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Taipei, Taiwan | May 08 - May 13, 2019 Three years ago, I traveled with Anna to Taiwan. It’s already been three years & a lot has happened since then — but, nothing’s changed. For the past week, Anna and her roommate, Qiuyi, visited Taiwan which gave me a chance to explore too :) After dropping off my TAS kids to Taoyuan International, I waited for them to arrive at Terminal 1. First stop was Gongguan (NTU) for some traditional Taiwanese milk tea & gua bao. Then, Chiang-Kai Shek Memorial Hall where they were setting up for the Mother’s Day Ceremony held every year by Tzu Chi Foundation. Can’t end the night without some night market food so we went to Raohe Night Market for their famous pepper buns & other delicious treats! The next day, I met them at Taipei Main Station bright and early to do a day trip to northern Taiwan. I like to catch the train to Ruifang before the 10 am train to Pingxi so that we could have breakfast at Yonghe Soymilk. It’s usually 49 NTD to Ruifang if you buy a physical ticket but 44 NTD with your yoyo card. And 17 NTD to Shifen. Since it was raining that day, Shifen Waterfall was quite a sight! (only a short 20 minute walk from Shifen Station). To kill time, they wrote their wishes on sky lanterns which I hope do come true. Jiufen was next & you can catch a bus from the police station in Ruifang. Famous for their taro balls dessert & A-Mei Tea House which inspired part of Spirited Away, you can’t miss this place! To squeeze in a night market per day, I took them to Keelung Night Market which is only a 40 min. bus ride from Jiufen. This night market is known for their seafood dishes and pao pao bing (a type of shave ice). We managed to catch the sun setting as we hiked up Xiangshan and then to the Taipei 101 Observatory (540 NTD w/student ID). There are four mountains that interconnect with Xiangshan, but it’s the most easiest trail and shortest out of the four beasts. If you’re ever lucky with nice weather, do go up Taipei 101 for the sunset (especially if this is your first time to Taiwan). On the way home, I took them to Ningxia Night Market (@Shuanglian Station) which has the best sweet potato balls :) Taipei has many cheap breakfast joints wherever you stay at, but sometimes I like to go to Loco Food for their famous egg pancakes. And that’s what I did before heading to meet up with Anna & Qiuyi at Tamsui. By the time we got there, the sun was just about to set. Normally, if you have time I’d suggest going to Fisherman’s Wharf (via the R26 bus) to watch the sunset. But, if you walk all the way to the back of Tamsui Old Street and sit at the pier, it’s just as beautiful. I always warn against going to Shilin Night Market but it’s not a bad place if you really want to grab a quick bite. If you really like soy milk and youtiao (fried breadsticks), Fu Hang Soy Milk is the place to go! Since it was their last full day in Taiwan, we went hiking again but this time up Junjianyan (Battleship Rock). The rest of the day was just lounging around Taipei and visiting Ningxia Night Market one last time. I had to leave for Hong Kong the day after them so I couldn’t drop them off to the airport :( — love you 3000. Those short five days was enough to pack in most of Taipei, but if you ever want to take your time and not feel rushed — a week is the ideal amount of time. Although I was only around to guide them through the places they wanted to go since it is their trip together, it was nice to force myself to get up early, and be adventure-ready :) I don’t always have time like these to take people around and with close friends, too. So to say that I miss traveling is an understatement. Every day is a different decision and my mind is distracted left and right. Life as I know it. But, I couldn’t have asked to be around a better crew than Anna and Qiuyi — I just hope y’all enjoyed Taipei despite all the ups and downs along the way. Thank you both. For giving me a reason to smile again. For letting me be myself though I know I’m a terrible tour guide. I could rant on and on but next time, hopefully I’m a little better. At least, thank you for the few happy moments I didn’t know I needed. Cheers for the nudge as always. Hong Kong pt.03 | May 14 - May 17,2019 After Anna and Qiuyi left Taiwan, I departed for Hong Kong on a short three day trip. There were some important things I had to take care of; however, that didn’t mean I couldn’t have fun! Although Tsui Wah is one of the more expensive cha-chaan-teng in Hong Kong, it’s open 24 hours and has just about everything you need. My favorite is