3rd Year Anniversary Trip: Time for Taiwan

“You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like there's nobody listening,
And live like it's heaven on earth.” 
― William W. Purkey

It is amazing how quickly time flies. Three months ago, I was still booking my air tickets and counting down excitedly to fly to Taiwan. Now, I am back from my trip. Six days five nights was a short yet long trip and this trip marks our 3rd year anniversary. It is my first ever trip with Dear alone and I must say that I feel a great sense of achievement being able to find our way around ourselves. Of course, special thanks to many of the Taiwanese that we have approached and helped us with our directions. 

Day 1: We took the 7.10 am flight to Taipei and we literally ran to our boarding gate after breakfast with our family. As the plane took off into mid-air, there was this sense of excitement that rushed into me. As expected, the sense of excitement didn't last for too long and I got a little bored on the plane. Speaking of which, I am amazed at how Jade managed to survive a 25 hour flight when I got so bored on a 4 and a half hour flight. Thanks to Dear's iPad 2, I was able to create my own in-flight mini theatre to entertain myself. Upon reaching Taoyuan International Airport, we went to grab lunch and I must say that both of us were not used to the entire menu being in Chinese. It really goes to show that I need to brush up on my Chinese language. Taichung was our next stop and we felt really relieved upon seeing our room. So comfy and cozy that we rested for a while before heading to Banana New Paradise. We went there thinking it was a museum and Dear proudly told the lady "tickets for 2" when it turns out to be a restaurant. We had some side dishes before heading to Feng Jia Night Market. Due to lack of rest, shopping and eating at Feng Jia was not exactly enjoyable and it turned out that I didn't get any shopping loots which was surprising for many. Somehow, the stuff that they are selling there seems to similar to what we have at Bugis and I just didn't get attracted. 

Day 2: We bade goodbye to Taichung and headed for Rothenburg Lodge located in Yilan Countryside.    It was like a mini heaven in the paddy fields and we were awed by the beauty of the lodge. The owners were also hospitable and treated us to afternoon tea and Nobel cake when we reached the place. After satisfying our need to take pictures, we headed to Luodong Night Market. Being in the countryside, the night market was slightly different from Feng Jia Night Market. As we had ample rest the night before, I felt happier shopping at Luodong Night Market. We tried various local snacks and I got some shopping loots from there. 

Day 3: We spent half the day travelling back to Taipei and headed to Tamsui Old Street after dumping our luggage at a freaky hotel. There was so much to eat and shop at Tamsui that we spent our entire afternoon there and I insisted on taking the ferry to Fisherman's Wharf and Lover's Bridge although we were so damn tired after all the travelling and walking. I would say that apart from the nice lightings and night view at the bridge, there wasn't really anything else awesome. We headed back to the hotel for hot spring bath and had a freaky encounter. We were really a hero and heroine respectively to have stayed in that room for a night. 

Day 4: We couldn't wait to get to our other hotel at Ximending and was never so relieved to be in another place. We calmed ourselves down before heading out to enjoy ourselves for another day. Long Shan Si was first on the list and I must say that the temples are in Taiwan are really impressive. They even have mini waterfalls there that makes the whole temple look so beautiful. We then went to PS Bu BU restaurant for our late lunch and dessert and the waiter was friendly. I was so glad to be able to sit in the PINK car where Jerry Yan and Barbie Hsu once sat when filming Meteor Garden to have our meal. It was like a wish come true. We then headed to Wu Fen Pu and Rao He Night Market to satisfy my shopping and food cravings. 

Day 5: We changed our itinerary last minute and I was so glad to be able to locate the Kendo shop that Dear was looking for. We spent some time there as Dear was happily playing with all sorts of Kendo weapons and accessories since you could hardly or never find such stuff back in Singapore. We then took a train to Jiu Fen and I was a little disappointed with Jiu Fen as the food and things there didn't seem to appeal much to me. To avoid being caught in a storm, we gave up our plan to head to Shi Fen and went to Shilin Night Market before heading back to Ximending for late night shopping and supper. 

Day 6: We spent our day combing the entire Ximending for last minute shopping loots before heading to Hello Kitty Sweets Cafe. I would say that their Tea Set was pretty impressive in terms of looks but taste wise, it was probably average. In any case, we were still impressed by their theme cafe in terms of ambience, decoration and way the staff were dressed. We then headed back to collect our luggage before leaving for the airport and back to Singapore.

Our first trip overseas together was definitely memorable. Having only each other in a foreign land was a test and challenge for the both of us. We had to learn to give in to one another and look out for one another all the time. Although there were times that we got frustrated with one another, we didn't break up with each other on this trip. LOL. It was a trip that both of us got to understand one another better and learn to adapt to each other's living habits. Thanks Dear, I felt taken care of and loved and I must say I love you too :) Looking forward to many more trips in future.