Yes, I am back! It was a crazy crazy 7 days of pure fun! This is the first time I've been to a vacation and it has been nothing short of amazing. Before I begin on this write-up on my experience in this trip, I would first like you to visit each separate day from my own account. This is to give you a little background to this summary I am going to write:
To visit Day 1, click Day 1! (5th March 2017)
To visit Day 2, click Day 2! (6th March 2017)
To visit Day 3, click Day 3! (7th March 2017)
To visit Day 4, click Day 4! (8th March 2017)
To visit Day 5, click Day 5! (9th March 2017)
To visit Day 6, click Day 6! (10th March 2017)
To visit Day 7, click Day 7! (11th March 2017)
To visit Day 8, click Day 8! (12th March 2017)
Ok so now, I assume you roughly understand what went through for the whole trip. Now to the main point. 2 months ago, I intended to plan a Graduation Trip with my close friends in Poly since Poly is coming to an end. I wanted to visit the angmoh countries like Australia or the US. But then, the costs were just too much. So with the cost in mind, there were only 2 choices: Krabi (for the adventurous) and Taiwan (for the food). Well, here comes the plot twist. I couldn't find enough people to go so I gave up planning. Both my friends were okay with not going anywhere.
Fast forward a few weeks, the boss Abram Tan came forward with a proposal. He invited us 3 to his Taiwan Graduation Trip, along with Samuel Lee, his best friend in church. Pleasantly surprised at his invitation (because I didn't really talk to him much in school), I accepted because I wasn't the one planning. Okay, not to sound like the bad guy here, but planning is a pain in the ass, so I rather not go if I need to plan.
Of course, since I'm not the one doing planning, I am happy to cooperate fully and provide my best form of assistance - providing laughter. Jokes aside (pun intended), Poly ended before we knew it. I remember that day when we gathered at Ngee Ann Poly to book everything we need to book. Samuel was complaining how crazily far NP is from his house and honestly, I feel bad for him (he lives in the east). We booked 2 activities for the trip: Rock climbing and river tracing.
My first thought was, "Yes! Can go Taiwan do crazy stuff liao!" Little did we know we are the only ones to book such activities in winter. We decided to stay in Taiwan via Airbnb because it's cheaper and there are more options to choose from, and of course strangely because it's illegal (got the thrills ya know). More details will come later.
Fast forward one last time to the first day of the trip... Yes, I woke up at 3am without a sweat. Boss Abram booked the 7am fight because it was cool to not waste a full day travelling and because it was cool to wake up at 3am (HAHA Abram HAHA). We met at Changi Airport at 5am and Abram was on time! Samuel looked drowsy and my energy was just beginning to fire up!
Reached Taipei at mid-afternoon so Abram will not waste one full day there. The Airbnb location was awkwardly location between 2 MRT stations, Xiaonanmen and Ximen. This will lead to some serious planning later on. Thankfully, a 24-hour Carrefour was located across the street and the place we stayed at allows movement even after midnight. We totally stayed in the house after 10pm EVERY SINGLE DAY because the weather no mercy. The price per person was roughly 200SGD for 7 days so do the Maths yourself, it's worth every penny!
We explored the closest popular food street, Ximending, straight away after unpacking and listening to Rick. Rick was the owner of the house and whenever he talks, his eyes sends more shivers down my spine than the weather itself. Rick left promptly and never came back. His only existence is within our conversations, mostly as a joke target. Ximending was ONLY 7 minutes walk away, in the freezing weather. Xiaonanmen was a 3 minutes walk away.
Ximending itself is pretty big. I only got lost once (at the final day when looking for a particular store). Every street looks pretty much the same. The trick to solving the maze of Ximending is to remember the corner shops of every street. For example, the Watson store we encounter after entering the gate near the MRT station is the store we need to remember in order to escape the clutches of Ximending. The H&M building is beside the gate itself. Any further beyond the Watson store are parts unexplored by the beginner's mind.
The maze itself is not as evil as the godly 鸡排 (Jī pái). Non-Chinese friends please don't read that the wrong way. The 鸡排 is everywhere, in your sight, in your smell, it whispers death in your ears (okay I'm kidding, but eating too much will cause cancer though). Taiwan is most famous for its street food, the 鸡排 being king of solid Taiwan food and the Bubble Tea being queen of liquids. Honestly, I could go with Bubble Tea every meal because it's dirt cheap, but the sugar levels cries out louder. The Bubble Tea is averaged at 40NTD per cup, roughly SGD$1 plus. And the size is bigger than your average GongCha. Hehe.
