To Lucas

To my small boy whom I lost my temper at last night:

Mummy is really sorry for getting angry and scolding at you in the middle of night at 1.30am while you screamed your lungs out and refuse to be calm down cuz Papa is slow in feeding you your last night feed.

But mummy also know how fast you will forget about it given that you start smiling at me after you calm down and even holding my hand while you were drifting off to Lalaland after you finally drink the milk.

This is why I still insist to let you sleep beside me instead of your Kor Kor cause I know I make you feel safe by even letting you hold a finger while you drift to sleep when you stirred.

Mummy is just too exhausted last night. Having gone thru 3 nights of crankiness from you and Kor Kor. The only thing mummy wished is to have a better sleep last night so that I can deal with allotment today.

I know sometimes you both only wants mummy to feed but papa is also trying his best with you both you know?

As mummy typed this post now, I'm dealing with a massive headache and a long day at work.

Mummy only hopes that you will know that despite losing my temper at you last night, mummy still loves you alot and is sorry for being harsh with you and mummy is not complaining about having to do night duties but certainly hopes you can make it easier by cooperating a bit while drinking your milk.

Be good my Lucas and always be the cheeky boy that mummy loves. For it's your cheekiness that keeps mummy entertained whenever the day gets bad.

Love,
Your sorry mummy

Taiwan 2016 - Day 4 - Houtong / Jiaoxi/ Yilan

Today is planned for day trip to Yilan for Mr Love to get his hands on the 葱油饼that he is craving so much for and I prayed that it would not rain since they don't operate during rainy days.

The 1st stop is to Houtong where Mr Love had so much fun playing with the village cats the last time we visited.

A local train from Taipei will take us directly here without any transfer. It takes an hour or so to reach. Take trains that are bounded for Yilan.

With Mascot of the station

 But the cats seems to be missing in action. The last time when we came, a few of them were lingering near the station and also at the row of shops in front of the station. But today, there were not even one in sight and it wasn't even raining.

Hello Black nosed!!

We brought some sausage to share and made our way to the coal museum hoping to spot more cats but couldn't see any.

Finally gave up and suggest we go to the cat cafe that we visited the last time. Again to our disappointment, the cafe had changed hands and there were no cats inside anymore. Plus the new owner was not even friendly at all unlike the previous owner.

The next stop is to the cat village opposite the station where an overhead bridge connects to it. There's a long stretch of bench where the cats will laze around but again there is any cats here. Where had all the cats gone hiding to? We couldn't understand.

Previously it was due to the rain and the cats went into hiding since they did not like water but today is a super sunny day and we see lesser cats as compared to the last trip. Mr Love was a bit disappointed. I try to remember where we saw more cats last time and kept bringing him to walk around the village to search for cats for him to interact with.

Crossing to the cat village

Cat hiding from the scotching hot sun

Hi Peeping cat

Walking around the village and even went to the village town hall and but still cannot find any.

Directions around the village

In the end we gave up and just continue to walk around the village for fun.

No real cats, so I took a pic with a fake one

Came across a few cafes but the prices were on the high side and besides we didn't see any cats inside so didn't want to spend on overpriced coffee.

Super fat fortune cat

Cats' pillow but where are all the cats??

Disappointed, we left Houtong and initially wanted to make a trip to Suao to try out the cold spring. Hoped on a train towards Yilan but as we were admiring the scenery outside, it starts to rain.

Then we changed our plan to visit Jiaoxi for hot spring since the day is gonna be cold.

Once disembarked from the train, we changed our mind to go search for the famous Jiaoxi Green Onion Pancake as were afraid the outlet at Yilan which we were due to go later will be closed like the last round.


Shop front

Its around a 15min walk away from Jiaoxi train station.

Directions :

1). Once exit Jiaoxi station, walk straight to the main road (Jiaoxi Road, Section 5)
2). Turn left on the main road and road down the street for 10min
3). You will see Jiaoxi post office on the same street and Jiaoxi Elementary School at the opposite side.
4). The shop is at the intersection facing Jiao Xi post office.

Moveable stall

We were here at around 3pm and there was a queue of around 15 pax. Business was brisk but the queue is moving at a pretty fast rate.

Mr Love joined the queue while I went next door to get drinks and get to rest for a while. Brought fresh milk with pearl and it tastes damn good under the unforgiving weather.

My drink

I sat there chilling out for 10mins before joining Mr Love in the queue. By then, it was nearly his turn. We brought 3 to share. Haha Really greedy. But it tastes really good when served piping hot.

There's a peanut ice cream wrap store besides but we were too full to try.

Full after 3pancakes and 2 cups of milk

We then took the train to Yilan wanting to visit Yilan Dong Men Night Market. But since it was still early, we hang around the supermarket up the street. It had become a must visit when we come to Yilan since we are always too early for the night market.

