My Trip to Taiwan Part 13 (7th-May-2008)

Today we wake up early getting ready to go to Taipei, 1st stop is 龍山寺 and 九份 by ourselves. But二哥 insisted to send us there, he purposely take leave to bring us around. He is respected my mummy a lot, and he feel that he have the duty to bring us around. This shows my mummy is very well-like among all my relatives.

Andy is very happy to go out with us:



Daddy ask Andy to look cool:



This is my 二哥:
this photo is not clear, taken by Andy.


He is very good at cracking jokes, his jokes are very deep.

And is the lady that wake up every morning 5-6am to prepare breakfast for the whole family, my 大舅母:

This is not clear also taken by Andy.



But before we go Taipei, 二哥 bring us to buy 宜蘭茗產 - 蜜餞 at 冬山鄉, we go there because mummy wanted to buy and here is cheaper and better, even thought need to travel a bit far, but it is worth it as I had an Ice-cream that I really loved.
Ice-cream po piah with honey peanuts candy. I first time ate it and loved it very much.

I saw this biscuits look very much like BB's Malaysia hometown biscuits, in fact the ingredients is the same.



Ice-cream:

You see the big honey peanut candy, there is an tool to shave off the candy. That tool actual us is to smoothen wood surface, but they use it to shave off the candy. Very clever.

After the shave , pour the candy "Dust" on to the Po piah skin then add ice-cream, you can add some veggie, like cucumber. It taste really good.

My First bite:

For me Ice-cream is not enough, I must have 台灣香腸, even though it is not as good as ours home make one, but it is definitely better than those sold in Singapore night market or supermarket.

香腸!香腸!香腸!香腸!

Ok after this lunchtime!!! We have duck for lunch and shark fish for lunch. Good!!! After this need to send my godmother to work. Then we are off to Taipei's 龍山寺。http://www.lungshan.org.tw/

Since 1738 the temple is built,

龍山寺寺內主祀觀音菩薩，並祀奉媽祖，四海龍王、十八羅漢、城堭爺、註生娘娘、山神、土地公等，為典型神佛合一之寺廟。龍山寺建於乾隆三年，五後年落成， 以坐北朝南，分前、後及左右護龍圍繞中殿而成，前殿有銅鑄龍柱乙對，中殿龍柱四對，雕工精細；木雕亦甚精緻巧妙，尤以正殿內藻井及神龕最為出色。

A lot of Japanese tour groups comes to this temple, to pray.

I waited for 20mins to get the shot below, there are so many people I wanted to wait until no one so I can take a clear shot, but damn there is till one person @#$#$%^$^%&, never mind la. It is Wednesday, weekday and there are so many people!!


I know you will like this water feature, very peaceful.



The temple:

The decorations:

I dun know if I tell you before, I dun like the temples in Singapore or Malaysia. Their roof decorations or the temple decoration is very lousy, they just can't bring out the temple feeling.




The main hall is close for visitors, only open during prayers.


Our main objective:

They said this 月老 is very accurate, so must try.


And this 註生娘娘, should be translated to Goddess of Birth, is very accurate also, just look at the flowers the parents give.

Andy looking cool:


Andy caught on camera trying to mimic daddy walking:
On our way to 九份.

九份隸屬台北縣瑞芳鎮，相傳在陸路尚未開通之時，一切物資供給仰賴海路進行，由於村落中只有九戶人家，故對外採買時皆要求備妥「九份」，久而久之，人們便 以此命名。九份之發展過程可謂一段先民採金史，隨採金人潮的湧入而繁華，又隨採金事業的沒落而褪色。約略西元1890年左右，居民在福山宮土地祠距小金瓜 不遠處掘到金脈，這使得原本只有九戶人家的貧窮村落，頓時聚集了三、四千戶的淘金人口，此為九份的第一次繁華。

http://www.9sale.org/aboutus.php

Out of Taipei:

I can see Taipei 101!!!

The road to 九份:

Andy is very sleepy!!
But still want to act cool:


We reached:

The road to 九份, this is taken from website not by me lah.. I wish i have such good skills..

You can see 龜山島 from here!!!

The old streets of 九份:


We are very hungry, so 二哥 said try their famous 紅糟肉圓:





This 紅糟fishball.
I first time ate this 紅糟肉圓 and fishball, make me notice one thing Singapore or even Malaysia is not a food heaven at all. We are so fixed with our food choices, we dare not to be different, we dare not to try new things and be creative. Look at Taiwan, not that I'm trying to brag but really they have many different types of foods and they dare to be different, they dare to try.

Such a wonderful trip, it may be short but at least I'm here before so next time I can come again, if not for my 二哥, I don't think we can travel to all these places in one day. Really appreciate his efforts. At home, my sisters are waiting for us, they are there to bid us farewell.

Kids just bathed and playing on the masterbedroom's bed!!!

The gal standing at the dressing table is 二哥和二嫂的大女兒that is Andy's sister. The guy in the picture is my 大哥和大嫂的二儿子。12yrs ago, they are still small kids like Andy and Yiming, now they are all teenagers.

Yiming's thoughts "I bathed, yeah I'm a good boy"


Yiming's thoughts "Mummy why you ask me to pose like this????, Is it really more handsome??"

Ok after this short gathering, meimei, Weizi and me, we going to go for溫泉 , while my parents and my god mother go look for their old friends to chichat.

http://www.chuang-tang.com.tw/
you can go to the website and see all their spa services, cheap and good.

There are so many types of , lavender, 壇香﹐中藥﹐sake, coffee etc. I tired all, in the end I fall sick till now :( ........ my advice dun stay in the cold room too long.