TaipeiDreams.com

Memories of those 8 days

10 days have gone by since we returned from touring Taiwan in November!

Memories stayed fresh in our hearts and minds. How did we enjoy our 8 days touring the lively city of Taipei and beyond, in the cool yearend climate of Taiwan?

Very quickly, here’s a look at our itineraries for the 8-days tour - plus a little bonus rating of how much we enjoyed the touring stuff we did.

Revisit Taipei with us now!

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Our Enjoy Level Star rating:

* Yawn..
* * Yeah!
* * * Yippee!
* * * * Yoohoohoohoooo!!

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Day 1, 19 Nov. Wednesday..

1. Jetstar airlines flight. From Terminal 1 Changi Airport Singapore to Terminal 1 Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei.

* *

2. FreeGo bus ride. From TTI Airport to TS hotel.

* *

3. Quick hotel check-in. Dined at MacDonald’s Xi Men Ding.

* *

4. First task at Mrt station. Bought You You Card Easycard at Xi Men Mrt Station.

5. Mrt travel to Taipei City Hall. Walk to Taipei 101. 9:45 pm; observatory closed. Took cab to Tong Hua / Lin Jiang night market.

* *

6. Enjoyed Tong Hua / Lin Jiang night market. Ate street snacks. Packed snacks. Cab to hotel.

* * *

7. Hotel time. Night snacking and settling in.

* * *

8. K.O. (Knocked out) at 2:00+ am! It was chilly at 15 degrees Celsius tonight!

* * * *

Join us for Day 2..

Have you ever sang this?

Do you know this song “A smile” when you were younger?

... Catch a soft toy, or a smile - which is easier haha? ...

A smile

“A smile is such a funny thing, it wrinkles up your face.
And when it’s gone you’ll never find, its secret hiding place.
But far more wonderful it is, to see what a smile can do.
You smile at one, he smiles at you, and so one smile makes two..”

Catch a toy, catch a smile

At the arcade stores lining the old streets in Dan Shui, we decided to try our luck playing the UFO-catcher game machines*..

Grabbing a bunch of TWD10 coins in my palm, our gang of 4 entered a quiet arcade joint eagerly, smiling broadly on approaching the lady stall operator. Guess what - we got nothing we expected or imagined. The lady did not smiled and rather, glared at us in cold silence! Gulp!

Momentarily stumped, I pondered

Maybe the UFO catcher stall operators have to show aloofness, as a way of dealing with rowdy youngsters who patronize their stalls? Perhaps a cold detached demeanor will dissuade any fun-maker from pushing their luck in their gaming. Well, have we not heard of patrons who tried rocking the UFO-catcher machines to up their chances?

Anyhow, I regained composure. Slotted in a TWD10 coin into a machine for a futile catch, before heading out the empty store for some other arcade joints more deserving our patronage..

Catch no smile?!

Subsequently we patronized a total of about 9 UFO catcher arcade joints in the streets and night markets of Taipei. From Dan Shui, Kee Lung, to Xi Men Ding, only 2 of about 16 stall operators were any friendly at all..

Pardon me, let us get back to the issue of smiling..

Let me also re-write this “A smile” song..

The next time you offered a smile at a UFO-catcher arcade and got back cold looks in return, remember - this song is dedicated to you. Smile on, friend!

A Smile by TA of TaipeiDreams.com

A smile is such a funny thing, it wrinkles up their faces.
(They growled when you smiled.)

And when it’s gone they’ll never find, its secret hiding place!
(Now you are flabbergasted and frowning..)

But far more terrible it is, to see what a smile can do.
You smile at one, he don’t smile at you, and so you look like a fool!!
(The result! Yikes!)

* P.S. I have never played this UFO-catcher machine before. How did we score? What are the toys we caught? I’ll link more UFO-catcher stories here. Stay tuned!

Back from Taiwan!

Yes, we are back from our 8-days tour of Taiwan 19 to 26 November 2008!

Meanwhile, my wife and I have continued with our worklife. Our fatsos (dua bui sai in Singaporean dialect) nephews are still sleeping at home in their yearend school holidays after their Taiwan experience!

Did we enjoy this trip?

One thing is for sure - we did LOTS LOTS LOTS more than we did the last trip in 2006.

My wife relaxed thoroughly - even with the extra baggages (oops, I mean, nephews) along! The nephews wanted to stay longer in Taiwan. Days before the tour ended, they were already asking if we could extend our stay! They were enthralled by Taipei, her night buzz, night markets, her street snacks, and cool weather!

I am sure they still are enthralled now - albeit in their deep slumber!

As my wife and the boys delighted in the tour, I hence see myself as having done a worthy job, and yes, to say that I too have enjoyed the tour.

Post-Tour stories now..

So how was our Taiwan tour? What had we enjoyed and what are the highlights and stuff memorable?

This post will list the (longer) stories of posts relating to this November Taiwan tour. By the way, did you miss those stories of pre-tour preparation fun? Check them out to appreciate this November tour better!

Recollecting memories now..

• Memories Alive - Day 1 Revisiting Taipei Nov 08..

• Memories Alive - Day 2 Revisiting Taipei Nov 08..

• Memories Alive - Day 3 Revisiting Taipei Nov 08..

• Memories Alive - Day 4 Revisiting Taipei Nov 08..

• Memories Alive - Day 5 Revisiting Taipei Nov 08..

• Memories Alive - Day 6 Revisiting Taipei Nov 08..

• Memories Alive - Day 7 Revisiting Taipei Nov 08..

• Memories Alive - Day 8 Revisiting Taipei Nov 08..

• I Bet You Can’t Stomach Stinky Tofu-Round 1 of 4.

• I Bet You Can’t Stomach Stinky Tofu-Round 2 of 4.

• I Bet You Can’t Stomach Stinky Tofu-Round 3 of 4.

• I Bet You Can’t Stomach Stinky Tofu-Round 4 of 4. The Verdict!

• Curious What’s The View Outside Our Hotel Window?

More stories are being added regularly - revisit Taipei with us!

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Have rules will travel

Very soon, my wife, myself and 2 nephews will be in Taiwan. This will be the first time these kids are in an overseas trip to a country so far from Singapore. We want them to enjoy themselves, and stay safe through it all.

Read the rest of this entry »