I like Taipei's food, shopping & karaoke!

8 days passed in a flash. It always happens when you're having fun, isn't it? My trip to Taipei & HK was great! 5 days in Taiwan were filled with shopping & food. 3 days in Hong Kong were all about sightseeing. I came back $700 poorer from all the food, shopping, transport & sightseeing expenses. Add on the airfare & accomodation and that's a $2000 burnt hole in my pocket. But it was all worth it.

Taipei was more interesting compared to Hong Kong. The scooters, road-side stalls, night market & pet lovers gave it a unique character. The lower cost of living meant I could eat & buy a lot without burning a big hole. Night markets there are a shopper's paradise. I bought 4 pairs of shoes & 6 pieces of clothing there. I would have bought more if not due to limited luggage space & $$.

I love the food in Taiwan, especially the desserts. They have many chewy textured taro balls desserts which I like. It's like eating a big bubble tea pearl. Bubble tea is cheap & has generous servings of pearls. Each cup had 3 scoops of pearls compared to Singapore's miserable 1 scoop. Glass jelly has a slightly chewy texture too. Drool....

As the hotel's free breakfast wasn't tasty, I went out to find breakfast. My first non-hotel breakfast was from a road-side stall near my hotel. Their rice ball with fillings was yummy & cost S$1.40. Add on soya bean milk & I could last till lunch.

I tried 臭豆腐 too. It really was quite smelly that you can smell it from afar. But it didn't taste too bad. It's just deep-fried tofu to me. I was adventurous the next day and tried the claypot version which I had problems swallowing coz it tasted quite bad.

I love the potato fries sprinkled with plum & chili powder so much that I went in search of it again the next day. I like the Taiwan version of roti prata -- fluffy & crispy & not so oily. Taiwan sausage was very delicious with various toppings. Oishii!

It's cheap to go to karaoke in Taiwan. My friend & I sang for 4 hours & spent about S$16 per pax, inclusive of a delicious buffet lunch. It consists of main meals, finger foods, desserts & up to 10 types of hot/cold drinks. The room was large by S'pore standards and had its own toilet. Sound system was quite good & service was excellent. What amazed me most was the size of the place. Imagine a whole building of rooms for ktv. The one we went to was 5 storeys high. I heard some have up to 15 floors. The lobby area was nicer & bigger than my hotel! Without the songs playing in the background, I would have mistaken it for a hotel lobby.

I arrived in Taiwan on the day they held a rally with an estimated 500,000 protesters. Areas near the rally area were guarded with policemen & barricades. People were walking around in groups holding small flags. Posters were placed everywhere near the stage area. I didn't witness them marching down the streets coz I was there in the evening. I was near the stage where the party members were addressing the crowd. Left the place early before the rally ended.

I didn't do much sightseeing in Taiwan as the weather wasn't too good for me to travel far to view the coastal scenery. I went to Danshui to see the Lover's bridge and saw a few couples taking wedding photos there. Also went to Keelung to see the big Goddess of Mercy statue.

I enjoyed myself in Taiwan so much that I missed it the moment I reached Hong Kong. When I was walking down the streets of HK, my mind was thinking of the road-side stalls and small shops selling trendy clothes.

I plan to go there again next year if I have the time & money. Anyone wana join me?