Taiwan 2013: Day 1 & 2

So here's an update on day one and two in Taiwan!

I miss Taiwan so much already :'(

The people are friendly and greet each other most of the time.

The food is cheap, the sceneries are beautiful and you can go crazy at the night markets.

DAY ONE

Met the tour group at Changi Airport at 8 plus in the morning, had breakfast with the family, then boarded the plane (China Air)! I was quite impressed with China Air actually. Maybe because I set my expectations for it pretty low at first. The space in the plane was sufficient and the food was pretty tasty.

I even got to watch Amélie while eating. Good movie.

Pasta with tomato chicken, sautéed mushrooms and cabbage + fruits + shrimp salad + bread roll + chocolate puffs.

Didn't get to do much on the first day cause we arrived in Taiwan at around 4 in the noon and traveling to the hotel took quite awhile. We arrived at Forte Hotel in Hsin Chu, had our dinner and then a stroll along the night streets. We were lucky to be able to catch a glimpse of the parade of lantern festival that was held that night!

DAY 2

 Buffet breakfast @ Forte Hotel.

Love the noodles!! Btw you can expect porridge in my breakfast for the next few mornings.

Something about their rice and porridge makes it soooo good and chewy. QQ!

Went to Neiwan Station for a tour and explored the streets :)

 Mad love their handmade muachee!!!! :')

The old lady used 2 chopsticks to slice the muachee into cute little bite-sized balls, then mixed them in peanut and sugar. Super Q and tasted fantastic.

 Crossed the bridge and the fear of heights didn't get to me!

 Aww cute grandma and the TW tour guide :)

 Old school candies!

(Not sure what happened to the above pictures. Guess I wasn't aware that I changed the camera modes but picturesque nonetheless!)

Went to a Strawberry Cafe for lunch! 

Almost every dish had strawberries in them. Be it fruit or jam. And mind you, even though their strawberries were really small, they tasted soooo sweet. Yum yum in my tum tum.

 HOT FAV: Strawberries + jam pork chop!

 Stir fried veggies with strawberries

 HOT FAV: Fried prawns with strawberries and mayo

 Just steamed fish. Don't think I tasted any strawberries lol.

 Strawberries drizzled with chocolate and white choc sauce for dessert!

There were more food but they looked less appealing in pictures, so... Heh.

 Grandma and the giant strawbie. Hi.

Went to one of the strawberry farms to pick strawberries!

Just pluck em', put em' in your basket, and pay according to the weight.

Well, as typical Singaporeans, some of us just ate while plucking. HAHAHA.

Don't worry about pesticides, the strawbies are organic. Or that's what they said.

 Packed into a box and ready to go!

Went to another train station to explore. Nothing much though.

Since we were going to a farm to stay that night, the tour guide told us to get some food in case we get hungry at night. Stopped by 7-11. Let's just take a moment to honour Taiwan's 7-11, ok?

I LOVE THEM. MUCH BIGGER THAN SINGAPORE'S AND THEY HAVE TABLES AND CHAIRS. THEY HAVE YONG TAU FOO IN THE SHOP AND YOU CAN COOK YOUR OWN NOODLES TOO. THEY HAVE A REALLY WIDE VARIETY OF DRINKS AND FOOD.

AND DORAEMON BREAD AND HELLO KITTY STUFF.

*pause to catch my breath*

Every time I see a 7-11 I'll just spazz and run in to breathe the air and have a look. LOL.

 Awesome strawberry yakult-type of drink ;)

Dinner @ farm stay!

 Love their fried pumpkin. That meal made me love pumpkins.

DIY ANG KU KUEH + COFFEE.

 Obviously my talented grandma had to be the one demonstrating~

 ^MINE.

The facilitator gave us a talk about the coffee beans and then we had to grind them on our own.

Oh the hideous process of making your own coffee.... We all agreed we'd stick to 3-in-1. Or Starbucks.

Lights out after supper! :)

We got wooden huts as our rooms at the farm stay. With a big bed and bathroom necessities, there's nothing to complain about. The entire place just reminds me of the school Kuching trip last year, only in a cooler environment, better food and no bugs in the room.

***

Hope you enjoyed this post. Stay tuned for the next!!!