Our day started as early as 8 am, we get ourselves prepared for the day one by one. So as soon as we are ready to head out of the room, it's already 9 am. Since it's the first day of the trip, we decided to head to the temple to worship, and pray for peace. (Call me superstitious or whatsoever, but that's something I'll do. 有拜有保佑嘛). As the famous temple is pretty much near us (1 stop away), we decided to take a train over.
(Tips: Get a EasyCard, and you'll be able to travel almost the whole 台北 already. You can get it at the Metro stations, or even convenient stores. But if you get at Metro stations, you can purchase the one with the deposit, so at the end of the day, you can still get a refund of NT$100 (Approx. SGD$4.28) You can use it for bus, Metro, and even entry for some attraction venues. One card, goes everywhere! And also, at the machine, you can also change your big notes to their smaller notes. (Eg. NT$1000, you can change to 1xNT$500, 3xNT$100, 2xNT$50)
The temple is just like less than 5 minutes walk away from the Metro station. Longshan Temple (艋舺龍山寺) is one of largest and oldest temples in Taiwan. Entrance is free, but donations to maintain the upkeep of the temple are accepted. It is a temple of the Chinese folk religion for worshiping deities such as 观音 (Guanyin), 妈祖 (Mazu), 关羽 (Guan Yu). And I heard that this temple is efficacious, they'll fulfill what you pray for. (Well, of course it's on case-to-case basis)
After worshiping, we are all feeling hungry. Head to an alley near by, and had our breakfast. 蚵仔麵線 (ô-á mī-sòa, Oyster vermicelli), and something special about this mee sua, they actually have pig organs inside. But there's no taste of the organs and also the oyster. Cheap and filling, and also worth the NT$60 (SGD$2.60)
So as planned, we will be heading over to 猫空 (MaoKong) via Metro as usual. To reach MaoKong, we are required to train to 动物园 (Taipei Zoo Station), then take 猫空缆车(MaoKong Gondola) up. The ticket fee for the cable car will be of NT$50 per ride (3 stops, Taipei Zoo > Taipei Zoo South Station > Zhinan Temple Station > Maokong Station) There's actually 2 types of cabin (Crystal / Normal), and both will be of the same price. (Tips: If you're going to take cable car to and fro, I will suggest you to take the normal cabin up and crystal down. As the queue for the crystal cabin will be craze long when you're heading up, so I would rather you shorten the waiting time for going up by taking the regular cabin. Of course, if you've fear of heights, you can take the other alternative route to go up to Maokong, via bus.)
After a 20 minutes ride, surrounded by trees, we finally reach Maokong Station. The ride up, is windy and funny. Due to my girl who just realized she got acrophobia (fear of heights). When we alight the cabin, there's moment of strong wind that hit us and made them shiver. Grabbed some snacks before we start exploring the place.
I would say that there's nothing much over at Maokong, unless you're there to have your meal in their restaurants which are famous for their tea flavored local cuisine or there to enjoy the nature and some sight seeing. Explored a little, and we are all feeling hungry. Thus, we settled our meal at 清泉山莊. They're actually being featured in some variety show, for their tasty food and also the view and etc. And what's more, their food is of affordable prices. I think the meal we had there cost us around NT$1400 (SGD$60 for 4)
Fried Rice with Tea
Fried Toufu
A pot of 铁观音
Nutritious Chinese Yam and Chicken Soup
Nest Fern
While we are having our meal, the rain starts to fall, and the wind is really strong. And the cable car have to stop operating due to safety purpose. So we've got no choice but to chill in the restaurant while waiting for the rain to be stop/become smaller so we can make our way to the station. Because of the strong wind, the cable car can't operate, so we will have to take the other alternative to head down hill, via bus. (Free pick up anyway)
Next stop, Taipei Zoo! Since it's just side by side, so if you're planning to go zoo/maokong, you can go this two places on the same day. I can't say the zoo is small, neither can I say that the zoo is too big. But 3 hours is definitely more than enough to finish the whole zoo. Because we left maokong late, due to the rain, we only manage to reach the zoo around 3.30 pm, and they close at 5 pm. And what's worst, if you're going Taiwan during the winter season (or I would say year end), the sun sets at around 4.30 pm. At least I can say we managed to finish the zoo within that short period of time, even though there's some animals went back to rest when we reach their area. What's worst is that, when it's 5 pm, we are in the deepest area of the zoo, and the sky is already dark, so we had a hard time getting out cause there's minimal lights to guide us out. Well, supposingly we can get out of the zoo within 10 minutes by walking the same route, but we lost our way and got trapped. I don't know how but we managed to find the staff exit (main road), so we took that route out. And it took us around 30 minutes to reach the exit. *Getting lost in the zoo with no clue could be fun and thrilling too
