台北遊: 淡水篇 DANSHUI ONCE MORE

I've been to Taipei twice before, both times during summer.  Both times, I was in Danshui but lasted no more than two hours each time because of the unbearable heat.  Today, I returned to Danshui for the third time to enjoy it to the fullest.  It had been raining the day before and the weather was great for walking, though it would've been even better if the sun wasn't hiding behind the clouds all the time. 

There are times that I do enjoy travelling alone, at snail pace and really taking in the sights. 

I think old streets and old buildings are extremely charming.

I love the history that accompanies every Old Street

The story behind every building

Where the old embraces the new

Time for lunch :)

Exploring further

1932 Gothic-style church 淡水礼拜堂

Leave behind the hustle and bustle of the Old Street and you'll discover Danshui's quiet and laid back side.



台北也有溫泉 Hot Springs in Taipei

Sunday morning up with the lark

I think I'll take a walk in the park

Hey hey hey it's a beautiful day

OK, so I didn't wake up with the lark on Sunday but I did have a song in my head as I got out of bed.  Headed out to Beitou with Sally after breakfast.

北投 Beitou

You don't have to travel far to enjoy hot springs in Taipei.  Just hop on a MRT to 新北投站(Xinbeitou Station) and you'll find yourself in Taipei's hot springs district. 

People wanted to know if I went bathing in the one of the hot springs.  The answer is "No! Are you crazy or what?"  The weather was so hot, I my skin was slowly turning crispy.

Cute train to Xinbeitou Station 新北投站 ...

A pretty long train ...

Beitou is nestled among the mountains.  There are hot spring hotels all over town.

Hot Spring Valley - the faint scent of sulphur is in the air.

Behind this lush greenery ...

... is a "steamboat" in which you can cook eggs.

Can you see the steam rising?

Even the creek is bubbling.

淡水老街 Danshui Old Street

A few stations away from Beitou is Danshui.  I've been here once previously with Tammy and Jee Sien but we didn't cover all of Danshui then.  It was pretty warm weather back then as well.  I remember Tammy was screaming murder because she was dying under the hot sun and we cut our trip short and escaped to 天母(Tianmu).

So many shops seling 阿给(Ah Gei).  Which one should we pick?  One offered us "Air Conditioning Upstairs".  Sold!  We are easy to please.

We'll drive on and follow the sun

Making Sunday go on and on

Hey hey hey it's a beautiful day

Taipei Day 4

DAY 4 (SAT) Jun 20, 2009

Tammy cleverly mapped out the day’s itinerary. We would hit these 3 destinations in one day as they are located on the same MRT line.

On the way to the MRT station, we stopped by at a Mister Donut stall. I read somewhere that when Mister Donut opened its first shop in Taipei’s Tianmu in October 2004, one had to queue 3 hours! On the third day of business, the line winding into the store was well over 200 people. I tried one today and it was ahem, creative. The one I had was a PoDe (波堤) donut which is made from glutinous rice flour so it’s chewy, sort of a cross between a mochi and a doughnut. Kinda weird, really.  Didn't know what to make of it.

淡水 DANSHUI

My Singaporean co-worker, Jee Sien, happened to be in Taipei for work and I invited her to join us in Danshui Old Street (淡水老街) or some fun under a very hot sun.

天母 TIANMU

Tianmu area is one of Taipei's more expensive neighbourhoods. In the past, it was a residential area for expats and foreigners.

向Hsiang The Brunch in Tianmmu serves all-day brunch. The restaurant is located just behind Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Tianmu.

How to get to Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Tianmu?[已停]

Take the MRT to 捷运芝山站 （Zhishan Station where a free shuttle bus service will take you to Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Tianmu.

向Hsiang The Brunch [已歇业]

士林区 天母东路50巷8号
No. 8, Lane 50, Tianmu East Road, Shilin District +886 2 28725851
Opening hours: 1000 - 2200, Sat and Sun from 0800

Whilst in Tianmu, we also strolled to 中山北路七段 (Zhongshan North Road Sec. 7). The road extending from here to 忠誠路 (Zhongcheng Road) is supposedly a popular shopping district for tourists. We did come across a few interesting boutiques but the heat and humidity zapped every once of energy out of us and we had to gave up after a bit. 

士林夜市 SHILIN NIGHT MARKET

No visit to Taipei is complete without a trip to a night market.  At Shilin Night Market I ate the best deep-fried chicken I've had in ages.   I couldn't help laughing at the English translation for "腿排".  In Singapore, we would've said "Chicken Cutlet".  In Shilin, it is given a direct Chinese to English translation: "The Leg Arranges".  Gotta love the Taiwanese ^=^

Jee Sien and I each bought a deep fried chicken thigh (the best EVER); Tammy ate some skewered grilled stuff.  I would've loved to hang out a little longer but Tammy and Jee Sien kept complaining about the heat so we had to leave.

Back in our hotel room, news of an impending typhoon kept Tammy and I on the edge of our beds. Weather forecast predicted that the typhoon may strike Taipei on Monday!  How exciting is that?!