courtesy and the super friendly way they treat people, it is not difficult to understand why it is one of the most popular travel destinations in Asia.
And off we go to Taiwan!
Our TigerAir plane that brought us to Taiwan.
My last trip to Taiwan was back in 2009. So my memories of Taiwan had pretty much faded with time (and age). Our first look of Taiwan was of course the airport which we arrived in. At the arrival hall, we were greeted with some interesting architecture. Of course next up was the queue to get our passports chopped. After all the necessary was done, we immediately went down to the floor below to get some food from the convenience store. Got sandwich and onigiri (see? so Japanese!) to munch on during the ride to Taipei City.
Architecture art at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
Momo Dear all ready for the cold weather in Taiwan.
Just around the corner and a short distance from the convenience store, we approached the Kuo-Kuang Motor Transport counter and made use of the free bus ride voucher we received from the Taiwan Tourism Board back in Singapore in exchange for free bus tickets to board the bus that would bring us to Taipei Main Station. Saved us about S$5 each. Not a lot but certainly a great way to save some money for any Taiwan trip. The ride to Taipei City was quite an enjoyable one as we munched on the sandwich and onigiri, while at the same time taking in the sights of Taiwan.
Got our free bus ride tickets courtesy of Taiwan Tourism Board.
The ticketing counter to get tickets from Kuo-Kuang Motor Transport (國光客運).
Our bus that will take us to Taipei Main Station.
Enjoying our onigiri and sandwich on the bus ride.
While planning for the trip, I purposely chose a hotel close to Taipei Main Station, and within a reasonable price range. Decided on Royal Hotel. It was a 2-star hotel, within walking distance from Taipei Main Station, which was just right across the street.
After checking into the hotel, we went to our room and took a short rest before heading out to our first stop of the day - Ximending. We decided to walk to Ximending from our hotel, which was a good way to explore the areas in between.
Our first interesting find was a Chenghuang Temple. Places of worship are always an interesting spot to take a look when traveling in a foreign country. Another interesting spot was the Zhongshan Hall. We would never have seen all of these if we were to take a train straight to Ximending. The whole walk took a mere 20 minutes, which was not much longer if we were to take a train.
Found our Royal Hotel! Not a very prominent signboard.
Found a Chenghuang Temple (臺灣省城隍廟) along our way.
And saw some colourful building too.
A memorial of the victory in fending off the Japanese.
Facing the memorial is Zhongshan Hall (中山堂).
Upon reaching the entrance to Ximending shopping street, it was only natural to stop there for a while, taking in the sights and sounds of the area, i.e. the colours, people, ads, weather, traffic etc. It is always a different experience being at the same place but at a different time. But some things never change, like the overwhelming crowd! There is hardly a time when Ximending is not crowded.
Our first snack stop was Hot Star. Although Singapore already has outlets, but it is always best to try the real thing from the original country. We even got a combo to purchase their mint green tea at a discount. An unhealthy way to start the trip, but then again who cares about healthy food while traveling?
Saw an ad featuring Dear's favourite Jay Chou.
The erhu player found a great spot in front of a huge H&M paperbag situated at the entrance of Ximending.
The very prominent Party World building across the street.
The entrance to Ximending is always vibrant and full of life.
This place is overcrowded!
At an intersection.
The staff getting the golden retriever to perform some tricks caught our attention at Amauri Ishinabe Risotto 阿毛石鍋燉飯.
Got some fried chicken cutlet and mint green tea from Hot Star 豪大大鸡排.
After some window-shopping around the busy streets of Ximending, we then reached the Modern Toilet themed restaurant. Yes. It was one of the items on my checklist to visit during this trip. Momo Dear was pretty reluctant to enter the restaurant and was wondering on what it was that attracted me to this sh*tty restaurant. I can't really recall the reason why, but I believe it must have been a TV program or blog post which showed some artistes visiting this toilet-themed restaurant, which then piqued my interest.
Dear dragged her feet into the restaurant, which was free of any stench you would smell in any public toilet. The whole restaurant was decorated with toilet bowls, plungers, and anything you would find in a toilet, minus the smell of course. They had golden toilet bowls, crystal ones, diamond-decorated ones as your dining seat. Even the actual toilet itself was not the usual toilet. The sink was a miniature version of a toilet bowl.
We had no idea what to order, so we went with our favourites - curry. We ordered curry chicken baked pasta set (NT$260) and a toilet bowl pork cutlet set (NT$260) and topped up one of the drinks with black sugar red tea (NT$70). As much as I would like to make it feel like not a wasted trip, but the pork cutlet was one of the worst things we have ever eaten. It was a total piece of sh*t. I had to admit it was a poor choice for a restaurant on a trip. Unfortunately, this would also be our first and last time visiting such a restaurant. Ever though it was a fun yet unusual choice for a dining option, I would rather spend the money on better tasting food than what we had there. It really was the closest thing you could ever get to tasting sh*t.