Out of zoo, and we headed over to our next venue, 等一个人咖啡 cafe. Took a bus down (綠 1), approximately 30 minutes journey. Their drinks are pretty much different from the other normal cafes, like they have their own specialties. Not just the regular cappuccino or latte or etc. Actually, for this cafe, started off with a movie. The story is about Si Ying, a college freshman who gets a part-time job at "Café. Waiting. Love" coffee shop because she develops an instant crush for a good-looking popular boy named Zeyu, who's a frequent customer at the café, after he 'saved' her from a bus accident. Si Ying eventually meets with Ah Tuo, a 'legendary' college senior at the coffee shop. The two eventually become good friends after Si Ying daringly stands up for him when he is teased by his friends. As time passes, Si Ying learned that Ah Tuo is a passionate, honest, straightforward and sincere young man who has been working multiple part-time jobs to realize his dream of travelling around the world and formed a bond with him. On the other hand, Ah Tuo is also deeply attracted to her kindness and unique sense of right and wrong. However, Si Ying only sees Ah Tuo as nothing more than a good friend because of her crush on Zeyu, until finally when he decides to leave Taiwan for his travels then she finally realizes where her heart truly belongs. (Tips: It'll be better to ask the shop assistants nearby for the direction, as the cafe is actually in some alley. There's also other outlets around, but you'll have to check on the locations and directions)
阿不思随你调
在爱情里，不被爱的才是小三
拧贝卡好(Coffee Latte with Whip cream, Brown Sugar and Baileys)
大嫂的奶头有毒 (Coffee Latte with Whip cream, Nuts, Cocoa and Baileys)
蜂蜜坚果奶油松饼 (Honey, Nuts, Whip Cream)
开胃小点 (Tapas)
Not sure why, but it's raining ever since we left zoo. But then again, that doesn't stop us from traveling. We went to 師大夜市 which is pretty near the cafe, even though it's like 30 minutes bus ride (Actually it's much faster, maybe it's because we are playing games on bus) Maybe because it's raining pretty heavily, so the street shops are not open. But we still managed to walk the alleys and did some shopping (only I did).
Random wefie in the bus
Because we didn't really had much food in the cafe, or even at the night market. We decided to buy supper from the convenient stores and have a pot luck session in the room! Had some filling food before we head out for club...
Did researches, and even ask my friends and my host, they mention that we can visit Club Lava. So we did. The entry fee for ladies will be NT$400 (SGD$17) and guys will be NT$700 (SGD$30), but one good thing would be, there's FREE FLOW OF DRINKS (house pours)! I mean why not man, you don't get free flow of drinks at this rate. But I guess, we went on the wrong day, cause after which, I realised that it'll be more happening on weekends instead. Cause when I went, the crowd is like *meh* Unlike weekends, there'll be those 高富帅 (Rich people) there with their luxury cars parked outside the club. Oh well, there'll always be a next time.
Our day started as early as 8 am, we get ourselves prepared for the day one by one. So as soon as we are ready to head out of the room, it's already 9 am. Since it's the first day of the trip, we decided to head to the temple to worship, and pray for peace. (Call me superstitious or whatsoever, but that's something I'll do. 有拜有保佑嘛). As the famous temple is pretty much near us (1 stop away), we decided to take a train over.
(Tips: Get a EasyCard, and you'll be able to travel almost the whole 台北 already. You can get it at the Metro stations, or even convenient stores. But if you get at Metro stations, you can purchase the one with the deposit, so at the end of the day, you can still get a refund of NT$100 (Approx. SGD$4.28) You can use it for bus, Metro, and even entry for some attraction venues. One card, goes everywhere! And also, at the machine, you can also change your big notes to their smaller notes. (Eg. NT$1000, you can change to 1xNT$500, 3xNT$100, 2xNT$50)
The temple is just like less than 5 minutes walk away from the Metro station. Longshan Temple (艋舺龍山寺) is one of largest and oldest temples in Taiwan. Entrance is free, but donations to maintain the upkeep of the temple are accepted. It is a temple of the Chinese folk religion for worshiping deities such as 观音 (Guanyin), 妈祖 (Mazu), 关羽 (Guan Yu). And I heard that this temple is efficacious, they'll fulfill what you pray for. (Well, of course it's on case-to-case basis)
After worshiping, we are all feeling hungry. Head to an alley near by, and had our breakfast. 蚵仔麵線 (ô-á mī-sòa, Oyster vermicelli), and something special about this mee sua, they actually have pig organs inside. But there's no taste of the organs and also the oyster. Cheap and filling, and also worth the NT$60 (SGD$2.60)
So as planned, we will be heading over to 猫空 (MaoKong) via Metro as usual. To reach MaoKong, we are required to train to 动物园 (Taipei Zoo Station), then take 猫空缆车(MaoKong Gondola) up. The ticket fee for the cable car will be of NT$50 per ride (3 stops, Taipei Zoo > Taipei Zoo South Station > Zhinan Temple Station > Maokong Station) There's actually 2 types of cabin (Crystal / Normal), and both will be of the same price. (Tips: If you're going to take cable car to and fro, I will suggest you to take the normal cabin up and crystal down. As the queue for the crystal cabin will be craze long when you're heading up, so I would rather you shorten the waiting time for going up by taking the regular cabin. Of course, if you've fear of heights, you can take the other alternative route to go up to Maokong, via bus.)
