2017 Birthday
Taipei
27-29March
Yup, I'm back in Taipei! Partly to compensate the time I wasted when I had food poisoning last year, and also because I already went to KaoHsiung twice, so...I guess I'll just go to Taipei then. I took the 11.15am bus from Yi Lan and arrived in Taipei around 12.30pm. I took the metro towards Taipei 101 to have lunch at Din Tai Fung 鼎太丰, YAY! I missed the xiao long baos小笼包 so much!
So as I alight from the metro, I followed the signage towards Taipei 101. I located the lockers at the exit and kept my luggage and Yilan souvenirs in there. I paid TWD20 for 1 hour storage and kept the locker receipt that has my locker password on it.
So if you exceed the 1 hour time limit, you'll just have to put in more coins when you retrieve your stuffs later. |
Anyway, I went straight to Din Tai Fung, which is right at the metro exit. There's a huge crowd at the waiting area, and I took a queue number for 1 person. I was given a order chit, a pencil and my queue ticket.
I ordered the almighty truffle XLB, which is the most expensive of all the XLBs. I mean, go big or go home right? Other than that, I ordered the fresh shrimp dumplings, which I had ordered wrongly. I meant to get the shrimp siu mai, which I did not get to try the last time. So...I guess I'll just have to try that at the outlet in Macau then, I also ordered the pork chop fried rice 排骨蛋炒饭, because it has been ages since my last fried rice. I waited for about 25 minutes before my number was called. The server took my order prior to that, so once I'm taken to my table, my order was placed immediately. They did tell me I ordered too much for one person, but I told them to not worry, cause I've got this. |
I waited for about 10 minutes before my truffle XLB arrives at my table. The servers told me the truffle XLB does not need vinegar as it's better eaten just like that. I took some quick pictures and dived into it. Tastes like heaven! The dumplings and fried rice arrived after and I took some pictures as usual. The server saw me doing that and came over to advise me to eat the XLBs while they're still hot. So I devoured all of them in 20 minutes.
I paid for my meal which costs TWD891. I checked the time and I had less than a minute left before the locker times out, so I hurried back into the metro and retrieved my luggage a few seconds after the one-hour-limit, luckily it didn't charge me extra for that.
It was only 2pm, but I figured I'll just head over to my hostel to register and leave my bags there while I roam around the streets. So I took the metro to the Taipei Bridge station 台北桥站. The hostel that I booked is called Hey Bear Capsule, and I was attracted to the space capsule like beds that they offer. I paid HKD94 for my bunk bed, which only provides pillow, blanket, and a basket with the TV remote and headphone. There's no toothbrush or towels provided, lucky I always brought my own amenities.
Anyway, my bed is not ready yet so I left my stuffs with the hotel, and went down for a walk. I'll be meeting my friends at Xi Men Ding around 5.30pm so I thought I could get a manicure or something. And also, I really need a haircut, cause it's out of shape and flat. I tried searching for a good salon online, but to no avail. So as I was walking down the street, I saw this salon and it's called Sylvia's designer salon 西维雅造型沙龙.
It was only 2pm, but I figured I'll just head over to my hostel to register and leave my bags there while I roam around the streets. So I took the metro to the Taipei Bridge station 台北桥站. The hostel that I booked is called Hey Bear Capsule, and I was attracted to the space capsule like beds that they offer. I paid HKD94 for my bunk bed, which only provides pillow, blanket, and a basket with the TV remote and headphone. There's no toothbrush or towels provided, lucky I always brought my own amenities.
Anyway, my bed is not ready yet so I left my stuffs with the hotel, and went down for a walk. I'll be meeting my friends at Xi Men Ding around 5.30pm so I thought I could get a manicure or something. And also, I really need a haircut, cause it's out of shape and flat. I tried searching for a good salon online, but to no avail. So as I was walking down the street, I saw this salon and it's called Sylvia's designer salon 西维雅造型沙龙.
I went in and asked for a haircut, and was offered a wash, plus a perm. I wanted the hairstyle of a side swept fringe, and a properly balance hair as a whole. Last year, I had a short hair cut where the right side of my head has longer hair than my left. So now that it's all long and messy, my hair length is very unbalanced. I thought it would take 1.5 hours top, but it took 3 hours to get my hair done! I had to postpone my meet up with my friends thrice!
Anyway, my hair is now a little curly at the bottom, so it looked like I have shoulder length hair, which is a bit shorter than before.
Anyway, my hair is now a little curly at the bottom, so it looked like I have shoulder length hair, which is a bit shorter than before.
