Got meat one lor! Bon appétit!We checked out of our room and deposited our luggage at the hotel. The lady staff told us to put it at the lobby, together with those belonging to others - as expected. Can't imagine how unsafe it would be to leave easily opened bags there! Left a backpack containing Hualien essentials behind, for pickup later in the evening.
The weather was getting warmer daily. How would it be like down south today? Please still let it be pleasant up till our last day. After that, the mercury is free to rise.
忠孝东路 Zhongxiao East Road
Took the metro and dropped at Zhongxiao Fuxing Station. First stop, green Sogo. But nothing much to see there. Trawled through the department store for clothes and my shoes with my sister. My brother was bored to tears, so he left us to our own devices. I snagged 2 pairs of earrings with crystals for NT666, what a steal! But that's all, couldn't find any clothes matching our usual criteria, and no new shoes for me.
I was still full from my breakfast, so I skipped lunch. On the other hand, my brother got his much-needed calorie fix.
The queue card. They will beep you once your food is ready.
NT195
I think we took 15min trying to cross this road.
Because a school band started marching in front of us and we decided to stop and watch.
Then an endless procession of floats and people dressed as deities for Vesak Day came along. Free Chingay overseas at front row, when we have to pay at home!Then the traffic light would remain at one color for minutes lor.
It was almost 4pm. Outside the white Sogo, was a clock on the wall. People were standing under, staring at it. Curious, we did the same.
So pretty! I think it's gonna be real happening when the clock struck 12!Clock: Dong! Dong! Dong!
Bird: (Jumped out from behind 12) Cuckoo! Cuckoo!
Then it went back and the crowd dispersed.
Us: ...
I was expecting something more elaborate -_______-
Shoppers counter. Hao lian lor, can get so crowded that need counter for crowd control lor.Continued down the street... very crowded and uneven.
Stopped at Clarks. The older models were unsuitable, but we actually found 2 models with suitable soles!! But the catch was, they were new models and cost a bomb, despite the store discount. We spent quite some time choosing and trying, with help from the obliging staff. I thought new stuff would probably cost the same in any country and I didn't want to spend time looking for it back home, so I bought a pair on the spot. Burned NT5512 OMG! Heavy bleeding! Most expensive pair of shoes ever! I really hope the LV was more expensive! I think it should be. The consolation was that it made my brother look really generous to open his wallet upon demand haha.
While I was mulling over my shoes, my sister went food-hunting, returning with a bowl of 阿宗面线 and a cup of their bubble milk tea. Didn't know there's a branch here! Yummy mee sua, but bubbletea cannot make it.
We decided that we shouldn't stray too far from the metro, so we turned back.
Went to the toilet at Zhongxiao Fuxing station. Interesting button! I could imagine the staff barging through the door to help the poor soul in need, only to see him watching water swirl down the bowl.Encountered people giving samples in the street. We got some mints. A girl was giving some perfume sample strip. She gave my sister when approached! I think in Singapore, they won't hiu people like us lor!
Overall, we found this leg a waste of time.
西门町 Ximending
It wasn't the official Ximending day yet, but we just needed a place to while some time away. Ventured into the other parts we didn't pass by on our way to the metro, at the same time wondering how come we never saw the A Zong Mee Sua... and found it! Quickly made my sister join the snaking queue while my brother and I went to grab a bubbletea. I bought a 葡萄柚绿茶, thinking it's grape + pomelo
People queuing and standing around eating the mee sua.
Sooo sio and delicious! The pig intestines don't stink, but I must say I have a high tolerance for stinky food. There was vinegar in it, so in the end, my brother didn't eat it.While I was eating, my sister went into a shop opposite A Zong selling Nike stuff. Bought bag already, still got things to buy?
Suddenly, the roadside hawkers were running with their carts! What happened?
Mata lai liao!After a long time, my sister emerged with a pair of Nike shoes. She didn't ask for discount although it was the display pair. Should ask lor, don't know how much dust collected and how many people tried/touched it already.
Girls in costume. What a sight.Back to hotel to repack our shopping.