Never had the intention to overrate the two champions of food so here's some more recommendations of Taiwan food. The beef fried rice and fried noodles take their place next. The pork version soon follows (pork because they have no Halal worries). The mee sua and smelly toufu (It is my number 1 Taiwan enemy and I hope to destroy the all smelly toufu with fire and throw the ashes into the depths of hell, but it is everywhere so I assume it's not that evil) comes in next.
Talking about pork, the McDonald's there have pork burgers, which came as a surprise to us Singaporeans. The Subway had Lobster meat (but it was sold out obviously). And the street food had snake meat. Yuck. Although the variety cannot compare to Singapore's, they do have their own stuff to put up a fair competition.
The streets of Taipei becomes alive at night, due to the presence of the night market. As troll as we are, we only visited a night market once. Yeah, we are quite dumb. You may think we bulked at the only instance we visited a night market. But nope, we only ate fried rice and pork rice and left the place promptly. Yeah, seriously, ONLY RICE, at the WORLD FAMOUS Shilin Night Market. Please do not follow what we do because we are crazy people.
Now, I talk about the weather. We went in Winter so we did expect temperatures below 20 degrees Celcius every single day. Now, everyone was normal in the sense that they dressed up for the occasion. But me, nah, I'm too crazy for normal. I wore a singlet most of the time. Singlet, in freezing weather. Singlet, in heavy winds. Singlet, in the dumb rain. Yes, I even went shirtless in the crazy 8 degrees Celcius fog and rain. Come, challenge me if you will!
That half naked photo was taken at Qingtiangang in freezing weather. The place was supposedly a tourist attraction, but it was a foggy attraction that day. We headed down to some flower garden instead and we chanced upon the Great Toilet of Taipei. Once I entered the toilet, I had to whip out Google maps because I was so lost. The cubicles seemed death-threatening and the toilet water wanted to drown me. I had to get out of there, but I was lost. Then I saw this:
Oh thank the great heavens. It was a relief map (hehe), of the Toilet! With it, I was able to escape the toilet. You know, it's all shits and giggles until someone giggles and shits.
And here's a picture of a 30th Century toilet bowl. One button propels you into the sky after you take a shit. Another button sprays acid to melt your shit. Still another button massages your ass in the chilly weather. Press all buttons at once and the toilet bowl will self-destruct. How cool is that?
The weather was cold enough to deter tourists from booking activities like rock climbing and river tracing, but we ain't no tourists no more. We are called crazy. Rock climbing itself was okay, it was something we can always emulate in Singapore so it wasn't as interesting as river tracing. For your info, the weather was about 12 degrees on the river tracing day, so the waters are around the same temperature. The first thing I did when I jumped into the river was to go swimming. No joke.
Yeap, that sot sot dude is me. Everyone else was struggling with the cold and here I am, rejecting the warmth of the Ghost Rider jacket (yeah the jacket was quite cool, but the water was cooler, hehe). Jumping waterfalls is the highlight of the trip. 5 crazy young men, jumping off a waterfall, in freezing weather. Maybe I should stop using the word "freezing" because it doesn't seem like a big deal now, with me embracing the cold.
It's all in the mind. Be one with the weather. Feel the wind biting your skin. Regulate your mind constantly. Take it in, then expel it. Remember the pain, then forget the pain, then remember it again. It's all in the mind. The cold is nothing, if your spirit is on fire.
Okay Samuel said that above paragraph is bullshit but that was how I withstood the cold. It's up to you to believe it. Jun Wei and Willis refuses to comment. Abram was with his shades the whole time. That was another level of crazy. The sun was hiding behind the clouds so Abram tried to look cool by jumping the waterfall with shades on.
Talking of cool, Jun Wei went to pick up girls in Taipei. How cool is that? He lost a challenge in one of the Bridge game we are addicted to every night so that was his forfeit. Apparently he only needed a picture because he didn't even get her number. (Hehe.) She could have been Mrs Chan, but oh well, Mr Chan likes Singapore's dishes more.
