Siangde Temple is a scenic spot that is surrounded by green mountains resembles 9 lotuses and thus it is named as Nine Lotus or Jiuhuashan in Taiwan. It is situated on a plateau across the Liwu River where vehicles cannot reach and hence this temple remains as a tranquility place. This temple has become part of the wonderful scenery spots in Taroko National Park of Taiwan, which is near to the Taroko village of Tiansheng overlooking Pudu Bridge. Here an amazing sight of a 12-meter tall giant statue of the Earth Store Bodhisattva rises above the surrounding greenery.




The nuns at the temple are friendly and most welcoming. This temple not only allows you to worship Buddha but also lets you look down over the Tiansiang terraces and lovely gorge scenery. Each year, many believers besides foreign visitors come from all over the places to worship Buddha or practice moral teachings here.

Haeinsa Temple - Korea

Haeinsa Temple is the most beautiful sacred spot in Gayasan National Park which was established by two monks, Sunung and Ijong during the early 9th century to devote the studies of the sutra.

Literally, "Haein" means a reflection on a calm sea which is a phrase derived from the Avatamsaka sutra.

The main highlight in this temple is its Tripitaka Koreana which is 81,258 wooden printing blocks carved during the Goryo Dynasty (AD 918 - 1392). These carvings have been well kept as the best Buddhist scriptures in the world. Besides that this temple has many images of Buddha like Manjusri and Samantabhadra. It accommodates many other artifacts found at Cheongyansa Temple and the Stone Pagoda at Wolgwang Temple in Korea.

Angkor Wat - Cambodia

Angkor Wat is a huge pyramid temple built by the Khmer civilization between 1130 and 1150 A.D. at Angkor, Cambodia. It was built during the early year of the 12th century for King Suryavarman II (ruled 1113-1150 A.D.) in his state to honor the Hindu god Vishnu which is a symbolic representation of Hindu cosmology.

This temple is regarded as the supreme masterpiece of Khmer architecture as it is surrounded by a 655 feet wide moat and it is about 4 miles long. At the center of the temple, one can see a quincunx of towers.

Its five inter-nested rectangular walls and moats symbolizing range of mountains and the cosmic ocean. Its extensive bas-relief carvings and numerous devatas (guardian spirits) adorning its walls represent the mankind's high quality and most amazing architecture achievement. Angkor Wat is particularly well-known for its stunning sculpted murals on its interior walls of the palace and mortuary. Therefore, it is not surprising to hear that it is ranked among the foremost architectural wonders of the world as well as the largest religious monument in the world.

Shaolin Temple - China

Shaolin Temple (Shàolínsì) is a famous Chinese martial arts (or Wushu Chan) temple in China which is situated in Songshan Mountains, eight miles from Dengfeng and 50 miles away from the southwest of Zengzhou, the capital of Henan Province.

It was established during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386 - 534) in 495 A.D. Emperor Xiaowen, who was a believer of Buddhism decided to build this temple on Mt. Song to house Batuo (or Buddhabhadra), an Indian monk who came to Luoyang, the ancient capital in 464 A.D for spreading Buddhist teachings.

Another Indian monk, Damo (Bodhidharma, Bhadra or Fotuo) who was the creator of Chinese Zen came to Shaolin in 517 A.D. He was allegedly meditating in a cave for 9 years and was said to have written the famous "Yijinjing," the fundamental of Shaolin martial arts or Gongfu.

During the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), this temple attained its glory moment by housing over 1,000 soldier monks who were used by the government to combat against the rebellions and Japanese bandits. Nevertheless, during the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) the martial arts was strictly prohibited. Between 1644 and 1928, the Shaolin temple was severely burnt several times, with the largest fire set in 1928 by the army of Shi Yousan in order to demolish the buildings of Shaolin Temple. The fire also destroyed almost all the temple's classical literature and records.

One can see over 300 ancient stone inscriptions with some of them created by the famous calligraphers, Ming-dynasty mural of 500 arhats adorning The Thousand Buddha Hall, about 200m up the hill from the temple are 232 pagodas (or the forest of pagodas) which are tombs of Shaolin monks from the 9th to 19th centuries with each inscribed with the names of the monk and his disciples, Qing murals adorning the White Robe Hall depicting the Rescue of Emperor Tai Zong by 13 Monks which show typical kung-fu moves, and many noted relics at Shaolin Temple. Other structures that greet visitors to this temple include a Bell Tower, a Drum Tower, Mahavira Hall, Hall of the Heavenly Kings, Fangzhang Hall (resting place for the temple's abbots) and over 5000 Buddhist sutras are well-kept in the library of the Sutra-Keeping Pavilion.