Super market is one of our favourite places haha so we don't really mind either.

Came across super big bottles of Taiwan's equivalent of Yakult and took photos for comparison. I do see such big bottles of milk in SG but never Yakult and we are both amused that anyone would buy such bottle to drink.

Extra large

Comparison

Large

We actually do buy the large version since usually we need to clear our system after feasting and the small bottle don't really do much help to aids digestions for us. Eat too much.

Medium

At 6pm, we strolled to the night market where the vendors are preparing to start business. I cannot locate my favourite deep fried store and was very disappointed. We did not visit the usual stall for hot plate chicken cutlet since am still full from the Spring Onion pancake. Just feel like eating finger food.

Then we ventured to another alley and by chance found the store I'm looking for! I was so excited that I exclaimed super loud to Mr Love and caught the store owner's attention. She told us that the stores ballot their location every 2 years and she was relocated here this year. Haha Glad that she did not close her store and brought from her our usual stuff, deep fried Pu Rou, chicken skin etc.

We came across a shop selling shaved ice in cup and reminds me of the shop back in mummy's hometown that we usually get as treat from my aunties.

Shake shake ice

I already forgot the taste and can only remember the name haha. Brought 1 cup each and then proceed to walk back to train station to catch our train back to Taipei.

Store front

In front of Yilan train station

It's funny to some that we just catch a 2 hour train ride to Yilan just to eat but we really love Yilan's food and don't mind the travelling since can stop on along the way for attractions on our way here.

Taiwan 2016 Day 3- Museum of Marine Science & Technology/Jiufen revisit/ Keelung Night Market

So I decided we should just hang around in Taipei and forgo day trip to Hsin Zhu simply because we were too tired and oversleep. As we need travel 2hrs by train to Hsin Chu to start the tour and the bus schedule is every hour, reckon we didn't have enough time to complete the tour.

There is a Museum of Marine Science & Technology which we have not visit before and we took the train to Ruifang and waited for ShenAo Line train.

This is also the same branch line as Pingxi but the stations are on the opposite end.

Waiting area

There is a different waiting area though on the same platform. Do check with the station staff if unsure as the stations are before Ruifang and after passing Ruifang then it will go to Pingxi area.

Timetable

I did not have much plans here, if there is enough time we will go on to Shifen. Haha This is how unplanned I am. There is not much planning in sight. This is a first for me since I usually travel well planned. But then again, it is suppose to be a relaxing getaway so I'm abit YOLO this time.

Shen Ao line write up

The Museum station is 2 stops away and looks a bit simple and quiet. This should be because the place is still under development phase. I think we were to come back next year, it will be bursting with activity, just like how we got a shocked with Shifen when we visit in 2011 and then again in 2012.

Newly renovated path

Map of the area

The museum is around 10mins walk from station and it is not difficult to locate since signs are everywhere. There is only a handful of visitors though.

Entrance fee is at NTD 200 per pax for adult.

We went in to Marine Environment Gallery at level 3 first. Here, it gives some background on the Oceans surrounding Taiwan and also the large volume of warm water brought by the Kuroshio current.

Entrance to the exhibition hall

Temperature

Mr Love trying out the exhibits

There are also information on the marine life and how marine environment is getting more vulnerable and needs protection.

We ventured into the Wonders of Deep Sea gallery to have a feel what it is like for life under the deep dark oceans. How a foam cup will change when placed in the deep sea for a period and the marine life in it which practically saw no light.

Marine life in deep sea

We then went up to Marine Science Gallery and had a fun time there trying out the various exhibits simulating various aspects of the ocean and aquatic eco system. This is the most interesting exhibition and we tried nearly every 1 of the simulation and forgot to take any photos.


The last exhibition hall for the day is Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering Gallery which show case the modern world Taiwan's shipbuilding and port planning techniques.

This gallery is the most relevant to my knowledge since my company deals with ship too.

There is also mock up of ship containers, interior of yatch and also the navigation system of the modern vessels.

Halfway through our tour, we were greeted by busloads of students coming on a school trip and they were all over the place running. We secretly follow the groups something since they usually have a staff trying to explain the various exhibitions to them. Free tour hehe.

We realised we usually met with school tours whenever we visit Taiwan's educational museum. Haha.

Told Mr Love that we will bring our Dinos back here when they are older and can appreciate the showcase here :)

Exterior of the building

While waiting for train

We decided there is still time to visit Jiufen and therefore took the train back to Ruifang and then transfer bus to Jiufen.

The bus stop for Jiufen bus had shifted further away from the train station. Previously it was outside the eatery on the street directly opposite the train station.

This time we gotta walk down the same street for about 5minutes when we came across a newly built bus stop. The bus numbers there are displayed with more information on the different destinations like Jiufen, Jinguashi etc.

Jiufen is still as crowded as I remembered it. We actually did not have much to do here but for some reason we just loved coming here just to soak in the atmosphere.

