Wulai hotspring

Took train to xindian station... By right should take bus 849 from the bus stop behind the visitor info centre to wulai 

but after seeing how long the queue of people was for the bus, we chose to take the cab at NT$450 (S$19.40) and arrived at our destination in less than 20 minutes...

Comparing yangmingshan area which i went for hotspring last year, i prefer wulai alot alot more for its rustic feel....

Along the way to wulai old street, we noticed many locals enjoying themselves in the 'river', suspecting it was hot spring, we checked it out and true enough, it was indeed hotspring....an outdoor natural hotspring that's free for all... =) 

 saw the steam above the water surface??? but no worries, not every part is this hot.... most areas are rather cooling.... so just have to be careful in sourcing the best area to dip in... 


cute cute kiddos having fun with grandpa

alfred enjoying the cool dip

thank god for cloudy weather that day.... 

else i would be super chao ta from the half an hour or so of suntanning while mummy and alfred were enjoying the hot spring

 this cornered off area was created by the grandparents of the 2 cute kiddos above who come to enjoy the hotspring at least 3 times a week... they were very generous to let Mummy and Alfred soaked in it.... 

taiwaness really love their dogs... they bring them everywhere.... saw them in night market, on boat rides at sun moon lake and even at this hotspring 

this white maltese was totally pink from the hotspring.... wahahaha.... 

Taipei Main Station for 李儀奶油太阳饼

was sad that mr ang's favourite  奶油太阳饼  shop at jiufen was closed by the time we reached the day before so to taipei main station we went in search for the famous 李儀奶油太阳饼 which vivian highly recommended. 

and tatatata.... found it between exit Z3 and Z6

at NT$300 (S$12.95) a box, i bought a total of 8 boxes which equates to having to lug 80 pieces of 奶油太阳饼 back to Singapore ... =S...

alfred and mummy bought 2 boxes only because they had already bought 3 boxes of  太阳饼  and 3 boxes of pineapple tarts in taichung

thank 李儀 for having free delivery for purchase of NT$2000 and above... =).... but dun expect them to deliver on the day itself or the very next day... we waited 2 working days to receive our orders oh... 

and thanks vivian for the wonderful suggestion of packing the 太阳饼 in tupperwares .... i managed to pack 6 boxes worth of 太阳饼 into this tupperware box which 洪 mama had kindly lent to me... it really helped to save alot of luggage space.... =) 

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next on the list was to find another bakery shop just outside of exit Z5 which vivian requested for her box of pineapple tarts... 

it must be damn good to cost NT$420 (S$18.10) per box for 12 pieces. 

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quite a good shopping area with rows and rows of shops

 managed to buy these two tops for myself at only NT$100 (S$4.30) each.... =) .... in need of simple tops to wear to nie this aug to nov.... 

these were 2 out of the 3 shopping items i bought for myself despite taiwan being a shopping paradise... no bags, shoes or accessories this round..... just too lazy to look for bargain and i guess i have outgrown budget oversea shopping liao.... =P

and also we weren't really in the mood to shop...all 3 of us were a little drowsy from the excess in-take of food from the steamboat lunch... =P 

steamboat @ ximending

i think it's a must to enjoy at least one steamboat meal in ximending cos they are just freaking cheap la....  

we went on a Friday afternoon and even with the 10% service charge, which they termed 'cleaning fee',  it only cost NT$493 (S$21.25) each

first time see FREE FLOW beer at steamboat restaurant lo.... 

anyway, i tried both brands of ice cream and my choice  is MOVENPICK!!!!

i made sure i had room for all the ice cream by eating them before the steamboat.....wahahahaha..... got a nagging from mummy in return... =P 

 aren't they thoughtful to provide a tag for the trays of meat that were served upon request

 a variety of tea to choose from.... 

eating mango like an ice cream..... =) 

tons of sauces to choose from too..... 

mummy busy piling her plate with FOOD 

all i can say is... mummy and alfred were very satisfied with the scallops, crabs and prawns and oysters. =) 

小江司机

update from June 2017:

asked for his quotation for my trip to taiwan this year.. not only was his quote higher than most of the other drivers that were recommended by friends, he also requested an addition of NT$1000 per night if we did not book our accommodation through him.... so in the end, we engaged 老蔡 @ +886920490350 instead....

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Booked cab service for 2 days for taichung to cing jing and from cing jing to taipei 

managed to get  小江司机's contact via hardwarezone forum

out of about 4 - 5 drivers which i asked for quotation, his was the lowest at NT$9000 (S$387.95) ....others went as ridiculously high as NT$13000 for the exact same itinerary from taichung to cing jing then from cing jing to taipei 

places which we visited were paper dome, sun moon lake, 18 degree C chocolate factory, evergreen grasslands, little swiss garden, and jiufen + shifen

I'm so glad we gotten his service... =) ... 

he's really good.... so good to the extend that i gave a NT$500 tip... for miss catty (aka me) to give so much tips, it can only means that his service is totally worth it.... wahahaha... 

he's very friendly very chatty.... the way he does his tour is like bringing visiting friends around..... 

for some reasons, he could enter some of the attractions (Paper dome & Swiss Garden) for free.... and hence gave us free tourguide services and helped us took so many 'all 3 of us together' photos... =)  

and he was the one who brought us to the restaurant where super yummilious roast chicken was served... 

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He provides tour planning services as well... just have to let him know which are the key attractions (anywhere in taiwan) that you wanna visit and he will recommend a few minsu for you to choose at each state.... 

i'm just so gonna do that for next year kenting & kaohsiung trip with the angs....it's so much easier to travel from state to state with chartered cab cos dun have to worry about luggage!!!... =) 

only negative is that 小江司机 can only converse in chinese.... means have to type in chinese in all the emails/wats app.....  which is a challenge ... =S 

Good 9 Stay @ Ximending

our remaining stay in taipei is located IN the ever popular ximending area.... 

exit 6 of ximen station

look right for KFC logo

turn left at KFC, walk past 2 or 3 stalls and turn left into this alley

and another 2 or 3 stalls later....tatatata

basically it's just a 5 mins walk lo.... =) .... highly recommended for its convenience.... 

our room which cost us $120 per room for 3 per night through agoda... 

dun seem to have their own website... can email them at good9stay@gmail.com for reservation though... =) .... the recep said that rates will be cheaper via direct email as agoda takes up to 20% commission oh.... 

besides its convenience, i luv how thoughtful it is at providing useful information for tourists.. =) 

 This train map which the recep gave has all the attractions labelled at its nearest train station for easy reference.... i am so gonna laminate it for future trips.... =) 

There's even suggestions on what to eat at the different night markets

info on how to travel out of taipei as well... =) 

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the hotel is also just a stone throw away from the famous Ah Zhong Mee Suan which mum and alfred visit almost everyday

 a small bowl cost NT$45 (S$1.95) while the big bowl cost NT$60 (S$2.60) 

forever hungry son and mummy combo

local street stalls for dinner which would always be less than S$10  for 3 of us

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street art which cost NT$100 (S$4.30) 

a very cute artist who rumbles non-stop while he creates

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peeped into this quad room which was just opposite our room during their housekeeping.... so dainty right???? .... i like....