The most interesting relics are the murals adorning the Eastern Hall which depict groups of boxing monks. With such unique features, Shaolin Temple is well known in China and in abroad.

Wat Rong Khun - Thailand

Wat Rong Khun is the famous and impressed Buddhist temple located in a northern province in Thailand of Pa O Don Chai Sub-District, Mueang District, Chaingrai. This temple is about 5km away from Chiangrai, 10km from the Chiang Mai-Chiang Rai-Phayao Junction, 10km away from the Mae Suay Junction, 13km south of Chiang Rai City, or about 100m from the main superhighway to Chiangrai, Thailand. It was designed by Chalermchai Kositpipat, the famous national artist who has vowed to immerse himself deeply to serve the religion by constructing Wat Rong Khun since 1997 when he was 42 to the last day of his life to the temple.

His unique and majestic architecture and craftsman creations have been attracting large groups of foreign visitors visiting this temple. According to Thailand's tourist information, this temple had attracted over 1.8 million visitors, of which 140,000 were foreigners.

"Only death can stop my dream, but cannot stop my project," said Chalermchai Kositpipat, the creator of Wat Rong Khun in his book entitled "Sang Buddhasilp Puer Pandin" (Creating Buddhist arts for the Motherland) that his intention is to create the replica of magnificent and elegant temple as a heaven realm, an earthly paradise that humankind can experience.

Wat Rong Khun is a unique temple which is different from any other temples in Thailand as the Ubosot (consecrated assembly hall or chapel) has pure white color and white glittering mosaic glasses to enable it sparkles and shines throughout the day and night.

According to Chalermchai Kositpipat, the white color symbolises the Lord Buddha's purity while the white glass represents the Lord Buddha's wisdom that shines brightly all over the earth and the universe. This temple is a fine mixture of traditional Buddhist masterpiece and it is designed with small pieces of mirrored glass to add in a spacious and magical look particularly when it is viewed in the moonlight hours. The entrance to the main prayer hall has a disconcerting sea of hands, reaching out from the hell to beg for help. Inside this white temple are murals and paintings of the Buddha image and painted enamel ceramic floor.

While walking into the main chapel, you will be amazed by the statue of Lord Buddha, and this statue seems as though it is floating in the timelessness of space. There are 4 kinds of animals on its roof with the elephant represents earth, the dragon represents water, the swan's wings represent wind and the lion's chest represents fire. The bridge symbolises the crossing over from the cycle of rebirth to the Abode of Buddha while the small semicircle before the bridge symbolises the human world. The mouth of Rama or Rahu is represented by the big circle with fangs, meaning impurities in the mind and a symbolisation of hell or suffering as well.

Borobudur - Indonesia

Borobudur is regarded as one of the seven wonders and the largest and unusual Buddhist monument in the world.



It is located at Borobudur District, South of Magelang, and Central Jaya of Indonesia. It was constructed on a bedrock hill, 265meters (869 feet) above sea level out of an estimated 1,600,000 blocks of volcanic stones dredging from the river in the 8th and 9th centuries by the kingdom of Sailendra who ruled in Central Java at that time. The inscription dated 842 A.D. suggested that Borobudur was one time a sacred place for praying. Evidence explains that Borobudur was abandoned following the decline of Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms in Jaya and the Javanese conversion to Islam in the 14th century. It was then rediscovered by the British Governor of Java, Sir Thomas Raffles in 1814.

In 1968, the Indonesian government with the assistance of UNESCO launched a campaign of "Save Borobudur" to undertake restoration project to rebuilt Borobudur, and the major renovation of Borobudur was funded by UNESCO, who designated Borobudur as a World Heritage Site. Thereafter, in every May or June, Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Vesak Day at Borobudur in order to commemorate the birth, death, and the time when Siddhārtha Gautama attained the highest wisdom to become the Buddha Shakyamuni. Now, Borobudur is Indonesia's major tourist attraction spot with approximately 2.5 million visitors annually.

Borobudur has an overall height of 42 meters, but its height is 34.5 meters after the restoration. It has a dimension of 123 x 123 meters or 15,129 square meters. Its nine-terraced temple symbolises the transition towards nirvana and is well-known for its 1,500 intricately carved reliefs.

This monument is facing eastward with 1460 panels (each with 2 meters in width) and is decorated with 2,670 bas reliefs (1,460 narrative and 1,212 decorative panels) and 504 Buddha statues (including the intact and damaged statues). The first floor up to the 6th floor is in square platforms, while the 7th to the 10th floor is in concentric circular platforms.

Borobudur has many Buddha statues. One can see 6 different postures of Buddha's statue from the bottom to the top representing "contact with earth," "giving and helping," "meditation," "no fear," "teach and learn" and "turn of wills." A main dome which is located at the center of the top platform is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupa.