To visit Day 1, click Day 1! (5th March 2017)
To visit Day 2, click Day 2! (6th March 2017)
To visit Day 3, click Day 3! (7th March 2017)
To visit Day 4, click Day 4! (8th March 2017)
To visit Day 5, click Day 5! (9th March 2017)
To visit Day 6, click Day 6! (10th March 2017)
To visit Day 7, click Day 7! (11th March 2017)
To visit Day 8, click Day 8! (12th March 2017)
Ok so now, I assume you roughly understand what went through for the whole trip. Now to the main point. 2 months ago, I intended to plan a Graduation Trip with my close friends in Poly since Poly is coming to an end. I wanted to visit the angmoh countries like Australia or the US. But then, the costs were just too much. So with the cost in mind, there were only 2 choices: Krabi (for the adventurous) and Taiwan (for the food). Well, here comes the plot twist. I couldn't find enough people to go so I gave up planning. Both my friends were okay with not going anywhere.
Fast forward a few weeks, the boss Abram Tan came forward with a proposal. He invited us 3 to his Taiwan Graduation Trip, along with Samuel Lee, his best friend in church. Pleasantly surprised at his invitation (because I didn't really talk to him much in school), I accepted because I wasn't the one planning. Okay, not to sound like the bad guy here, but planning is a pain in the ass, so I rather not go if I need to plan.
Of course, since I'm not the one doing planning, I am happy to cooperate fully and provide my best form of assistance - providing laughter. Jokes aside (pun intended), Poly ended before we knew it. I remember that day when we gathered at Ngee Ann Poly to book everything we need to book. Samuel was complaining how crazily far NP is from his house and honestly, I feel bad for him (he lives in the east). We booked 2 activities for the trip: Rock climbing and river tracing.
My first thought was, "Yes! Can go Taiwan do crazy stuff liao!" Little did we know we are the only ones to book such activities in winter. We decided to stay in Taiwan via Airbnb because it's cheaper and there are more options to choose from, and of course strangely because it's illegal (got the thrills ya know). More details will come later.
 |
| Nice shirt Abram! |
Reached Taipei at mid-afternoon so Abram will not waste one full day there. The Airbnb location was awkwardly location between 2 MRT stations, Xiaonanmen and Ximen. This will lead to some serious planning later on. Thankfully, a 24-hour Carrefour was located across the street and the place we stayed at allows movement even after midnight. We totally stayed in the house after 10pm EVERY SINGLE DAY because the weather no mercy. The price per person was roughly 200SGD for 7 days so do the Maths yourself, it's worth every penny!
We explored the closest popular food street, Ximending, straight away after unpacking and listening to Rick. Rick was the owner of the house and whenever he talks, his eyes sends more shivers down my spine than the weather itself. Rick left promptly and never came back. His only existence is within our conversations, mostly as a joke target. Ximending was ONLY 7 minutes walk away, in the freezing weather. Xiaonanmen was a 3 minutes walk away.
Ximending itself is pretty big. I only got lost once (at the final day when looking for a particular store). Every street looks pretty much the same. The trick to solving the maze of Ximending is to remember the corner shops of every street. For example, the Watson store we encounter after entering the gate near the MRT station is the store we need to remember in order to escape the clutches of Ximending. The H&M building is beside the gate itself. Any further beyond the Watson store are parts unexplored by the beginner's mind.
The maze itself is not as evil as the godly 鸡排 (Jī pái). Non-Chinese friends please don't read that the wrong way. The 鸡排 is everywhere, in your sight, in your smell, it whispers death in your ears (okay I'm kidding, but eating too much will cause cancer though). Taiwan is most famous for its street food, the 鸡排 being king of solid Taiwan food and the Bubble Tea being queen of liquids. Honestly, I could go with Bubble Tea every meal because it's dirt cheap, but the sugar levels cries out louder. The Bubble Tea is averaged at 40NTD per cup, roughly SGD$1 plus. And the size is bigger than your average GongCha. Hehe.
Never had the intention to overrate the two champions of food so here's some more recommendations of Taiwan food. The beef fried rice and fried noodles take their place next. The pork version soon follows (pork because they have no Halal worries). The mee sua and smelly toufu (It is my number 1 Taiwan enemy and I hope to destroy the all smelly toufu with fire and throw the ashes into the depths of hell, but it is everywhere so I assume it's not that evil) comes in next.
Talking about pork, the McDonald's there have pork burgers, which came as a surprise to us Singaporeans. The Subway had Lobster meat (but it was sold out obviously). And the street food had snake meat. Yuck. Although the variety cannot compare to Singapore's, they do have their own stuff to put up a fair competition.
The streets of Taipei becomes alive at night, due to the presence of the night market. As troll as we are, we only visited a night market once. Yeah, we are quite dumb. You may think we bulked at the only instance we visited a night market. But nope, we only ate fried rice and pork rice and left the place promptly. Yeah, seriously, ONLY RICE, at the WORLD FAMOUS Shilin Night Market. Please do not follow what we do because we are crazy people.
