8D7N in Taipei & Hualien (Dec 3-10, 2011)

Dec 3 (Saturday)

Our flight touched down at 8.25 p.m. We checked in at Royal Palace Hotel. It was centrally located in Taipei City. With the 40% off published rate, we only paid NT4800 (est. S$220) per night for a Triple Room which came with one Double bed and one Single bed and daily breakfast for all :)

Night: Visit to 通化街 Night Market (ate 台南意面, 鸡排, 水煎包, 大肠包小肠, Deep fried prawn shrimp, 炸排骨 etc)

Dec 4 (Sunday)

Morning: Attended service at New Life Church. Had an early treat because NLC launched their Arise & Build that weekend and Dr John Avanzini was preaching!

Afternoon: Visited 华山1914 Creative Park. Weather was superb! Sunny, yet so cooling... Perfect for hanging out at the outdoor park.

Main purpose to the park was to have lunch at Deja Vu; Jay Chou's latest magic-themed restaurant, located in the Creative Park. Food was nice because the pasta and pizza were freshly made.

Night: Friends arrived in the evening and we met for dinner at Kyoto Teppanyaki. Super yummy!

Dec 5 (Monday)

Morning: Breakfast at Royal Palace Hotel was served in a Japanese restaurant. There were the usual spread plus sushi, soup and some other Japanese dishes.

After breakfast, we went ice-skating at Taipei Arena. Admission for students was only NT170 (est. S$7.50) for 2 hours with full gear which included skates, helmet, gloves, knee pad and elbow pad! Cheap! Cheap!

Afternoon: Shopping at 西门町 and had lunch at 阿宗面线.

Night: Had shabu-shabu for dinner at 橘色. The seafood was crazily fresh. The prawns were still alive when there were served. My favorite was the salad with a special wasabi dressing. I ate 3 bowls!

Salad with wasabi dressing

Dec 6 (Tuesday)

Morning & Afternoon: Kids were at Baby Boss from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. When we first visited Taiwan in 2009 (read my earlier post here), Debbie was only 2 years old then. This time she had a lot of fun with Denise and the older children. I rushed from station to station with them; trying not to miss "kodak" moment. Totally exhausted after 7 hrs!

Denise

Debbie

Night: Had dinner at 糖朝.They served very nice and affordable Hong Kong styled food, like rice, noodles, congee and dim sum. Famous for their desserts. Too hungry and tired after Baby Boss; realized that I did not take any picture :p

Dec 7 (Wednesday)

Morning: Took a 2 hr train ride to Hualien. The view was awesome!

Afternoon: Checked into Farglory Hotel. Our Family room was 612 sq ft. It overlooked the Pacific Ocean and came with 1 Double bed, 2 single beds, a dining area and a living area :)

Afternoon: Local guide brought us to 七星潭  - a local scenic spot where we can rent bicycles and ride along the Pacific Ocean. The scenery was breath-taking!

Night: Had dinner at 自强 Night Market. Did some "research" on the internet prior to the trip and managed to try all the recommended food :) (第一家烤肉串, 蒋家官财板, 东山鸭头 etc) Happy! Basically you select your food, take a number and wait. The staff will bbq or cook your food. Collect your food when your number flashes on the board.

Dec 8 (Thursday)

Morning & Afternoon: It was freezing cold and the wind was blowing strong that morning. There was a theme park located next to the hotel - Farglory Ocean Park. Like the one in Hong Kong, but smaller and lesser thrilling rides for adults. However, the park was built  just next to the Pacific Ocean; the view was extremely beautiful!

Besides the rides, we also watched Sealion performance and Dolphin show.

If you are a mochi fan like me, you MUST buy the mochi from 曾记 before you leave Hualien! The store is located opposite the Hualien Railway Station. The mochi is made fresh on the spot and must be consumed within 24hrs as it does not contain preservatives. According to TYP, it is the world best mochi! Smooth on the outside, the peanuts finely-grind and the whole thing melts in your mouth... :)

Night: All of us knocked out on the way back to Taipei. We headed straight to 大腕 Yakiniku Dining Restaurant for dinner. The place was packed with people. You ordered your food and the staff would season the meat and bbq the food in front of you. Very yummy food! The beef literally melts in your mouth.
 

Ate GIANT scallops that just flew in from Japan the day before

Dec 9 (Friday)

Morning & Afternoon: Taipei turned super cold after we came back from Hualien; 14 degree... After a slow start in the morning, we had lunch at 三元 Korean BBQ. It was my first time having Korean food. The meat was nicely cooked and very tasty. Other than that, the rest was "okay"; not much of a Korean fan :p

Went for an easy stroll at 新光三越.It was freezing cold :( We decided to stay indoor where the older kids did clay craft and Debbie played in the mini indoor playground. She was so little when she came in 2009.

2009 with Denise

Then

Now

Night: Shopping at Shilin Night Market and Shida Night Market :) Yes! We went to 2 places in a night for some last minute shopping!

Dec 10 (Saturday)

Morning: We were so tired that we gave breakfast a miss. Was greeted by a long queue when we wanted to buy some cakes from Hello Kitty Sweets - located just opposite our hotel. I forgot that we were leaving on a Saturday!

Afternoon: Managed to buy 2 chocolate cakes and my favorite Tiramisu for NT340 (est. S$15). Left Taipei at 1.50 p.m. and return to Singapore with loads and loads of stuff, Taiwan goodies and many wonderful memories :) So blessed to have great travelling companions :)

Another 3 bags of stuff not in pic :)