The first circular platform has 32 stupas, the second 24 and the third 16, that sum up to 72 stupas. The cross-legged Buddha statues are seated in lotus position which is distributed on the Rupadhatu level (on the five square platforms) arranging in rows on the outer sides of the balustrades, and the Arupadhatu level (on the top platform).

The Temple of Heaven - China

The magnificent and colorful Temple of Heaven literally means the Altar of Heaven (Tiāntán) is a complex of Taoist temple that was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to offer sacrifice to heaven and pray for good harvests. It was constructed between 1406 and 1420 A.D. during the reign of Ming Dynasty, Yongle Emperor (1406 - 1420), who was also responsible for the establishment of the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Originally, the temple was established as the Temple of Heaven and Earth, but it was expanded and renamed as Temple of Heaven during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor (1522 - 1567) in the 16th century, who built three prominent temples include Temple of Sun (ri tan), Temple of Earth (di tan) and Temple of Moon (yue tan) which can be found respectively in the east, north and west of Beijing. In the 18th century, during the reign of Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Emperor (1736 -1795) ordered to renovate this temple. In 1914, it was recorded that the President of the Republic of China, Yuan Shih-kai performed a Ming prayer ceremony at this temple as part of his effort to declare himself as Emperor of China. In 1961, it was listed by the State Council as "one of the key monuments under the state protection" as it is regarded as one of the most strictly protected and preserved cultural heritages of China. By 1998, this temple was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Since the founding of New China, the government has allocated large amounts of money to protect the cultural monuments in the Temple of Heaven. Each year, about 12 million visitors visit this temple.

The Temple of Heaven is much bigger than the Forbidden City but smaller than the Summer Palace, occupying an area of about 2,700,000 square meters (667 acres) which is about 4 times bigger than the area of the Forbidden City. As the feudal Chinese emperors regarded themselves as "The Son of Heaven" with their roles as head of a feudal system with a mandate from the heaven and thus they dared not build their own dwelling in Forbidden City bigger than a dwelling in Heaven.

The Temple of Heaven is a worthwhile visiting place in Beijing as it was a grand masterpiece and magnificent architecture of the Chinese People in the ancient times, coupling with its long history, deep cultural properties and magnificent architectural style reflects the ancient culture of the Orient. The layout of the Temple of Heaven is in accordance with the numerology and principles dating back to pre-Confucian times; with its semicircular northern part wall symbolizes the heaven while the southern part is square symbolizes the earth. This layout of walls reflects the ancient Chinese concept of the cosmogony: The sky is round and the earth is square. The design of the northern part being higher than the southern part is due to the ancient Chinese religious belief that the heaven is higher than the earth. Similarly, the roofs of the important structures in this temple are all tiled in blue symbolizing the color of the heaven and sky. The symbolism was essential as it is served as the place where the emperor as the "Son of Heaven" dwelt in was directly beseeched Heaven to provide a bountiful harvest throughout the land. This was particularly of much importance as during the imperial period the base of China's wealth was agriculture.

The primary buildings in this temple are three-layer-terrace Circular Mount Altar (a place where the sacrificial rite was held on the winter solstice) with white marble in its south and the 38-meter-high Altar of Prayer for Good Harvests (a place where emperors prayed for favorable weather and ample harvests) with round roof and three layers of eaves in its north which are lined in the central axis of the whole temple and are connected by a 36-meter-long bridge.


Inside the hall are 28 huge posts with the four posts along the inner circle represent 4 seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter; the 12 posts along the middle circle represent the 12 months; and 12 posts along the outer circle represent 12 Shichen (one Shichen in the past equaled to 2 hours and a whole day was divided into 12 Shichen). Subsidiary buildings include Imperial Vault of Heaven, the Hall of Abstinence, the Long Corridor, Seven Meteoric Stones, a Beamless Hall, the Bell Tower, and relatively small halls.

Another unique feature for you to see is a Nine-Dragon Cypress which is branches resembles nine dragons wind with each other. It was told that the cypress was planted over 500 years ago.

Outside the gate of the Imperial Vault of Heaven is Three Echo Stones. Here, if you speak facing the Vault while standing on the first stone, you will hear one echo; standing on the second and the third stone, you will hear two and three echoes respectively. Other interesting place for you to visit is a round Echo Wall which encloses the Imperial Vault of Heaven with 193 meter (633 feet) in its perimeter.

If you and your friend stand at the east and the west roots of the wall and you whisper a word, then your friend will hear what you said clearly even he is standing at the wall with a distance of 100 to 200 meters (328 -656 feet). The main hall in the temple was built to be a round pavilion with dark blue roof symbolizing heaven.