So after my hair is finally done, I rushed back to my hostel, get changed, applied make up and ran towards the metro station. My front hair is not staying in place, so I tied it up to the back.
I met up with Amelia and Lulu at Xi Men Red House, from there, we walked over to Kun Ling's 昆凌, aka Jay Chou's wife's cafe - Machi Doggie. This cafe is based on her doggie. Their coffee cups are shaped like a dog head, how cute is that!
It's a self served cafe, so you order at the counter, pay and then wait for your food to be served to your table. You're supposed to get your own cutlery from the side station as well.
I met up with Amelia and Lulu at Xi Men Red House, from there, we walked over to Kun Ling's 昆凌, aka Jay Chou's wife's cafe - Machi Doggie. This cafe is based on her doggie. Their coffee cups are shaped like a dog head, how cute is that!
It's a self served cafe, so you order at the counter, pay and then wait for your food to be served to your table. You're supposed to get your own cutlery from the side station as well.
I ordered the coffee with a dog shaped marshmallow on top. They only serve a limited amount of the marshmallow coffee, so I was lucky to get one! The food was so so. Not much wow to it.
After that, we walked around Xi Men Ding 西门町 and they brought me to Dream Color 梦之饮 for the colorful beverage. I forgot the name of my drink, but its main ingredient is lemon.
After that, we walked around Xi Men Ding 西门町 and they brought me to Dream Color 梦之饮 for the colorful beverage. I forgot the name of my drink, but its main ingredient is lemon.
Amelia was craving for some beef cubes so we went to buy a box to share. Apparently they ate beef cubes everyday in Taiwan until the stall owner knows what seasoning they want.
We walked around until 10pm and went on our separate ways at Xi Men station. I went back to my hostel and finally had time to take pictures of how the capsule looks like.
One room has 8 capsules, and I was given a magnetic card to access the room door and also my capsule sliding door. The lockers are at the end of the corridor, so I had to take out the things I need and wheel my luggage towards the locker. My trolley luggage could fit in nicely with a little space left for my souvenirs from Yilan.
The shower and toilet are located next to the elevator, and we need to tap our magnetic room card for access. There's also a washing machine at the balcony that can be used by everyone. Oh oh, and there's a tiny safety box inside your capsule as well!
One room has 8 capsules, and I was given a magnetic card to access the room door and also my capsule sliding door. The lockers are at the end of the corridor, so I had to take out the things I need and wheel my luggage towards the locker. My trolley luggage could fit in nicely with a little space left for my souvenirs from Yilan.
The shower and toilet are located next to the elevator, and we need to tap our magnetic room card for access. There's also a washing machine at the balcony that can be used by everyone. Oh oh, and there's a tiny safety box inside your capsule as well!
I was so tired after showering, so I slept around 12am and adjusted my alarm to wake me up at 8am for breakfast.
Day Two
I woke up at 8am, showered and searched online for any good recommendations for breakfast nearby. However I couldn't find any relevant suggestions online, so I went down and roamed the streets for any cafes that's operating.
I ended up at Louisa Cafe, which is 2 minutes from my hostel. I ordered sausage panini and white chocolate mocha which costs TWD135 in total. I finished my breakfast at the cafe before heading back to the hostel to pack my stuff for check out
I ended up at Louisa Cafe, which is 2 minutes from my hostel. I ordered sausage panini and white chocolate mocha which costs TWD135 in total. I finished my breakfast at the cafe before heading back to the hostel to pack my stuff for check out
I booked 2 different hotels for Taipei, because I wanna treat myself to a nice hotel for my birthday. So I checked out at 11am, and took the metro towards Jian Nan Road station 剑南路. I planned to drop off my luggage at my next hotel before going for lunch. This hotel is quite far off the city center. I had to change metro lines twice to get to my destination.
The hotel is called S Aura Hotel 香树花园酒店. I chose this hotel because it has a pool, steam room and hot bath! It costs slightly lesser than the city hotels, so I'll just try it out!
The hotel is called S Aura Hotel 香树花园酒店. I chose this hotel because it has a pool, steam room and hot bath! It costs slightly lesser than the city hotels, so I'll just try it out!
The hotel was a 7 minutes walk from the metro station. I arrived at the hotel around 11.45am and did the registration. The personnel was very kind to offer an early check in at 12.30pm, but I told him that I'll only be back after 3pm, so no rush for me.