Always wanted to give this weird themed restaurant a try.
Now why would you go to such a place for a meal!?
Many toilet bowls to choose from.
Yes your dining seat is on a toilet bowl.
Drinking black sugar red tea 黑糖红茶 (NT$70) from a urinal. Ewww!
Ordered a curry chicken baked pasta set 咖喱鸡肉焗烤（面） (NT$260).
Toilet bowl curry pork cutlet 马桶咖喱猪排 (NT$260).
This pork cutlet is the sh*ttiest cutlet I've eaten in my life. I'm serious! It really sucks!
This pork cutlet is the sh*ttiest cutlet I've eaten in my life. I'm serious! It really sucks!
Try not to dip your hands into the water in this wash basin.
Plenty of souvenirs you can purchase if you're interested in sh*tty souvenirs.
Just hope the plunger does not come down in the middle of a meal.
Doesn't it look like the real thing? I meant like an ice-cream. Or a pile of sh*t if you prefer.
After the ordeal, we wondered around the streets of Ximending, looking for other interesting things. We found an interesting Japanese restaurant, which had literally miniature trains delivering plates of sushi and other items to customers. Something like a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. Unfortunately, there was not enough room in our tummies to give this restaurant a try, thanks to all the sh*t we had.
Nevertheless, our final food spot for the night was Ay-Chung Rice-flour Noodle. Yes that is the name of the eatery. Or 阿宗面线 in Mandarin. You would be a fool not to give this amazing snack a try. Snack indeed because I myself need at least two bowls of it to feel full. The last time I visited Ximending, I visited this eatery twice. This time round, I made it a must to visit it at least twice again. We bought the large bowl for NT$65 to share. Simply love the taste and texture of the rice-flour noodle. The secret ingredient is the bonito flakes, which gave the bowl of heaven the unique yet irresistible taste. And top it up with some chili, soy sauce and garlic combination, it never fails to make me finish up everything in the bowl. This simple yet awesome snack was certainly way better an experience than the crappy meal we had.
Enjoying a walk after a sh*tty dinner. Not so crowded now.
Saw this interesting Japanese restaurant. Should have eaten here.
The miniature train delivering plates of sushi and other items to customers.
A funky-looking auntie selling juice.
The not-to-be-missed Ay-Chung Flour-Rice Noodle.
Such an ordinary-looking bowl but the contents packs a great taste.
The night scene of Ximending area.
Next, we visited the Red House Theater across the street, as well as walked through the bazaar that had sprung up outside it, which sells many different handicrafts and accessories. The last stop before heading back to our hotel room was a little stall within Ximending where Dear wanted to buy some bags and purses.
Red House Theater 西门红楼
A bazaar right outside the Red House.
Many interesting things could be found in this bazaar.
Inside the Red House.
Momorange loves Ximending!
Shopping for some bags and purses before we end the day.
We took the train back and had to buy our Easycards to be used for our traveling needs for the next few days. Back at Taipei Main Station, we walked through the underground shopping street to reach the street where our hotel was. Good thing about this underground shopping street is you will not be bored while walking back to the hotel. Also, it really does not matter whether it is rain or shine as we would be sheltered all the way. As usual, I wanted to have some local beer, so we visited the convenience store beside our hotel to get a can of Taiwan Beer as a bedtime drink.
Saw a poster ad of Jolin Tsai on the way down to the Ximending metro station.
Got our very colourful EasyCards.
Surprisingly empty inside the station. Guess we might have just missed the train.
At the underground shopping mall near Taipei Main Station.
It's a wet day in Taipei.
And here is a look at our hotel room at Royal Hotel, which contains all the necessities. Why settle for a 4-star hotel with huge swimming pools and gyms if you are not going to use them? This 2-star hotel is all we need. Great location and price. What more could you ask for?
Looks pretty comfy.
Basic amenities in this 2-star hotel.
Seems like it has everything we need.
And not to forget an ice cold Taiwan Beer on our first night in Taiwan.
Royal Hotel 皇家飯店
Address: No. 5-1, Huaining Street, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100Tel: +886-2-2311-1668
Website: http://www.taipeiroyalhotel.com/
For a list of the hotels available for booking in Taipei City, Taiwan via Agoda.com, click here.
To make a hotel booking at Royal Hotel, click here.
Links to our Taiwan Trip 2015
Day 2 - Pingxi Line Day Trip
Day 3
Day 4
Day 4 - Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village
Day 5
Day 5 - Hello Kitty Kitchen and Dining
Day 6
Day 7
Souvenirs
To make a hotel booking at Royal Hotel, click here.
Links to our Taiwan Trip 2015
Day 2 - Pingxi Line Day Trip
Day 3
Day 4
Day 4 - Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village
Day 5
Day 5 - Hello Kitty Kitchen and Dining
Day 6
Day 7
Souvenirs
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