Taipei Main Station
It's merely a station, but so much happened here. First, we had to look for dinner. Couldn't find anything to eat again... only got foodcourt. My brother only saw chicken at the Mos Burger. Again? Taiwan's fastfood only serves chicken?
My pig's blood soup dinner NT170. Still quite full from the mee sua actually.
My sister's pasta NT180. The soup had a puff pastry on top.Bought some bread for NT100 in case we got hungry. And water too.
After our meal, I decided I should empty my bladder first. We went round the whole place but couldn't find an accessible toilet. We went to the train ticketing to ask if we could change the tickets to the disabled seat, but they said cannot. We were told to go to the tourists counter beside the ticketing to ask for assistance instead. There, we asked for directions to the accessible toilet in the train station. A volunteer said go there, turn, blah blah, which we followed, but cannot find -_-;; Nevermind, time to board the train already. The volunteer took us to the platform, and asked a staff in a room to help us get on the train, but he said no help (???). How can it be lor, last time got help at Songshan, and there's a big fat ramp lying outside his enclave lor. Whatever. The volunteer advised us to just take the seats near the door and if someone comes looking for his seat, tell him to take ours. With that, the volunteer left us to our own devices.
Met some aunties waiting for the same train. We were so blur that we didn't realized when the train arrived, until we saw the aunties boarding the train! My brother carried me up the train and my sister carried the wheelchair up, which wasn't too hard actually. The aunties occupied the disabled seats. Hey... they choped already, that's why we cannot take is it...
The train moved on pretty soon. Hualien, here we come!
自强号, the fastest train as it went through tunnels in the mountains. Which meant no scenery, but I don't expect to see anything at night anyway.
New train that makes people feel comfortable. But the door between cabins were quite irritating. Will kiap people and won't spring open.
Cup holders provided.Meanwhile, the feast started.
Cao zai guo from 2 days ago :X
But turned hard from putting in the fridge, not nice already. Threw the rest away.Our routemap:
台北 -> 松山 -> 宜蘭 -> 羅東 -> 花莲
花莲 Hualien
2hrs 8min later, we were in Hualien! No ramp provided to get off the train, but we managed ourselves. But we had to be led to the station exit as people would normally use an underpass, but for us, we had to cross the tracks. If only we could stop in the middle for a photo!
The weather was COLD like Day 1! Further south ≠ warmer temperature. The ground was wet... hope it wouldn't rain tomorrow.
It's this late. I had arranged for pickup by Ocean BnB's owner. I already got missed calls from him... he must be getting kan jiong seeing all the people emerging, yet still no sign of us. We exited the station and turned right, but didn't see any white Toyota. Turned out he's waiting diagonally right.
Wow pachinko! It should be 24/7 like Japan mah!We were driven past the town, which was so much quieter, that I could almost describe as deserted. We stopped outside a house. So this was 被浪打到民宿! The area so quiet lor... scared. The owner's wife and son were waiting for us too. Wa paiseh lor, so late already! We checked into our street-view room for 4 on the ground floor. The owners were so kind as to lend me a stool for bathing. After we had settled down, they left the premises as they don't live here.
The spacious room! Wa shiok! Big difference compared to our claustrophobic room in Neijiang! But I should emphasize that this was also the most expensive room of the trip at NT2500. Check it out! There's a backdoor! When you open it, it's pitch dark outside and all you can hear were the wind and waves going BAM! BAM!
Got tv, free mineral water (more in the fridge), assortment of teas and a curious orange machine, should be a sanitizer like in those $10 haircut shops.
Gigantic wardrobe, can sleep inside!
Big bathroom, big showerhead! The shower cream and shampoo were from a dispenser, but not sure if the dispenser really contained Lux products. Anyway, we had our own.
Mosquito spotted flying slowly, it got piaked. Taiwan mosquitoes all fly slowly?After bathing and eating fruits, we should be sleeping already, but still watched 男儿本色 on tv -_-
We could hear the boom from the waves throughout the night. How close were we to the ocean?
Zzz...
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