The East Assistant Hall worships the gods of stars including the sun, the Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury, dipper and Saturn. The gods of natural phenomenon including wind, lightning, rain and thunder are placed in the West Assistance Hall of the Temple of Heaven.

If you live in Taipei, this is an easy daytrip, requiring only a bus from Wanfang Community MRT station on the Muzha (Brown) line. This bus takes you right up to Mao Kong Cable Car station in about 20 minutes. Alternatively, you could just take the cable car right from Taipei Zoo station, or any of the cable car stations on that route.

I had found out about Mao Kong from some tourist map as a recommended day trip, and although it didn't say much about the area, the tea garden phrase caught my eye and I immediately decided that I wanted to see them. Even though really, I had seen tea gardens before when I had visited Ping Ling for a day, I was hoping for a better experience, since while in Ping Ling I had ended up being rather startled by the lack of tea houses (only one, in the museum, and it was closed....), not to mention the lack of accessibility from a tourist's point of view. Keep in mind Ping Ling is written up reasonably extensively in guide books, so you would expect at least something that would resemble a painless and enjoyable experience, rather than lots of meanderings, a closed tea house, very few restaurants, a bus that came only twice a day, and such like. (Although, to be fair, the tea fields were impressive and the shops were quite interesting.)

In contrast, Mao Kong, about which I could find very little information except for what one blogger on the "Taiwan is Beautiful" website had written up, turned out to be well worth going to and vastly superior to anything that I had seen in Ping Ling (well this at least is my opinion....). At any rate, based on what that blogger had written, at the very least I would find one place to have tea, as she had written about teahouses (plural), so hey, what was there to lose! This same blogger had also raved about the amazingingly refreshing local teas you could enjoy, and so even though that was probably not true at all, I wrote down the name of that tea, and the trip was planned!

 

Possibly, because of my typically low expectations when traveling to any place in Taiwan (this is my view only of course), I was too easily impressed, and the fact that there were signs, maps, regular buses, more than one restaurant, clearly marked trails, and even staff who spoke a bit of English was all it took for me to be pretty much blown away.....!

Well actually, it was good for quite a few other reasons as well. The trip there was straightforward, I only had to wander around a teeny bit to find the appropriate bus stop, the bus ride was only about 20 minutes, and the bus driver was very sensibly driving around corners up the mountain at a nice reasonable speed, not to mention the cliff-like drop offs here and there were actually quite well guarded by nice blindingly white (that is, easily visible!) concrete guardrails!

As well, when I got to Mao Kong, this was very easy to figure out, what with big signs and a HUGE cable car station with MAO KONG STATION written on it. That's the sort of obvious information that is a nice bonus when traveling to some new, unknown place!

Plus, once I had arrived at my destination, there were literally dozens of teahouses to choose from right in the immediate vicinity. Not to mention an exciting looking, clearly marked hiking trail right in my line of vision as well. There was also a big, clear, English sign pointing the way to the MaoKong Information Centre. It was very strange not having to spend any time at all trying to work out a map, or bus stop, or......etc!

Well, seeing as how it was lunchtime, I went straight to one of the bigger tea houses, right next to the station, and sat down on some rock-seats at a rock-table and proceeded to order the local variety of tea as had been recommended by that oh so useful internet as well as some lunch (which was of course rice and stuff to go with it....in this case, some very good vegetables and some not quite as good egg dish). The waiter serving me was very good at translating things for me and at understanding the kind of tea that I wanted to try, even though he kind of kept giggling whilst taking down my order.

The tea turned out to be really really nice and amazingly refreshing. I was very pleasantly surprised. The various tiny tea cups and miniscule teapot and lots of hot water made for a very enjoyable little tea party that could last for a long long time if one so felt inclined

This all cost a reasonablish 20 dollars Cdn in total I suppose, which to me seemed okay for lunch and tea for 2. Then off I went to have a look at that hiking trail, a set of stairs going up one of the mountains past a tea field or two, and probably up to the top to some great view! I excitedly started up the mountain only to find out that actually this was the “Neverending Stairs” trail, and that the humidity was a bit much for doing strenuous stair climbing activity, and that the stairs also kept becoming narrower, steeper, and more uneven with each step. But I persevered, thinking "I'm almost there by now...!!!" and "there will be a great view at the top!", but a good hour later when I finally got there, I am afraid to say there was no view at all, just an intersection of more trails going left, right, or down. Suffice to say that I was not too impressed by all of that, and back down I went, regretting the rather excessive exercise I was giving my poor (by now shaking!) knees and legs. Unless you can handle stair climbing for several hours, give this trail a miss.