Ice cream

Our puff

Strolled through the narrow alley and brought stuff to eat since we did not have a proper lunch at the museum.

The weather was unforgiving hot and I craved to eat ice cream. Found 1 shop selling ice cream puff and brought 1 to share. It was god send in this weather.

Happy is me

We ended our tour here 2 hours later and decided to catch a bus to Keelung night market since it is still early. A journey to Keelung from here would take 1 hours plus and we took the chance to catch some sleep on bus.

The bus would terminal at Keelung bus terminal which is a distance away from the night market. However, you can inform the driver as you board the bus and say you want to drop off near the night market. He will make an announcement when it is time for you to alight.

Once you alight from the bus, walk straight and you will come to a traffic light, cross it and you will come to 1 of the entrance of the night market and you can start exploring it.

It was raining when we reached and it was pretty irritating to walk in the rain. I realised this is the 2nd time we are caught in the rain at this night market and it is not fun at all.

Big ass roasted pig

Luckily the rain became light enough for us to ditch our umbrella and walked through the streets to eat. Came across a new stall selling roasted pork and we brought 1 share. The meat was so tender that it literally melt in our mouth. We love it so much that went back and brought another share for supper later. Haha.

The rain got heavier after we finished our eating session and we decided to call it a night. Walked back to Kee Lung train station to catch a train back to Taipei.

Keelung train station is currently under renovations and the platforms look much more nicer than before.

Retreated back to our hotel for the night not before buying some beers and more fried chicken and chicken skin to go along with the roasted pork brought earlier.

I suspect I have gained 3kg within 3days here in Taipei already.

Taiwan 2016 Day 2- Machi cheese/ Mr Love Birthday celebration/ Shopping

Mr Love colleague recommended us to buy Machi cheese while in Taipei and we decided to check out the shop before deciding whether to buy. Sun cakes and pineapple tarts are just too mainstream to be brought back so we were happy with a change.

Turns out to be the best decision to go on 2nd day of our trip to check out the shop since the boss said he would need 2 days in advance to prepare the orders as there are quite a few steps to be done to freeze the cheese to be carried home.

Blueberry flavour

Box of 7

Mr Love wanted initially to just order over the phone and get the boss to deliver but I reckon we should at least try and see whether we like the taste before buying back for our family.

There's only 1 shop front in Taipei and the address is as follow:

台北市西寧北路54-1號1樓

1). We took the metro to Beimen station and once exit, cross the street to opposite to Zhengzhou Road.
2). You will see the underground metro exit to your right.
3). Walk Left along the building and you will see Taipei City Hospital, Zhong Xing branch.
4). Walk straight and take a right turn at 1st junction. There should be a school ( Taipei Municipal Zhong Xiao School on the left of the street).
5). Keep walking along the row of shops after the school and the shop is nested in between.

Original

I didn't managed to take any photo of the shop front but it's kinda easy to miss if you are not careful cuz its not a retail shop and the shop front is cover up with opaque paper. 

Was pretty skeptical initially but the Boss was really friendly and even took out a roll of cheese for us to try the taste before ordering.

Strawberry

We were sold once we got to taste the cheese as the Mochi skin melts and the cheese is just like ice cream! No wonder some customers keep forgetting that it is cheese we are getting not ice cream. Haha. You cannot blame us though, I was confused for a minute too.

Green Tea

We were told that we can deep freeze the cheese and check in for bringing back to SG. However, it requires 2days of preparation and the boss is kind enough to do delivery to your hotel if in Taipei. 

Since we stayed quite out of the way, we arranged to meet him at the bus terminal in Taipei when we were due to depart. Save his time. He is very accommodating towards the delivery time and would collect payment upon delivery of the food. 

Oreo

We brought 4 boxes with 7 flavours in each box back and the boss help to pack them into a foam box to be checked in. Each roll is NTD28 and its really valued for monies. 

Mango

Our family all love this new product alot! A change from the conventional food that was brought back from Taiwan. Mummy can finished 1 whole roll at once by herself!

However, I liked it the way the Boss taught us to eat. Take from the frezeer and chill for 5minutes and divide into 4 pieces per roll. It tastes best this way!

Chocolate

Next, we made our way to the famous 24hr Eslite Bookstore. Cannot believe that I have never been here despite coming to Taipei for so many times.

Reason being, Mr Love simply dislike going to bookstore since he don't read.

Me on the other hand, gets excited on a trip to the bookstore and can spend hours inside choosing on that one book to buy. Haha

Flashcards

This time round, I used his sons as excuse. Wanna get them some flashcards which is cheaper here in Taiwan as compared back home. I managed to buy 3boxes of it at NTD100 each and also 6CDs of nursery songs at NTD100 too. What a steal!