always the crispy buns drizzled in condense milk with a hot steaming Hong Kong style milk tea after a long flight. The weather was extremely nice, so I took a chance and watched my last sunset in Hong Kong at Sai Wan. And nice weather meant good hiking weather too. It took me a while to climb up The Peak from HKU but I made it :) By the time I got back to TST, it was almost midnight but I decided to grab some pulled chicken rice. Macau | May 15,2019 My important things to take care of meant a impromptu trip to Macau for the day. Exchange rate from HKD to MOP is 1:1 so you could pay in HKD but change would be in MOP. I had some breakfast at Australia Dairy Co. then rushed to barely make the 9 am ferry from China Ferry Terminal in Kowloon. Be careful when purchasing the round trip ferry tickets from Kowloon because the last ferry back from Macau is at 9:35 pm (370 HKD or $50 total). After an hour, I arrived at Macau Ferry Terminal. I took a short detour to Tempolo A-ma and Ruins of St. Paul's via bus which are pretty easy to catch, but just make sure you have exact change ($6 MOP). From there, I took another bus to Coloane Village to visit the original Lord Stow's Bakery — famous for their Portuguese egg tarts :) Nearby was a place that sold serredra (sawdust pudding). Next was to the Parisian and the Venetian in Cotai before I walked 20 minutes to Old Taipa Village to grab the best Pork Chop buns I’ve had and also my favorite from Sei Kee Cafe (don’t forget their clay-pot coffee, milk tea, and lemon black tea). Nearby was the Galaxy Macau where I took care of what I had to before taking the free shuttle back to Macau Ferry Terminal to see the Macau Fisherman’s Wharf. Qiuyi recommended that if I’d yet to hike in Hong Kong, Dragon’s Back would be the perfect place. After having breakfast at Chrisly’s Cafe (best place for scrambled eggs), I took the tram all the way to Shau Kei Wan and then the #9 bus up to To Tei Wan. For someone with poor health, I was surprised I made it up to the top in less than 30 minutes. It’s like Makapuu Lighthouse back home with mountains one side, beach views the other. Only difference was how low the clouds were due to the approaching monsoon season. I actually bumped into an old friend up at the top of the Shek O Peak. Two polo baos, a few egg tarts, and a bunch of Hong Kong style milk teas later — he dragged me all the way down to Tai Long Bay which concluded the whole Hong Kong Trail. Dragon’s Back should only take 1 hour round trip but 3-4 hours if you go all the way down. A couple friends had been raving about eating pigeon so I decided to try it before I left Hong Kong too. Spent the remaining of my last day just sitting down at the pier, watching the stars, and listening to the waves crash against shore. Couldn’t leave Hong Kong without having one last breakfast. At Wan Chai, there’s Kam Fung Cafe which is famous for their chilled Hong Kong style milk tea (they never put ice so it doesn’t dilute) and polo baos. Then, I had some lunch at Mak Man Kee for wonton mien and a last bowl of steam milk from Yeeshun. Also, Yeeshun fixes up the best hot ginger lemon coke if you’re ever sick :) A quick hike up the Peak again and that concluded my last HKG trip for the semester. As expensive as Hong Kong is, it’s always been easier for me to get used to another country’s lifestyle. Because of that, I pick up a lot of habits despite only being there for a couple days each time. And I guess that’s what makes me love HKG so much. On a side note, in about a week, I might be back in Singapore again but as a tourist. I forgot I promised my old, old friend that I’d do one last trip to a certain place in South East Asia with her. Though she’s there, it’ll mostly be a solo trip by myself again which means more endless but breathtaking walks :) Better late than never! Time just flew by. Currently at Hong Kong International Airport. Leaving Hong Kong today. This might be my last trip too so I’m feeling all the feels again. Goodbyes are never easy and I hate them, so I always say see you later because I know — I’ll be back in these countries that have captured my heart — chaotic streets, delicious food, beautiful scenery, vibrant culture, & most importantly, catching up with my talented best friend or two :)
Until next time. — Irene Comments are closed.
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Apa Kabar, Ni Hao! My name is Irene Chen. I am currently a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa pursuing a BBA in Accounting & Finance. Join me on this journey through Singapore!
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