Next, off I went to the Information centre, down a nice flat road, where I was able to see some pretty grand views of the mountains and valleys of this area, including a view of the city of Taipei (although the misty weather didn't make for great pictures of this...). As well, while I as walking, I came upon Even More teahouses, I couldn't believe it! It was quite the little industry here, and it was quite something to come upon so many little teahouses, literally hundreds of them, in the valley, in the mountain, along the street.....everywhere! Some were a bit ramshackly, some were really nicely set up, some were teensy, some seemed to be able to accommodate hundreds of people...it was amazing!

After strolling along for awhile, I eventually came to the information centre, which, by this time, was closed (that's what I get for persisting in getting to the end of that hiking trail!), but I didn't really care as I was enjoying the views and walk quite well enough on my own. So I kept strolling along, and after awhile I came upon a path that looked rather more interesting than the road (plus it didn't have any stairs…!), and so I walked along it, with Narnia-like lanterns lighting my way (it was getting near dusk by now), and next thing I knew I was in a teahouse that could have doubled as a fairyland. Fairylights were strung everywhere on trees and houses alike, and little winding paths and stairs seemed to go everywhere. I decided to have another tea break, and soon I was following some waiter down all kinds of little stairs and past all kinds of little gazebo like structures with tables and chairs in them, until I ended up nearly at the bottom of the tea house grounds in my very own little gazebo to have my tea!.

This was the highlight of the day, what a place! This time, I had tea according to the exact ritual you are supposed to do when drinking tea here, guided by our waiter and by a handy little handout with all the pictures of each step of what to do nicely set out for tea-drinking newbies.

This is what you do, for those of you who may be interested in that kind of detail:

1. Rinse out the teapot, various cups, strainer, and straining container with boiling water
2. Measure loose tea of your choice with the special wooden measuring shovel into the teapot
3. Add hot water, block up the tea spout for better brewing, and allow to steep
4. Pour tea through strainer into pouring pot
5. Pour from pouring pot into the tall, thin, tea cups (in order to appreciate the aroma of the tea first for awhile)
6. Pour tea from the tall thin cups into the tiny round cups
7. Drink your tea!

For this second tea experience I tried a different kind of tea recommended to me by the waiter. It was not quite as good as the first type of tea I had, but it was still a very good, kind of earthy tasting tea.

As well, when you buy tea for two, you get the whole canister of tea, so that would also explain why 20 dollars for tea for 2 was about right for the cost.

Well, and that was that pretty much it! I walked off to get the bus back, but what with one thing and another kept going around the next corner to see what was there, as this was a truly fascinating area to walk around in. Needless to say, I came across dozens and dozens of more teahouses, all lit up with lights, and all crowded with people. I kept on walking as by then I had gone a good mile down that road, and it seemed logical that eventually I would get somewhere. Sure enough, after awhile there was a sign directing me to the cable car station. This was a long walk by the way, and in hindsight, it would have been a shorter walk to turn around and head back to Mao Kong station.

However, some other people were also walking in the same direction, and eventually we did indeed come to a (totally different) cable car station, but we were happy enough to be near public transportation of some sort. I simply used my MRT card to get on and off we swooped down the mountain, through 2 more cable car stations until we got to the end of the line (Taipei Zoo Station), where I disembarked, and walked a few steps more to the MRT station that connected to that particular cable car station.

If I were a guidebook writer, I sure would write up Mao Kong and leave out Ping Ling.....but hey, being a tourist and being an intrepid explorer are possibly two different things. At the very least, they both deserve a place in a guidebook about Taiwan, especially considering the importance of the tea industry for this country. Enjoy!

 

On Accommodation

The first night there was rather haphazard. We reached the airport at about 6.30PM; from there we have to find our way to our hotel situated in Ximenting. We literally asked our way to our hotel and got the shock of my life. Not because of the conditions of the hotel, not because we could not find it, but simply because I got the date wrong. My trip was supposed to be from the 22 May to 29 May, but I booked the rooms from 22 Apr to 29 Apr. I cannot believe my carelessness and I never felt so stupid before. Fortunately, the lady from the counter decides to help me out by calling the agency which I booked the rooms from. With their help I managed to continue my stay in the hotel without having to pay extra money thus averting a "costly" mistake. I wish to thank the hotel staffs for their help and also the agency that allowed me to change date with such a short notice. (For those who are interested in the hotel, please refer to this site, for more details. And the site which I booked the rooms from is, Octopus Travel.) To add on, this hotel is quite a budget one. We spent 567 SGD for seven nights there. This breaks down to 40.5 SGD per person per night. The location is good, right at the heart of Ximenting. It is most suitable for those who are not spending a lot of time in the hotel.