Now, I talk about the weather. We went in Winter so we did expect temperatures below 20 degrees Celcius every single day. Now, everyone was normal in the sense that they dressed up for the occasion. But me, nah, I'm too crazy for normal. I wore a singlet most of the time. Singlet, in freezing weather. Singlet, in heavy winds. Singlet, in the dumb rain. Yes, I even went shirtless in the crazy 8 degrees Celcius fog and rain. Come, challenge me if you will!
That half naked photo was taken at Qingtiangang in freezing weather. The place was supposedly a tourist attraction, but it was a foggy attraction that day. We headed down to some flower garden instead and we chanced upon the Great Toilet of Taipei. Once I entered the toilet, I had to whip out Google maps because I was so lost. The cubicles seemed death-threatening and the toilet water wanted to drown me. I had to get out of there, but I was lost. Then I saw this:
Oh thank the great heavens. It was a relief map (hehe), of the Toilet! With it, I was able to escape the toilet. You know, it's all shits and giggles until someone giggles and shits.
And here's a picture of a 30th Century toilet bowl. One button propels you into the sky after you take a shit. Another button sprays acid to melt your shit. Still another button massages your ass in the chilly weather. Press all buttons at once and the toilet bowl will self-destruct. How cool is that?
The weather was cold enough to deter tourists from booking activities like rock climbing and river tracing, but we ain't no tourists no more. We are called crazy. Rock climbing itself was okay, it was something we can always emulate in Singapore so it wasn't as interesting as river tracing. For your info, the weather was about 12 degrees on the river tracing day, so the waters are around the same temperature. The first thing I did when I jumped into the river was to go swimming. No joke.
Yeap, that sot sot dude is me. Everyone else was struggling with the cold and here I am, rejecting the warmth of the Ghost Rider jacket (yeah the jacket was quite cool, but the water was cooler, hehe). Jumping waterfalls is the highlight of the trip. 5 crazy young men, jumping off a waterfall, in freezing weather. Maybe I should stop using the word "freezing" because it doesn't seem like a big deal now, with me embracing the cold.
It's all in the mind. Be one with the weather. Feel the wind biting your skin. Regulate your mind constantly. Take it in, then expel it. Remember the pain, then forget the pain, then remember it again. It's all in the mind. The cold is nothing, if your spirit is on fire.
Okay Samuel said that above paragraph is bullshit but that was how I withstood the cold. It's up to you to believe it. Jun Wei and Willis refuses to comment. Abram was with his shades the whole time. That was another level of crazy. The sun was hiding behind the clouds so Abram tried to look cool by jumping the waterfall with shades on.
 |
| Sorry boss Abram, but you look too cool liao. |
We also visited the Underground Streets of Taipei. Nope it's not some sex or drug trafficking trade. It's the complete opposite. The most popular street is about half an hour from one end to the other, assuming you decide not to stop and look at any shops. The shops sells a variety of items. From umbrellas to keychains to everything else, the Underground Streets have it all. There might even be lost Japanese girls looking for help down there! Okay it does sounds a little weird now so that's all for the Underground Streets.
Oh and one more thing. Apparently, encountering a protest on the streets is normal because it happens often in Taipei. Take a look!
I could have sworn behind all that barricade sits a man watching anime in the comforts of a massage chair while the fat man holding the camera is cursing the damn weather. I bet the camera isn't even rolling and the police are at the tip of their patience. What happens after this picture was taken is that the red jacket dude got R'KOed by all the police officers!
The trip broke a hole in our pockets so we had no choice but to sleep on the streets on the final day. Fret not, the weather is cooling enough to make you think you are in the comforts of air-conditioning and the chairs are soft enough it will feel like your bed. The only thing is that there will be this crazy guy who sings Hokkien songs loudly while the whole world is asleep. So good luck to you!
I think I have covered most of the stuffs we did in Taipei so I think I shall end this post soon. Fret not, I will be constantly updating this post and rearranging the paragraphs here because I am sure I will think of something else soon!
In a nutshell, Taipei is nothing but awesome, especially in Winter. They say the waterfall will be teeming with crazy Russians in Spring but thank goodness we got the whole place to ourselves in Winter. :) Do I recommend you to go Taipei in Winter? Nope. Unless you are as crazy as us.
Till next time, crazy people out!
