-17- Weekend Trip (2) Taipei

“Unbridled lust and passion are a source of human suffering. Contentment is the only solution for this”
--- Master Cheng Yen---

After thorough planning difficultly, we decided to have Taipei trip by ourselves; Oh and me. Traveling in Taipei by 2 persons that don’t know Chinese language seem to be a challenging adventure. However fortunately, we can be happy, funny in my trip and survive safely. It is such a good experience and memory in Taipei.

Fri 14 Mar 2008
We started our journey at Hualien train station at 9.00am. Immediately we arrived Taipei around 12.00. we went to our Hostel that we had reserved by phone to keep luggage firstly and followed through our plan then.

Our first destination in plan is Taipei 101 building, 400NT Admission Price must be paid for going up to the 89st observation floor and taking the fastest elevator that take only about 35 seconds from the 5th floor to the 89th. We can look down around Taipei on this floor, it is not excellent at all comparing the high price. However Oh and I decided to listen English guide radio and get information as much as we can to compensate for our expensive money that we lost.

Secondly, we catch a train to shopping at ximen. Actually, we planed to go to Chiang Kai-shek before but it is too late for 5pm closing. At ximen we tried to search for a new jacket that appropriate price. 3 hour passing, finally, I could found out them and bought 2jackets in 500NT cost per each. Shopping is a funny thing for us really, because we still went on shopping at Shilin night market, the biggest night market of Taipei. There are a lot of food and clothes. We could buy souvenir for our friends here in suitable price; nice chopsticks 16NT a couple. We went along a street until 10.30pm and went back our hostel.

Our hostel is not an excellent one at all however I could stay there conveniently. There are 6 beds and one baht room in each bed room. The beds are softer and warmer than our beds in Tzu Chi dorm. The cost of hostel is very cheap I must paid only 300NT per night. because of my exhaustion I could slept tight and have a nice sleeping.

Sat 15 Mar 2008
We woke up at 6am and started our trip at 7am to Yanmingshan firstly. I was informed that Yanmingshan is a beautiful place however nobody told me that we must climb the mountain to sightsee there. After arriving the visitor center that take almost 1hour to climb the mountain. A kind traveler asked us to join his walking to the first beautiful place together that take about 2hrs. I feel thankful in his kindness but many hours climbing mountain was too hard for us, two little girls that hadn’t prepared ourselves before, so we decided to refused his pleasure gently and got on the shuttle bus to save our energy for a long journey in 2 days left.

After arriving the first place by bus, we must go on walking to the beautiful target. When long walking distance finished, we reached our goal eventually with lots of exhaustion. Our desire to meet a beautiful place collapsed because I think it’s just a regular view, I was quite disappointed for it. However we got an opportunity to exercise in nice weather.

Along our journey, We met a Taiwanese man that were nice and try to invite us to join with his group to have a lunch somewhere around here then he would bring us to National Palace; our next destination. However we denied his kindness because we cannot trust any stranger then went down the mountain by bus, had a good vegetarian lunch and took a bus to National Palace Museum

National Palace Museum Admission for student is 80 NT. Due to our exhaustion, we hadn’t walked around there, we used most of time to sit and take a rest until almost 4pm then went down to the garden and took the photos

An exhausted day passed, funny shopping night came, we went to Danshui; the beautiful place that is seaside and far away from Taipei. Most of couples love this romantic location to see sunset together. We must take more than 1 hour to go there by bus and MRT. Due to that day was Saturday, it was very crowd. However we two were enjoy to look around the night market again. And we could find out something for our friends at Hualein. It was sweets that quite delicious but nobody told us before until give our friends that it is for wedding ceremony.. haha … sorry I didn’t know about it.

Sun 16 Mar 2008
Our last day was started at the same time;7 am to catch the train. Our destination on this day was Moakong Gondola by cable car. Before going there, we must keep our luggage in the locker at Taipei main station firstly then went to take a cable car at station. But because of an extremely long line, we decided to take from inside Taipei Zoo station instead.

Fortunately, it is not too crowd in Taipei Zoo station, we could arrived Moakong in short time and got a chance to see animals as well such as cute Coala bear.

The cable line is very high, it is hung from the peak of mountain to the station that is lower. It was an exciting feeling to swing on the cable car that was very high from the ground. It’s quite similar to being in the scary plaything in amusement park, I think.

At Moakong, Oh, she would like to have a tea. We walked along the car passage around 1 hour until we discoverd tea shop. But finally she refused to have one because of too expensive price.
So we wasted all of that morning there without any activities other than walking.

In the afternoon, we had 2 hours left before train departing time to Hualien. We used that free time for shopping again and because of this, we almost missed our train. However finally we can catch the train in time and go back to our university safely. but I haven’t had any meals except popcorn in the morning at Taipei zoo until arrived my canteen in University at 6.30pm because I couldn’t find out vegetarian food.

Our enjoyed and exciting Taipei trip finished with our happiness and exhaustion…