Personal ratings for the hotel:
Service 4/5
Hotel quality 3/5
Location 4.5/5

Final comments, I would still choose this hotel if I were to go to Taipei again. It is quite worth the money and you cannot really find too many other hotels with a better location.

On Travel

When I am first there, I was quite shocked by their disorganized traffic. I must say that their road users are generally quite reckless. There are a huge numbers of vehicles on the road making things worse. Fortunately, in Taipei they have an extensive MRT system, locals call it 捷运. I find the MRT the most convenient way to move about in Taipei. You can reach most parts of Taipei City just by taking the MRT. There are tourist information counters in every MRT stations, so if you need any assistance you can just approach the staff there. Interesting enough, inside the MRT station, you would see a totally different sight as compared to their disorganized traffic. People inside the station move about in an orderly manner. For example, they would keep to the right when using the escalator so as to allow people who are rushing for time to move on the left. They would even queue up for their chance to board the MRT train. Inside the train there are priority seats allocated for those who are disabled or pregnant and etc. The people there would generally avoid taking up these seats even when the train is crowded. This is something which I salute them for.

Final comment, like I said before, the MRT is the easiest mode of transport and it is relatively fast as well. It is quite cheap as well, most suitable for travellers on a free and easy trip yet on a budget. If you want to travel to the outskirts of Taipei City, you may choose to transfer to a railway train.

On the Locals

The locals are generally quite helpful. They will help if you ask. But one thing to note is that, not all of them are fluent with English, it would be best if you speak mandarin. If not, the staffs from the information counters would be able to assist you in English, so fear not. The staffs from the information counters are very polite and they serve with enthusiasm. There was one incident when a lady went all the way to help us purchase our tickets for the railway train ride to one of the city's outskirts. This is how far they would go to help a total stranger, and I find it rather heart-warming.

On Food and Shopping

There are quite a number of places to eat and shop over at Taipei. I will just introduce a few.

Shi Lin Night Market

This is a place for tourists to try out the local delicacies. Food like (it is basically fried cockles with egg, sounds simple but it taste really good), 棺材板 (this is fried bread with some sort of fillings inside) and the XXXXXL chicken cutlet are some of the specialties here. There are still quite a wide variety of foods over at Shi Lin. You have to try those stalls along the streets; those are equally good as well. But those are up to you to find out. I would not want to elaborate further as there are simply too many to describe.

Other than food, you can also opt to shop for cheap stuffs over here. The whole area is filled with retail shops of clothes, shoes and etc. These items are all quite cheap. However shoppers would have to compromise in terms of the quality. Try not to make hasty decisions just because the stuffs here are cheap. Take a good look before you decide to but as some of the items here are in really bad shape.

I picked up a couple of T-shirts over here for just less than 10 SGD. So this is a must-go area for shopaholics.

Ximenting

Ximenting is a total different sight as of Shi Lin. In Ximenting you would not see as many street stalls. And the foods here are of an even wider variety. Not only you can find local food but also food from other cultures. The things here are not exceptionally cheap but if you spend some time walking around, you will still find shops that offer good price for some quality items. You can shop for souvenirs as well. There are shops that offer personalized souvenirs for you to bring home.

I think the most famous food stall over here is (it is a local type of vermicelli; it is very popular in Ximenting. Most of the time you would need to queue up for it). The "Bubble" Tea here is also a must-try. "Bubble" Tea is a special type of drink that originates from Taiwan. There is a long list of flavours for you to choose from. So take your time to try out the different flavours.

Please note that Ximenting is only alive after about 11.30AM. So avoid going there too early.

Jiufen

Jiufen is a place outside of Taipei City. It is not really simple to get there. You would have to take a train from Taipei railway station to reach 瑞方 (Ruifang) station. Then transfer onto a bus to reach Jiufen. Just approach the tourist information counters for help if you are lost.

Jiufen is more of a place for food than shopping. The local specialty here is the pineapple cookies and other Chinese-style cookies. If you intend to bring some cookies home, I would recommend that you place your order with the cookie stalls then start your sightseeing, as you would likely have to wait for 30mins to an hour for your orders. These cookies are freshly baked so I believed it is quite worth the wait. Other than the cookies there is still an interesting food called the 芋圆冰 (this is yam balls with ice.)

Danshui Old Street

There is a lot of food to try here but there are just a few local specialties. One of which is 阿婆铁蛋 (it is actually preserved egg). I did not try this as I do not fancy salty stuff. But my friend tried it and he said it is not very salty and the taste is not too bad. So if you like salty food maybe you can give it a shot. Other than the egg, another food I would like to recommend is 阿给 (the locals named it arcade. It is hard to picture it just by its name. It is basically beancurd stuffed with some kind of fillings and vermicelli.)

