Taiwan Day 9: YangMingShan National Park

My second last day in Taiwan, we decided to visit here, the national park (陽明山). It's a long journey there where you get to experience riding different public transport. First take the MRT to JianTan station, then go to the bus station and queue on the Red 5 bus stop platform. Sit on the bus and it will ride you straight up to their last station for the shuttle bus, don't go down halfway at any weird name which does sound a bit similar. Yes, we came down the wrong station *swt* The shuttle bus too, I think there's a one day pass written on the web but we just follow the queue and hence without the pass, they charge NT15 for each of our rides 

First stop to the XiaoYouKeng (小油坑). The post-volcanic activity that is still ongoing releasing fumes that smell (probably ammonia sulphur). Just this small ones here and roaming around you will find a store here selling some homemade stuff, food and drinks, kinda expensive, but well, we are hungry so we just settled there for lunch.

Next stop LengShuiKeng (冷水坑), there's hot spring and foot bath which are free of charge. There's time slot for hot spring and the time we reached is closed so we decided to just soak our foot into this foot bath. Oh, remember to bring a towel for drying your leg after.

We later walk over to QingTianGang (擎天崗) though it's quite a distance but still waiting bus time is really time-consuming, the mini bus is in an interval of around 30 mins. The aunties we speak to while foot bathing said they explore this place mostly by walking and trekking and the view are much prettier which convince us more to walk.

QingTianGang is a big field for cows to graze on. The cow is not tied, you can go very near to them but mind your distance at your own risk, don't get to hype up with good photos and forget about safety. There's a sign set up to remind the public. The wind is very strong there and the weather is cooling, so damn relaxing I don't want to come down.

 

 

Overall experience is just fine. Would prefer a journey like a day before. Anyway, we leave there by bus no.15 straight to Shilin night market and yet I preferred Shida night market :P So much more to see, eat and shop.

Taiwan Day 8: Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Longshan Temple of Mengjia

So today is a little relaxing compared to all other days, wake up and enjoy our free breakfast in the hostel.

Our first destination today, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. The sun is really hot that day, but to get a good photo we go all out! We hide under the umbrella all the times except those time where we need to stand in front for this photo posing. This few minutes literally burn our skin though we applied sunscreen kao kao.

Came here to watch this changing of honoured guard. It's guard with almost same height marching from the first-floor to the second-floor hall where President Chiang statue is located. The march is super neat at the same tempo and once they stop moving, they look exactly like a statue. No blinking of eyes is noticed, we wonder how long they train for these, we blink eyes so often we lost count :P One of my friend actually really though they are indeed a wax statue until he noticed them moving as it's time to change shift. He's standing so damn near to take a photo of them and some more come showing us they are handsome. *faint*

Our next stop is this Longshan Temple. Okay well, it happens to be on the list as my friend that studied in Taiwan highly recommend this saying that I gotta come here to pray for love fate (yin yuan) super chun ones! But of course I didn't :P I just came here to walk around, I don't really use incense too. Anyway, this temple is indeed pretty and it's full of people. 

We are told that there's a few fashion boutique here, but while we are walking to the place according to Google map, it's all those old clothes with outdated grandma shirts and pants so we decided to just leave. But while the day is still early and our hostel is just one station ahead, I suggest walking back to XiMenDing and they agreed. 

The street here is quite pretty with the historical, artistic kind of design and neighbourhood feel. We walk in their supermarket to check out their household item and we bump into our favourite Vietnam coffee G7 at a grocery store. I immediately buy it with another friend of mine, still cheap (comparing it to Vietnam Dong, it's only a few MYR more). 

We also bump upon this auction. So old yet tradition. People describing this product, and 1, 2, 3, sold!

This is supposedly an art street or exhibition centre. But by the time we reach there is already past 5pm so everything is close except the alley is still open (if not mistaken). We walk through the alley and take loads of picture here, a hipster place for youngster for an Instagram photo or a new profile picture.

     

We spent quite a lot of time there considering we are not rushing time. And well, while the trip coming to the end and while we are growing to adult, how much more time can we be that relaxing exploring ourselves and enjoy the no worried time. We really blindly walk through our way back, of course asking some passers-by to show us the correct route. We walk lots that day (thanks for not blaming me) but considering this is my favourite thing to do while travelling - get lost in a country and find your way back walking into neighbourhood, you will see the true pure happiness instead of the tourist place kinda presentation.

    

That day, we even walk into a Taiwan welfare centre (a convenient stall for military and government worker). I think the item inside have subsidies or otherwise some promotion. We just walk in like aunties comparing prices of instant noodles and other stuff, discussing Taiwan food. And only realise we walk into the wrong place when we prepared to pay for our goods. We are asked to show their welfare card for identification of personnel or family members of those and of course, we fail to do so as we are not even their nationality. The aunty in front generously saw this whole embarrassing scene borrow us her card and explain to us how to cook and serve the Taiwan instant noodles such as KeXueMian (科学面) and ThePrince (王子面).

We settle our dinner at the 7-11 convenient store we crave so much. Our first time here for like main meal not those breakfast bread, snacks, drinks, or especially beer (they bought way too much here in Taiwan, considering the beer here is cheap and there's promotion for export beer) *shocked face*