Then I took the chance and go shop around the bookstore to buy some travel guide which is way cheaper than SG and SG version are all imported from here! For some reason, I find travel guide more informative when in chinese as compared to their English counterparts.

We then make our way to have Mr Love's birthday lunch at which I made a reservation before coming here.

Shop Front

The address are as follow:  106, Taiwan, 台北市大安區光復南路240巷50號 

We went navigate our way from Zhongxiao Dun Hua station as this is the same station we dropped to go to Eslite bookshop. But turns out that Sun Yat Sen station is much nearer.

Directions:

1). Take exit 2 of Sun Yat Sen station

2). Turn left upon exiting 

3). Go straight for around 500m and you should see the shop signage.

Big crab

I was actually looking forward to have spicy hot pot but because the weather is too hot and Mr Love is recently steering clear of spicy food due to sensitive stomach we decided to order miso and kunbu (昆布) soup base. The kunbu soup base is apparently the recommended for cooking their famous crabs. 

Soup base

My favourite

Fruits and dessert

Veggies, desserts, ice cream and sauces are all self service. You will have to order your meat and drinks from a sheet. 

Service is pretty fast thought maybe because we are the only patrons here on a weekday lunch. Haha Mr Love says no 1 eats hotpot for lunch especially on a hot afternoon.

There's a time limit of 2hours as usual. 

Veggies selection 1

Veggies selection 2

Sauces

We went 1 round of ordering 1 serving of nearly every meat available. Haha This is my usual protocol to see which kind of meat we like best and will starting whacking that. 

Sliced pork

Beef

I loved their slice pork and beef for it's thinly sliced and its fresh. Taste best when pairing with my favourite sesame oil. 

Pork shoulder meat

There's a whole lot of selection of seafood too. And the yong tau fu ingredients like fish ball, sotong balls and whats not. 

Seafood

The 1st serving of their king crab came in a fanciful bowl with some other shells. A whole crab will be served if there are 4 pax. We got partial crab only.

The crab was really fresh and tasty. I do not usually like my crab cooked in soup only, preferring those with stronger flavouring like black pepper or chilli crab. But this when cooked in the recommended kunbu soup base is really nice. And we literally can pull out meat off the shell in 1 swift movement. 

 And of course not to mention how sweet tasting the soup is after cooking all the seafood.

Crab and shells

We opted for the king crab hotpot and teppantaki combo at NT1180 +10% tax and thus can order from the teppan yaki selection too. The food will only be cooked upon ordering and thus is served hot. Woohoo. My favourite. 

We love the teppan yaki so much that took 4 of it.

Teppanyaki menu

There is also quite a vast selection of free flow drinks to choose from .

Order sheet

There are 2 more kind of dining options. NTD 799+ 10%tax for teppan yaki buffet or NTD599+10% tax for hotpot only.

Of course it being Mr Love's birthday treat I choose the most comprehensive buffet. It was quite worth though at SGD 60bucks each, we were full till wanna roll. And not to mention that the ingredients were fresh and tasty and we lucked out by being the only lunch patrons and thus service was fast and good. Haha

Menu

Happy Us after the meal

We then make our way to Long Shan temple when I wanna return prayers and also pray for well being for our whole family. 

Then we also went to this shopping street near Long Shan temple where we were told they sell lots of kiddos' clothes. I actually wanted to buy Dinos' CNY clothing but had no idea where to go besides Wu Fen Pu. 

Then while chatting with Machi Cheese boss, I asked him to recommend as a local and he told us to come here. But turns out there are morel shops selling clothes suitable for my mummy than my Dinos.

Mr Love and I kept walking though and 1 shirt caught my eyes. I thought it would suit mummy and she could wear for the upcoming wedding of my cousin.

Nice?

The store owner was amused when she saw me getting interested in the shirt and told me it does not suit my age. Of cuz! I'm planning to buy for my mummy who is doubled my age. Haha.

It's pretty reasonable at NTD 500 bucks and we brought it for mummy. Again I asked them where to get kiddos clothes since we were told to come here and didnt see much.

She was nice enough to intro us to a shop but at 2nd level at another building and got her hubby to bring us there. 

Red for CNY

Cute jumpers

True enough, there was quite a variety there and I managed to buy 4 sets home at NTD 200 per set. Quite a good bargain I would say and the quality is pretty good. Would have wanted to buy more but didn't want to over do it.

It sort of concluded our day after shopping here since we are too full to eat more. But still we dropped by Roahe Night market which now has a mrt station

Didn't eat too much here and we retreated back to hotel at 8pm but not before buying fried chicken and skin again from our new found favourite store in the alley beside the hotel. 

Had an early night and still haven decide the itinerary of the next day. I'm in between going to Hsin Chu for a day trip or Jiu fen again. Mr Love had no preference and its up to me. 

So I thought I will sleep on it and decide tomorrow morning during breakie. Haha