Danshui is not really a place for shopping as well. But you can find very interesting souvenirs over here.

Wulai

Wulai is situated at the outskirts of Taipei City, where the natives live in. So you can find really exotic food here. One food that I strongly recommend is the wild boar products over here. You can try out the wild boar sausage, it tastes really good. And if you are daring enough you can even try food like bees. Yeah bees, a kind of insects that collect honey. Haha... We tried the bees. Though it is not very appealing or appetizing from the sight of it, it tastes really good when we eat them. It is deep fried. So it turned out to be very crispy. You would not have a feeling that you are eating bees once they are in your mouth.

You can check out other products by the natives here. There are some other foods that taste really good as well.

Yong Kang Street

>This is the last place that I want to introduce. I must say that as compared to the places I mentioned above, the food here are relatively more expensive. However, you can expect a higher quality and service as the price get higher. The most famous restaurant here is 鼎泰丰, it is a restaurant serving Chinese cuisine. We did not manage to try it as it was extremely crowded when we were there. It was quite a pity. So I would recommend you call to reserve a place the day before, if not you might end up like us.

Fortunately, we still managed to taste another food that is quite extraordinary. The stall is called 冰馆 (it literally means a room of ice). The ice dessert here is quite huge. I would recommend 2 people to share one.

On Sightseeing and Entertainment

I think there aren't a lot of places with good sceneries over in Taipei. And the main focus of my trip to Taipei is not sightseeing, so I dare not comment too much on this issue. However I still have places to recommend, but they are really quite limited.

Yang Ming Shan

Yang Ming Shan seems to be a tourists' hotspot for sightseeing. Sad to say we did not go there simply due to the extremely hot weather while we were there. Temperature can hit 38 °C. So we decided that it was not a good idea to go there for sightseeing. Though we did not go there I still believe that it is a place worth going if the weather is not that hot. Maybe in the autumn it would be a perfect place for sightseeing.

Wulai

Yes, Wulai again. That is why I highly recommend this place. Not only is it good for shopping, it also have some pretty decent sceneries as well. I think the main attraction would be Wulai's waterfall. Though is not a very huge one, it is still worth going. You can just treat the journey there as an after-meal exercise.

Ba Li

Ba Li is a place near Danshui. You can take a ferry to reach there from Danshui. From there you can have a good view of Danshui and the sea. Once again the view is not exceptionally good but it is still better than nothing.

As for entertainment, I think I really cannot comment too much on this. There are quite a lot of hot springs in Taipei that serve as a form of "entertainment". However due to the weather, we did not go to any hot springs. (The weather is already hot enough)

I think in Taipei the main entertainment in Taipei would be shopping. You can go check out the clubs and their nightlife if you are keen. Other than that I don't really think there are any other entertainments. If you can find any entertainment that is worth trying over in Taipei, please contribute.

Conclusion

I went to Taipei for eight days and seven nights. There are several things I want my reader to take note of. I will list them in point form for easy reference.

1. The weather is very hot in this time of the year over at Taipei. I live in Singapore, a country that is constantly warm and humid throughout the year, so if I feel that it is hot over there then it got to be really hot. Temperatures can hit 38°C, making it very uncomfortable to sightsee in open areas. So I suggest not going for such a long trips during this warm period of the year. Maybe a 3-4 days trip would be enough. If you want a longer trip, then maybe go during autumn or winter period.
2. Taipei isn't a very big place. So I do not suggest people to go there on a package tour. The transportation system there is quite well done and convenient. So it is really easy to move about. The tourist guide and map provided at the airport is quite comprehensive and detailed, so you won't get lost easily. Furthermore, if you go on a package trip, you will definitely miss out a lot on shopping and the food over there. There are a lot to taste, see and shop, and I am very sure you would want to do it at your own pace.
3. I have to admit that the food there taste really good. But I think that is because most of them are spiced up with excessive seasonings and oil. So I believed that the foods there are relatively unhealthy. Anyway, I think it is ok to indulge in such food once in a while. Just like when you are there for a trip. Another thing to add on. I put on quite some weight from the trip. So I got to start exercising to get rid of those excess fats. lol...
4. This is a warning to shopaholics out there. Be prepared that you might spend so much that you may find yourselves with insufficient money to get back to the airport to catch your flight. Haha... I am not kidding. The things there are often much cheaper than you can find elsewhere. So I believed there is no point in asking you to bring more money just in case, as you will end up spending those excess cash as well. lol...

Pigs Brain and Chicken Feet Soup

This herbal soup is boiled with the Chinese herb kei chi (for good eye sight), dried longan fruit and Chinese yam. The pig's brains and chicken feet are said to nourish the brain and strengthen muscles.