After that, I again took the metro back to the city center and alighted at Taipei City Hall station 市政府. I walked for another 10 minutes before I finally found The Drip Cafe 好滴咖啡. I searched for nice cafes online and this popped out with their cronut recommendation. I've been dying to try cronuts! So this is my opportunity to finally try it out!
It's a self service cafe, and you usually need to reserve seats because it's that popular! Luckily I filled in the last empty table, the people that came after me needed to wait for others to finish. They will bring you the menu and explain how the service flow goes in the cafe. You'll have to order at the counter, pay, and then wait for your food to be served to you. Cutlery and plates are available at the self service side station.
There's a minimum consumption rule applied in this cafe, which is each person must at least order one beverage. It doesn't matter even if you ordered 10 dishes for 1 people, you still have to order 1 beverage to hit that rule.
I ordered the caramel green apple crossoint donut 焦糖青苹果可拿滋 and a colorful sour-bitterish citrus fruit beverage that I can't recall its English name 恋夏缤纷水果饮. This meal costs TWD350.
After that, I again took the metro back to the city center and alighted at Taipei City Hall station 市政府. I walked for another 10 minutes before I finally found The Drip Cafe 好滴咖啡. I searched for nice cafes online and this popped out with their cronut recommendation. I've been dying to try cronuts! So this is my opportunity to finally try it out!
It's a self service cafe, and you usually need to reserve seats because it's that popular! Luckily I filled in the last empty table, the people that came after me needed to wait for others to finish. They will bring you the menu and explain how the service flow goes in the cafe. You'll have to order at the counter, pay, and then wait for your food to be served to you. Cutlery and plates are available at the self service side station.
There's a minimum consumption rule applied in this cafe, which is each person must at least order one beverage. It doesn't matter even if you ordered 10 dishes for 1 people, you still have to order 1 beverage to hit that rule.
I ordered the caramel green apple crossoint donut 焦糖青苹果可拿滋 and a colorful sour-bitterish citrus fruit beverage that I can't recall its English name 恋夏缤纷水果饮. This meal costs TWD350.
The beverage was served when I'm halfway through my cronut. I thought they've forgotten about my drink, but then i realized the table next to me did not get their drinks as well. They ordered their meal before me so I just patiently waited for mine to arrive.
I finished my meal within 45 minutes and took the metro back to Jian Nan station. I wanted to watch a movie at Miramar Shopping Center, which houses a HUGE Ferris Wheel! Did you watch the Taiwanese Drama - Why Why Love 换换爱 starred by Rainie Yang杨丞琳? Most of the scenes were shot at this mall!
Anyway, I rushed towards the cinema on level 6. I can't see any ticketing counters so I tried using the Ticketing Kiosk to purchase the ticket. I followed the instructions on screen and chose Beauty and the Beast which starts at 1.50pm. I used my card to pay for the ticket. It costs TWD310, still cheaper than Macau's Galaxy Cinema.
I finished my meal within 45 minutes and took the metro back to Jian Nan station. I wanted to watch a movie at Miramar Shopping Center, which houses a HUGE Ferris Wheel! Did you watch the Taiwanese Drama - Why Why Love 换换爱 starred by Rainie Yang杨丞琳? Most of the scenes were shot at this mall!
Anyway, I rushed towards the cinema on level 6. I can't see any ticketing counters so I tried using the Ticketing Kiosk to purchase the ticket. I followed the instructions on screen and chose Beauty and the Beast which starts at 1.50pm. I used my card to pay for the ticket. It costs TWD310, still cheaper than Macau's Galaxy Cinema.
The movie was nice, I cried at the part where the Beast is dying. But he revived so they lived happily ever after! So after the movie, I walked back to the hotel to get my room. They placed my luggage into the room already, so I had free hands to take pictures!
The room was great! It has a huge bathtub, an automated toilet bowl and a personal steam room!
I washed and soaped the entire bathtub cause I know from experience that Housekeepers don't wash the bathtubs during make up room services. So after cleaning the whole bathtub, I filled it with hot water to sanitize it. After draining that batch of hot water, I refilled the tub again with warm water.
But it gives out a smell that is quite unpleasant, and I don't understand why the water is sky blue instead of transparent. The tub is white, the water is transparent, so why is the tub of water blue? So after some thought, I decided to drain away all the water instead of taking risks to emerge myself in that water.
The room was great! It has a huge bathtub, an automated toilet bowl and a personal steam room!
I washed and soaped the entire bathtub cause I know from experience that Housekeepers don't wash the bathtubs during make up room services. So after cleaning the whole bathtub, I filled it with hot water to sanitize it. After draining that batch of hot water, I refilled the tub again with warm water.
