Taipei Thoughts – Part II
Day 2 : Taipei Whirlwind
When I saw the itinerary for the one-day tour, I was happy because it covered places like Yehliu & Jiufen which are out of Taipei Metro’s long reach.
Our itinerary for the day:
CKS Memorial Hall –> Yehliu –> Jiufen –> Martyrs Hall –> Beitou Hotspring –> Shilin Market
Taiwanese coffee tasted like it was made with yesterday’s used coffee grinds. After a hotel breakfast of porridge & insipid coffee, we waited for the tour bus to pick us up. Bought a big bottle of mineral water from a nearby convenience store, and an English newspaper which was a broadsheet with 8 pages (seriously, 8 pages!!) . In contrast, the Chinese-language paper is a 1 inch multi-section telephone directory, peppered with colourful pictures throughout, especially the entertainment/gossip pages.
Ximending is deserted at 8am in the morning. The only signs of life were makeshift stalls selling breakfast sandwiches & soya milk, delivery trucks and old men slowly cycling through the empty streets.
Deserted Ximending street
The bus arrived 1/2 hour later.
First stop: CKS memorial hall. It’s a sunny day, so all the womenfolk are hiding in the shade and not wandering around. The National Theater is under renovation, so the facade is obscured with scaffolding. Nothing much to see here except for the statue of CKS in the hall, and of course the name change made by Chen Shuibian to boost his Taiwan independence cred.
When we were on the bus earlier on, the tour guide Mr C made a half-joking remark to us, “You can talk to a Taiwanese about anything under the sun, but do not talk politics with him!” That was very evident when you watch their television: the current affairs news are full of political analysis, and the reportings of every move made by the green and blue factions. Taiwan is now in a Ma Jing-jeou craze after his election win. Even Mrs Ma is the focus of the news the past few days, every detail from their courtship to how Mrs Ma still take public transport to work is laid out in the open paparazzi style. I’m sure after he’s become president, the CKS memorial hall will be changed back to its original name.
CKS Memorial Hall
Next stop: Martyr’s Hall
Martyr’s Hall is dedicated to soldiers who perished in the decades-long war against the Japanese and later on the communists. This is where we get to witness the hourly changing of the honour guards ceremony.
An honor guard
Next stop: Yehliu.
Yehliu Geopark’s attraction lies in the curious rocks formed by sea erosions dotting the seashore. By luck of the draw, some of the rock formations have been shaped to resemble everyday objects, like shoes, elephant trunks, and the now-iconic Queen head.
Yehliu Geopark
Erm, did someone drop their slipper?
It’s a fabulous spot to bring your kids, where you can let imagination take control and try to imagine every weird rock formation as a turtle or mushroom or whatnot. There are footpaths for you to follow with rope barriers at certain places, but if you really want to step over the flimsy barrier and fling yourself to death on the rocks below no one’s gonna stop you.
There are stalls nearby selling sun-dried – and pungent – seafood, if you’re into that kind of stuff.
Next stop: Jiufen
Jiufen is an old mining town built into the side of hills facing the Pacific Ocean. It was saved from being a ghost town when it became popular with tourists for its charming old town feel. Jostled with crowds of fellow tourists on the narrow streets of Jiufen, soaking in the snacks and souvenirs on offer in the shops.
Dessert
Delicious noodles, i loved that you can add your own chilli sauce
Next stop: Beitou hotspring
What is a visit to Taipei without heading to the hotsprings in the north? Soak ourselves in the sulphuric water and breathed in sulphur-smelling air. Suppose to cure skin ailments and other magical stuff. No pics of course 
Last stop: Shilin market
The mecca of Taipei night markets. Find every conceivable snacks and knick knacks here. The streets are so packed you have to slowly shuffle your way around. I of course tried the fried chicken cutlet, which was bigger than the palm of my hand. Lots of shopping to be done from the roadside stalls and the shop behind them. Bought a few norens for my home; they sell for double the price back home.
I don’t know if it was common occurence in Shilin; the roadside stalls were illegal, and when enforcement officers appeared, the hawkers literally ran with their carts into dark alleys. After the coast is clear, the carts magically appeared from the alleyways and business was back as usual. This happened at least 2 times when I was there.
Fried chicken cutlet, with plenty of chilli and plum seasoning
From Shilin, we made our way back to the hotel via MRT, all full and tired from the day’s journey.
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