DAY 02 - 台北101, 五分铺, 饒河街夜市

Wow, wake up fresh and good today and in fact Eugene and I had overslept !!

Breakfast will stop serving at 10am and we woke up at 930am. Rushed down to the restaurant and to our horror, the kitchen staff had started to pack up, so on time =(

Never mind, at least it gave us an excuse to explore the good food around hehe. This is Taiwan !! haha ..

As it was still early, hence we decided to explore around our hotel. Did not realise Lio Hotel is actually next to the Camera Street. See the chain of camera shops lining the street? I shall check out the prices of the camera gear once they have opened *evil grin* ..


Opposite the Camera Street is a typical Taiwan Bus Stop. Unlike Singapore, the bus stop here does not have any shelter and there is no bus guide either. However, the bus route is printed loud and clear on the respective bus number’s signboard and you can also check with the friendly bus drivers for your intended drop off point.

We proceeded to 三光新越 to have our brunch. I ordered a set of 鲁肉饭 set meal which costs NT$120 (around S$6). Quite value for money but it was not very appetizing. Look at the set meal in the foreground, that’s my set meal hehe, got 鲁肉饭, tofu, a plate of oily vegetables and a bowl of fishball cum meatball soup. Very well-spread hehe. In Singapore, you seldom get to find such set meal at such price.

Next we walked around the streets opposite Taipei Main station and I tried the 继光香香鸡 which is highly recommended by my sister. It costs NT$55 for a small pack and it actually tastes like KFC’s popcorn chicken just that it has more meat. Nice .. =)

Eugene wanted to check out the IT gear in Taiwan and we moved on to 光华商场 which is equivalent to Singapore’s Sim Lim Square. The old 光华商场 is a lane of electronic shops whereas the new 光华商场 is like an IT Mall. It was opened recently and there were a lot of road shows going on. IT stuff in Taiwan is indeed cheaper than that in Singapore, plus the babelicious road show promoters, it is truly a haven for the guys. Eugene shopped for 3 hours here, covering almost all the shops *faint*.

Direction to 光华商场:
o Taipei Main Station → 忠孝新生站→ Exit 1 (behind Rainbow Plaza)
o 5 mins walk from the station
o Operating hours: 11am – 9pm (closed on alt Tues – 2nd & 4th of the month)

Finally, enough of IT stuff and we went to Taiwan’s famous landmark – 台北101 !! Things here are very expensive and definitely not suitable for bargain hunters like me, so we merely loitered around, rest our tired legs at the foodcourt and visited the clean and high-class toilets haha ..

Direction to 台北101:
o http://www.taipei-101.com.tw/
o Taipei Main Station → 市政府站→ Exit 2 turn right → 台北101 Shuttle Bus (“Free 101”)
o Operating hours: 11am – 930pm

It was approaching knock-off time and look at the stream of traffic that started to build up in the main street.

 
Look at the galore of taxis lining up, all on standby, waiting for potential commuters.

Sky turned dark at around 545pm in Taiwan, by around 6pm, 台北101 would start to light up. Majestic isn’t it ?? =)

In order to satisfy my shopping urge, we decided to go to 五分铺 as well as to have our dinner there.

五分铺 is a wholesale shopping haven, ALL the girls must visit this place. You will go crazy here as they sell anything and everything at rock bottom prices !! If only there is a reasonable hotel/hostel around this area, I will surely bunk in. One day is definitely not enough hehe ..

Directions to 五分铺:
Option 1:
o Taipei Main Station → 后山埤站→ Exit 4
o 5 mins walk along YongJi Rd

Option 2:
o Taipei Train Station → 松山車站
o 五分铺 is opposite 松山車站
o Do not go on Mon (it is a stock purchase day and the shop owners will not have time to entertain you.)
o Operating hours: 12pm – 12am (most shops open at 330pm)

As Eugene’s backache started to creep into him, hence we only shopped around 五分铺 for 1.5 hour *cry*. Yes, 1.5 hour is short but I still managed to grab a few good buys, HAPPY !!

Here’s a list of my happy purchases:
o A pair of chic shoes (NT$399)
o 1 super trendy loose top (NT$100)
o 1 pair of leggings (NT$190)

This is my shortest yet happiest shopping trip ever haha ..

Look at the street of mannequins and shops, very enticing isn’t it?

After which we went to the famous 胡须张鲁肉饭 (NT$30) which is opposite 五分铺. Yes, I had 鲁肉饭 again even though I had it for brunch today haha. But this 鲁肉饭 is really a MUST TRY. I tried it during my last trip here and till now I can still remember its taste. It is much tastier than the one that I had this morning and look at how engrossed Eugene was in tucking in haha ..

We ordered a plate of crunchy beansprouts, 2 bowls of beef soup with ginger and a plate of salted pork with plum sauce. The beef soup was very appetizing and the salted pork, you will regret if you do not order this. It is a hot seller in the shop, very good.

To our surprise, most of the helpers and chefs here are youngsters !! Despite their age, they were very meticulous in their work which explained why the dishes all tasted so good.

Lastly, we moved on to the last stop of the day - 饒河街夜市 .

Direction to 饒河街夜市:
o Taipei Train Station → 松山車站 (you can use EasyCard for the train ride)
o 饒河街夜市 is directly opposite 松山車站
o 10mins walking distance from the far end of 五分铺

As we approached 饒河街夜市, we saw the majestic 慈佑宫 welcoming us. Night view of 慈佑宫 is very surreal and grand and despite it is located next to a night market and residential area, you can still feel its aura when you scrutinize its exquisite carvings.

Ta ta laaaaaa .. this is the famous 饒河街夜市 *applause* Look at the crowds thronging through the entrance ! The thought of squeezing and brushing past the sweaty people turned me off. BUT, Taiwan is famous for its night markets, how could we give this a miss right ?? haha ..

饒河街夜市 is famous for its 福州胡椒饼. Just like when you go to 士林夜市, you must eat its 豪大大鸡排, they share the same elite status in their own respective night market, haha. The 福州胡椒饼 stall is located right at the entrance and you will not miss it as there will be a long queue winding round and round in front of the stall.

5 people serving at the stall and the staff even turned to smile at me, business must be good =P

Ok, this is the highly-acclaimed 福州胡椒饼 (NT$45) and it is BIG enough to serve as a meal, gosh! The skin is a bit thick but the filling is definitely full to the brim. Not forgetting the fragrant pepper taste in the meat, NICE !!

We shopped around the night market and there were other tempting snacks luring us. But the 鲁肉饭 and 福州胡椒饼 were still residing happily in our tummies and hence we decided to surrender.

Today is only Day 2 and I can feel my waistline expanding already. Taiwan, is really not a place for people who want to be on diet *cry*.

Nevertheless, we had a great time eating and shopping. Everything is value for money and we spend with a smile on our faces too, haha. Taiwan, 赞!