After a 20 minutes ride, surrounded by trees, we finally reach Maokong Station. The ride up, is windy and funny. Due to my girl who just realized she got acrophobia (fear of heights). When we alight the cabin, there's moment of strong wind that hit us and made them shiver. Grabbed some snacks before we start exploring the place.
I would say that there's nothing much over at Maokong, unless you're there to have your meal in their restaurants which are famous for their tea flavored local cuisine or there to enjoy the nature and some sight seeing. Explored a little, and we are all feeling hungry. Thus, we settled our meal at 清泉山莊. They're actually being featured in some variety show, for their tasty food and also the view and etc. And what's more, their food is of affordable prices. I think the meal we had there cost us around NT$1400 (SGD$60 for 4)
Fried Rice with Tea
Fried Toufu
A pot of 铁观音
Nutritious Chinese Yam and Chicken Soup
Nest Fern
While we are having our meal, the rain starts to fall, and the wind is really strong. And the cable car have to stop operating due to safety purpose. So we've got no choice but to chill in the restaurant while waiting for the rain to be stop/become smaller so we can make our way to the station. Because of the strong wind, the cable car can't operate, so we will have to take the other alternative to head down hill, via bus. (Free pick up anyway)
Next stop, Taipei Zoo! Since it's just side by side, so if you're planning to go zoo/maokong, you can go this two places on the same day. I can't say the zoo is small, neither can I say that the zoo is too big. But 3 hours is definitely more than enough to finish the whole zoo. Because we left maokong late, due to the rain, we only manage to reach the zoo around 3.30 pm, and they close at 5 pm. And what's worst, if you're going Taiwan during the winter season (or I would say year end), the sun sets at around 4.30 pm. At least I can say we managed to finish the zoo within that short period of time, even though there's some animals went back to rest when we reach their area. What's worst is that, when it's 5 pm, we are in the deepest area of the zoo, and the sky is already dark, so we had a hard time getting out cause there's minimal lights to guide us out. Well, supposingly we can get out of the zoo within 10 minutes by walking the same route, but we lost our way and got trapped. I don't know how but we managed to find the staff exit (main road), so we took that route out. And it took us around 30 minutes to reach the exit. *Getting lost in the zoo with no clue could be fun and thrilling too
Out of zoo, and we headed over to our next venue, 等一个人咖啡 cafe. Took a bus down (綠 1), approximately 30 minutes journey. Their drinks are pretty much different from the other normal cafes, like they have their own specialties. Not just the regular cappuccino or latte or etc. Actually, for this cafe, started off with a movie. The story is about Si Ying, a college freshman who gets a part-time job at "Café. Waiting. Love" coffee shop because she develops an instant crush for a good-looking popular boy named Zeyu, who's a frequent customer at the café, after he 'saved' her from a bus accident. Si Ying eventually meets with Ah Tuo, a 'legendary' college senior at the coffee shop. The two eventually become good friends after Si Ying daringly stands up for him when he is teased by his friends. As time passes, Si Ying learned that Ah Tuo is a passionate, honest, straightforward and sincere young man who has been working multiple part-time jobs to realize his dream of travelling around the world and formed a bond with him. On the other hand, Ah Tuo is also deeply attracted to her kindness and unique sense of right and wrong. However, Si Ying only sees Ah Tuo as nothing more than a good friend because of her crush on Zeyu, until finally when he decides to leave Taiwan for his travels then she finally realizes where her heart truly belongs. (Tips: It'll be better to ask the shop assistants nearby for the direction, as the cafe is actually in some alley. There's also other outlets around, but you'll have to check on the locations and directions)
阿不思随你调
在爱情里，不被爱的才是小三
拧贝卡好(Coffee Latte with Whip cream, Brown Sugar and Baileys)
大嫂的奶头有毒 (Coffee Latte with Whip cream, Nuts, Cocoa and Baileys)
蜂蜜坚果奶油松饼 (Honey, Nuts, Whip Cream)
开胃小点 (Tapas)
Not sure why, but it's raining ever since we left zoo. But then again, that doesn't stop us from traveling. We went to 師大夜市 which is pretty near the cafe, even though it's like 30 minutes bus ride (Actually it's much faster, maybe it's because we are playing games on bus) Maybe because it's raining pretty heavily, so the street shops are not open. But we still managed to walk the alleys and did some shopping (only I did).
Random wefie in the bus
Because we didn't really had much food in the cafe, or even at the night market. We decided to buy supper from the convenient stores and have a pot luck session in the room! Had some filling food before we head out for club...
Did researches, and even ask my friends and my host, they mention that we can visit Club Lava. So we did. The entry fee for ladies will be NT$400 (SGD$17) and guys will be NT$700 (SGD$30), but one good thing would be, there's FREE FLOW OF DRINKS (house pours)! I mean why not man, you don't get free flow of drinks at this rate. But I guess, we went on the wrong day, cause after which, I realised that it'll be more happening on weekends instead. Cause when I went, the crowd is like *meh* Unlike weekends, there'll be those 高富帅 (Rich people) there with their luxury cars parked outside the club. Oh well, there'll always be a next time.
