Monday 3 June 2013

Travelogue → I ♥ 台灣 ( Day 06 // 九份•十分•基隆 )

This day in Taiwan was a love-hate day - love that I'd been looking forward to visit these rustic spots for the longest time , hate that the transportation to these places would be a real hassle & confusion . Which really happened , more on that later . 

P.S// Things that people DO NOT tell you .
#1 - When taking the Pingxi line , they do not have any form of announcement to tell you the station . And they do not have a map/pamphlet to refer to ( Not that I know of ) . So if you're going to Shi Fen Station , open your eyes wide , you'll see the station's name upon reaching . If you're going to Pingxi station , which is the last station , you don't really have to bother . 
#2 - ASK anyone/everyone everytime before you board a train . Except for MRT that is very idiotproof , whenever taking a railway ALWAYS ASK if this is the train you're suppose to board . 


- Beautiful Shifen (十分) early in the morning .  There's this old rural charm about this place that I'm so drawn to . The railway tracks paired with the really old shop houses brings out a very peaceful vibe . The irony is , this place is a tourist destination but they don't look commercialized at all .


- Travelled all the way to 十分 for only one reason , releasing the sky lantern (放天燈) !!! We made our wishes (which actually came true !!!) and we're really thankful for that . Silly things a couple would definitely do together - Our first time btw! 


- The slowest Choo-choo train I've taken in my life .


- We also had to make our way to the famous 九份 , destination we definitely can't miss out . The unobstructed view of the sea was so captivating , and it came as a surprise because we didn't know 九份 would be up on the mountain . 九份 is just yet another old street , selling different specialties in their area . It might come across as a boring old street to many but it really depends on what you manage to discover in this bustling tiny street .


- You cannot miss out this interesting dessert even if your tummy is too stuffed for anything else . Crepe + Coconut ice cream + loads of peanut shavings turned out to be a fantastic dessert wrap ! 


- Walked up flights after flights of stairs to complete the old street .  Le buddy managed to find a stall selling Taro balls (芋圓) with our seats facing the sea . It was so nice sharing a huge bowl of Taro balls while enjoying the view , cheap thrill ! While I didn't really like the taste of this dessert , it is actually a MUST-EAT in 九份 . 


- As usual , the day would never be complete without strolling in a night market . Keelung night market (基隆廟口夜市) was awesome , especially their food street ! The rows of lanterns hanging were the icons of this night market and was easily recognized by me for the MV location of Jay chou's song 退后! I'm not even a fan of Jay Chou , I only watched it once and the lanterns left a really deep impression . Apart from all that sidetrack , I actually had two huge slabs of sea urchin for ONLY SGD$15 in Keelung night market . How friggin' cheap is that ?! We also had a crab feast before leaving with bursting bellies . Food trip like this is always so satisfying !

love , sheryl 

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