But it gives out a smell that is quite unpleasant, and I don't understand why the water is sky blue instead of transparent. The tub is white, the water is transparent, so why is the tub of water blue? So after some thought, I decided to drain away all the water instead of taking risks to emerge myself in that water.
I didn't have my swim suit in Macau, and it's hard to find a place that sells nice swim suits in Macau, actually it's hard to find anything in Macau! Ughh glad I'm leaving Macau soon.
Anyway, I looked at the hotel pool, and thought: Hey, if I don't swim when I booked this hotel for its pool, it's gonna be stupid and a waste of money! So, I headed over to Miramar shopping mall again to buy a new swim suit! I found one that I liked, and bought it after trying it out. I went back to the hotel, and hopped in for a swim!
Anyway, I looked at the hotel pool, and thought: Hey, if I don't swim when I booked this hotel for its pool, it's gonna be stupid and a waste of money! So, I headed over to Miramar shopping mall again to buy a new swim suit! I found one that I liked, and bought it after trying it out. I went back to the hotel, and hopped in for a swim!
I picked a floral one. I don't know why, but I always pick fabrics with floral prints. Maybe it's to compensate my allergy to fresh flowers.
I was the only one swimming, mostly because it's super cold. There's a person in charge taking care of the pool and spa room. So he came out to the pool deck to keep an eye on things while I swim. |
Maybe it's the lack of exercise, or due to the fact that I've not swam in years. After 2 laps, I started feeling out of breath and my heart beat fastened. So I just floated along the pool, until I felt too exhausted to move. I went in the spa room and tried the hot bath. In just 5 minutes, I felt my heart beat so fast it was going to explode out of my chest. So I climbed out, with wiggly legs and went back up to my room to rest.
I felt very unwell, mostly dizzy and nauseated. So I lied on the bed and spaced out. But I was determined to not waste any time before my birthday, so I forced myself to puke, and felt instantly better. I know it's not healthy to do that always, but it made me feel so much better after puking when I'm feeling unwell.
|
I changed and went to Miramar shopping mall again. This time, for dinner. I chose T.G.I.F cause it has been so long since my last meal there. But first, I went to look at the Ferris Wheel, and it's HUUUUUUUGE.
Anyway, I went for dinner and ordered Jack Daniel's Ribs and chocolate chop milkshake. It was awesome! The ribs are so tender and delicious!
After dinner, I took the metro to buy souvenir for my colleagues. I'm going for Chia Te bakery 佳德 which is located near NanJing SanMin station 南京三民 Exit 2.
The bakery is crowded with people, snatching things off the shelves, gathering around shelves waiting for fresh goods to be placed on it. So I joined in the crowd, and started collecting pineapple pastries and some other pastries into boxes. I also grabbed 2 boxes of Green Onion Nougat 葱轧饼, which by the way, is amazing. I regret not getting more of that!
I actually wanted to visit ShiLin night market 士林夜市 after that, but the pastries are too heavy and I'm kinda lazy to go all the way to ShiLin. So I painfully carried all the loots back to the hotel.
I started packing my luggage to fit all my stuffs and souvenirs. I unpacked everything from its boxes and place the individual packages into my luggage so that I can fit more. After some time, I manage to fit everything into 1 trolley luggage, 1 fold-able hand held luggage and 1 souvenir paper bag.
And so I was trying to think of the things I should do to celebrate my birthday, and there's nothing better than to eat.
Hence, I stuffed cash and my passport into my jeans pocket, and walked over to the nearest 7-11 to buy microwavable supper treats. I bought Japanese curry omelette with chicken cutlet rice, bacon Carbonara pasta, pudding, eggs, banana milk and also cup noodle. The cashier helped me microwave the pasta and curry rice.
I brought everything back to the hotel room and started feasting. I kept the banana milk, eggs and cup noodle for tomorrow's breakfast, and ate everything else. Sinful, but satisfying.
I started packing my luggage to fit all my stuffs and souvenirs. I unpacked everything from its boxes and place the individual packages into my luggage so that I can fit more. After some time, I manage to fit everything into 1 trolley luggage, 1 fold-able hand held luggage and 1 souvenir paper bag.
And so I was trying to think of the things I should do to celebrate my birthday, and there's nothing better than to eat.
Hence, I stuffed cash and my passport into my jeans pocket, and walked over to the nearest 7-11 to buy microwavable supper treats. I bought Japanese curry omelette with chicken cutlet rice, bacon Carbonara pasta, pudding, eggs, banana milk and also cup noodle. The cashier helped me microwave the pasta and curry rice.