Boiled Jellyfish

Shredded jelly fish takes just 2 minutes to boil. You don't want to over cook it and spoil the texture. However, if you are using the head and eyes too, it will take a few minutes longer. Apparently this is best served ice cold.

Fried Spiders

These street hawkers are selling fried spiders on the street in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. They are said to be a very popular snack.

Balut

Filipinos enjoy balut which is an egg containing a half developed duck foetus. When you crack open the egg you find a miniature duckling complete with feet, a beak and feathers. The smell is is said to be quite horrible.

Guinea Pig Roast

Guinea Pig is a popular but expensive dish in South America, especially in Ecuador and Peru. It is said to taste just like chicken with a similar texture.

Frog Sashimi

This sushi dish is enough to put you off for life.

Frog! What more can I say?

Hairless Rats

These hairless rats are very popular in Taiwan. They are a special kind of rat bred for food and not the same as the ones running around the sewers. However, I don't think that fact helps them sound any more palatable.

Roast Snake Soup and Tonic

This Cantonese dish is said to make men virile and women healthy and strong. It relies on fresh ingredients for a perfect dish. Oh, yummy, fresh snake.

It is often said that the main difference between cultures is in the food eaten. Most of these dishes sound quite intimidating to the western palette but they are all favourites in someone's culture.

Then during the Korean War in 1950 U.S. President Harry S. Truman ordered the 7th Fleet into the Taiwan Strait to prevent possible Chinese attack on the island. The U.S. perceived Taiwan as an ally against Communism. The U.S. sent Taiwan troops, weapons and supplies.

During the 1960s, with the tragic results from Mao Zedong's domestic policies of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, Taiwan sought their independence. But it was also during this period that the U.S. and other countries began improving relations with China due to the USSR and its communist expansion.

In 1971, the United Nations expelled Taipei's Nationalist government and recognized China's Beijing government. In 1979, the Carter administration formally recognized the People's Republic of China, severing official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, now under the rule of Chiang's son, Chiang Ching-kuo. With this move, the U.S. demonstrated that America accepted Beijing's "one China" mandate and abandoned its defense pact with the island. Within months, though, the U.S. Congress reinstated unofficial economic ties with Taiwan, including the sale of arms.

Since this time, Taiwan has been having democratic elections. There have been times when China would fire missiles as a show of strength toward the island, but the U.S. would intervene with aircraft carriers and its own military strength.

The Chinese government considered Taiwan as part of China; but Taiwan sees itself as an independent nation. Many mainland Chinese have relatives in Taiwan; and there is frequent travel and communications made to and from the countries. However, no matter what the political situation is, familial and friendship ties are still very strong among the two. Most Chinese want the two to reconcile, but they would like to see greater development in the economic and political front on the mainland first.

Conclusion: Want to date a white guy? Go to Luxy.

We had a table thanks to Herbie and his sweet connections. However, as people started trickling in, I noticed a lack of good looking guys in the club. In fact, it was worse than that, I noticed a lack of young guys in the club period. So since this club was expensive to get into. That means that the people in here have to be rich too. That means that the majority of the guys were creepy old men with lots of cash in their hands and camera ready to go. As I was moving through the crowd, I danced a little, but this only led to me being caught by some guy who did not look that old but he was creepy alright and he was way too touchy freely. I had to get saved by my buddy DJ Kao. It was not fun. Let me just put it that way.

The girls are hot though. The girls are smokin' hot. But this is not a good combination. What ended up happening was me and my friends going into the cage to have a good time and then old men took pictures up my dress. It kind of makes me sad that I wore my slutty dress to this club. What a waste...

Also, it was possibly the greatest display on how good Asians are at taking their alcohol. All the way to the bathroom, I saw people throwing up. I felt bad for the team of people they hired to clean up the puke. Yeah, they had people.

Oh there was also this lame moment where they turned on the lights, stopped the music, and told everyone on the loudspeaker that the cops were here and had to check our IDs. So everyone got carded, again. Pretty sick. We sat there for a while, too. Of course, it was all complicated at our table because we have a bunch of out-of-country IDs.

One good thing I noticed about Plush though was the fact that they played pretty good music for the most part. Although a lot of it was still hard to dance to, it's better than techno-rave music at Luxy after midnight. I love Luxy, though...

Although, I must say that I had a great time at Plush because I spent the time with a great group of people. I danced with our group and got saved if any creepers came by (Thanks, DJ Kao).

So here's the final call on Plush. If you're a guy, young, you're hot, and you can afford to get in, please do and save all the hot girls from the creepy old men.