ITS MY LIFE. I'LL DO WHAT I WANT: Taiwan Day 2

Day 2

Started the day with breakfast at this shop in Ximending, just steps away from our hotel. Actually almost everything was just a few steps away from the hotel, including two 7-11's and a huge Watson. Very convenient location. I am so staying at Rainbow Hotel again when I go back again.

The hotel provided free breakfast but mehh I don't wanna have porridge and salted egg in the morning. I want my lo bak peng, which is actually minced pork rice. Unassuming name and unassuming shop but they have lo bak peng that makes even me, the almost Muslim, want to eat pork everyday for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And yes, we had it almost everyday.

This is my beloved. Add a half cooked egg on top and voila. One of the best food on Planet Earth. I saw some customers asking for the hard boiled egg instead. Mum says we're supposed to eat it like that. The tea leaf flavored hard boiled egg, I mean, but I prefer my half cooked fried egg.

Photo of us first. Very small and cramped shop. I heard one of the customers complaining about the small space and tiny seats, and the boss (or worker, either one) replied cheerfully that he's sorry but that rent is expensive in that area. He replied with a smile. So humble.

KFC should learn some tips from this. Heh I am referring to the KFC employee on Facebook and Youtube recently. Google it folks. He got into a quarrell and fight (punched the customer) and it was recorded on video and a big fuss is ongoing right now.

Moving on moving on..

Cs must have his daily fix of oyster omelet..so we did.

I don't know what the name is for this. Some soup with squid in it. Actually I remember the name now: you yu ken, but because I know nuts about pinyin, I'm not so sure if anyone can understand me now.. =.=

Also stopped by to get some more fresh juice. As you can probably tell, the shop specializes in bitter gourd juice but they sell plenty of other different juices too. I tried watermelon and pineapple. Yum surprisingly good. Actually no lah. I am not that surprised. Seems like they (Taiwanese) can do no wrong. I have yet to find some horrible tasting food or drink to complain about. Besides the hotel breakfast heheh.

Took the MRT and went to Taipei 101. Their MRT is really easy to use. I think, if you know one MRT, you know them all. Easy concept to follow, no? Follow the blue line, change the red line. Compare the names. Same? Good you're on the right track. Wrong? Walk to the opposite side and get in the train and go back the way you came from. If really desperate, open your mouth and ask someone. Heh heh.

We have arrived! It was drizzling slightly that day and quite cold..

Nothing much to see in the mall. Stuff looks expensive and I have no interest in malls when in Taiwan. Mum kinda drilled that into my brain. When in Taiwan, go to the night markets. Never shop in the mall. Sure more expensive one!

In fact, I don't even dare tell mum that I bought my boots for NT 780. RM 78. Cos she would go berserk. It is counted expensive, believe or not, according to Taiwan standards. Can get them for about half the price if I looked properly.

When we explored the underground shops at Taipei Main Station, omg damn cheap lah the shoes. But dammit I am Big Feet. Boots for like NT 400 haih. RM 40.

Because it was cold and drizzling, we walked into Starbucks for a coffee.

Took the MRT everywhere. Cheap and easy to use. Best means of transportation. We took Taxi once, from Raohe night market back to Ximending. On that first night when we were both freezing and just too damn tired. Mistake. Big mistake.

Arrogant, rude taxi driver who assumed that Malaysians don't celebrate CNY. When I argued with him that we do, he brushed me off, with his super loud voice. FUUUU!! And when we paid the fare, he told us price increase because of CNY holidays. He charged us more that the meter amount. Fine. We paid. Then he said he had no change! FINE!!!! FFUUUUU to HELL! Bastard!

That was the last time we took a taxi.

Seems like the Taiwanese like their fried chicken. You get a lot of XXL Fried Chicken Chop and fried chicken like this that looks like popcorn chicken. Tastes good!

We went to SOGO after that and bought a lot of snacks back to the hotel. I found pudding! The pudding that grandpa used to buy in bulk for Kev. Grandpa used to spoil us by buying a lot of Vitagen and pudding for us. If we stay for a month, the fridge is fully stocked for a month.

But Kev got the VIP treatment. In addition to Vitagen and Pudding, he has breakfast every morning. Whatever he wants. Sandwich, burger, oyster mien sien, lo bak peng. Anything. Haha.

After that we went to Shilin Market. It has moved by the way, yao, if you're reading this.

I wonder was it like this the last time she went? Ths Shilin Night Market that I remembered was outdoors and quite large. Now the food section has moved from its original place to this building below. In Basement 2, to be exact.

The clothes, accessories etc section are still outdoors but seems to be smaller than I remembered. I think it was cos I didn't finish walking around. It was drizzling slightly again. But that wasn't the main problem. The main problem was the crowd. The huge, hungry crowd all crowding to Basement 2. And the huge, growing crowd walking around the streets.

It was packed sooo.. full with people. Lesson learnt. Never travel during CNY period. Boo.

A lot of stalls selling fruits such as this one. Finally gave in and bought a bag of cherries for NT 100. RM 10. Still cheaper than in Kch.

Fried chicken I was talking about.

We bought one to try. Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Nice.

Fishing

Snake meat

Oh oh..I must show this. Niu pai. I don't know how to pinyin lah sorry. Beef steak. I ♥ this!! You can find this at almost all night markets too. It ish good! Good stuff!! It costs about NT 200. RM 20? Approx. I forgot the price. It was crowded and stuffy and I was salivating so I wasn't paying attention when Cs paid. Sorry.

The sauce is finger licking good. Basically its pasta noodles on the sizzling hot plate, and the beef steak on top, and crack an egg on the side. The egg would then be cooked on the hot plate. Mix it up with the sauce and noodles and eat with beef!!! OMG!! I want now!

After the crowd at Shilin night market got too much, we left and went back to Taipei Main Station to shop since it was on our way back to Ximen Station.

There were many different underground lanes and different places to shop at. Basically the underground was huge. So we stopped and shopped there. Good choice.

Saw some people queuing up for ice cream and decided to try as well. Logic: where there is a queue, the food should be good, so join the queue. Logic pass.

Headed back to Ximending to explore the area more thoroughly.

I cannot eat anymore by then, but Cs the eating monster continues. This is his chou dou fu aka stinky tofu. Supposedly you can't go to Taiwan and not eat this.

Chou dou fu has a reputation of being smelly. I don't know how they do it. It stinks. It smells of dirty drains, something like that. Not an exaggeration. That was how I thought of it the first time I smelt it, many many years ago. Now, I am more accustomed to the smell already..so I don't think its that smelly anymore.

I hate tofu on principal. But I took a bite all the same. The sauce was surprising! Surprising cos it was delicious!! Mmmm..