I brought everything back to the hotel room and started feasting. I kept the banana milk, eggs and cup noodle for tomorrow's breakfast, and ate everything else. Sinful, but satisfying.
I then went to bed shortly after that.
Day Three
I woke up at 8am, rolled around in bed until I'm willing to get out of it. I showered and boiled water for the cup noodle. I LOVE cup noodle. LOVE LOVE LOVE. And I've got eggs to go with it this time! Plus banana milk as well, best combo ever!
My flight is at 1705hrs. So I initially planned to go to the Taipei Main station 台北车站 to catch the bus towards Taoyuan International Airport. But the Taipei Main station is SO far away. So I recalled seeing some Jian Nan - Kee Long buses passed by the area, and I was thinking maybe there's some bus companies nearby that goes to the airport as well.
I found out online that there are Kuo Kuang buses that goes from Song Shan Airport 松山机场 to Taoyuan Airport. Well, Song Shan Airport is only 2 stops away from Jian Nan station. So of course I chose that option.
I checked out at 11am, kept my luggage at the reception, and went to Miramar shopping mall AGAIN, this time for lunch. I went to the basement floor to search for Krispy Kreme, I've been craving for it for forever, because Macau and Hong Kong doesn't have it! Bummer.
So I found the store, and bought myself the original glazed donut. So GOOD!
I found out online that there are Kuo Kuang buses that goes from Song Shan Airport 松山机场 to Taoyuan Airport. Well, Song Shan Airport is only 2 stops away from Jian Nan station. So of course I chose that option.
I checked out at 11am, kept my luggage at the reception, and went to Miramar shopping mall AGAIN, this time for lunch. I went to the basement floor to search for Krispy Kreme, I've been craving for it for forever, because Macau and Hong Kong doesn't have it! Bummer.
So I found the store, and bought myself the original glazed donut. So GOOD!
I searched for some restaurants for lunch in Miramar, and at the end I still settled for T.G.I.F. I'm not gonna apologize for being a sucker for Western dishes. They have lunch sets which includes a salad and refillable soft drinks. I ordered the Jack Daniel's roasted chicken. Yummy!
I LOVE the mashed potatoes. Mashed Potatoes and pastas are my comfort food. I crave for them every single day.
Moving on, after lunch, I walked back to the hotel to retrieve my luggage, and head to the metro station. As I alight at Song Shan airport station, I exited to the street level and searched for the Kuo Kuang buses. I spotted one that states TaoYuan Airport, so I quickly scanned for the ticketing counter. I went inside the departure hall to search for it but to no avail. I then approached the concierge and asked for directions. It turns out there's no ticketing counters, I can just drop cash into the payment box at the front of the bus.
So I quickly walked back to the bus and confirmed with the bus driver. I placed my luggage into the luggage compartment and placed cash into the box as I board the bus. Turns out you can use the iPass or EasyCard for payment as well.
Moving on, after lunch, I walked back to the hotel to retrieve my luggage, and head to the metro station. As I alight at Song Shan airport station, I exited to the street level and searched for the Kuo Kuang buses. I spotted one that states TaoYuan Airport, so I quickly scanned for the ticketing counter. I went inside the departure hall to search for it but to no avail. I then approached the concierge and asked for directions. It turns out there's no ticketing counters, I can just drop cash into the payment box at the front of the bus.
So I quickly walked back to the bus and confirmed with the bus driver. I placed my luggage into the luggage compartment and placed cash into the box as I board the bus. Turns out you can use the iPass or EasyCard for payment as well.
It's free seating on the bus and there's a USB charging port beside the seat as well, but it charges super slowly.
The trip took 40-45 minutes to reach TaoYuan airport. I checked in two of my luggage and hand carries the souvenir paper bag. After immigration, I checked into the Premium Lounge and had a simple meal.
The trip took 40-45 minutes to reach TaoYuan airport. I checked in two of my luggage and hand carries the souvenir paper bag. After immigration, I checked into the Premium Lounge and had a simple meal.
The flight departed slightly over time and I got a window seat! I slept through the entire flight cause I had to work at 10.30pm later.
So this ends my birthday trip in Taipei!
So this ends my birthday trip in Taipei!
Accommodation:
Hey Bear Capsule Hotel 27-28 March HKD 94
S.Aura Hotel 29-29 March HKD1098.80
Hey Bear Capsule Hotel 27-28 March HKD 94
S.Aura Hotel 29-29 March HKD1098.80